Souvenirs and gifts made of wood

Souvenirs as a branch of gifts do not give up positions even in the most economically difficult times. Yes, it is possible that the majority will choose something more personal as a present, but there is still a wide circle of people who also need to give something from time to time: business partners, colleagues, a boss, teachers and trainers of children, in the end. And here very often souvenir products come to the rescue.

Souvenirs made of wood - that is a niche in which great skill and high artistic taste are required for the business to manufacture them to “go”. The market is oversaturated with cheap wooden crafts, but, oddly enough, the buyer often wants to pay a higher price, but also get quality goods from a good wood species.

Wood is a relatively inexpensive raw material (some species are very non-budgetary, however, for example, the cost of a mammoth tusk is quite good), especially since it is not necessary to start working immediately with red species or bog oak. Birch, spruce, aspen, pine, cedar - in central Russia, this material is very, very much for a good price.

The tree is so popular among our fellow citizens, since it is a natural raw material, warm, and if the craftsman is skilled, then the product comes out from under his hands lively, colorful, bright. Of course, such a present cannot but please.

If this is not the case, you will have to start from scratch, studying the theory, and only then to practice for a long time. And at the same time, there is no guarantee that your products will “shoot”.

If working with wood is not a novelty for you, you like it, and it works out pretty well for you, you can open your own business. Registration of IP is a simple matter. However, there are many little things to consider.

Which wooden product is better to choose as a gift? Simple wooden souvenirs can look very elegant and subtle if they are made with taste. Decorative Christmas toys will delight both children and adults. They can be either already painted or released in the form of blanks, and then they can be painted independently.

Desk accessories look interesting - an organizer, a stand for pens and pencils, made in the form of a carriage, a vegetable, a camera and much more, for which there is enough imagination.

Wooden jewelry - badges, brooches, earrings or necklaces - should be given when you are absolutely sure that they will be worn. Such jewelry looks very catchy, so not every woman dares to wear it, however, those who dare do not lose - a piece of wood jewelry will always distinguish its owner from the crowd.

For a housewarming party, a decorative carved horseshoe that should be hung above the front door will be a good gift.. All kinds of charms can be given to a couple who do not reject such things and do not consider them an anachronism or superstition.

Board games made of wood can also be a great gift. Chess, checkers, backgammon - find out what the donee is keen on. Carved chess pieces do not have to be standard.

Corporate gifts made of wood always look more expensive than jewelry made of metal and plastic. Wood is a natural material, in the light of the fashion for all natural, it is currently in great demand. Eco-sticks in the form of wine corks, leaves, maces or hammers, anti-stress puzzles, eco-cubes, eternal mahogany calendars - all this can be handed to the staff on the occasion of the New Year or the anniversary of the organization.

These may not necessarily be expensive gifts. Pencils and notebooks in a wooden cover with the logo of the company, fridge magnets, branded badges are excellent promotional gifts. The main thing is high-quality performance and good material for manufacturing. For employees who have children, you can make logo Christmas decorations in the form of horses, balls, Christmas trees, snowmen.

If you need to make a truly exclusive, rare gift, opt for a valuable wood product. It can be handmade watches from solid wood or saw cut, mahogany paperweight or carved backgammon. If you are not limited by the budget of the gift, hand in the original safe, from the inside metal, from the outside from a good tree. A wine cabinet is a no less practical present that few people will not appreciate. A couple of bottles of good wine are in every family, and if you are dealing with a true connoisseur of this drink, a wine cabinet is undoubtedly a very necessary thing for him.

Carved caskets or authentic figurines (maybe even antique) can be a good gift if a person is fond of such a culture. For example, a fan of ethnic, African culture will like a mask or an aborigine figurine.

You can create wooden products yourself if you have an idea of ​​how this is done. You can make a cutting board, a panel, something from kitchen utensils (ladle, spoons, rolling pin), decorate it with a pattern or text.You can focus on the creation of key holders, flowerpots, wooden or wicker furniture, photo frames or mirrors. You can also decorate these products in different ways: someone likes decoupage, and someone hand-painted. A huge number of options.

Starting small, you can always advance either in breadth, covering an increasing number of products (doing better when your technique is initially high, you have the skills of cutting wood, turning and others), or, so to speak, deeper - improving your skills by doing a small number of products, but at the same time every time all the best quality.

Consider the techniques in which you can work. For example, you can start with branches. They make excellent frames for photographs, paintings or mirrors, packaging for bottles with alcohol. You need to prepare good, strong branches, give them the length necessary for your product. Slices are made both angular and perpendicular. In the first case, it is oval, in the second it has the shape of a circle. Next, the workpiece is connected in accordance with the scheme using an adhesive gun, twine or wire. All this can be purchased at the building materials store.

If you are attracted to decoupage, you can also work with wood in this technique. Either do it yourself or buy a blank of what you are going to process. The surface before work must be clean and sanded. Then a primer is applied - this is a special composition or white acrylic (you can even take paint). You need to work with a brush or sponge. The workpiece must dry, and then check how smooth its surface is. If there is no perfect evenness, the primer application procedure is repeated. As soon as there are no smudges or spots on the surface, you need to take what you will do decoupage. It can be a special card, rice paper or even a regular napkin. The image is either cut out or plucked with fingers. Glue is applied to the surface, after which the applied paper is smoothed. When all the images are glued, the missing is finished with a brush. Next, the product is varnished and dried.

In the technique of burning using a special device, a drawing or an inscription is applied to a wooden blank. Using a burner is akin to pencil hatching. It requires great accuracy and accuracy from the master - unlike a pencil, an unsuccessful touch cannot be found anywhere.

In the technique of wood carving, you can create real masterpieces from this material. Beginners should be aware that working on a flat surface is much easier than on a rounded one - a cup holder or a vase. Carving is performed using special tools - knives and chisels. The pattern is cut out in relief along a previously drawn contour. At present, it is possible to work both “the old fashioned way” and using modern laser cutting.

If you have an idea of ​​drawing with a brush and paints, then you can quite try yourself in the technique of painting on wood. So you can create unique painted products, none of which will be repeated. You can work on templates and drawings, or you can create your own patterns - it all depends on how developed your imagination is.

We offer options for wooden souvenirs for inspiration:

• branded corporate products look very expensive and of high quality;

• wooden calendar looks much more interesting and original paper;

• an organizer made of expensive wood looks truly exclusive;

• original wall clocks will decorate both the living room and the office;

• an unusual organizer will make the office desk truly stylish.

See how to decorate simple wooden objects using the burning technique in the next video.