Beautiful wooden slice ornaments you want to make this year.

 

Have you seen those super cute wooden ornaments and wondered if you can make them?

I have good news for you; painting on wood slices is an easy and fun DIY project for adults and kids.

You’ll be able to involve the whole family and create a set of unique Christmas decorations in no time.

Since these wood slice ornaments are small, you can use them on the tree, on gift boxes, or give them away as a thoughtful handmade present.

 

I’m so excited to share this tutorial with you. I don’t even want to waste your time. Let’s get into the Christmas spirit and create some cuteness today!

 

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How to paint wood slice ornaments supply list

 

What paint to use on wood slices?

 

I want to talk about your choices a little bit so that you can make the best decision for your wooden crafts.

All kinds of paint will work on wood because the slices are unfinished, and the paint will easily stick to their surface.

 

– Acrylic craft paint is the most commonly used by crafters on wood, plastic, cement, and terracotta surfaces.

It dries and adheres to wood and wooden furniture perfectly. I always have acrylic paint at home and used them for my snowman couple too. They are budget-friendly, and your kids love to use them too!

 

– Latex paint works perfectly for wooden crafts. It covers and sticks to unfinished wood very well. I used Rust-Oleum white latex paint for the white ones in this DIY. I like to use this type of paint if my finished craft is displayed outdoors. 

 

– Chalk paint. Many of us love chalk paint for a vintage look or farmhouse decoration. They are perfect for painting terracotta pots, crates, wood signs, and mason jars.

It covers quickly and dries fast. They tend to dry out if you leave the bottle open for an extended period of time, so you might want to pour out a small amount into a small plastic cup and close the original holder of the chalk paint.

 

How to paint wood slice ornaments step-by-step

 

Now that we got all of our supply and the craft table is set up, let’s jump into the instructions.

Are you a visual learner?

Check out the video tutorial and see for yourself how easy this craft is. If you want to read the instructions too, scroll a little more for step by step instructions.

I usually do both when I want to learn a new DIY project.

1. Preparing wood slices for painting

– Sand the surface with fine sandpaper. I use my 3M block because it has medium and fine grade sandpaper. It depends on the surface of your wood slice you choose if a medium grade is needed.

I lightly sanded mine with the fine grade.

 

– Clean it with a damp cloth and let it dry.

 

– Paint 1 or 2 coats of acrylic polymer medium on the slice. This step will seal the wood. Acrylic polymer is perfect for porous surfaces like wood, canvas, paper, cardboard, painting boards.

 

– Let it dry, and you can move to the next step.

 

2. Paint the base color of your choice

Once the wood slice surface is dry, you can use any painter’s brush and paint 1-2 coat of the base color. I used latex and acrylic paints.

If you think you will need more than 1 coat, make sure you let it dry before applying the second coat. If the previous coat is still wet, you’ll pick up the paint from the wood surface. You don’t want that!

Let it dry and move on to the next step.

 

3. Transfer the nordic designs

The real fun begins. Your painted wood slice ornament is ready to be decorated with the nordic pattern.

There are different methods you can transfer these templates to wood. I chose the below because I have pencils and chalk in my craft room.

 

1. Download and print out the pattern from my library. This pattern is created to fit my wood slices. They are 3.1- 3.5 inches in diameter.

If you choose smaller or bigger, adjust the pattern before printing it out.

2. Place the design on the carbon paper. Make sure that the carbon which will transfer the design is facing down to the wood slice.

3. Once the design and the carbon paper are together; you can put them on the wood slice. 

4. Adjust to make sure the hole is on the top, and the nordic pattern is centered on the wood.

5. Draw and trace the pattern with a pen or pencil. It does not need too much pressure.

 

Tip: The papers tend to move as you try to trace the template. You can use scotch tape to secure them to the wood slice.

 

4. Paint the design with the markers

Get those beautiful metallic markers out!

You are ready to draw those cute nordic patterns on the ornaments.

Trace and draw over your chosen pattern and let it dry.

 

5. How do you seal wood ornaments?

 

This step is not necessary. BUT it’s a good idea if you want to protect your wood slice ornaments and reuse them every Christmas.

– Mod Podge is the best and easiest choice.  It is a glue, sealer, and finish all in one. Every crafter should have Mod Podge since it is perfect to seal wood, rock, plastic, and ceramic projects.

Once your project is dry, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge with a painters brush on it and let it dry.

 

– The polyurethane spray is a good option too. You have to be careful with this, though, because if your marker is alcohol-based, the sealer spray will make it bleed if your spray a lot on it directly.

So here is the trick:

1. Once the wood slice ornaments are dry, take them outside. You’ll need proper ventilation to spray the sealer.
2. Make sure it is not windy.
3. Spray a thin layer of mist at a time. This little mist will dry on the nordic pattern in a second, and if you need to apply an additional layer, the metallic marker won’t bleed anymore.
4. Let it dry and work section by section.

 

6. Finish with jute twine to be able to hang them

We are ready to display and show the world our pretty wood slice ornaments!

1. Cut a piece of twine about 12 inches long.
2. Loop one end of the twine through the predrilled hole.
3. Tie the ends into a knot.

That’s it! You created a beautifully painted wood slice ornament for your Christmas tree!

 

How to make a wood ornament from scratch?

 

So you have some small branches and decided that you want to make your own wood slices instead of buying them.

Here are the steps to make your own wood slices:

1. Choose a bench that has a diameter of at least 2 inches. Remember, I used 3.5-4 inch diameter wood slices for this craft project. 
2. Cut the branch with a chop saw around 1/4 inch thick.
3. Use a small 5/32 drill bit to make a hole for the twine on each wood slice.

 

How to paint wood slice ornaments experience

I think they turned out perfect!

It’s been a dream of mine to make natural rustic Christmas ornaments, and these wood slices for crafts were the perfect choices for that.

I love that this project is budget-friendly, and you might have most of the supplies at home already.

I also love that painting on wood slices can involve the whole family. There is nothing better than to bring the family together and build a creative mind of our kids.

I hope you got inspired, and off you go to paint wood slice ornaments for your Christmas tree this year. 

 

Do you like wooden craft? Check out my cute tutorials here:

1. Painted snowman couple on wood
2. Perfect wood sign tutorial
3. Crazy pumpkin faces on ceiling fan blades.
4. How to stencil onto wood tutorial

 

Don’t forget to PIN it so you can come back for the instructions on how to paint wood slice ornaments. Happy crafting!