Have you ever been down the unfinished wood aisle at Hobby Lobby? There are so many interesting items to use to get crafty with. The best part is that their unfinished wood items are often on sale. I got a four-pack of circle plaques with the idea of using them as the base for tall wooden candle sticks. They do require a light sanding, but it’s so easy and worth it for the great price. However, instead of making candlesticks, I came up with three ways to use circle plaques that I think you’ll enjoy. There are endless ways to use these unfinished wooden pieces. Here’s the Instagram video showing these babies coming together.

The first idea requires sanding and staining a circle plaque and then using it as a candle plate. If you burn real candles around the house, you know that an open flame isn’t the only thing to be aware of. The glass or metal container can become quite hot and damage the surface it’s sitting on. A stained wooden base looks nice and protects the table from candle heat. They also make different sizes of circle plaques to accommodate various sizes of candles.

The second idea is to use a circle plaque as the base for a shatterproof snow globe. This idea is so fun to make with the kiddos and unlike glass snow globes, these are shatterproof. They’re also incredibly affordable and can be handled gently. I used a plastic water bottle with a smooth surface, removed the label, and cut it to the height I wanted. I arranged and glued a few miniature figurines onto the circle plaque after the gold acrylic paint dried. Then I added faux snow to the water bottle and then I added glue around the circle plaque to attach the water bottle to the wood base. I used ribbon to cover the seams at the top and bottom of the water bottle. These would be so cute in varying heights and even one for each family member.

The third and final idea is to use a circle plaque as the base to hold a Christmas stem upright. When I saw this particular stem at one of my favorite shops, I didn’t think it would be best in a vase but as a single evergreen tree. The shape was great, and the size was perfect for what I had in mind. First, I painted the circle plaque white to blend with faux snow. Then I cut the stem at the height I needed. After you find the center of the circle plaque, find a drill bit that’s close to the size of the stem width (better to start smaller than drill too large of a hole). Drill a hole straight down into the center, sand any splinters and fit the stem into the hole. It worked perfectly to create my own faux tree for our gingerbread house. I also glued some faux snow over the white paint to help it blend in with my display. A bag of faux snow was only $1 at Hobby Lobby.

I purchased a four pack of these circle plaques which means I have one more left over. If the creativity arises, I may end up making it into a candlestick after all. There are many ways to use these fun pieces and I hope you found some inspiration in this post. Sometimes my ideas come from a place of need, like I needed a way to hold that evergreen stem up next to the gingerbread house, and other times a crazy idea like a water bottle snow globe just comes to mind after already having the wood base sitting around. If you like using unfinished wooden pieces in a creative way, check out this post on how to make a farmhouse riser stand.

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