Holiday Trimmings

11/29/2017

It's so much fun working with people who discover new and creative designs that are also simple! Laurel found this one for ornament hangers (you kind of get two ornaments in one, huh?). Besides being so cute, they can be used as package toppers, or give a set as a hostess gift! Here's the easy how-to.

Angel ornament hangers

Start with 5 inches of 20 gauge wire. Use round nose pliers to make a small loop at one end.

Use round nose pliers to make a small loop at one end of the wire.

Use the Melody MacDuffee technique to make an earwire type loop:

Place the wire under the stem part of a generic ball point pen cap (make sure the pen is round), with the small loop against the stem.

Yep, this is your basic ball point pen!

Keep a firm hold on the wire that's under the stem, and use your hands to wrap the wire about 3/4 of the way around the pen.

Use the pen to shape the wire.

Take the wire off the pen and use pliers to make a small bend about 3/4" from the top of your hoop.

Make a small bend in the wire.

String about 1 to 1 1/2 inches of beads onto the wire.

Add beads.

Scoot the beads to the bend you already made, and use pliers to make another bend just underneath your last bead.

Bend the wire under the last bead.

Another view with the bottom bend.

Another view.

Back to that handy ball point pen: wrap the tail end of the wire around the pen.

Wrap the remaining wire around the pen.

Slide the pen out and you have a slightly coiled wire.

Remove the pen and admire your coil!

Use round nose pliers to make another small loop at the very end of the wire.

Use round nose pliers to make another small loop at this end.

Use your hands to align the bottom coil and shape it as desired. (We all have our good days and our bad days. Sometimes I find I've mangled the wire and have to wrap it around the pen again to get the curves back. Just so you know it's OK if this happens to you.)