Refinished Bergere chair using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Before and After

Refinished thrift store chair using driftwood weathering wood finish

Refinished Thrift Store Chair Using
Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Stain

Refinished Chair with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

Refinished Thrift Store Chair Turned Coastal Cottage Chic

I’m using an outdated and rather dark thrift store chair and updating it with a beachy driftwood finish fit for any vintage seaside cottage and I’m using  Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish.

This is my second refinished thrift store chair project and turning it into a beautiful piece of furniture to fit my beach cottage.  Like the first chair, this one was purchased for under $30 and it needs to be completely stripped of both its dark finish and outdated fabric. 

Once you find that special chair, here are the materials you will need:

To start, you will need to remove all the fabric.  This may entail removing screws and I had to take the chair apart in order to remove the seat.  Here is what you will need for each step:

Removing the Fabric

  • needle nose pliers for helping to remove staples – and there will be MANY, MANY staples. 
  • flat head screw driver – helps with removing staples
  • patience, patience, patience – removing the many staples is the most tedious part

Stripping the Finish

  • Furniture stripping agent such as Klean Strip Paint & Varnish Remover or other safe stripper
  • steel wool #0000
  • scrapper
  • sandpaper #150, #220 and #320
  • mineral spirits

Refinishing and Re-upholstering

  • Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish
  • Fabric of your choice
  • Piping (optional)
  • Chip brush
  • Drop cloth
  • Spray on glue for foam Elmer’s Craft Bond Spray Adhesive Multi-Purpose
  • Tacky glue (but only if using piping) Beacon Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive
  • good quality staple gun
  • staples

Refinished Bergere chair using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Before and After

Above is the original thrift store chair

It’s in good condition, but not suitable for a vintage seaside cottage.  I wanted that weathered look that I keep seeing in Ballard Designs and Restoration Hardware.  I am always inspired by the pages of Ballard Designs and they have a Bergere style chair with a weathered finish that sells for $800 or more.  Same with Restoration Hardware.  I know I can recreate the weathered finish with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish stain AND I can find a fabric that will suit my decor perfectly.

Refinished Bergere chair using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Before and After

A key to re-upholstering the chair is to keep all the original fabric pieces, including any padding or backing.  This way you can use them as pattern pieces.  Make sure to mark each piece and even take pictures during the removal process that you can refer back to. 

Refinished Bergere chair using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Before and After

Take pictures and mark the pieces.  Once all the fabric has been removed, you can start stripping the finish.

Refinished Bergere chair using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Before and After

Refinished Bergere chair using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Before and After

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used an environmentally safe spray-on furniture stripper so as not to have hazardous chemicals seep into the ground water.  This particular stripper took longer and more elbow grease but I’m good with that. There are plenty of environmentally safe paint removers available.  To help remove the finish, I used #0000 steel wool especially in the hard to get areas.

Fully Stripped of Finish and Fabric

The chair completely stripped, sanded and cleaned with mineral spirits.  Any chemical residue from the stripper or original finish will hinder the results of the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish.  So I need to test the results using the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish stain. 

Refinished Bergere chair using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Before and After

My first chair project turned out darker than I expected because I did not test the results first.  This time, I knew I wanted a lighter and more brown toned finish that would pick up the taupey brown tones in my chosen fabric. I also wasn’t at all sure what type of wood the chair was made from.  Since the more tannins a wood has – the darker the color will be when using the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish.  It’s really important to test the results in an inconspicuous area first.

Refinished Bergere chair using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Before and After

As it turned out, diluting the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish solution gave me the color I was looking for.  Instead of mixing 1 packet with 1 cup of water – I mixed it with 2 cups of water. 

Refinished Bergere chair using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Before and After

Here I am testing the finish against my chosen fabric which is Magnolia Home Indoor/Outdoor Sea Island Spa.  It has a beachy, cottage feel and even looks a bit vintage to me.  The colors are perfect! 

I seriously considered using the Driftwood Liming Wax to give it a lighter finish as I did with my first chair project but then realized I wanted a more driftwood, weathered finish.  A finish that was completely matte like a found piece of driftwood. 

Re-upholstering the Chair

I’ve been sewing since I was 10, but if you are not confident in your sewing skills, this might be where you want to take the chair and original fabric pieces to an upholstery shop to complete the project. 

Cut out all your fabric pieces using the original pieces as templates, which hopefully you saved and marked.  Same with any backing pieces. Sometimes you may need to replace the cushioning or backing pieces.

One thing I learned along the way was to use a spray glue good for closed cell foam such as Elmer’s Craft Bond Spray Adhesive Multi-Purpose to lightly glue ONLY the fabric backing to the foam.  DO NOT glue the actual fabric to the foam – just the backing materials.  This really helps keep everything in place while you are re-covering the chair.

Refinished Bergere chair using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Before and After

Another great tip is to fold and press your fabric under about 1/4″ before applying to the chair using a staple gun.  This way, you end up with a nice clean edge instead of frayed fabric edges.  Much less messy.  I also used piping to cover up any exposed staples and Beacon Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive to apply the piping.

