Cedar “Stone” Tealight Centerpiece

These started out as an idea that evolved as I went along, but I'm really happy with how they turned out. I created these "stone" tealight centerpieces from two Virginia cedar rounds, or "cookies" as they are often called, that I bought from Black Forest Sawmill. I cleaned out the larger cracks with a chisel and sanded them to remove any debris, removed any large bark and lightly sanded the outer edge to create a more rustic look, thoroughly sanded the top surface to create a smooth finish, and used the drill press to create three tealight indents. Then, I applied a coat of "stillwater cove grey" from Real Milk Paint to the sides and surface, let that dry, and then lightly sanded with 400 grit to create a distressed look, and finished the piece with dead flat finishing cream from Real Milk Paint to provide a washable protected finish. The idea is to use these as centerpieces on a dining table, but you could really use them wherever you like to have tealight accents. I called them "ston