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.

Creative Garden Projects 2

For my next project I really wanted something that would capture the sunlight and allow the light to shine through. For this I found a clever idea, which has been doing the rounds on YouTube and a popular craft project for children.

Project 2: GLASS BEAD SUN-CATCHER

It sounds very simple, using coloured clear glass stones. Just squirt a puddle of clear glue into a yoghurt pot lid and place the pebbles inside in a pattern. I already had quite a few of these in the greenhouse, in different shapes and sizes, so I decided to give this a try. But if anyone is interested the link for this project can be found here: https://onelittleproject.com/glass-bead-suncatcher/

To make it sparkle I added a few extra beads and coloured gems purchased from Hobbycraft then set to work on my new sun-catcher. 

The Result

It wasn’t quite as straightforward as I thought though. I’m pleased with the result but it took a few attempts to get it right, so here’s a few tips.

1) Use the right glue. Elmer’s clear glue is the best, as recommended in the video so if you can’t find it in the shop, order it online instead (I ordered mine from Wilko before it closed down.)

2) Don’t use stones that are too big! The glue doesn’t set hard and remains flexible so it might not be strong enough to support the weight and they will fall out.

3) Allow plenty of time for the glue to dry and set. 4 days is not enough and it was still tacky so I just put my finished design in the spare room and forgot about it. A couple of weeks later it was completely dry.

3) I also discovered problems with the yoghurt pot lid, because it had little spokes just inside. These created some weakness in the outer edge of the design, leaving the edge a bit ragged.

However, now I’ve made one, I’ll know what to do next time but I’m actually very pleased with the result. Hanging from a beam from our pergola, my first sun catcher looks colourful and pretty, a little like a stained glass window.

I am already in the process of making some others, as gifts to hang from a tree branch or in a window.

Next time I’ll share my next project which originated from a piece of tree bark (and yes, it’s another sun catcher.)

Creative Garden Projects

I’m making the most of my creative skills!

This summer has been a bit different, in so much as I had a hankering to make some garden ornaments. I love my garden and spend a lot of time in it, especially in May, when I’m planting pots and baskets. But what happens when the days get shorter and the flowers start to wither? What can I do to infuse more colour into it?

Project 1: Gemstone Plaque

This idea arose when I found a bag of gemstones on my book shelf. I purchased these from a shop in Lyme Regis, two years ago, so it seemed a shame not to display them. They look so pretty together, being different colours and sizes, with irregular shapes, but what to make with them?

Pinterest Boards

I love Pinterest for collating ideas and some while ago, I found a beautiful wooden plague, studded with coloured stones. The idea was to make a sun catcher, so I looked for a suitable piece of wood. Luckily, we enjoy lots of countryside walks where a visit to Angmering Park took us past some wood stacks. Sure enough, I found a small sawn off chunk – and an attractive slice of bark, which I thought might come in handy for another project.

I asked my husband if he could saw the wood into a thinner slice but unfortunately it split! Oh well, I didn’t have to look far. I found a perfect wood slice in Hobbycraft, in Chichester. Unlike the project on Pinterest though, the stones are not clear, so there was no point drilling holes in the wood to set them in.

To complete my creation, I glued the gemstones onto the wood in a circular pattern, using Gorilla Glue, adding some glass coloured gems to catch the light. Once set, I brushed a little more glue over the surface to give it a nice sheen and hey presto! First project done.

The plaque hangs proudly on the door of our garden shed and will for many years to come, I hope. But this was just my first idea. Looking at Pinterest has inspired many more, which I will share in the next few weeks.