Last week this happened.
Yep.
One minute you have a storm with torrential rain and high winds and thunder and lightening.
And the next minute you have sunshine and hay and green grass and blue skies….
….and a tree down.
Here’s a larger view of our fallen comrade.
It narrowly missed the trampoline.
Which, incidentally, was the main concern of the little thistles.
Some people might see this and weep.
Some people might see this and see tragedy and darkness and sorrow and sadness.
Not me.
I’m a home decor blogger.
I saw only the opportunity.
I had just seen these wood slices at a market on sale.
Yep.
They were selling wood.
Giant, wonderful, large slices of wood with peeling bark and aged patina.
And I was so all about the look and how they stacked them and created a display that I almost bought a few.
Seriously.
I was this close to putting a few wood slices home in my shopping cart.
And I’m so glad I didn’t.
Because now I have my own wood slice stash to decorate with for the holidays.
Can’t you just see the possibilities?
I’m thinking wood slice chargers (there are a whole bunch that are larger than these).
And a monogram painted on the center of the wood slice to hang from the center of a wreath.
A chalkboard wood slice for the kitchen.
Maybe a plate stand for the kitchen.
And to get started on my wood slice journey, I just took a few and stacked them up to make a centerpiece in the family room.
I added some dried hydrangea.
And some grasses and a nest.
Thank you glorious, wonderful, amazing, incredible storm.
You swept in with your scary lightening and mean thunder and powerful winds and tried to do your worst.
But all you really did…..
….was help with fall decorating. 🙂
I use downed tree slices as stepping stones in my garden
Love it! When life gives you downed trees...make wood slices! We had a couple of BIG branches fall in our yard last week, too...you've inspired me...
oh wow... LOVE LOVE THEM!!!! that arrangement on the ottoman is "A" mazing!!!!
You're in wood slice heaven!! Love, love!! : )
Awesome- but who wielded the chain saw?! Easier said than done said She of Experience :(
This is beautiful, as usual, and I've Pinned it to my vignettes board, but I had to laugh. There is a blogger god! Can't wait to see what you do with the rest of your heavenly bounty.
You might want to watch them, as they will mold it they are not air dried. Put little stick between them or they will split and mold. Hate to rain on your wood pieces!!!
I was thinking the same thing--that, and watch for bugs!
Our beloved flowering cherry died and was cut down last week and hauled away! So happy for you and sad for me that I didn't think of this! LOVE wood slices. Can't wait to see all the ways you will use them!
Hey there! I've always loved wood in my decor too! I did a Good Friday table for my church with burlap, tree trunks and palms. It was a perfect biblical throw back style. I also swagged bistro lights over the entire lobby which created the perfect ambiance! ♡♡♡ Those said tree trunks now adorn my studio under my product shelves. Adorned with glass flowers. Wish I could post pics! Love your blog, you still inspire me daily!
I LOVE this! What a creative way to utilize the wood and it looks amazing! Brilliant!!!
Love this! Definitely a case of turning lemons into lemonade!!!
Fantastic idea! You are such an inspiration to me. Thank you for creating this blog.
Fabulous! Did you use any kind of sealer on the wood slices? I would be afraid of sap dripping from the bark.
Love how you always make lemonade out of lemons...that is the way you roll....a good thing!
Ha! Take that Mother Nature! That's too funny, before I even read the post I saw the tree and thought to myself, bummer, but hey, look at all the free project wood, lol.
Hi, I love your positive energy!! And those wood slices!! So glad the young'ns will be happy the trampoline is O.K.!!! Have a nice day Kari-Anne!
Love everything you do !!!! Where or where did you get the tufted "coffee" table? Lynda
How did you slice them?? I've found it difficult to slice them straight......
I almost spilled my coffee and my poor pug leaped up when I squealed as I read your posting. We had to cut down 3 of our birch trees because those moisture loving trees didn'the survive the drought conditions here in Calf. The trunks are amazing with pock marks from the birds, the contrast of whites to black and I had my husband set the logs and large branches to the side thinking as soon as I had a wonderous idea, when inspiration from somewhere would strike, I would be at the ready and HERE IT IS! I was truly sad with the loss of these trees since we planted them when we first moved in, 25 years ago and I will miss seeing the leaves quiver with the wind, the shade it provided and watching the birds and squirrels peek through the leaves. I so wanted to have these fallen trees a part of my home, that I could touch and remember. Candle holders, even taking the smaller branches and make Xmas tags but love what you have done and your other ideas are keepers too! Thanks Karianne and glad the little thistles are relieved as well, smile. My pug is back snoring after her lengthy walk, after being so rudely awoken by yours truly and I am thinking it is time to take a stroll down to our wood pile, yippee!!!
