Bridal Shower Favors - Wood Burned Spoons

I am hosting a bridal shower this weekend. The theme of the shower is “All Around the House.” I had a small challenge to overcome with the game favors. I wanted a favor for each of the guests to take home, but I’m planning for 25 guests! Obviously the favors needed to be inexpensive. I think these wood burned spoons are the perfect solution for my problem. Blank spoons come in a package of four for 88 cents at Walmart. And each spoon takes just over a minute to create. So, everyone gets a nice favor for a cost of just 22 cents!  I already own a wood burner. You can purchase this tool at any craft store, in the wood aisle. Walmart also carries one, for about $10.00. This craft is called pyrography and is really fun.

Some of the spoons will be a little rough. Just use some sandpaper to smooth out the worst spots. The wood is quite soft. You can buy more expensive hardwood spoons, and they are lovely! But these cheap ones also develop a kind of patina as they are used.

You’ll be working on the back side of the spoon. Start by heating the burner. Be really careful because the tool gets extremely hot! You don’t want to burn yourself and you also don’t want to drop the burner on the table or floor. There is zero time to retrieve it before a burn happens. So take precautions. The burner will come with a little metal stand to rest the tool on and this can be taped securely to the table. You could also use glass underneath it, as an extra precaution. Work when small children are napping! The burner takes awhile to cool down, even after begin unplugged.

Once the burner is heated, make a small “c” in the middle of the back of the bowl.

Make another curved line, from inside and in the opposite direction, around the bottom of the previous curve. Work smoothly and rather quickly. If the burner stays too long in one place, you’ll create a small depression or hole and the line will seem uneven.

Continue adding these curved lines, around the edges of the others.

Make the flower as big as you wish, creating additional petals to form a “rose.”

Add a leaf.

Add another leaf.

And two more leaves at the bottom.

Touch the burner gently on the wood between some of the crooks and crannies around the petals and leaves. These small dots add dimension to the design and look like the statice flowers that commonly come in a bouquet of roses.

Turn the spoon over and do a second, much smaller, flower on the front of the spoon.

You can alter the design any way you wish, this one has my monogram. You can also add a bit of squiggle around the edges. This makes the spoon seem even more “finished.” Just be creative. The spoons are cheap enough that you can practice and fool around.

Finished! I think they are so cute.