I up-cycled some branches that I pruned from our umbrella pine tree last fall. It was quite a process that involved stripping all the bark off the branches, cutting the branches into 2" sections, allowing them to dry for 6 months, coating each piece entirely with water-soluble polyurethane, pouring a thin layer of resin into an 18" x 12" x 1.5" silicone mold, placing the slices once the base layer got "sticky," pouring the rest of the resin, leveling the front and back layers with the router sled, sanding, and applying finish of mineral oil and beeswax. It came out so nice that Tina wanted it hung on our wall, so I made a mahogany frame for it, and it's hanging up. The piece can be re-purposed at a later date, if desired, by removing it from the frame.
This project inspired me to work on chaotic pattern board consisting of cut up pieces of various species of hardwood inserted into a mold with resin. Stay tuned for updates on that. Fingers crossed...