Ornament Hanger

I know it may seem early for a Christmas project but I've been trying to get things made for my booth space for Christmas and these hangers were on my weekend "to do" list.  They are very simple to make so I thought I would share a quick tutorial.

For this project I used 14 gauge wire.  I've had this roll for quite some time....100 ft. goes a long way!

 I cut an approximate 8" piece for my hanger.

Since the wire came in a roll it already had a slight curve to it.  But the ornament hanger needs to be more circular so you need to find a round form to bend the wire around.

I used the bottom of this silver piece for my form but any solid circular object would work (cans of food are perfect).

 Simply bend your wire around your form to form a semi-circle with the wire.

The wire now looks like this.

 Next, at one end of the wire, take your needle nose pliers and bend your wire at a 90 degree angle.

 At the other end of the wire take your needle nose pliers and bend the wire around to form a small loop.

 Your wire should now look something like this.

For the base of my hanger I took a small block and drilled a hole towards one end.

 I then placed one end of the wire holder in the wood (you might want to add a small amount of glue prior to adding the wire just to make sure everything will be secure).

You may need to make small adjustments to the wire once it is in place.

 Simply bend the hanger until you are happy with the position.

 Add an ornament and you're finished!

I can see these being used in lots of ways for holiday decorating.

Add one on top of a stack of books on a book shelf, scatter several on your mantel, place one on top of each place setting at your holiday table.....oh, the possibilities are endless :)

I'm also working on some ornament trees using old spindles and wire.
Here is one I just finished this morning.

I'll be posting more details on this project at a later date.

Hope you're having a great weekend.

Jane

Repurposed Tie Holder

I spent the better part of today painting and updating some garage sale finds that I've had sitting around my basement for way too long.

I thought I would show you one of my quick updates.

BEFORE:

A duck themed tie holder

AFTER:

A jewelry holder

Perfect to organize some of my necklaces.

Hope you're having a great Sunday.

Jane

Spindle Photo Holder

I found these wonderful, chippy spindle pieces this past weekend in my friend Susan's booth space and I had to have them.  They have such a fabulous old patina and I thought they would make cute photo or card holders.

This is a super simple project and is actually a take on a project I posted last year.

For this holder I predrilled three holes in the spindle and then hammered in some old nails.  The two nails on the ends are centered and the nail in the middle is slightly off-centered.

Off-centering the middle nail gives just enough room to slide a picture or a card between the nails.

That's all there is to it.

Pictured below is the photo holder I posted last year that was the inspiration for my current photo holder project.  Although I used a block of wood and bolts for last year's project, you can see the layout is the same.  Complete project details can be viewed here.

Before I sign off I want to say thank you for all of the nice comments welcoming me back!  You all are the best!!

Jane

Hello (and a Halloween Wall Project)

I thought I would write a quick post today to say hello.

I hope this finds all of you enjoying the beautiful fall weather!  

I haven't posted for the past couple of months but I have been stalking blogs and I love all of the fall and halloween ideas being posted.

I haven't done any autumn decorating at my house (yet) but I have worked on a few halloween projects that made their way into my booths.  Decorating old cabinet cards for halloween decor is not a new idea but I thought I would show you one I made that recently sold at my Parkville booth location.

This particular gentleman had such an "evil scientist" look to me making him perfect for a halloween hanging.  Using a page from an old victorian photo album as my starting point, I simply added pieces and parts until I was happy with the look.  

 I really enjoy making these because anything goes....and it gives me a chance to use some of the odds and ends I have all over my studio!

Enjoy your Sunday!

Jane