8 Awesome Wood Slice Craft Projects

wood slices

I hit the hardware store last weekend to get a hook to hang my holiday wreath, and it was Christmas tree day! I think the whole neighborhood decided to head out for Christmas trees at the same time. Seriously, it was a mob scene.

The thing about fresh Christmas trees, is that you need to slice about 1″ off of the bottom of your tree, so that it will take in water while it’s set up in your living room. That means that the fellows at the hardware store were making tons of 1″ thick wood slices that day. I saw a few on the ground and asked about them, and they said I could take as many as I wanted for free! I bet that, if you asked nicely, your local hardware store can hook you up with free wood slices, too!

Not only were they not planning to sell those slices, they were probably headed straight for the landfill. Organic matter like wood breaks down in the landfill to create methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide. Any time you can divert organic matter like wood, food scraps, or paper, from the landfill, you’re doing a solid for the planet.

Free craft supplies that reduce landfill waste? Don’t mind if I do! Here are some wood slice craft projects I found to use up the wood slices I snagged at the local hardware store.

  1. Got chalkboard paint? You can turn those slices into simple reusable place cards.
  2. If you’re artistically inclined, grab your paintbrush and use your wood slices as canvases for tiny, rustic art.
  3. Make a desktop mobile! A sanded wood slice would work great in place of a store bought wood plaque for making a desktop mobile.
  4. Go functional, and turn your wood slice into a wall clock.
  5. Do you have photos that need displaying? A wood slice makes for a lovely photo holder.
  6. If you have a few wood slices on hand, you can turn them into graphic coasters!

I’m still not sure what I want to do with my wood slices! Right now, they’re sitting in a box in my studio, waiting for inspiration to strike. They’re even all sanded, since I had a little bit of spare time over the weekend to get them prepped.

Did you get your wood slices and a tree on the same day? Why not whip up a nostalgic tree skirt or make some super sweet handmade ornaments for it?

5 thoughts on “8 Awesome Wood Slice Craft Projects”

  1. I actually already have some large chunks of branch from a tree in the garden, which we pruned earlier in the year. I was thinking about trying to do a carving of some sort – something simple. But I don’t even know where to start! Your idea about painting on the wood is brilliant! Now I just need to make sure to slice the wood in straight lines!

  2. I received an ornament several years ago made from a recycled Christmas tree. It is painted on one side and clear varnish on the other so you can see the rings. I wish I could find these slices. In my area the trees are sold on wood stands or cheap bucket stands.

  3. Every year we use or slice to ale an ornament with the year on it. We are up to six ornaments so far! Each from that years live tree!

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