10 Pyrography Gifts
Whether you’re on the hunt for a holiday gift or another special occasion, homemade gifts are always thoughtful. Put your woodburning talents to use and handcraft something meaningful. For inspiration, we gathered 10 one-of-a-kind pyrography ideas to wow your loved ones that won’t break the bank or take hours to complete.
Fun Things to carve from Wood
Author Tom Hindes demonstrates his easy-to-learn, quick-cut method for whittling expressive little figures from wood in just 20 minutes or less. With his friendly instructions and step-by-step photos, you’ll learn to carve an endless array of charming wizards, gnomes, gargoyles, ornaments, dogs, leprechauns, and more.
18 Step-by-step whittling projects
Now available in a handsome new hardcover gift edition, this friendly guidebook features 18 step-by-step whittling projects for knives, forks, birds, animals, trees, flowers, and more.
whittling special edition magazine
This special edition of Whittling is the ultimate beginner’s guide! Start a hobby that’s simple yet satisfying for all ages by completing over 30 step-by-step projects. Providing opening articles on how to get started, you’ll learn safety tips, the basics of sharpening, the four basic knife cuts, how to teach kids to whittle, and more.
Four quick & Easy characters to carve & Paint
Learn to whittle four little friends! Featuring step-by-step instructions, coordinating photography, and full-size patterns for a snail, bear, troll, and penguin, author and talented woodcarver Sara Barraclough will guide you through each adorable whittling project.
10 Leather Pyrography Tips
For the Hosts
Make inexpensive gifts by burning on store-bought kitchen tools! “I like to create personalized gifts so they are more meaningful to the recipient. Wooden kitchen items are inexpensive, readily available, and easy to personalize with pyrography. The designs can be universal, such as flowers, herbs, fruits, and vegetables, or specific to the person, such as paw prints for an animal enthusiast. I might simply tie a ribbon around a group of personalized spoons, or make a more elaborate gift by adding local cookbooks, homemade baked or canned goods, kitchen linens, or fruit.” – Michele Parsons. Find this full tutorial in the Big Book of Pyrography Projects.
For the Craftsperson
Personalize a tool for a handy-man, woodworker, or craftsperson in your life with a meaningful pyrography quote. This will also help you practice your skills on a 3D object! This beautiful hammer is by Amanda Franklin-Brown of Cove Calligraphy in Dorset, England. Artwork originially featured in Pyrography Magazine 2016.
For the writer
Planners and journals feel more important and expensive when they are covered in leather. You can customize a planner or journal cover with pyrography, leather tooling, and/or stitching the edges. Follow along with Michele Parsons in her Leather Pyrography book for a step-by-step tutorial of the planner above focusing on the use of the writer, skew, and shader pens.
For the gardener
“I love using my woodburner to make quick everyday objects a little more special. Tags are a great example. Using either precut wood shapes or scraps cut from other projects, I can make name tags, gift tags, scrapbook decorations, ornaments, plant tags, etc., that are personal and unique. Plus, I get to practice lettering, fill patterns, and coloring, so my artwork is a little better every time I approach a bigger project.” – Jo Schwartz, Pyrography Magazine 2018
For the Outdoor Enthusiast
Combine your woodcarving skills with pyrography in this walking stick tutorial from John Allard in the Woodcarving Illustrated Magazine, Spring 2018 issue. If your loved one enjoys hiking, they need a good walking stick—and the best walking stick is a homemade one. “While the possibilities are limitless, you can get started with this Celtic braid handle design; embellish the rest of the stick as you have more time. I selected Chinese waxwood for this particular project. This wood, usually used in martial arts Bo staffs, is hard, strong,and flexible with a fine grain that polishes to a glass-like finish. Of course, you can use any good sturdy wood. I also incorporated a compass in the top of the handle and a rubber foot that detaches to reveal a spike for those times when you need a solid anchor along the trail.” – John Allard, Woodcarving Illustrated Magazine, Spring 2018 issue.
For the Family Organizer
Add your own embellishments to a coat rack and/or mail organizer! “I decided to create my own wall organizer to hang keys or coats while also acting as a safe place for smaller possessions to prevent them from getting lost or misplaced. I selected a large wooden plaque along with some antique brass hooks and nameplates to add to the vintage feel of the design. I also found a blank wooden tray with a shaped edge that reminded me of the Art Nouveau style, deciding that half of the tray would form a perfect shelf compartment for the piece. A few minutes of careful sawing later and all was ready for action! If you don’t have access to a tray blank, you could always consider a suitably sized wooden box to use for the shelf in this project.” – Simon Easton, Yearn to Burn: A Pyrography Master Class
For the Fashionista
Turn tangles into wearable woodburned art. At its root, Zentangle combines meditation with the creation of artwork by drawing and shading patterns, called tangles, on squares of paper, called tiles. These tiles can make great abstract necklaces, bracelet charms, or earrings for your loved ones. Get a step-by-step tutorial and some Zentangle patterns in Pyrograph Magazine, Volume 4, article by Jo Schwartz.
for the Animal Lover
Surprise your loved ones with a portrait of their furbabies! “One of the easiest ways to create whiskers is to burn the subject first then scratch the whiskers into the wood afterwards. I suggest experimenting with scratching on a scrap piece of wood first. Although, my preference is to burn around the whiskers, which can take a little more time. Learn how to burn fur, whiskers, eyes, and more with Minisa Robinson’s Woodburning Realistic Animals Book.
For the Techie
Customize your phone or tablet with a cover design inspired by crop circles in Simon Easton’s tutorial in the Big Book of Pyrography Projects. Search the Internet for wooden cover blanks for your device. Many suppliers make solid wooden cases for mobile phones or computers. Choose one made of pale wood, which will create a better contrast with the woodburning. Look for an unfinished case; if you must choose a finished one, sand it with finegrit sandpaper before burning it. Be careful not to purchase a “wood effect” case; this term often describes an image of a wooden texture or a simulated wooden surface made from another material, such as plastic, rather than a solid wooden cover.
For everyone
Make a quick gift from leftover leather! Key fobs come in different shapes when purchased as a cutout or kit. Vegetable-tanned leather cutouts are available for
purchase in many shapes. For example, there are round
shapes used for coasters, ornaments, and embellishments
to attach to objects; long rectangular shapes used for
bookmarks and bracelets; small rectangular shapes used
for barrettes, luggage tags, and embellishments; ovals
used for belt buckle inserts; and key fob shapes. You can
also purchase vegetable-tanned leather to cut your own
unique shapes. Find this pattern and project by Michele Parsons in Leather Pyrography.
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