Tree Stump Carvings: 15 Backyard Wonders From the Carver Whose Bear Hit 30M Plays

Tree stump carvings can turn the saddest spot in a yard into the thing every neighbor slows down to see. When a big old tree dies, most families pay to grind it away and forget it. Carver Stefan Szkipala does the opposite. He climbs in with his saws and leaves behind a bear, an eagle or a hawk that will stand guard for years. His videos are pure joy to watch, and one of them, a standing bear for a log cabin, has been played more than 30 million times. We gathered the builds people love most, plus the wow detail in each one. Then we added simple, safe stump projects you can make at home with paint, felt and a free afternoon, no saws needed. Grab a cup of coffee and come see what a dead tree can become..

Tree Stump Carvings Start With a Log Cabin Bear

This is the one that made people fall in love. Stefan carved a tall standing black bear for a log cabin, and it looks ready to wave at every visitor who pulls in. The full start to finish video passed 30 million plays and drew about 595,000 reactions. The wow detail is the face. A few careful cuts around the eyes and nose make it look gentle instead of scary. You do not need a chainsaw to bring a little of that cabin charm home. Would a bear make you smile every morning..

You will need: A small log round or thick branch slice, brown and black craft paint, a cream paint pen, a soft brush, outdoor clear sealer.

How to make it: 1. Sand the log round smooth and wipe off the dust. 2. Paint a simple bear head in brown with black ears and a cream muzzle. 3. Add dot eyes and a nose with the paint pen, let it dry and seal it for the porch.

Tree Stump Carvings Can Be Sweet: A Honey Pot Bear

Some tree stump carvings are big and bold. This one is just plain sweet. Stefan shaped an oak tree into a round little bear hugging a honey pot, and the video has passed 4.6 million plays with more than 88,000 reactions. People love it because it feels like a storybook character came to life in the backyard. The pot is carved from the same piece of wood as the bear, so the paws really wrap around it. Kids could stare at this one all day. Who in your family would name it first?

You will need: A small clay pot, yellow and gold craft paint, brown paint, a paintbrush, twine, a wooden bead.

How to make it: 1. Paint the clay pot honey gold and let it dry. 2. Paint a few drips of darker gold around the rim. 3. Tie twine around the neck with a bead and set it on a stump or porch step with a plant inside.

A Red Oak Hawk for a Mountain Home

This one was made for a home in the mountains, and it fits right in. Out of a red oak stump came a hawk with folded wings and a sharp, watchful head turned to the side. That video passed 3.1 million plays and almost 30,000 reactions. The wow detail is the feathers. Each one is cut in layers so the sun makes little shadows across the wings, just like a real bird. Red oak is hard and strong, which is why it can hold such fine lines. Would you choose a bird or a bear?

You will need: Paper, a pencil, a sanded wood slice, a fine black paint pen, brown acrylic paint, a sawtooth hanger.

How to make it: 1. Sketch a simple hawk outline on paper and trace it lightly onto the wood slice. 2. Paint the body brown and let it dry. 3. Draw layered feather lines with the paint pen and hang it with a sawtooth hanger.

A Sycamore Stump Becomes an Eagle in Hours

This one shows how fast a skilled carver can work. A sycamore stump became a proud eagle in just a few hours, and the video passed 1.4 million plays with more than 40,000 reactions. The eagle sits up high with its wings half open, like it just landed. Sycamore is softer and pale, so the finished bird looks bright and clean against the green grass. Watching the shape appear from a plain round log feels a bit like magic. Tree stump carvings like this one often end up as the landmark people use to give directions. Can you picture it at the end of your driveway?

You will need: A pine cone, brown and white craft paint, a scrap of cardboard, a yellow paint pen, glue (hot glue with adult help).

How to make it: 1. Paint the tip of the pine cone white for the eagle head. 2. Cut two small wings from cardboard and paint them brown. 3. Glue on the wings, add a yellow beak dot and perch it on a mini log on your shelf.

