Wood Gifts

Santa Gnome Wood Earrings

Could these Wooden Santa Gnome Earrings be any cuter??? We were so excited to find this adorable cut file and couldn’t wait to try it out. As cute as these Wooden Christmas Earrings are, they were just as fun to make! Watching them come together piece by piece was exciting!

Materials Needed:

Aspen .025″ Thick Wood Back Long Grain
Cherry .025″ Thick Wood Back Long Grain
Eastern Red Cedar .010″ Thick Fleece Back Long Grain
Cricut or other cutting machine
SVG File
Glue (we used Bearly Precision Art Glue)
Small piece of sandpaper
Earring hardware and tools
Very small circle paper punch

The first important item here is the GRAIN DIRECTION. Aspen and Eastern Red Cedar have very distinct wood lines which make them a perfect fit for a Santa’s beard and hat! So we recommend that you use our LONG GRAIN sheets and align your cut images so that the wood grain goes up and down instead of side to side on your Cricut mat. We have linked our Long Grain sheets up above in the materials list however you can use our Short Grain and just turn in the other way on your cutting mat.

The second important item here is the Santa Gnome Earring cut file does come with images with or without holes. We used the files WITHOUT the holes. The holes are just too small and intricate for the wood. We opted to punch the holes for the earring hardware ourselves as to not damage the tips of the gnome hats.

We know most you already are super experienced with your Cricut machines so we do not really need to get into those details. For our full list of recommended Cricut cutting settings for Real Wood Paper, you’ll want to visit this tutorial on How To Cut Real Wood Paper with a Cricut.

You will notice that for the hats, we used our thinner fleece backed sheet. This was to help reduce the thickness and weight of the earrings.

Once you have everything cut out, you’ll probably have to gently work the cut pieces from the full size sheet by gently bending back and forth. They may make a cracking sound but that’s normal…it is real wood. Because these are earrings and close to the skin, we’d recommend taking a piece of sandpaper to the edges of the wood just to remove any little leftover splinters.

We really loved using the Bearly Precision Craft Glue on this project. It worked perfectly! Assembly of the pieces was easy and the glue dried quickly. Once dried we punched the holes in the hats and installed the earring hardware. Then we sat back and took in all the adorableness!

We also think if you made the cut files bigger, you could easily make them into Christmas Tree Ornaments or Gift Tags. The options and ideas are endless!

We hope you enjoyed this Wooden Earring Santa Gnome project. We invite you to share your Wood Earrings photos with us. We’d love to see them!

Colored Pencil on Wood Bookmarks

DIY Cherry Wood Bookmarks printed with 3 stunning, hand drawn digital stamps, cut with a Cricut Maker and colored with colored pencils! You have a lot of options with this project!

Let’s talk about the wood paper thickness, grain direction and printers first. To start, we used our 8.5″ x 11″ .025″ Thick Cherry Wood Back Short Grain sheets.

Grain Direction matters when you are running wood paper through a home/office printer. We used our HP ENVY Photo 7855 printer to print the falling leaves digital stamps onto the Cherry Wood Paper. The wood is more flexible with the shortest length of the sheet (short grain). Short grain goes through a printer easier when inserted 8.5″x11″. Long grain goes through a printer easier when inserted 11″ x 8.5″.

DIY Printing can be challenging with Real Wood Paper but certainly not impossible! We recommend using a straight through feed laser printer with our Real Wood Paper however we have found that this little HP ENVY Photo 7855 printer does a pretty amazing job at printing and the ink not bleeding too much. We tested and compared 2 reasonably priced home/office laser and photo printers. You can view the printing results here.

We laid out our leaf digital stamps in a Word document and due to the size of the bookmarks (2″ x 6″), we laid them out horizontal but printed them on short grain portrait. That will probably make more sense by looking at the photos below. We then aligned a bookmark shape (3 times) from Cricut Design Space to cut out our bookmarks with a Cricut Maker. For you savvier Cricut users, there’s probably an easier way to accomplish this within Cricut Design Space with the Print then Cut feature. For Cricut blades and settings when cutting Real Wood Paper, view this Cutting Wood with a Cricut Tutorial.

