When my dad and mom were dating, they went on a drive in the mountains and he stopped and carved their initials into a tree. When I was a kid, they would drive us to that old tree, show us the tree carving, and tell us that story. Through my child eyes, nothing seemed more romantic. When I grew up, there was always still a part of me that loved that story. I loved that they used to drive us to the old tree and I love the permanence of the tree carving.
I found this gorgeous Birch Pillar provided by Oriental Trading and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. I wanted to bring a little piece of that memory into our home. It was incredibly easy to make with just a couple of materials and I love how it turned out.
Mantel Tree Carving
Tree Carving
You will need:
- a birch pillar (I found mine at Oriental Trading here)
- a wood burning tool
- a pencil
Draw the heart and the initials on the pillar with a pencil. This will help you know where to burn into the wood. I found that I used it as kind of a guideline instead of a hard fast rule. Let your wood burning tool heat up and then use the a pointed tip to follow your pencil lines. I have found that it worked the best to go over the lines a couple of times. This made them dark enough to really stand out.
These pillars would be such a fun center piece for a wedding or a great decoration for fall. Mine sits on my mantel and I smile every time I see it. There is some kind of old timey charm about it and it is just perfect.
What would you carve into a pillar?
You may also like:
That is super cute. I love how it came out. It’s so simple, but what a great piece of decor.
This is such a simple and easy DIY project. Would make a great gift and I like the country feel.
This looks like it would be so cool to do. I’m not sure what I’d carve into it. Probably initials of everyone in the family!
That is just such a cute idea! If I made one, I’d put my kids birthdays on the tree.
I absolutely love a tree carving as a mantel piece. This is such a great idea for decorating your house or even for special events.
Cute and so rustic. What a great decoration for the change of Summer to Fall.
Aww this is such a cute idea, I have never thought of buying say a piece of wood to do it on (I didn’t know you could buy such pieces of wood) I’m going to have to keep my eye out now!
This is adorable. I had no idea you could buy a birch pillar and do something like this.
I love to blend the outdoors inside my home. This wil be a fun project to do this weekend. I have been looking for some new fall decorating ideas.
This is such a cute idea. I would love to use this as a wedding centerpiece.
I’ve seen trees with initials in them in the woods over the years. I’ve never seen one for inside a house, what a neat idea.
What a great love story to tell and that piece of art you did is beautiful! This reminds me of our first home, we carved our names on the cherry tree in front of the house.
This is a great mantel piece. I love the rustic charm! I was just wondering if you don’t have a burning tool, what would be the next best tool to use?
Wow I love this DIY idea! Really great way to show your love for your significant other. Would make a nice wedding gift too!
That is a really cool idea and these would make fun gifts for holidays. I might have to check into getting some of those tools!
That’s a very cute DIY. I love wood carving, looks so natural. This would make a nice house warming gift.