During the holiday season, making decorations is loads of fun. And, it is a great way to decorate your house on the cheap — just like Mom or Grandma did in the good old days. Our holiday retro crafty series started with the putz ranch house patterns — and now thanks to a suggestion from reader Janet — we’ve added a retro modern holiday yule log centerpiece to the list. This retro crafty edition also has a special holiday treat — my first video on Retro Renovation! Leo makes an appearance, too, of course.
If you (or a neighbor) have a birch log hanging out on the wood pile — as well as a few candles and some old Christmas decor laying around — this could be a holiday project completed without spending an additional penny.
Material and tools list to make a holiday yule log:
- A small log — mine is from a birch tree and is about 15 inches long and three or four inches in diameter
- Candles — size and color of your choice
- Greenery — I got my garland at Michael’s with a 50% off coupon for about $3.50 but you could use whatever you have around the house
- Poinsettias — again, use what you have or go to the craft store
- Retro wooden ornaments or other small holiday decorations to add
- Drill and drill bit to match the diameter of your candles — I whittled my candles a bit with a box cutter to ensure they fit the holes snugly
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Scissors
- Optional — wood sticks to stabilize the log. I used some small scrap wood pieces. If you are handy with a table saw, you could also cut off a thin piece of the bottom of the log to make a flat, steady surface for the log to rest on.
BE SAFE! It is important, if you are going to light the candles, to ensure your base is steady… and remember, a solid safety practice is to never leave lighted candles unattended. Reader/Scout Leader Marta also adds below, to be very cautious/attentive if you plan to lighting candles near artificial stuff — it may ignite if too near to a flame — plus, you can add a bobeche/drip holder to catch hot wax drips and to further dial up the safety quotient. But again: Don’t leave unattended!
Further — Nowadays, you can find electric candles that are pretty darn realistic looking.
Back to Kate’s story
Instead of the usual photo step by step, I’ve created a video to show you how to construct your own retro modern holiday yule log centerpiece. It’s easy!
My centerpiece — which starts with a totally retro idea and adds a sprinkle of lime green — for a modern twist — turned into a fun and festive holiday centerpiece, don’t you think? Now, who is going to make a yule log centerpiece this holiday season?