For those of you who do not care to cut out your own bookmark shapes, we sell Cherry Wood Bookmark Blanks with Tassels in the online store. As an alternative to printing images, rubber stamps with a permanent ink or even embossed ink works fantastic with Real Wood Paper.

Materials Needed:

8.5″ x 11″ .025″ Thick Cherry Wood Back Short Grain
OR Cherry Wood Bookmark Blanks with Tassels
Cricut Maker
Colored Pencils – we used Prismacolor
Falling Leaves Digital Stamp Set by Streamside Studios
HP ENVY Photo 7855 printer
Tassel

Bookmarks are a great gift for the bookworms in your life. And it’s even more special when it’s a DIY Cherry Wood Bookmark made just for them.

We hope you enjoyed this project. We invite you to share your Real Wood Paper creation photos with us. We’d love to see them!

DIY Wood Gift Tags and Labels

Tis the season to give gifts! And what better gifts to give and receive but yummy homemade treats!

Below is a materials list and the details with how we created Wood Gift Tags and Labels. While the tags and labels are similar looking, changing up the ribbon, jute, font and or paper punch design can make each a unique piece of art.

Materials Used:

8.5″ x 11″ Cherry .010″ thick Fleece back Short grain
8.5″ x 11″ White Pine .010″ thick Fleece back Short grain
- Other species available HERE
Computer & Laser Printer
.25″ Paper Punch
2.5″ Round Paper Punch
3″ Round Paper Punch
3″ Scalloped Paper Punch
Beacon’s 3-in-1 Glue
Satin Ribbon
Natural Jute Cord

We used Word to create each set of words for our tags and labels. The key is to leave enough space around each set of words so that your paper punch doesn’t overlap and not make a complete circle. We used a standard HP Laser printer to print all the labels on the 8.5″ x 11″ White Pine Fleece Back sheet. We punched out each set of words with a 2.5″ round paper punch. Using a 3″ Round or Scallop paper punch, we punched out all the backing pieces from a sheet of 8.5″ x 11″ Cherry Fleece Back sheet. To adhere the 3″ scalloped or round Cherry Wood Paper to the White Pine Wood Paper, we used Beacon’s 3-in1 Glue which can be purchased at any craft store or Amazon. At the top of the tags, we used a 1/4″ paper punched for a small round hole for the ribbon and natural jute.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Re cipe Can Be Found At This Link

Macaroons

We purchased the macaroons from a local store.

Grape Jelly

We canned our own grape jelly from grapes on our property.

4 Jars of Hot Cocoa for Kids:

Mason jars with handles are filled with hot cocoa mix, crushed candy canes, mini chocolate chips and most importantly mini marshmallows!

3 Jars of Hot Chocolate in Plaid Basket:

Classic Hot Cocoa – Unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar, powdered milk, chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.

Peppermint Hot Cocoa – Unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar, powdered milk, crushed candy canes, chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.

Mocha Hot Cocoa – Unsweetened cocoa powder, espresso powder, sugar, powdered milk, chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.

Wooden Cross Bookmarks Made With A Cricut

Making a DIY Wooden Cross Bookmark with a Cricut Maker couldn’t be easier than with Real Wood Paper! Whether you are looking to make one for yourself or to give as gifts, they are quick, unique and beautiful!

We used 2 species of wood for this project. We used 1 sheet of Walnut .010″ thick Short Grain and 1 sheet of Maple .010″ thick Short Grain.

The SVG Cut File was purchased from Etsy. There are 4 cut layers and we arranged them so that we could get all 4 layers out of one 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of wood paper.

While we do like to use the Strong Grip Mat, we also always use painters tape to tape down our Real Wood Paper sheets. We don’t want them to move. The wood is too beautiful to waste!

Below are the settings we use for all 3 of our Real Wood Paper thicknesses.

