Keepsake DIY Christmas Ornament

December 22, 2014

THREE DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS!! Where has December gone?? I hope your shopping is done and you're settling into a Christmas break with your loved ones! I want to share a quick and simple keepsake DIY that involves your Christmas tree. 

Last year, husband and I kept a trimmed off piece of our Christmas tree trunk to turn into an ornament for this year. We let it dry out completely in our garage for eleven months, and when December 2014 came around, we pulled out the woodburner to make a simple and cherished keepsake. 

First, pick your favorite side of the wood slab. And figure out what you want to have "written" on it. You're working with limited surface space, so it's important to space everything out before beginning the woodburning process. You can freehand your message or you can use pre-cut metal letters. Imostly use the pre-cut letters, but for the "#1" I free handed it because I didn't one of those available. 




When changing out the letters, use a pair of pliers. The woodburner and metal is extremely hot, and instead of waiting for it to cool in between letter swap-outs, you can use pliers to assist you.

KEY: do not screw the letters into the woodburner too tight. Otherwise you will break them off when removing them while still hot!



After you have your message written out, drill a small hole into the top of the wood. Using ribbon or twine, make a loop for hanging.

And then you have a sweet keepsake ornament to document something special from each Christmas. We will make one every year, and swap out the ones that get hung on the tree every Christmas. Eventually, when we have enough, I will probably come up with a way to turn them all into one piece of décor.


This is a really simple DIY and the possibilities for how to decorate the wooden slab are endless. All it takes is a little creativity and some imagination. Just don't forget to trim a slab of the trunk off when you take your Christmas tree down this year!