This post is sponsored by HomeHardware. All content and thoughts shared are my own.
e are heading into the busy season with the holidays rapidly approaching. That typically means it's also time for an influx of gifts to be needed; I'm talking host/hostess gifts, holiday gifts, or just because gifts. When it comes to gift-giving, I have a secret to tell you; there are no better gifts than thoughtful handmade items. More thought, customizations, and sentiment come with DIY gifts. I realize that also comes with a ton more work, but honestly, my favourite part of giving a gift is knowing that someone truly loves it and will enjoy it for years to come.
Let’s get started with my personal favourite kind of DIY gift: a charcuterie board. Should we talk about how cute you can make these?! Pick any shape and size you want for a DIY charcuterie board and you get to customize it in any way you want. Solder a name or initials onto the board, pick a colour that you prefer, or add a heart handle(!!).
Friends and family who have already seen these charcuterie boards couldn’t get enough of the colours but wondered how they were food safe?! Home Hardware has this awesome food-grade hard wax oil that is perfect for charcuterie boards. They also have raw linseed oil which is a perfect way to seal charcuterie boards if you prefer the natural wood colour.
before planing
after planing
before cutting
after cutting
4. Using your orbital sander with 120 grit sandpaper, start smoothing out your rough edges created by the jigsaw and any imperfections left from the planer. Once you’ve smoothed out the entire board, move up to 180-grit sandpaper and repeat.
5. Using a rag, remove any access sawdust. Take your water-filled spray bottle and spray the front, back, sides, top, and bottom of your charcuterie boards to raise the grain. Let the water dry.
6. Once the water is dry, take your 220-grit sandpaper and sand away until everything is smooth and looks the way you like it. Using a tack cloth, make sure all of the sawdust is removed.
7. (Skip to step 8 if you’re just doing the linseed oil) Put on your gloves because now it’s time to start oiling the boards. If you wanted your boards to look the same as mine, I used the Dark Espresso Hardwax Oil on the smaller board and Clear Hardwax Oil followed by Dark Espresso on the larger board. To apply, I like to dump a little bit of the oil on the board and spread it with my hands. I leave it on for a few minutes and then wipe it off with a cloth. I let the boards dry for a few hours and flipped them over to do the other side.
8. (If you did step 7, you can skip this step – but you will probably want to do this every few months to maintain your board) Put on your gloves and oil your board with linseed oil. To apply, I like to dump the oil on the board and spread it with my hands. I do a nice thin even layer.
9. Whether you’re ending at step 7 or 8, I would let your boards cure for 48-72 hours before using (or let the recipient of your holiday DIY gifts know to wait!).
PS – you can save some time and make multiple charcuterie boards at a time!
PPS – you can also head over to my Charcuterie board post (food version) and learn about the best way to help your food do your beautiful board justice!
Okay, holiday DIY gifts are still underway so why don’t we get into the Decorative DIY Concrete Bowl.
These bowls are so much fun! Like the charcuterie boards, there are so many ways you can tackle them and make them your own: whether it be changing the concrete colour (COOL right?!) or making your own shapes up these can be uniquely made for your intended recipient.
Your next holiday DIY gifts are ready to give to someone special!
PS – if you wanted, you could also just to straight concrete bowls – pour some concrete into one of the plastic bowls (do a light coating of oil in the bowl first!) and then place the smaller bowl inside of it. Push the bowl down for some weight and even distribution of the bowl. Wait 24+ hours for it to dry. Once it is dry and you get it out of the bowls, you’ll have to give the edges a nice sanding but otherwise, you have even more adorable holiday DIY gifts you can give.
Happy DIYing my friends!
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