I guess you could call me a tree hugger. I do love trees enough to hug them.
My appreciation of trees started when I was a little girl. My mother is a painter, and she loved to paint trees. I saw the beauty of them through her eyes.
Timber cutting and tree farms are common in east Texas. It’s a big business and employs a lot of people — and who wants to live without paper?!? — yet I can’t help feeling a little sad about it.
Also, if you’ve followed my blog for any length of time at all, you know the reasons why we launched our old home salvage business.
So, all of this got me to thinking about ways to upcycle fallen trees.
Here are 50 ideas.
Create stools for your dining room table. Here’s another similar idea. Here, too.
Build a really cool bed. Here’s another idea. And one more.
Create a garment rack using a branch. More ideas provided here and here and here and here.
Build a garden arbor. Here’s another idea. And another.
Create a handrail.
Make a cake stand. If cupcakes are more your speed, check this out. Or this.
Create pretty flowers from wood slices.
Use them as shelf brackets.
Build a coffee table. Here’s a similar coffee table, and another idea I love. This one is really cool, too.
Build a floor lamp. See another idea here, here, here, here, and here. The latter is a DIY project!
Trees are nature’s art. Display them as such.
Want more ideas? Click here and here.
Use branches and twigs to create a curtain rod and brackets. See other curtain ideas here and here.
Make candles from branches. Here is another great idea. And another. And yet another.
Lay down a remarkable floor using log slices.
Make rolling side tables from tree stumps. These are similar. See other ideas here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Build a cool staircase. Click here for another idea.
Create a lovely wall mosaic. Click here for another idea. And here.
Create a wonderful chandelier or pendant light with twigs and branches.
See more ideas here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Create plant markers using twigs and a wood burner … or just a black pen.
Create a cool belt buckle.
Build a table like the one above or this one.
Create bowls from large branches.
Create a Christmas tree. Want more ideas? Click here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Build a gorgeous fence with tree limbs. Here’s another idea. And here. And also here.
Build a comfortable home for beneficial bugs. Here’s another idea I really like.
Build a cat tree.
Build a birdbath.
Create a pendant or bracelets.
Build an area for a campfire with low fencing and stools.
Envision a business card holder using a tree branch. See another great idea here.
Build a fabulous outdoor shower.
Create a one-of-a-kind room divider. Here’s another idea. And one more.
Here’s a darling idea. Use a branch to hang stockings above a mantel.
Create a pretty centerpiece for your celebration. Here’s another idea, and another. And one more.
Make a Valentine’s Day gift using tree branches. See the tutorial here.
Here’s another idea.
Build a kitchen island using sawhorses and a slab of wood cut from a large stump.
Build a chair or chaise lounge. Here’s another idea (it’s a DIY project also!)
Check out this vintage portrait for the same type of thing.
Make a whimsical wood pencil holder. (This is a DIY project!)
Here’s another similar idea.
Make adorable reindeer from branches. See the tutorial here.
Display a collection of faux antlers.
Use a branch to hold a bathroom essential.
Use them to add natural light and ventilation.
Use them to display jewelry. Here’s another idea. And another. And another.
Make wonderful alphabet magnets. This is a tutorial!
Here’s another tutorial and an idea also.
Make pretty placemats. Here are two more ideas: one and two.
Use large tree branches as garden edging. Check out this idea also.
Build a rack for towels or magazines. Here’s a similar idea that’s also a tutorial.
Create a sweet diorama. See another idea here and here.
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I hope you liked these ideas. (I’d love to know which ones were your favorites.)
More ideas coming soon!
Wow…what great ideas. More than 50 with all your other links. Thanks for sharing, Kim.
I love all of them! Where can I get tree limbs? Do I need to treat them?
If I were you, I’d contact a local arborist or tree guy. They’d probably give you tree limbs for free, and they can tell you if/how the limbs need to be treated.
Oh, and thank you for letting me know that you liked some of the ideas I found!