An Eagle With an American Flag

Patriotic tree stump carvings are some of the most shared pieces online, and this oak eagle with a flag is a great example. The video passed 813,000 plays. Stefan turned an oak tree into a tall eagle paired with the stars and stripes, and the mix of bare wood and bold color really pops. It is the kind of piece that makes a front yard feel proud on every holiday from Memorial Day to the Fourth of July. For a smaller version, a painted wood flag works on any porch. Would you keep it up all year?

You will need: Five paint stirring sticks or thin wood strips, red, white and blue craft paint, a star stencil or star stickers, wood glue, a small board for the back.

How to make it: 1. Glue the sticks side by side onto the small board and let them dry. 2. Paint red and white stripes and a blue corner. 3. Add white stars with the stencil, then lean it on the porch next to a mum.

Tree Stump Carvings of a Wise Wood Spirit Face

Not every carving needs a whole animal. A bearded wood spirit face carved right into a tall trunk is a classic that carvers have loved for years. The eyes peek out from under bushy brows and the beard flows down like bark. It feels like the tree itself is watching over the garden, and it is one of the oldest styles of tree stump carvings around. These faces are small enough to fit on a tree that is still alive, which makes them great for yards with no stump at all. Some people say hello to theirs every morning. Would you give yours a name?

You will need: Air dry clay, a toothpick, a butter knife, brown and gray craft paint, a soft rag, outdoor sealer.

How to make it: 1. Press a ball of clay into a flat oval and shape a nose, brows and a long beard. 2. Draw bark lines with the toothpick and let it dry for two days. 3. Paint it brown, rub on gray with a rag, seal it and hang it on a fence post.

A Guardian Angel Carved From a Yard Tree

When a beloved tree dies, some families want something gentle to remember it by. Tree stump carvings of an angel do exactly that. Her wings fold around her, her hands are together, and the natural cracks in the wood make the robe look like it is moving in the wind. Pieces like this often become a quiet spot for a bench and a few flowers. It is one of the most touching ways to keep a family tree standing, in every sense of the word. Would you plant flowers around her feet?

You will need: A wooden clothespin or craft spoon, a scrap of burlap or lace, a small wooden bead, gold paint, glue (hot glue with adult help).

How to make it: 1. Paint the bead and clothespin a soft cream. 2. Glue the bead on top for a head and wrap lace around for a robe. 3. Cut two small wings from burlap, brush the edges gold and glue them on the back.

Tree Stump Carvings Shaped Like a Stacked Owl Totem

Owls are a favorite for tree stump carvings because their round shape fits a log so well. Some carvers stack two or three owls on one tall trunk, each with a different face, like a family posing for a picture. Big totems like this are heavy, so pros carve them and then move them with machines. At home, you can make a tiny owl family that sits on a shelf all winter. Kids love picking out the eye colors. Which owl in the stack would be you?

You will need: Three small log slices or wooden rounds, felt in brown and cream, big buttons, craft glue, a paint pen.

How to make it: 1. Stack the rounds from big to small and glue them together. 2. Cut felt wings and round cream bellies and glue them on. 3. Add buttons for eyes and draw little beaks with the paint pen.

A Little Bear Standing Guard on a Post

Bears are some of the most popular tree stump carvings around, and you can see why. Not every bear has to be six feet tall, either. A small bear carved on top of a fence post or an old gate post makes visitors laugh and gives the yard a bit of personality. Carvers often leave the chainsaw marks rough on the fur and smooth on the face, so it looks both wild and kind. If you want to see a giant version, our story on a giant bear chainsaw carving shows how big these can get. Would you dress yours in a scarf for winter?

You will need: A small wooden bear figure or a bear cut from craft wood, a red scrap of fleece, a mini wreath, brown paint.

How to make it: 1. Paint the bear a warm brown and let it dry. 2. Tie a strip of red fleece around the neck for a scarf. 3. Hang a tiny wreath from one paw and set it by the door.

Why Tree Stump Carvings Use Oak and Sycamore

Ever wonder why so many of these pieces come from oak and sycamore? Oak is strong and holds fine detail, so feathers and fur stay crisp for years. Sycamore is lighter in color and easier to shape, which helps with big smooth curves. Both are common yard trees, so when one dies, there is often a big healthy stump left behind. Carvers check that the wood is solid before they start, since rot inside can ruin a piece. Next time you walk by a stump, look at the rings and imagine what could be hiding inside. What would you carve?