Real Wood Paper Thickness: Fleece .010″ Thick
Cricut Blade: Premium Fine Point
Cardstock Setting: Medium Cardstock – 80#
Pressure Setting: Default

Real Wood Paper Thickness: Paper .016″ Thick
Cricut Blade: Premium Fine Point
Cardstock Setting: Poster Board
Pressure Setting: More Pressure

Real Wood Paper Thickness: Wood .025″ Thick
Cricut Blade: Deep Point
Cardstock Setting: Natural Wood Veneer
Pressure Setting: Default

PRO TIP: Make sure your blades are new/sharp. Wood is hard on blades. For best results use new blades.

Here you can see each of the 4 layers of Real Wood Paper. We like to use Beacon’s 3-in-1 Glue as our adhesive.

Pressed Flower Memorial Bookmarks

I lost my Dad just 5 weeks ago. While we are so very heartbroken, I wanted to make a keepsake for myself and family. I pressed flowers from his funeral with the intent of making wooden bookmarks. One morning it came to me. I needed to scan his signature onto the bookmarks. I had birthday cards he had given to various family members over the years. I was able to scan in a signature for each role he was to our family.

Love you, Bob
Love you, Dad
Love you, Grandpa Tossava

Husband. Brother. Father. Father-in-law. Grandfather.

For the bookmark, I used .025″ Thick Cherry Wood Back Short Grain and cut them 3″ wide by 7″ long. You can cut them to any size you desire with a paper cutter, guillotine, scissors, sharp blade, etc.

For the printed on circle cutouts, I used both .016″ Thick Maple Paper Back Short Grain and .016″ Thick Birch Paper Back Short Grain. I first printed them with a HP Envy Photo 7855 printer, then cut them out with a 2.5″ circle paper punch. Again, you can make them any size. This is what worked for me and my project. We do also have Pre-Cut Cherry Wood Bookmarks available, if you want to bypass all the cutting and just get to crafting.

I would like to point out that all flowers are not good for pressing. While we did have a gorgeous assortment of roses that I would have loved to use, they are too big, bulky and do not press well. Roses are better preserved using silica gel, which I did do. Smaller, dainty flowers work best for pressing. I took a chance with the daisies but they turned out beautiful. Almost translucent after I ran them through the laminator.

I put all the flowers between sheets of printer paper and placed them in between pages of a huge dictionary I have. I waited about 2 weeks and they were ready to go.

For glue, my first go-to is always Beacon’s 3-in-1 Glue. You can purchase that from any craft store. I used if for the signature pieces and the flowers. I arranged each bookmark, glued everything in place and let them dry overnight. The next day I ran them through a laminator. You do not need an expensive or elaborate laminator. I used a very inexpensive laminator that I’ve had for over 10 years. I used a paper cutter to trim each bookmark down.

To say I was pleased with how this idea of a keepsake turned out for myself and family, would be an understatement.

DIY Wood Bow for Gifts

Who knew you could make a bow out of wood? We did! Our .010″ Thick Fleece Back sheets are so thin and flexible it’s easy to make a beautiful, natural bow for your gifts. Great idea for 5th Anniversary Wood Gifts!

We made a quick video to show you how we made the bow but if you are looking for more details read on below the video.

Below you will find step by step instructions on how to make a wooden bow for gifts and packages. We also used the Cherry .010″ Thick Short Grain Fleece Back 8.5″ x 11″ sheet but have other Fleece back options available.

Step 1

Start by choosing your wood specie. We recommend using our .010″ Fleece Back sheets for the best flexibility.

Step 2

Cut the wood into strips 1/2″ wide. You will need 6 pieces 11″ long, 2 pieces 10″ long and 1 piece 5″ long.

Step 3

Twist wood strips into a figure 8 and glue ends to backside of the middle of the wood stripe.

Step 4

Glue ends to backside of the middle of the wood stripe. We like Beacon’s 3-In-1 Glue.

Step 5

Use paperclips to hold wood in place while glue is drying. The glue dries pretty quickly.

Use paperclips to hold while wood and glue are drying

Step 6

If there is glue where you don’t want it, when dry, rub with your fingers and it rolls into a ball and can be removed.