Refinished Bergere chair using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Before and After

Refinished Bergere chair using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Before and After

Refinished Bergere chair using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Before and After

Final Project

Refinished Bergere chair using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Before and After

 

Total Cost for Refinishing and Re-Upholstering Thrift Store Bergere-Style Chair Using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

The total cost for this project was about is about $115.00 and that included:

  •  $25.00 for thrift store chair
  • $24 for a 3 yards of fabric
  • $12.99 for the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish
  • $10.00 piping
  • $13.00 Elmer’s Craft Bond Spray Adhesive Multi-Purpose
  • $6.00 Beacon Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive
  • $12.99 environmentally safe paint and varnish stripper
  • $8.00 for incidentals such as staples and sandpaper

Refinished Bergere chair using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Before and After

Refinished Bergere chair using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Before and After

Stenciled Patio Pavers

Stenciling Patio Pavers with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

Stenciling Patio Pavers with
Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Stain

Stenciling Patio Pavers with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

The Vision

Stenciling Patio Pavers – Another Great Use for Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

I have this patio envisioned in my head.  It’s about 15’x20′ and made of Arizona flagstone with all its beautiful color variations.  There will be a 2 ft high stone retaining wall and that will be topped by bluestone slabs for sitting and showcasing plants. Behind that is a wall of 3 ft tall boxwood or similar shrub.  This envisioned patio is #1 on my wish list. Unfortunately, it’s about #8 on the priority list.  But I definitely needed something inexpensive and fairly easy to create that would serve until my dream patio can be built.

patio pavers
The only picture I could find of the cement patio pavers before I started experimenting. This friendly little rabbit would greet me every morning as soon as she would hear me open the sliding door.  She knew I had carrots. Made my heart smile. To know what happened to “lil bit” is to know we also have a bobcat that frequents the yard. Where we once had 5 or 6 rabbits – we now have none. I now know better than to feed or name the rabbits. Sigh…

Let the Games Begin

My mind went to Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish and how it stains just about everything it contacts including concrete, cement and stone.  There is something in the stone that reacts with the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish and turns it the color of spicy brown mustard.  I have no idea what but I knew the color would not wash off like paint.  And then I realized if I could use a stencil with the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish I might be able to create something unique at a cost that was fairly inexpensive.   Soon my backyard became a research project filled with different stenciled patio pavers and various watered down dilutions of the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish. The stenciled pavers were all over the yard like some bizarre game.

stenciled patio pavers

Some of the older pavers I turned over and used for experimentation and some ended up in the patio along with newly purchased cement pavers.  All were purchased from Home Depot but I see them at Lowes and Wal-mart.  They come in different base colors and I chose the lightest, whitest ones.  The cost is about $1.89 per paver for a 12″x12″.

Stenciling Patio Pavers with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

 

Stenciling Patio Pavers with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

Stenciled paver patios

Stenciling Patio Pavers with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

Stenciling Patio Pavers with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

I spent the next 3 days testing and stencilling patio pavers. After trying numerous stencil designs, I settled on this one although Amazon has a quite a selection of great Tile Stencils Available on Amazon. Choose one to fit your paver size.  Some go all the way to the edge and are suppose to match up with the next paver.  The one I chose allowed me to add a border and it had a cottagey/vintage vibe which I liked.

Stenciling Patio Pavers with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

The Hard Part

Since there had already been pavers down and the area was somewhat level, I did not have to dig into the ground or put down gravel, etc. before replacing the pavers.  Nor did I use a level (which I regret).  I did have sand on hand to help get an “eyeball” level.  After all, I did not want a big project or a lot of expense – just a fairly quick intermittent solution until my “Dream Patio”.

I used sand purchased from H. Depot specifically for pavers and drove it into the seams with a stiff brush.  I did this for a few days as the sand kept settling and more was needed. 

Stenciling Patio Pavers with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

And finally, once the sand had settled, I used Miracle Sealants H20 Plus Penetrating Sealer to give the stenciled patio pavers a waterproof topcoat that would help deter stains.  If you have ever used similar pavers, you know that they stain rather easily especially if you use flower pots.  I was impressed by how well the sealant worked. 

Stenciling Patio Pavers with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

Final Project

The pavers are deliberately different shades of the same color.  The darker ones were done with the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish at full strength (1 packet and 1 Cup of water – there are 2 packets per Single Pak). And then I started adding an additional Cup of water (1 packet and 2 Cups of water) and finally 3 Cups of water. Three cups of water ended up being too pale for me. I like the ultimate translucent, watercolor look achieved.  This technique does not give you “fine” lines.  In my creative mind, I likened the look to some ancient Grecian tile floor uncovered in an archeological dig.  It’s been worn and weathered and has tons of character. Perfect for a shabby chic or cottage style garden.

And I started getting ideas for stenciling patio pavers and the different ways I could use them throughout the garden.  More on those later in another blog.

Total Cost for Stenciled Patio Pavers using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

The total cost is about $150.00 for a paved patio approximately 3′ x 6′ and that included about $75.00 for 18 pavers from Home Depot; $20 for a 12″x12″ stencil; $12.99 for the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish; $4.89 bag of paver sand; $32.00 waterproof topcoat sealant and a fun day sitting in the garden stenciling patio pavers.

Stenciling Patio Pavers with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

Stenciling Patio Pavers with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

driftwood pendant light shade

Driftwood Pendant Light Shade

Creating a Driftwood Pendant Light Shade

Driftwood Lamp Shade

An easy way to make a driftwood pendant light shade that will stretch to go over a glass shade of various sizes.   The secret is simply using “stretch” bead and jewelry cord purchased from Michaels or from Amazon BEADNOVA 1mm Clear Elastic Stretch Jewelry Roll.

