Christmas has always had a special place in my heart, not because of any religious reasons or because of the lure of presents. I've always loved Christmas because of the feeling of nostalgia in the air, the making of yearly traditions, and being surrounded by family and friends. To me, this wall hanging is a simple reminder of the magic of Christmas.
Materials Needed:
- thick gauge wire (I used 16 gauge, which was the largest available at the craft store. Home Depot probably has thicker, but it will most likely be stiffer and harder to work with as well)
- needle nose pliers
- branch or long twig
- fishing wire or thread
- decorative branches, berries, paint, etc. (optional)
1. Make or find a template you'd like to use. I created mine in Microsoft Word, using a font called Arsenale White. If you want, you can print out a template to the size you're making and form your letters from there. I used my print out as a rough idea of how I wanted mine to look. A cursive font works best so that you don't have to make multiple, separate, letters.
2. Begin with the end of your wire and start to form each letter. The wire can be manipulated pretty easily, so you can use either your hands or the pliers for more definition. I didn't cut a length of wire to start with, I just went off the spool so that I had as much as I needed.
3. I made the mistake of not thinking about the color of my wire against the wall it would be hanging on before attaching them to my branch. If you're wire is similar to its background, you may want to consider painting it. Mine definitely was too light and needed to be darker (see the picture below). Spray paint would probably be the quickest and easiest, but I only had some acrylic paint on hand and it worked just fine. Do this step before putting all the pieces together.
4. Once you've finished making your words, it's time to attach them to your branch! I found that it was easiest to hang my branch by some fishing wire or thread first so that I could make sure the words hung evenly as I attached them.
5. Finish up your project with some festive decorations. I love the look of berries and pine, but you could do anything! This would be great with jingle bells, ribbons, or ornaments too