Step 7

They hold beautifully when the glue is dry.

Step 8

Start staking the 11″ pieces by alternating the direction.

Step 9

Then stack the 10″ pieces.

Step 10

Add the 5″ center circle piece.

Step 11

It is done! Time to put it on your package!

Step 12

Cut more strips and a tag to complete the package.

And there you have a beautiful, one-of-a-kind bow for your packages!

Thank you for checking out our bow tutorial and if you make one, we’d love to see it! Send us a picture HERE.

How To Cut Wood Bookmarks With A Cricut

Making Wooden Bookmarks with a Cricut Maker couldn’t be easier than with Real Wood Paper! Whether you are looking to make one for yourself or to give as gifts, they are quick, unique and beautiful!

We used a variety of woods and thickness’ in this project. For the back pieces we used our Walnut .025″ Thick Short Grain Wood Back sheet. For the top intricate designs, we used our Birch .010″ Thick Short Grain Fleece Back sheet and Cherry .010″ Thick Short Grain Fleece Back sheet. We also used the Cherry .010″ Thick Short Grain Fleece Back sheet for the middle piece on one of the bookmarks.

For us, it doesn’t matter which mat we use, we always use painters tape to tape down our Real Wood Paper sheets. We don’t want them to move. The wood is too beautiful to waste!

Below are a couple of short videos of the Cricut Maker in action.

Walnut Wood Back .025″ thick with Deep Point Blade

Birch Fleece Back .010″ Thick with Fine Point Blade

Below are the settings we use for all 3 of our Real Wood Paper thicknesses. For even more information on cutting our Wood Sheets with a Cricut, visit Cutting Real Wood Paper With A Cricut.

Real Wood Paper Thickness: Fleece .010″ Thick
Cricut Blade: Premium Fine Point
Cardstock Setting: Medium Cardstock – 80#
Pressure Setting: Default

Real Wood Paper Thickness: Paper .016″ Thick
Cricut Blade: Premium Fine Point
Cardstock Setting: Poster Board
Pressure Setting: More Pressure

Real Wood Paper Thickness: Wood .025″ Thick
Cricut Blade: Deep Point
Cardstock Setting: Natural Wood Veneer
Pressure Setting: Default

PRO TIP: Make sure your blades are new/sharp. Wood is hard on blades. For best results use new blades.

For the SVG’s we used a couple of Freebies that we found on the Internet. They are a Damask Bookmark and Braided Bookmark from Get Silvered (Thank you!).

If you would like to order Pre-Cut Wood Bookmarks, you can find those HERE.

DIY Wood Valentine Bookmarks

It’s time to start thinking about Valentine’s Day! Here’s a cute little DIY Bookmark project to get you thinking. 😍

Materials:
Cherry Wood Back 8.5″ x 11″ Sheet
Walnut Fleece Back 8.5″ x 11″ Sheet

Cutting board, scissors, Xacto knife, etc.
Heart paper punch
Small circle punch
Ribbon, twine, etc.
Favorite saying
Glue (we like Beacon’s 3-in-1 Glue)

In Photoshop or other graphic design program, layout your graphic/saying to print where you want on the sheet – 3 times. Print your saying/graphic on the Cherry Wood Back sheet with a laser printer (not an inkjet printer, the ink is too wet). Cut your Cherry wood sheet into desired bookmark size. Punch 3 Heart shapes out of Walnut Fleece Back sheet. Glue Walnut heart shapes in desired location on bookmark. Punch hole at top with small circle punch. insert ribbon. Easy as that!

Die Cut Wood Sign

Real Wood Paper can be die cut into many shapes as well as paper punched. We recommend our Fleece Back products for die cutting, paper punching and great for a Cricut with the Fine Point Blade.

Fleece Back (.010″) thick has a very thin, sheer, flexible backing similar to vellum and is appropriate for dollhouse enthusiasts, candle wraps, lamp shades…anything where flexibility and luminosity is a must.

For this project, we used Maple and Walnut.