If the top of the glass shade is narrower than the bottom – you can tighten the driftwood row at the top and leave the bottom looser.  However, you don’t want to use a shade with more than a 2-3 inch circumference difference between the top and the bottom.  Having said that, a creative mind could easily create two separate rings of driftwood one to fit around the top and the other to fit the bottom.

driftwood pendant light

Materials You Will Need:

  • 1mm Clear Stretch Beading or Jewelry Cording
  • Drill
  • 1/8″ drill bit
  • Pendant Light Shade to be covered
  • Driftwood Pieces preferably 1/2″ or more round, and straight
  • Pencil to mark drill holes
  • Ruler to measure and mark for drill holes

driftwood lamp shade

 

Marking and Drilling your Driftwood Pendant Light Shade

Creative driftwood candleholders
Place a driftwood piece against your glass shade, figure and mark 2″ from the bottom of your driftwood piece.  Then measure another 2-3″ from the first mark and make a 2nd drill mark.  You want the holes to line up as much as possible on each piece of driftwood. Drill at hole at each mark.

Creative driftwood candleholders

Creative driftwood candleholders

Once your pieces are all drilled, start threading the stretch cord through the holes.  Tie knots about every 4th piece to keep spacing a little more equal when the shade expands. Pull the stretch cord to tighten the rows.

 

Creative driftwood candleholders

Make Your Circle

Occasionally place the driftwood row around the circumference of the glass shade to check the fit.  When you have the row the length you want – tie a final knot or two.  DO NOT CUT THE CORD.  Form a circle with the driftwood row and continue threading the cord through 3 or 4 driftwood pieces from the other end.   Knot the ends.  You can add a little bit of hot glue to the end knots or lightly melt the stretch thread with a match.

driftwood lamp shade

Finally, slide the driftwood over the top of your glass shade and attach the assembly to the hanging rod.

You need not be confined to just using the driftwood on pendant shades – try using the same technique to go over an existing table or reading lampshade.

And don’t forget this stretchy driftwood surround makes a great candleholder or planter. Use them for special events, weddings or just liven up the garden.

driftwood lamp shade
driftwood

If you want to make your own driftwood for this project, check out our tutorial on How to Create your Own Driftwood – it really works.

If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.

How to make your own driftwood

How to Make Your Own Driftwood

How to Make Your Own Driftwooddriftwood and kittens

Wondering how you can make your own driftwood?  We’ve got just the tutorial to show you how you can make driftwood at home.  It takes a little time (give yourself a week).  But the pay off is that you can create the size you want and it won’t cost you more than a box of Washing Soda, and a bottle of bleach.  Now, this is for driftwood you want to use for projects – it is NOT meant for driftwood you want to use in an aquarium.  I have no idea how to clean driftwood to use in an aquarium.

Make your own driftwood

What you will need:

  • Arm & Hammer Washing Soda – can be difficult to find – if have a Publix in your area, they carry it.
  • bleach
  • water
  • container to hold your driftwood pieces
  • sandpaper

A neighbor had trimmed their trees and I knew the branches would be a good size for driftwood projects.  I finished stripping the wood and let it dry completely. But then I wanted to get a more grayish tone to the wood so I used the Driftwood Weathering Wood Product.

Make your own driftwood step 1To start this project, I used a big plastic storage container puchased from Wal-mart for about $8.00.  A large plastic trash bucket or recycle bin would also work as long as your pieces fit.  You may have to think outside the box and use something like a child’s plastic or blowup swimming pool. Get creative.

Before Adding Your Wood

Add about 1-2 Cups of Super Washing Soda to the container (obviously more for a larger container) and dissolve it with hot water.  Then add your wood pieces and cover the wood completely with water.  I used about 7 gallons of water.  And then I filled two water containers and used them as anchors to hold the wood under the water.

  Make your own driftwood step 2

 You want to soak the wood for about 48 hours or long enough so that the bark softens and can be removed using a wire brush.

make your own driftwood step 3

I used a wire brush I had on hand for stripping furniture.  You could probably try steel wool or any very firm bristle brush.   You just need to be able to remove the soggy bark from the wood which should already be peeling away.  For stubborn pieces, soak longer.

make your own driftwood step 4

 make your own driftwood step 5

Once the Bark Was Removed

Once I had removed all the bark, the next step was to make sure I killed any bacteria and removed as much odd discoloration as possible.  I filled the container back up with about 7 gallons of water, added 1 Cup of bleach, and once again immersed the wood for 48 hours.

 make your own driftwood step 6

 The next step was to lay the wood out in a sunny spot for another 2-3 days.  If your pieces are small enough, you could conceivably put them in the oven at very low heat and dry them out. Using the sun is a lot cheaper and works just fine.

After 3 days of sun, you can see I have quite a nice selection of pieces but they are still a little rough.  All the ends, pointy edges and texture should be sanded off.  This will give you the appearance of wood that has been washed and weathered by months at sea.

make your own driftwood

 Now these pieces are pretty nice the way they are.  But I wanted to get a little more of a grayish tone to the wood so I applied the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish.

 make your own driftwood step 9Here you can see a picture of :

  • Just how pale the unfinished wood came out;
  • where I applied the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish to half to give me the grayish tone I was looking for;
  • and finally putting it up against an actual piece of driftwood for comparison.

Now I’ve got quite a nice stash of driftwood pieces for projects like candleholders, lamps, windchimes, mirrors, etc. – perfect!

Don’t have the time to create your own driftwood? We have natural driftwood pieces for sale.

 

5 Easy Creative Driftwood Projects that you Can Do At Home

5 Easy Creative Driftwood Projects that you Can Do At HomeDriftwood projects

Driftwood seems to be all the rage right now – it’s everywhere. Driftwood finished furniture is in all the high end stores along with great driftwood accessories. Everytime I turn around, some very creative person has come up with yet another great idea using driftwood. And, although driftwood by itself can be a beautiful accessory, it’s not that difficult to create everyday objects using driftwood. Here are just a few simple driftwood projects to get you started.