All our neighbors birch trees here in Southern California have died too
You are truly amazing - I love reading your blog, you never fail to put a smile on my face!! I know a lot of our brides (I'm a wedding planner) use wood slices in their decor these days....they use them under centerpieces, for dessert displays, to create "levels" for candy buffets, etc. Can't wait to see all the ways you use yours!! Any fallen trees around my house go into the wood stove....which is also a good thing! Have an amazing day - xo
Brilliant!!
KariAnne, I would have expected nothing less from you! Wood slices are a hot item right now and soooo expensive, but make great decorating touches. Lucky you!
Oh I love wood slice decorating! That is truly a gift...and it wasn't even rotted out. Lucky girl. I used a large wood slice in my son's room as a small side table. I just put it on an iron plant stand and used a few coats of poly on it to protect it. It brought out all the grain and now he can set his glass of water on it without worry. I see fun projects in your future.
I love how you took your lemons and made lemonaid from it. I can't tell you how many trees were taken down over the years at our previous house and yes, I did salvage some pieces. Mr. Cottage sold his chain saw when we moved so I need to find another sources for free tree cuttings.
Okay! I'm getting the visual. KariAnne in leather chaps, boots,hard hat, leather gloves, buffalo check heavy shirt and her chain saw!! Watch out trees! Watch out world she is on the move and she has a calling -- wood slices. Do you know people would actually PAY you to take that would off your hands. Advertise -- tree down? These Woods will take care of your wood :-) Then you can get your brother on his artistic creations and you can make up whatever and have plenty of slices left over. This could be a whole new undertaking. Yep I've got the visual!!! You go rock star!
Oh boy, now I've got to go in the backyard with a chainsaw and forage through our mice-ridden wood pile for those big wood chunks we cut from a tree that fell during a Spring snow storm. You inspired this old noggin with so many ideas that I just might run out there in my pjs and crank er up. Now that'll give the neighbors something to talk about today!
I so love the wood slices, there are so many uses for them!!! I love them as a base for cloches, as chargers, as "stacks", to make ornaments out of by embellishing with wood burning tool drawings, or making a garland by painting with chalkboard paint and assigning each with a letter to spell out "Merry Christmas" or any other seasonal greeting...maybe just "Autumn". How fun! I have a question for you .... Did you use a chop saw to slice these babies, or a chain saw? When I'm driving in the country and see a downed branch I'm always tempted to haul in into my Subaru, but I don't know if a chop saw would work to slice it up!!! Lucky you Karianne! Have fun creating with your beautiful wood slices!!! Enjoy your day!
Can't wait to see what else you'll create with your windfall! As usual, I'm fascinated with what you use to make your accessories!
Well a fallen tree..woodn't you have a million ideas..and a saw and sawer.. I have a Tree (good song title),but then if it fell I would have no house..that has stood for 120 years. So guess I must find a wood seller...but if not I love just reading about your ideas...for any and every thiing..you are a font of info. I enjoy. Jere
Great idea. Have you considered making wooden bowls? And candleholders of different heights? Endless opportunities for you! Sheila
Absolutely super ideas! Would you advise sealing them (if so with what) or do the slices seem pretty clean? Thanks!
wow i love them! I was at joanns fabric, and i saw them for $9.99 each. They look great . kathy
They are soooo beautiful - I have the same questions - about how long you had to dry them and if you sealed them etc. thanks
Such great ideas and perfect example of making lemonade from lemons - or wood slices from trees : )
When a storm blew down an old historic tree in front of our town library, we took logs to a wood worker who turned them into bowls. The bowls were offered for sale to community members as historic keepsakes. Then with part of the profit from them, along with other donations, we hired a chain saw artist to change the huge stump into a carving of a little girl sitting cross-legged reading a book held in her lap. This carving, "The Reading Tree", has turned into a town landmark. A loss turned into a win/win situation!
Wow Mary Sue, does your town have a website? I would love to see that.
I love that.
GORGEOUS! I pruned a large shrub WAY down yesterday. Totally should have sliced some of it up to add to the Fall decor around the house!
I'm jealous!! Well, not of the fallen tree....but of your great opportunities for fall (and holiday) decorating ideas! Love this arrangement and can't wait to see what other ideas you come up with! Blessings, Lanita
WELL, Karianne, just kick me where I sit!! We had a one hundred year old oak fall a few weeks ago and I didn't even think about saving any of it! Now that was just dumb! Why Why? It would have made beautiful slices. All I could think of was getting it out of the yard. But, I know where it went so maybe I could get a few slices from the man that came to get it. Thank goodness you were thinking!