You will need: A fallen branch slice, a magnifying glass, a pencil, a notebook.

How to make it: 1. Find a branch slice on a nature walk. 2. Count the rings with the magnifying glass and note the color of the wood. 3. Sketch an animal that fits the shape of the slice and save it for your next craft.

Try at Home: A Painted Fairy Door on a Stump

If you have a stump and no chainsaw, this is your project. A tiny painted door at the base turns a plain stump into a little fairy house that kids will check every day. Add a pebble path, a mini mailbox and a few moss tufts and it looks like someone really lives there. It costs just a few dollars and you can finish it in an hour. Leave a tiny note at the door and see what the kids write back. Who do you think lives inside?

You will need: A thin piece of craft wood, acrylic paint, a small bead for a knob, outdoor glue, small pebbles, moss.

How to make it: 1. Cut or buy a small arched door shape and paint it a bright color. 2. Glue on a bead knob and paint tiny hinges. 3. Glue the door to the stump base and lay a pebble path with moss on each side.

Try at Home: A Stump Planter for Winter Greens

A stump that is already soft in the middle makes a lovely planter. Scoop out the loose wood with a garden trowel, add a pot inside, and fill it with evergreen clippings, pine cones and red berries for winter. In spring, swap in flowers. It looks like the forest grew a little garden all on its own. These tree stump carvings of a different kind take no skill at all, just a little digging. Would you fill yours with greens or flowers first?

You will need: A garden trowel, a plastic pot that fits inside, potting soil, evergreen clippings, pine cones, faux red berries.

How to make it: 1. Scoop out the soft center of the stump with the trowel. 2. Set the pot inside and fill it with soil. 3. Push in the greens, tuck in pine cones and berries and water lightly.

Try at Home: A Rustic Stump Side Table

A short log or stump round makes a sturdy side table for the porch or by a reading chair. Sand the top, brush on a clear finish and add felt pads underneath so it does not scratch the floor. Tree stump carvings get the headlines, but a simple stump table is the most useful piece in this list. Set a mug of cocoa and a good book on it and the whole corner feels like a cabin. Ask an adult to help move it, since logs are heavier than they look. Where would you put yours?

You will need: A dry log round about 18 inches tall, sandpaper, a clear wood finish, a brush, felt pads.

How to make it: 1. Let the log dry indoors for a few weeks. 2. Sand the top and sides until smooth and brush on two coats of clear finish. 3. Add felt pads to the bottom and set it next to your favorite chair.

Try at Home: A Stump Christmas Gnome

Here is a holiday twist that kids adore. Turn a short log or stump into a Christmas gnome with a tall felt hat, a fluffy white beard and a round wooden nose. It takes about thirty minutes and makes the front steps look like a winter storybook. Make a few in different sizes and you have a whole gnome family greeting guests. Since there is no paint, it is the easiest project here. What color hat will yours wear?

You will need: A short log, red or green felt, white faux fur, a wooden ball for a nose, craft glue (hot glue with adult help), a small bell.

How to make it: 1. Roll the felt into a tall cone and glue the seam. 2. Glue the faux fur beard on the front of the log and the wooden nose on top of it. 3. Slide the hat on so it touches the nose and glue a bell to the tip.

Try at Home: A Log Slice House Number Sign

End with something the mail carrier will thank you for. A big log slice with painted house numbers looks warm and handmade by the front door. Use stencils so the numbers are neat, and seal it well so it lasts through snow and rain. It is a small nod to the carvers who turn trees into art, and it costs almost nothing. Make one for a neighbor too and watch their face light up. Which number will you paint first?

You will need: A large log slice, sandpaper, number stencils, white or black outdoor paint, a sponge brush, outdoor sealer, a sturdy hanger.

How to make it: 1. Sand the slice smooth and wipe away dust. 2. Tape the stencils in place and dab on the paint with the sponge brush. 3. Peel the stencils, let it dry, seal it twice and hang it by the door.