Driftwood Projects #1 – Driftwood Wall GardenDriftwood Planter

By attaching picture hanging wire around a favorite piece of driftwood and creating a loop on the back you can create a beautiful and unique driftwood planter that you can hang indoors or out. Once you have your wire attached, creatively adhere one or more airplants or bromeliads to the driftwood using a multi-purpose epoxy (it won’t hurt the plant) then suspend it from a nail wherever you want a delightful reminder of the great outdoors. You have now created a natural piece of living art. Remember to water the plants with a mister regularly so as to foster their growth. Hang one or get creative and hang many.

driftwood table lampDriftwood Projects #2 – Driftwood Lamps

To do this correctly one has to have creativity skills and patience so as to come up with a perfect design that will not only compliment but blend with other interior home decorations. In this project, all you have to do is fix the driftwood pieces on the lamp base then use electrical connecting wires to connect the lamp to the main electricity power socket. In case you intend to make a permanent lamp, a quality adhesive will help keep all the wood pieces intact for longer. For directions on how to make three different lamps, including a floor lamp, see How to Create a Driftwood Lamp; for step by step directions with corresponding pictures, view Step by Step Directions for Making a Driftwood Lamp

Driftwood candle holderDriftwood Projects #3 – Driftwood Candle Holder

Candle holders are compatible with virtually all home interior decor designs. Like driftwood lamps, there are many creative ways to make unique driftwood candle holders using very large pieces or even very small pieces, but they are all easy to do. Fill your candle holders with special candles scented with coconut or seabreezes to add that spa-like atmosphere. Driftwood candle holders make wonderful gifts and can be very inexpensive to make. For three different style driftwood candle holders can be found here.

Driftwood mirrorDriftwood Projects #4 – Driftwood Mirror

If you have access to many small similarly sized pieces of driftwood, you can create a simple but stunning beachy mirror. This one is for a circular mirror. A nice size is about a 12″ diameter mirror. Try a craft store for an unframed circular mirror. Trace your circle onto a piece of paper. Now place your driftwood pieces around the circle with one end an inch into the circle and the other pointing out. Lay out your pieces until you have the design you want then begin gluing the pieces together using a multi-purpose epoxy or gorilla glue. When you have glued all the driftwood pieces together around the circle – you can center the mirror and attach it with glue to either the back or the front of the driftwood circle – whichever you prefer. Attach a small screw to the wood, wrap wire around the screw and create a loop to hang to use for hanging.

Driftwood Projects #5 – Driftwood Jewellery Display

This is mostly suitable for businesses that sell various jeweleries. It will help create an attractive business environment that will lure customers due to the fact that the contrast between the jewellery and the wood is quite conspicuous and attractive. Simply place the driftwood in your display case as a creatively place your jewellery around the driftwood. Add some seashells and sand and you have a unique and beautiful display to help sell your items. Don’t limit yourself to just jewelry – many items will look good displayed against a backdrop of a beautiful piece of driftwood. And don’t just limit yourself to display cases – this is a great way to display beach inspired dishes inside a china cabinet.

There’s no limit to the creative uses for driftwood and it certainly does not appear that the current craze for driftwood inspired furniture and accessories is going to be ending anytime soon so get out your tools, find a great piece of driftwood and let your imagination take hold.

If you want to make your own driftwood for this project, check out our tutorial on How to Create your Own Driftwood – it really works.

If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.

How to Make a Driftwood Clock

I’ve had this particular piece of driftwood for a while and I knew right away that I wanted to make a driftwood clock from this piece.  It had many possibilities but my instinct was for a driftwood clock.

Driftwood Clock

Required for this Project:

  • Driftwood
  • Clock mechanism
  • Clock hands
  • Clock hour indicators
  • Extra piece of driftwood to serve as a third foot
  • Drill
  • Drill bit the size of your clock mechanism
  • Glue
  • Hinge
  • Screws
  • Screw driver
  • Chain
  • 2 eye hooks

For my clock hands and hour indicators, I took apart an existing clock I had.  I thought the hands and indicators were the perfect complement of smooth modern metallic to juxtapose against the natural ruggedness of the driftwood clock.Driftwood clock

But this piece was rather thick where I needed the mechanism to be centered so I had to order a unit online that had a stem of  1 3/4″ long.  You will need to figure out how long the stem of your mechanism needs to be and most of the time you can find the mechanisms along with the hands and hour indicators at your local craft stores.  If you need something longer, then search online.  I believe I used Klockit.com.  Be aware that not all hands will fit on all mechanisms.Driftwood clock

Another idea is to get creative with the hour indicators.  You don’t need to use numbers – you can use anything you might fancy.  Shells, beads, nuts, bolts – the possibilities are endless.  The craft stores have a mind-numbing selection of beautiful beads that can be used.

1.      I started by finding a piece of driftwood to use as the third foot.  I will attach this to the back using a hinge and screws and then attach a chain that will span from the back of the clock to the third foot so that the foot will only extend so far.  This will keep my clock upright.

2.      I attach a hinge to the driftwood foot and then attach the piece to the back of the clock. 

Driftwood Clock

3.      I then insert two eye hooks – one into the back of the clock and the other into the third foot and attach my chain.  Check the length of the chain and make sure that it extends far enough to hold up the clock without tipping over.