Hi Kim !
Thanks for sharing our twig curtain rod idea ! … more importantly, because it led me back to you and I see all kind of epic twiggy ideas here ! I am so inspired.
And your house. Oh la la. Amazeballs. Can I come live with you? 🙂
Sure! The more the merrier. Or so I’m told.
I love so many of these ideas! I can’t wait te get my hands on some branches and a log or two.
Awesome! Have fun making your creations. 🙂
Just getting started in repurposing the over abundance of Ash tree remains… the trunks have been harvested to get try and get rid of the trees that were infected to try and save the forests of Ash here in northern Michigan… but to no avail. Now I live a crossed the street from Government land with the remains of hundreds of Ashes to make into things that honor them. Thank you for the great ideas… I would love any other ideas you might be about to suggest… I don’t want to have them just go to waste… many were 1100 plus years old… thank you once again.
Dennis
I’ve found more ideas and will be sharing them soon. Best of luck with your upcycling projects. I love knowing that you will not let them rot away.
I am very happy to see all your ideas, thank you to share those with us. I would like to know how to treat the trees and to be ready to make furniture. Can you tell me?
Thank you !
What wonderful creations you have made , I love the items 20 and 36 , simple and delicate looking and very eye catching , I would love to try some of your ideas , one thing I had seen in the past from someone who made Christian crosses for walls from raw tree branches and was so beautiful , it hung on my friends wall ,but she told me it was from a different country she had visited ( forgotten which one ) but I would love to have one myself. I would like to learn how to treat the wood before trying to do it ? I live on the Island of Cyprus . Thanks for sharing your wonderful talent.
Alison, I wish I could say differently, but none of the ideas I shared are my creations. I included the source website for each idea.
Hi Kim,
Wow what a great blog! Do you use any kind of preservative or other material to stengthen the branches used on these projects? Thanks so much.
Andrew, try oil-based polyurethane. It’s my go to product for sealing. I’m not sure about “strenthening” however.
Dear Kim, looking through all these great ideas really loved number 15- wood floor. Do you know what is the best type of tree to use and does the wood need to be left to season before laying.? Any information on this would be great. Thanks x
Honestly, I have no idea, but if it were me, I’d use oak, cedar, or pine and I’d allow the tree to season for quite a long while before laying it down to prevent any sap seepage issues.
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Great ideas. Do you use something to treat the branches before using?
Usually I would warmish/wax if the wood was sanded but as some of the effect is in keeping the bark I wondered how you keep it from rotting/insect infested? xxx
Sian, my blog post was a roundup of ideas from other sites. (See the links.) You’ll have to contact the content owners for their recommendations. 🙂 Thanks!
We live in a log home on several acres with lots of trees and wood. I love your collection of ideas! I have done some creative things over the years but now I have a bunch of new ideas! Many of the things I’ve done were to sell at our church Christmas craft sale. Thanks for more ideas! Susan
Like your ideas a lot, gives me new ideas. I have made chairs and coffee tables out of branches, but have trouble fixing weird shapes together, any ideas ? Marty
Hi I’m very interested in your ideas how long do u need the wood to dry out and what do you use for treatment thanks so much
I love these creative ideas. I will use the shelf brackets in building my catio! Such good ideas, I will be trying some for sure.
I love working with natural elements. Thank you for the inspiration!
What a positive inspired and “out of the park”, creative and aesthetically pleasing photos of useful and practical examples for fallen stumps. Which is Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you for the discipline, time, effort and insight from whatever strands of human interactions and life experiences happened in order for you to make such a beautiful post. Thank you very much for setting an example of what good uses a computer and the internet can be.
Dear Kim, my name is George. I’m from Bulgaria, Sofia. I looked your 50 ideas. I like them because they are simple but fantastic. Congratulations! My hobby is handmade tree lamps, as realize some of my unconventional ideas. I would be very grateful if you give your opinion about them. Thank you very much! My site iz http://www.dia-bg.info.