Creative Corner The Finale

I’ll write one last post about my recent creative flare, but I’ve enjoyed taking some time out to do something different (from blogging and writing, that is).

The area around the patio certainly looks more colourful, since I added the gemstone plaque and glass pebble sun catcher. I still had that piece of bark, foraged from my wood hunt, so I tried attaching some picture hooks to the underside. It worked, which called to mind another design I had spotted on Pinterest; a different style of sun catcher, using beads.

Project 3: Rainbow Bead sun catcher

I must say, I am rather pleased with this one. I already had some beads my mum gave me from an old necklace she had that was broken. These are crystal beads that glitter in lots of different colours in the light (does anyone know what these are called?) but they’re the big ones at the bottom and some of the smaller beads in the centre.

The rest I bought from Temu, (an online web store, selling incredibly cheap stuff) and I also got hold of some nylon cord from there, to thread the strands. The method is fairly self-explanatory, but once the strands were threaded, I just tied them to the hooks on the underside of the bark. The last item I needed was some fine silver wire, from Hobbycraft, to make a handle for hanging it in place. Unfortunately, I don’t have much strength in my hands, so twisting the ends into spirals was hard, resulting in slightly wonky ends… But the way it sparkles in the sunlight is a joy to watch with little flashes radiating off the beads.

Update

Since writing this article I made some improvements to this design. The ends of the beads are finished with silver-plated callottes (to hide the knots), a handy purchase from Hobbycraft. I also stumbled across a pair of 3-in-1 fine pliers, which made the job of creating a new handle so much easier, with neat spirals at each end. I’ll take new photos next summer.

Project4: Watering Can sun catcher

This one I really enjoyed making and yes, I saw it on Pinterest, too. Such a clever idea, though, using a watering can to make a garden ornament. My wonderful mum helped me out again, donating an old metal watering can with a rose (as you need one that you can screw on and off.)

Threading the cord through the holes was the first stage: 8 outer holes and 4 inner holes, meaning I needed enough beads to thread 12 strands. Finding the right beads involved another trip to Hobbycraft, but it sells lovely loose ones. I still had a few of Mum’s crystal beads but paired them up with extra glass beads, some clear, some opaque or pearlescent. Sticking to mainly blues and greens, I wanted to give the illusion of water pouring from the spout.

The final touch was to purchase some crystal chandelier pendants as it was easy to tie the ends onto the jump rings, tucking the ends back through the centres of the bottom beads.

The end result is just amazing and I love the colours. The pendants were worth the extra money and effort, since they look different, depending on the light. The next photo was taken when the sun was setting and in the last image, you can see how much the sunlight flashes when they catch the beads.

Anyway, that’s it for now and I’ve finished making ornaments for the garden. The nights are drawing in but September has been a nice month, with plenty of sunshine to enjoy my creative projects. I have quite a lot of beads left and the next items I make will be gifts.

Last of all I would just like to say I’ve had a lot of fun making these things and it’s been great for my mental health. I would definitely recommend trying a creative project to enhance a positive state of well-being.