Driftwood Clock

 Driftwood Clock

 

4.      Next I marked the center of the clock face where I need to drill the hole of the mechanism.  Drill the hole.  Insert the mechanism and make sure that the hands will move without any problems before permanently attaching the mechanism to the back of the driftwood piece.  I used a hot glue gun to set it in place.Driftwood Clock

 

5.      Now mark where you want your hour indicators to be on the face of the clock and glue them on.

6.      Add the clock hands.

7.      Add the battery and you’re done.

Driftwood clock -09

 

 

 

Driftwood Thanksgiving Turkey Centerpiece

Creating a Driftwood Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Why not a driftwood Thanksgiving centerpiece inspired by the colors of Autumn?  It’s pretty easy to make and quite lovely on a holiday table.  Fill it with flowers, fruit, nuts and berries or even leaves, pine cones or perhaps beach inspired.

Driftwood Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Materials Needed:

  • Balloon (look for “Punch Ball” balloons at Walmart for a strong balloon)
  • Magic Marker
  • Heat Gun such as HiPur Former Adhesive Applicator by Franklin International or Professional Glue Gun
  • Titebond WW30 or WW60 (for use with HiPur Adhesive Applicator) or Ad-Tech Wood Glue Sticks or All Temperature Wood Stik (look for glue sticks that will hold up in all temperatures)
  • Approx. 100 pieces driftwood 3″ – 12″.  If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.
  • optional nail gun
  • optional nails
  1.  Using a balloon will help give you the shape you need for this project.   I use the “Punch Ball” balloons for their strength and durability and I use them for lots of different projects and since I wanted a round shape for my “turkey” centerpiece, I brought out the balloons.  I started with blowing up a balloon to about 12″ round but you can make it bigger or smaller depending upon how big you want your centerpiece.  

2.  Once you have the balloon about the size a round that you want, use a marker to indicate a half way mark around the balloon.  This will be approximately how high to build up the sides and will help keep it looking fairly uniform.

Driftwood Thanksgiving Centerpiece

3.    It can be difficult to glue the driftwood pieces onto the balloon and hold them in place while the glue dries so you may want to work with small sections at a time – maybe 3 or 4 pieces – let the glue dry and then pull them away from the balloon while you create another section.  Once you have created enough small sections to go all the way around, it becomes easier to actually start gluing them around the balloon.

You may also find it helpful to sit the balloon inside or on top of a bowl while working with it.  These balloons also come with a strong rubber band attached which can come in handy if you want to suspend the balloon in mid-air while working on your project.

Driftwood Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Driftwood Thanksgiving Centerpiece

4.  Once you have your basic “bowl” shape then just start filling in areas with pieces of driftwood to make more of a completed bowl shape.

5.  Pick out a piece about 10″ long and 1 1/2″ thick that will be your neck and a smaller oblong piece to be your head that will sit atop the neck.  And find a piece to be what I call the “gobbler” which will be attached to the neck underneath the head. 

I initially found all three pieces and used both glue and nails to attach both the head to the neck and the gobbler to the neck.  I later discovered the perfect piece to use for the head and took apart the pieces in order to use the new head.  Sometimes you get lucky and a piece is just perfect.

Driftwood Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Driftwood Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Driftwood Thanksgiving Centerpiece

6.  Find two driftwood pieces about 5-6″ long and fairly straight to use as the legs.  These pieces will help balance the basket.  Glue them  on the bottom about 3-4″ apart to stabilize the basket and to look like the turkey is sitting on its legs.

Driftwood Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Driftwood Thanksgiving Centerpiece

7.  Now you can start adding the tail.  You want to attach longer driftwood pieces on an angle so you may have to add an additional driftwood piece or two to the back end in a horizontal position to use as a brace to help support the longer pieces.  Start with your longest pieces in the center and taper the length as you go down both sides.

Driftwood Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Driftwood Thanksgiving Centerpiece

8.  And this is where I attached the new head.  I did end up using a power tool and cutting both the neck piece and the head piece so both were straight cuts and I could easily glue the two pieces together.  You have to admit, the new head is perfect.  But there is only an eye on one side but it makes a great driftwood Thanksgiving turkey centerpiece.

Driftwood Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Driftwood Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Throughout this project I used a professional glue gun – Steinel HiPur former Advanced Bonding System by Franklin International which required specific hot melt adhesive.  These adhesives are not cheap but the glue will hold up in Florida’s hot weather, indoors or outdoors where cheap glue will fall apart.  The glue is also opaque and I find myself using an exacto blade to remove unwanted glue here and there but the good news is there is a lot less “webbing”.

Well, here it is – the final centerpiece.  I used dried flowers in one arrangement and fresh flowers for the other and as you can see, it really makes a beautiful driftwood Thanksgiving centerpiece.  It might even look great on a mantel.

 

Driftwood Thanksgiving Centerpiece

 

Driftwood Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Need a Driftwood Christmas Tree for the holidays? Check out our Tutorial for Creating Your Own Driftwood Christmas Tree or check out this Driftwood Christmas Tree from Amazon Deco 79 Driftwood Tree, 13 by 21-Inch or this cute driftwood reindeer Deco 79 Wood Deer, 18 by 11-Inch.

 

Christmas Stars

Make A Holiday Driftwood Star for Christmas

Making Holiday Stars from Driftwood and Candy

Here’s a fairly quick and easy holiday craft idea for making driftwood stars from pieces of driftwood and candy that will give you that stained glass look.

