Wire decorations

I have long wanted to make myself some wire decorations and so felt it high time to give it a go.  Raiding the shed where the other half stores his bits and bobs, I managed to find pretty much all I needed:  

Angel wire decoration

• wire, strong enough to hold a shape but soft enough to be pliable
• pliers also used for wire cutting as well as holding and shaping
• nails and hammer (I tried dressmaking pins at first but they were not strong enough)
• A piece of board  to hammer into, I used an old chopping board past its sell by date but still lurking in the kitchen
• various objects from around the house to aid shape formation

This seems to be the year of angel making for me, a surprise as they are not something I am usually drawn to.  But I really fancied making some wire angels which is how this all began.

First I drew out the size and shape of the angel I was after, use the below photo to help you, roughly I decided to use a figure of 8 shape, have the head about 1/3 the size of the entire angel and to have the wings about the same length as the angel from head to base.  

Being organised before starting to craft
makes life so much easier, gather
everything you may need before you begin

Initial wire bending to make
the head and body of the angel

Once I had a rough idea I began winding the wire around my hands to create the figure of 8 shape you see in the photos.  I wasn’t entirely happy with the end figure of 8 shape so on my second attempt, I used a round speaker and a bottle of paint to wind the wire around to form a much neater figure of 8. Once satisfied, or as satisfied as I could be, I wound a few times around between the body and the head to form a neck.  

Basic angel body

To make a more defined and smooth body and head
you can use everyday objects and wind 
the wire around them, here I have used a
speaker and a bottle of paint!

Moving onto the wings I again created an 8 shape but perpendicular to the body.  After having completed 3 rounds I then spread the wire out to create a more wing-like look.  I played around with each of the angels I made so there is no uniform look.  I like it a bit eclectic as you can probably tell.

This wire angel has the spread-out wings

The mantlepiece often has a change
around even during the festive season!

Draw out the star shape and hammer in nails
at each vertex,
I nailed into an old wooden chopping board

To make the stars, I drew out the shape I was after and then placed the paper onto my old chopping board, hammering in nails at every vertex, so each point of the star and at each inside join, see photo for clarification.  I then wound the wire around the nails making a complete turn around each nail, remembering not to pull too tightly as I needed to remove the stars from the board. Saying that I did use a pair of pliers to try and make the wire a little straighter between each nail. Again be careful to not pull too tight or the wire could snap.  Once I reached the beginning nail again I made a twisted hook so to be able to hang the star up with.  

Each angel and star were made to be deliberately different but if you wanted a more uniform look that would work too.  These are rustic or do I mean childish-looking decoration but I happen to quite like them. They won’t win me any prizes but in my dining room with low lighting, I think they look ok. 

Depending on the strength of your wire you can use the pliers
to pull the wire a little tauter  and make the edges straighter
and crisper, this is not necessary however

A 'rustic' wire star decoration

Can you spot a couple of stars hidden in the garland?

There was no stopping whilst I had the equipment out.  I made a couple of Christmas tree wire holders.  That can either be used for place names, small menu or drinks cards or even as a tree decoration in its own right.  Once I begin on a theme it just rolls and rolls.  

What else could be made with wire...

♥  What have you planned to make this year?  ♥