sweet mountain holiday :: three

 

Our friends, Suzanne and Tom, have a beach cottage and that's where Tom fishes and collects summer driftwood for his mobiles and sculptures. Their 1860's home in town holds some of Tom's intricate and oversized mobiles, spinning elegantly in the high-ceilinged rooms. After admiring them for years (out loud and often), I was lucky enough to receive one for my birthday one year. Besides being a fabulous gift, it's a great honor. (Michael Kors is the only other person to have one.)

A few years ago, I collected an armful of Hudson River driftwood and crafted this beach tree for them for Christmas. I chose the longest, straightest piece for the trunk and planted it in a metal container filled with wet plaster I mixed at home. The hardware store has small-ish boxes of dry plaster mix for a few bucks and it's really easy to mix/use. When dry and set, I added the horizontal branches bottom to top with floral wire lashed at the joints. I love that crazy, curvy one (it looks like John Travolta dancing). Then I covered the wire with moss, a little glue and raffia wraps. Little shells and sea glass on raffia loops made fine decorations and I rebuilt a broken ornament for the top. It was a cool vintage pine cone elf that had lost his fish (or maybe it was a lantern?) and his feet. I wired and glued him (still footless) to the crook at the top of the tree and found a new fish in the trinket box. O, and the plaster top of the base was easy to cover with glue, extra moss and a few shells.

Such an adventurous experiment to figure out the whole creation and make it work. This is rummage-scrap-junk-craft at its best. Thrifty, creative, use-it-up kind of fun. Amazingly sturdy when it was all finished, it's kind of a quirky Charlie Brown tree, but I like that about it (and think they do too). Seems like a great project to make with kids - even on a smaller scale in a clay pot. The driftwood is super lightweight, but I think you could do this with backyard twigs too. Would love to hear how it turns out if you do. 

xoC

Comments

[Gabriela Delworth]

Hello Charlotte,

Love driftwood, I paint on it.

~ Gabriela ~

[Kristina Strain]

I made a driftwood mobile last week, and now you've got me loving the idea of a driftwood tree. Maybe next year, this season is full of bustle already!

[angela]

The bottom(horizontal) piece of wood made me think abt. the cross and Jesus Christ which is why we have Christmas in the first place. Thank you for that reminder-even unknowing- I have been worrying myself over how to get the boys everything on their list and whether my husband and I would even swap gifts this year-but those things are not important at all. You just never know when God may use you and so thank you for this today. My 3 boys will get a kick out of this and I just happen to have plaster of paris(will that work?) and a ton of limbs that we have ignored in the back yard-I will post picks soon of our interpretation...thanks again Charlotte!!!!

[Heidi Woodruff]

I see the cross, as angela said.

I also see John dancing!

Merry Christmas!

Hugs, Heidi

[suzy]

Great idea, I need to add one of these to my tree collection. Some beach combing is in order and I love to go this time of the year.

[sweet paul]

love your tree, really cool

[Jeanelle]

From one beachcomber to another...this makes my heart sing!

[Jeanelle]

From one beachcomber to another...this is fabulous. It makes my heart sing!

[nataliehansen]

What a lovely, thoughtful gift. Hope you all have a Merry and Blessed Christmas! Natalie

[Laura]

What a great idea. My kids love it too. It's a great way to display our Jesse Tree ornaments. Just when I was wondering what to do with all the sticks my kids have collected!

[Lisa Kaus]

gorgous photos as always
Happy holidays!