Driftwood Christmas Stars

Materials:

  • Driftwood pieces. If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.
  • Hard candy such as LifeSavers Cherry, Watermelon, Orange; Cinnamon Red Hot
  • Heat Gun such as HiPur Adhesive Applicator by Stienel or Professional Glue Gun
  • Titebond WW30 or WW60 (for use with HiPur Adhesive Applicator) or Ad-Tech Wood Glue Sticks or All Temperature Wood Stik (look for glue sticks that will hold up in all temperatures)
  • Parchment paper or tinfoil
  • Eyelet screws
  • Ribbon
  • Spray polyurethane
  1.  Simply lay out your star figure with your driftwood pieces.  You can make them any size you want but the bigger they are the more crushed candy you will need to fill the star.

Driftwood and Candy Stars2.  Once you have your driftwood star figure, then just glue the ends.  I discovered the hard way that it is much easier to fill them with the crushed candy if they are as level as possible and as many sides as possible rest on the parchment paper so that the melted candy has something to adhere to.  Try to glue the points together without resting the driftwood pieces one on top of the other in order to adhere the points.

If you are using the Stienel Glue Gun and Adhesives, you will find that the glue will become opaque so a little will go a long way.  This is a strong glue but it has its disadvantages.  It will hold together better than regular glue guns and the glue is both waterproof and heat proof so it does work well in Florida’s heat.  It even held up fine while in the oven when the candy was melting.  However, half way through my project, the gun’s heating element broke and I had to resort to another method to finish my stars.  I chose to go with E6000 glue which you can find at any hardware or craft store.  E6000 is very good and also held up in the oven.  It dries clear, but it does not dry quickly so it was time consuming to hold together ends until they were dry enough.

Driftwood Christmas StarGlue the eyelet screw in place so you can attach a ribbon for hanging.

Driftwood StarNow you will need to crush your candy.  Use hard candy such as Lifesavers or any hard candy that, when melted will give you that stained glass look.  Menthol hard candies should give you that pretty holiday blue color.  Sour apple or watermelon hard candies will work. 

Driftwood Stars

I buy a large bag of candies and unwrap each individual piece then double bag them in ziplock baggies and pound away with a hammer until you have the smallest bits possible.  A fine powder is best because it will melt quicker and result in a smoother more glass like appearance.

Driftwood StarsSet your driftwood star on some parchment paper or tinfoil and place on a cookie sheet.  Then fill in the driftwood form with your crushed candy.  The more candy you use and the thicker it is, the longer it will take to melt.  Also, the larger your crushed pieces are – the longer it will take to melt. 

The above star was filled to about 1/4″ with crushed candy and took longer to melt in the oven.  It was about 8 minutes at 200 degrees.  My other stars were not as thick and I put the oven at 250 degrees and they melted in about 4 minutes.  You need to keep an eye on them so they don’t burn so I would start at 200 degrees and do 4 minutes and then check it every 2 minutes.

Driftwood stars

Once it has melted, take it out of the oven and let it cool before moving it around as the candy is fragile and will crack especially if it is thin.

After it is cooled, you can spray it with a polyurethane to help keep it from attracting bugs and also from melting if it becomes too warm.  Then tie a ribbon through the eyelet screw and use them to decorate.

Driftwood StarsNeed a Driftwood Christmas Tree for your new Driftwood Christmas Stars?  Check out our Tutorial for Creating Your Own Driftwood Christmas Tree or check out this Driftwood Christmas Tree from Amazon Deco 79 Driftwood Tree, 13 by 21-Inch or this cute driftwood reindeer Deco 79 Wood Deer, 18 by 11-Inch.

 

Driftwood Bell Jar

Driftwood Christmas Tree Bell Jar Tutorial

Making a Driftwood Christmas Tree Bell Jar

How cute is this Bell Jar setting with a driftwood Christmas tree, stonewall, bench and snowman.  This bell jar has been designed for Christmas but can easily be changed for the seasons or holidays  just by changing the miniature pieces.  Change out the snow for grass and leaves and the snowman for a scarecrow and you have a bell jar for the fall season – or add some spooky gravestones and miniature skeletons and you have a nice little halloween display – all centered around a little driftwood tree.

Driftwood Christmas Tree

Materials Needed:

  • Driftwood pieces for tree.  If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.
  • Piece of styrofoam to support your driftwood tree while building
  • 6″-12″ wood base depending on the size of your tree and bell jar
  • Bell Jar
  • Heat Gun such as HiPur Former Adhesive Applicator or Professional Glue Gun
  • Titebond WW30 or WW60 (for use with HiPur Adhesive Applicator) or Ad-Tech Wood Glue Sticks or All Temperature Wood Stik (look for glue sticks that will hold up in all temperatures)
  • Snow Flakes
  • Granite pebbles for stonewall
  • Miniature pieces such as a sled, snowman, bench, skates, presents, sleigh, reindeer, santa, etc.
  • Drill and bit the size of your tree base
  1.  Start by picking your driftwood pieces for your driftwood Christmas tree.  A good size to aim for is about 8″ tall.

Driftwood-Christmas-Tree-1

2.  Pick out four driftwood pieces to be used as support  on your tree – about 1 1/2 – 2″ in length each.

Driftwood-Christmas-Tree

3.  Glue your driftwood support pieces on all sides of your driftwood tree base about 1/2″ down on the base.

Driftwood-Christmas-Tree

4.  Now start gluing flat driftwood pieces from the ends of each support to the top of the base.

Driftwood-Christmas-Tree

5.  Continue all the way around building up the tree.

Driftwood-Christmas-Tree

Driftwood-Christmas-Tree

Driftwood-Christmas-Tree

Driftwood-Christmas-Tree

6.  Drill a hole in your base piece using a drill bit the size of your tree and glue your tree in place.

Driftwood-Christmas-Tree

7.  Use pebbles or stones to create a stonewall or create a fence out of driftwood pieces.

Driftwood-Christmas-Tree

8.  Add your snowflakes and create your miniature scene then cover with your bell jar. 

Driftwood-Christmas-Tree

You can add a Christmas ribbon on top or surround the bell jar with Christmas greenery.

