DIY Customized Kitchen Spoons: Wood-burning Art

I was given a wood-burning kit a few years ago and this past Christmas used it to make customized wooden spoon presents for friends and family.  The wood burning tool itself is pretty easy to use; just plug it in and go.  The tool comes with a variety of points, though I just use the finest tip point and ignore the others for now.  I like to draw my designs in pencil on the wood before I burn them so I have a guide.  It works best to do nice slow steady movements; staying in one place will create a little crater, and if you go to fast you won't get a nice dark line.  Below are some of the presents I made this year (and hot-dish competition prizes!). 

I finished the wooden spoons with mineral oil to darken them and make them a little more robust. 

 

Yes, I have Futurama and New Zealand All Blacks related puns on my creations.