We recently completed some renovations at my local community garden — rebuilding fences, plots, and tool sheds. As you can imagine, the renovation left a ton of scrap wood behind. We’re not quite sure what to do with the scrap wood, so it’s just kind of sitting in a pile behind the garden. I’m sure some folks in the neighborhood think it’s an eyesore, but to me it looks like a goldmine! So much wood to make ALL OF THE THINGS with! I thought it would be fun to burn some cute inspirational garden-themed quotes into pieces of wood and sprinkle them around the garden. Here are my first few, along with some details on how I made them! (Note: Patty-the-cat took the lead on overseeing this task. She also has a summer haircut and looks like a weirdo.)
I first sketch out my quote on a piece of paper. That helps me to nail down the exact font I want to use. I tend to make up my own font, but you could use a font on your computer by typing out a quote and printing it out. Once I get the quote right, I sketch it out on the piece of wood either in pencil or pen. The choice between pencil and pen depends on the wood you have — sometimes pencil won’t show.
Once I’ve transferred my quote, I get to wood-burning! I purchased this beginner’s novelty wood-burner for about $15 from Artists & Craftsman Supply in Brentwood. It came with several attachments, which is great. Each attachment gives you a different look. The attachment I use for burning quotes is shown below.
That’s it! After just a couple steps, and some patience and precision while wood-burning, you can have a whole suit of cute items to decorate your garden. Now, I’ll be real with you — these aren’t perfect. I’m still learning. But, practicing techniques and strategies is all part of the fun! Check out some of the final garden swag below.