Those are great ! They get a lot of money for those things ! I had a couple of them a friend gave me last year, however they split in half :( A little off the subject but what kind of fabric is your ottoman. I have a leather one I want to recover with a fabric and I'm thinking a velvet instead of linen because I have two cats that aren't declawed and they seem to love my linen bench at the foot of the bed. Even trimming their nails short doesn't help ! Thanks and have a wonderful day, Marijean
That was purdy darn crafty thinkin':) They will definitely look great for the holidays. Several years ago, I bought some miniature Christmas trees that use those pieces of wood for a base!
Oh! Love this idea! We had a tree come down earlier this year. I wanted to do something with it, but we had to get it cleaned up right away at the time. Fortunately, all the pieces and parts are still on our land. Now to get my Dad to bring the chain saw back over...
They make great stepping stones too!
I think today you moved from ROCK STAR to WOOD STAR!!! Love! Love! Love! I'm sure there will be more from those "Woods"! What a wonderful gift from the farm...
I have not seen this decorating trend yet but I like it. I especially love your idea of a monogram painted on the center of a wood slice to hang from the center of a wreath. I am like you-I try to find the good in any situation, and your predicament had so much good!!! And so happy the little thistles trampoline was spared!!! :)
Kari Anne you are simply amazing!! Not only do you have great decor & design ideas, you absolutely crack me up! The only other emails I look so forward to receiving every day are the ones telling me what I may have sold for the day at my booth in Swainsboro, GA @ Main Street Market! You are so inspiring :-) Please dont ever stop! What kind of tree was yours? Some kind of maple? How did you seal your wood slices? I have several downed trees in our woods & want to try this!
Haha, I'm glad you didn't buy any at the store...can you imagine returning them? We always have trees fall during a storm. Wonder what my husband would say if I asked him to slice me some to bring inside? (Oh never mind. I know what he'd say.lol) Looking forward to the projects you create!
Yes I see the possibilities! This will be the year of the tree slices.
Smart! Wish i'd thought of it with recent tree work done. A local gift shop hands them out at Open Houses so i have one. i place antlers on it. Also, place my lil' nativity scene on at Christmas. Oh, and i put marigolds in a stemless wine glass and put on my desk area sometimes. I love that wood charger. You'll have so much fun with all your pretties.
Cute, cute, cute!!! So many possibilities!!
Brilliant I say, just brilliant! I so envy you and your new stash of wood slices. :) Love your re-purposing!
I lost a tree last year, and I kept 2 stumps. I wish I had a way to cut slices. :) I did save some smaller branches and made stuff out of those--I was able to cut them on my compound miter saw. great job karianne! I love your wood slice centerpieces.
Oh yay!!!!! So if you decorate now... then I will have a wonderful reason to decorate for FALL!!!!! I am itching and dying to decorate!!!!! SO PLEASE TAKE THE LEAP!!!! So I can say, "KariAnne did it!!! So I can too!"
So sad about the tree...but Yay for having a fresh idea for decorating. I love the way you've done it!! We lost two birch trees--amazing at what they charge for these logs and we had enough to last the whole winter if we wanted to burn them. My hubby buys firewood at the lake and then splits it smaller. He has a pile higher than our house. In the city three logs are $10.00 We would be on easy street if he brought a truckload home from our lakehouse! Be careful with anything you bring indoors---wood harbors all sorts of bugs and bacteria--as in deep inside. I would Google that. But hey---love your ideas!!! Jane xxxx
Hi KariAnne, The wood slices make beautiful decorations and I can see your home being wood-sliced over the next months :). Good thing you didn't spend money on the pieces you saw before the storm came.
Love wood pieces!! Especially for center pieces and holidays! Sorry to Post here but I am unable to get email for weeks now. If you have sent me an email, please know I Am Not being rude just can't read it!:) feel free to message me on Facebook if need be.
Sorry about the tree----but look at the great outcome! I'm jealous! I've wanted wood slices for several years now. I always wish (dream) I could get slices from limbs and tree trunks that I see on road-side piles. Glad you're living my dream!
Karianne, what a resourceful idea. Last spring I was involved in a charity auction with a garden theme. One of the chairman had to cut down a tree on her farm and we used dozens of wood slices in the decorations. Then we sold them for $9 and $14 depending on size. I have a couple and use them to set plants on. You should definitely sell them.
Karianne, you are one lucky stinker! Oh, I do NOT see this as a falling-tree-tragedy! What a one and a million gift from above! lol Wish I had a fallen tree............palms don't fall that often and, anyway, it wouldn't be the same...........
This reclaimed tree slice is a rustic gem. Super easy tutorial to make modern industrial shelves that will add a great statement to your wall in less than an hour!