Driftwood-Christmas-Tree

 

Driftwood-Christmas-Tree

Need a Driftwood Christmas Tree for your new Driftwood Christmas Cloche? Check out our Tutorial for Creating Your Own Driftwood Christmas Tree or check out this Driftwood Christmas Tree from Amazon Deco 79 Driftwood Tree, 13 by 21-Inch or this cute driftwood reindeer Deco 79 Wood Deer, 18 by 11-Inch.

Driftwood Wall Sculpture

Make a Driftwood Wall Sculpture

Make a Driftwood Wall Sculpture

How to Make a Driftwood Wall Sculpture
This Simple Tutorial on how to Make a Driftwood Wall Sculpture will show you how easy it is to create a stunningly beautiful piece of driftwood sculptural art using nothing but weathered driftwood pieces. 

This Driftwood Wall hanging brings all the colors and textures into one striking art piece that can be hung indoors or out and in a variety of room decors from beachy to modern.  It’s perfect for focal point over a mantel.

Supplies Needed:

  • Heat Gun such as HiPur Former Adhesive Applicator by Franklin International or Professional Glue Gun
  • Titebond WW30 or WW60 (for use with HiPur Adhesive Applicator) or Ad-Tech Wood Glue Sticks or All Temperature Wood Stik (look for glue sticks that will hold up in all temperatures)
  • 150-200  Driftwood pieces 6″ – 12″ (I used approx. 175 pieces for my 25 1/2″ round sculpture). If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.
  • Paper Template (decide how big you want it and create a template from paper)
  • Round Wood Base 9-12″ (you will need this to be able to hang the sculpture on the wall)
  • Hardware for hanging sculpture
  • Picture hanging wire

 Driftwood Wall Sculpture1.     Start with deciding how big you want your piece and creating a round paper template that will help you keep the shape in check. I also separated my driftwood into 3 different piles – long pieces, shorter pieces and odd curly pieces.  This made it easier to find the right size I needed.

2.     Center the wood circle on the template.  This piece is what you will use as your base to attach your hardware for hanging and to also attach some longer pieces of driftwood to help stabilize the piece.  It can be anywhere from 9″ to 20″ around.

3       Glue longer pieces from the wood circle to the outer edges of the template.  This will help stabilize the piece. Notice that my driftwood pieces extend way past the wood center piece.

Driftwood Wall Sculpture

 4.     Continue to fill in with shorter pieces – lining them up with the bottom edge of the paper template.Driftwood Wall Sculpture

Driftwood Wall Sculpture

5.     For the next layer, I added shorter pieces and filled in sparser areas.  Then took my odd shaped pieces and used them for the middle to create more dimension – turning them so they pointed up and out. Nice curly pieces that add character as well as dimension.

  curlyandstraight

Driftwood Wall Sculpture

  Driftwood Wall Sculpture6.  The final step is to attach the hardware for hanging.

 attaching-hardware

 

Driftwood Wall Sculpture

 

Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Birdhouse

Weathered Wood Bird Feeder and Stand

weathered wood bird feeder and stand

Driftwood Weathered Wood Bird Feeder and Stand

I recently added this sweet weathered wood bird feeder and stand to our backyard and aged it using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish.  I wanted it to match and blend in more with our aged and weathered wood fencing.  Once I had all the materials, it took about 30 minutes to assemble, stain and paint this bird feeder and stand.  Pretty easy actually and now we are thoroughly enjoying watching the many birds frequent the feeder all day long.   Especially Bella, our cat whose morning routine is sitting in front of the back door.  She is completely mesmerized by the visiting wildlife just beyond the glass door.  

Items Needed

  • Bird feeder.  I purchased the Woodlink Cedar Bird Feeder from Amazon – $34.84
  • 18″ Woodlink Audubon Wrap Around Squirrel Baffle also purchased from Amazon – $18.49
  • Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish
  • 1 Vinyl Wrapped Wood Closet Round Pole by Woodgrain Millwork from Home Depot – 1  5/16″ x 72″
  • 1 Galvanized steel nipple from Home Depot – 1  1/2″ x 2″
  • 1  Iron floor flange from Home Depot – 1  1/2″
  • Used Sunbrella stand

I wanted a bird feeder that I could easily move around the yard and into the garage should a hurricane approach.  But I also needed one that would be easy for me to fill and one that fit in with the surroundings.  The more I looked at the two unused sun umbrella stands in the yard, the simplier the answer seemed to be – attach the bird feeder to a pole and insert it into the sunbrella stand.  Seemed easy enough and certainly cheaper than buying a bird feeder pole kit.  If you don’t have an extra sunbrella stand on hand, you can find them at yard sales, thrift stores, Craig’s List, etc. or even cheap ones online.

weathered wood bird feeder and stand
The two sunbrella stands I had on hand.

I found the style birdhouse I wanted on Amazon along with a recommended squirrel baffle.

weathered wood bird feeder and stand

One thing I ended up doing is removing the two wire cages on the ends of the bird feeder used for holding suet cakes.  I did not find that the birds liked them although it was probably the type of suet I was using.  Once I removed the wiring, I applied the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish to give it age and create my weathered wood bird feeder and stand. 

weathered wood bird feeder and stand
Staining the bird feeder with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish to match my fencing. Notice I’ve already got the flange and nipple attached to the bottom of the bird feeder and I removed the wire cages for the suet cakes.
weathered wood bird feeder and stand
I now have the weathered look I want to match the fencing.

Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart and many other stores all carry poles and the plumbing hardware I needed to attach the bird feeder and to also set it into the stand.  I purchased the vinyl-wrapped wood pole from the closet department and the flange and steel nipple from the plumbing department.  I thought the vinyl would help the wood last longer in the outdoor elements.  Be sure that whatever width size pole that you purchase will fit into your sunbrella stand.  Most stands are adjustable to accommodate various sizes – just make sure you don’t get one too big. 

Putting the Weathered Wood Bird Feeder and Stand and Together

The iron floor flange needed to be small enough to fit on the bottom of the bird feeder and  the galvanized steel nipple needs to fit inside the flange.  The steel nipple needs to fit over the top of the pole so that it can be easily lifted on and off.

Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Birdhouse
1 1/2″ iron floor flange; 1 5/16″ x 72″ vinyl covered pole; 1 1/2″ x 2″ galvanized steel nipple

The beauty of this bird feeder is that I can lift it up and off the pole easily when I need to refill the seed.  And it sits secure enough on the pole so that I’m not worried about it coming off in any wind.  I’m 5’2″ so the 2″ nipple worked perfectly for me but if you are taller, you can go with a 4 or 6″ nipple and it will really sit solidly on the pole. 

I inserted the pole into the sunbrella stand, adjusted the tightening mechanism and attached the squirrel baffle about 4 feet off the ground.  Then spray painted the pole black to match the baffle.

I then attached the flange to the bottom with screws and screwed the galvanized nipple into the flange.  The bird feeder is now ready to slide over the top of the pole.  That’s it – just slide it over the top.  There is no need to screw or secure it in place.  It will stay on the pole just fine and you will still be able to easily lift it on and off the pole to refill it.  It’s amazingly sturdy even in the wind.

Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Birdhouse
Attached the flange to the bottom of the bird feeder with screws and then screw the steel nipple into the flange. Slip over the top of the pole. It should fit snuggly but still easy enough to lift on and off.

Fill it and Enjoy the Wildlife

I fill my bird feeder with white millet and it is constantly visited by morning doves, cardinals, woodpeckers and bluejays.  Thankfully, the crows and grackles don’t like millet so they stay away.  The baffle works perfectly to keep the squirrels out of the bird feeder as long it is placed at least 15 feet from anywhere they can jump.  And every morning I have a rabbit or two mingling about the bottom of the bird feeder with the squirrels.  I don’t know if they like eating the millet seed but I now put carrots out for the rabbits.  We have a deal – I give them carrots and they don’t eat my hostas.  So far so good…

Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Birdhouse
I painted the pole black.
Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Birdhouse
We changed from a oiled sunflower birdseed mix to a white millet and no more crows or grackles. Just cardinals, morning doves, woodpeckers and bluejays. Plus squirrels and rabbits feeding at the bottom.
Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Birdhouse
Notice my rabbits. They do enjoy my yard and we enjoy watching them.

If you prefer a more whimsical birdhouse made from actual driftwood pieces in additional to our weathered wood bird feeder and stand, check out this tutorial.

 

Driftwood_plant and candleholders

Creating Expandable Driftwood Candleholders and Plant Holders

Creating Expandable Driftwood Candleholders and Plant Holders

driftwood planter

This is an easy way to make driftwood candleholders and plant holders that will stretch to accommodate different size jars.  Those pretty glass candle jars that you normally throw out after the candle burns down can now become a very pretty driftwood plant holder.  The secret is simply using “stretch” bead and jewelry cord purchased from Michaels or from Amazon BEADNOVA 1mm Clear Elastic Stretch Jewelry Roll.

 

Materials You Will Need:

  • 1mm Clear Stretch Beading or Jewelry Cording
  • Glue Gun
  • Glue Sticks
  • Drill
  • 1/8″ drill bit
  • Glass container
  • Driftwood Pieces preferably 1/2″ or more round, and straight. If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.
  • Pencil to mark drill holes
  • Ruler to measure and mark for drill holes

Creative driftwood candleholders

 

Creative driftwood candleholders

Creative driftwood candleholders

 

Creative driftwood candleholders
Place a driftwood piece against your glass container.  Measure 2″ up from the bottom and mark a hole for drilling.  Then measure up another 2-3″ from the first mark and drill a second hole.  You want the holes to line up as much as possible on each piece of driftwood.

Creative driftwood candleholders

Creative driftwood candleholders

Once your pieces are all drilled, just start threading the stretch cord through the holes.  I tied knots about every 4th piece to keep spacing a little more equal when the candleholder expanded but it’s not really necessary. Pull and tighten the driftwood row.

 

Creative driftwood candleholders

Make Your Circle

Occasionally place the driftwood row around the circumference of the glass shade to check the fit.  When you have the row the length you want – tie a final knot or two.  DO NOT CUT THE CORD.  Form a circle with the driftwood row and continue threading the cord through 3 or 4 driftwood pieces from the other end.   Knot the ends.  You can add a little bit of hot glue to the end knots or lightly melt the stretch thread with a match.

If you want to make your own driftwood for this project, check out our tutorial on How to Create your Own Driftwood – it really works.

The simple holders are also great for Using driftwood in a Party or Wedding Theme.

We actually used this same technique to create pendant light shades and they look awesome!  Making driftwood pendant light shades.

Driftwood Planter and candleholder
Driftwood Planter and candleholder

 

Driftwood Candleholder and plant holder