A PERFECT VALENTINES GIFT DIY -TUTORIAL

A birch tree stump carved with my husband's and my initials...

what a neat Valentines gift!

I was really lucky to find this tree stump at my local thrift shop!! I paid $5 for it and I knew it was gonna make a wonderful decorating object someday but I wasn't too sure what I had in mind until I thought of carving our initials inside a heart, how romantic is that?!

My husband and I met when I was just 16 in Madrid, Spain.

When I first saw him I thought he was the most gorgeous guy on earth, I still think he is only now he's a bit older and wiser now.

After 33 years of marriage and 4 amazing kids, he still makes me feel beautiful and loved everyday. Carving our initials on a tree stump is probably a creative way to show him I still think is a very special man, even if the tree isn't planted on a forest... my intentions were genuine... :0}

This is how I did it...

You can use any tree stump, it doesn't have to be birch but if you're lucky it will be a softer type of tree bark for an smoother project experience...
My stump  was pretty and it had a hole already drilled on the top for a candle, perfect for my plans!!

ok so I first painted the heart with pencil, that helped me define the shape and dimension of my design.

next step was to outline very carefully around the penciled heart for a smooth cut, that helped me keep the shape sharp and avoid any "bleeding"  when carving. you don't need to cut too deep, just  enough to mark the outline.

Then I started carving the heart shape area with a small knife that had a broken tip, that gave me better handle and control.

This time I went a little bit deeper as I wanted to create a clean edge. I was very careful not to go over my outline or  peel off any of the bark outside the shape.

Once the bark was removed, I cleaned  the entire heart shape really nicely using the tip of the broken knife scrubbing off any dark colour wood to prepare a smooth, easy to carve surface.

Like this one!!

I proceeded to carve our initials - H y V - (y is "and" in Spanish)

Then I darkened the engraved letters and the edge of the outline of the heart with...

watered down floor stain retouching stuff... but you can use any stain you have or  any watered down paint.

I simply placed some stain over the cracked wood and let the water flow inside, then i wiped it.

You can pretty much stop there but I wanted to bring a little bit more meaning to the project, after all it is to give as a Valentines gift so, I added a beautiful key that represented our love for each other and 4 little keys representing our four amazing kids.

and that's it!

There's my Valentines gift to my dear and loving husband.

I hope I get my fav chocolates this year!!

Thanks for visiting my Blog!