Tutorial Time - Making Copper Wire Ornament Hangers

Been a while since I've written a tutorial..so this is LONG OVER DUE!  I was looking for an alternative to the plain ole ribbon or hemp I was using to string up my ceramic ornaments.  So I started playing around with some 18g copper wire I had laying around and VOILA!  I think the end result turned out rather nicely. This tutorial will be VERY photo centric with captions.   ENJOY

Materials: 18g copper wire, ruler, round nose pliers, flat needle nose pliers, wire cutters, and an object to wrap the wire around.  I used a pottery tool I had available to get the right size I wanted for the hanger.

 

STEP 1 (not pictured) - Cut the wire into approximately 6" lengths.  This size worked well for my purposes.  Adjust the length based on your needs and trial and error.

STEP 2 - Ensure the end of the wire is flush cut, not beveled.  Grasp the end of the wire at the very tip of the round nose pliers and make a small loop.  To get a nice even loop, grasp the wire at the very end (so it's not hanging over the top of the pliers.)  Rotate your hand/wrist towards you a quarter of a turn, release the wire being careful not to move the position on the shaft of the pliers, rotate the pliers back towards the wire, grasp again and rotate towards you another quarter turn.  Repeat this process until the end of the wire meets the tail.

STEP 3 - Grab the tool you will be using to make the hanging portion of your ornament hanger.  In my case, I used a tool often used to hollow out solid lumps of clay.  Hold the end of the wire against the tool with the edge of the loop you just made facing the tool.  Wrap the wire around the object until you have about a finger's width of space left between the tail of the wire and where the loop is.  When you pull the tool out of the wire loop, it will widen the larger loop you just made, which makes it "just right" for what we're going for.

STEP 4 - Grasp the tail of the wire in your fingers approximately parallel with where the smaller loop is now positioned.  Gently bend the wire down so that it makes a sharp bend in the wire.  It should look like a question mark at this point.

STEP 5 - I used my thumb to gauge this next distance.  Place your thumb at the edge of the bend you just made.  On the opposite end of your thumb, grasp the wire with your round nose pliers at the largest part of the pliers.  Bend the wire around until it makes a full "U", or so that the two ends of the wire are now parallel to one another.

STEP 6 - Grasp the end of the wire you just bent up with the flat needle nose pliers slightly above the round needle nose pliers and bend the wire back down.  In the pictures, I had grabbed the wire right above the pliers but ended up needing a tad more space.

STEP 7 - Now that the wire is bent on top of itself, use the flat nose pliers to tighten up the bend and flatten it out.  In the images the wire is on top of itself.  In subsequent renditions, I rotated the wire so the bend ends up being side by side.  It makes the spiral we make later on sit more flat on ornament hanger.

STEP 8 - Now grasp the end of the tale of the wire.  Remember that loop we made at the beginning?  Do it again. :)  Then we're just going to keep on winding until we make a spiral.  Once you've made the small loop, use your finger to guide the wire as you wrap.  Once you get 1.5 loops, you will need to grasp the wire with the flat needle nose pliers to keep wrapping (continue guiding the wire with your finger).

 

 

STEP 9 - Once you spiral the wire all the way up to the bend, it gets a tad tricky.  You want to continue the spiral, but putting the spiral over this bend.  The spiral hides the bend in the wire and adds just that little extra "something" when you put the ornament on.  Once you get the spiral over this bend in the wire, use the flat needle nose pliers to compress everything.  It makes it nice and tight and pretty.  It also hides the pierced hole in the ornament.  Win-Win

 

 

 

 

STEP 10 - String on your ornament!  

 

BONUS - For a little extra flair, I added a cute reindeer charm to this Santa Boot ornament.  Take your flat nose pliers and turn the small loop at the top perpendicular to the rest of the hanger.  Gently open it up and slide on your charm.

Want one of these?  I have 10 available in my Etsy Shop. :)

 

It will take some time and fidgeting to the spiral to look the way you want.  With subsequent ornament hangers, I was able to get the spiral to completely hide the pierced hole in the ornament.  Just takes a little bit of fiddling with the wire spiral, and how much wire you actually need for that *U* where the ornament sits.

Have fun!  Let me know how yours turn out in the comments below!  Looking forward to seeing your own renditions of this simple ornament hanger. :)

First Solo Art/Craft Fair

  So.. the weekend after Thanksgiving this year was my very first SOLO arts/craft fair.  I've done a few in the past, but it was always with a fellow potter, or other Maine artisans.  With the type of ceramics I make.. nearly ALL of them are personalized, so I make the orders as they come in.  That being said...I had virtually NO inventory to speak of.  So for the end of October and all of November, I was busting my @$$ trying to make sure I had inventory for the Christmas show.  I made a bunch of earrings and ornaments, thinking those would be big sellers.  Lower price points, great gifts for the holidays, etc.  Needless to say, they weren't!  I had a smorgasbord of sales.  My goal, was to bring in enough profits so I could replace my iPad that I got two years ago. 

Twas The Night Before Christmas...

I know it's been a while... please forgive me!  It's been a busy few months!!  I plan on streamlining my ceramic lines.  I hope that by doing this I can actually create inventory to keep on hand and have readily accessible/quick to ship items.  I'm thinking a dragonfly line... hummingbirds... and I already offer a somewhat exclusive ocean inspired line to two shops; one in Kennebunkport, Maine, and one in Florida...  I'll be writing more about that later!  :)

For now, I really wanted to share a poem with you that my husband wrote shortly after we met.  Grab your hanky or a box of tissues... I bawled my eyes out the first time I read it.  I still can't read it without shedding a tear. :)  Here is the link to the original on Facebook : Military - Twas The Night Before Christmas; by J.A. Barnes

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MILITARY - TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Twas’ the Night before Christmas, And out in the sand,
A soldier was on guard duty, weapon safely in hand.
The dune was completely still, not even the wind stirred.
His eyes scanned the horizon, a plan of action inferred.


His team was in slumber, dreaming of their loved ones miles away.
Seeing the faces of their children ,and the smiles they’d wear later that day.
The soldier remained on alert, as he continued to scan into the black.
Occasionaley sipping coffee, and pulling out his MRE for a snack.


When from out of the darkness there arose a loud sound,
The soldier snapped the safety off his weapon and prepared to throw down.
He sighted down the barrel, and steadied his hands.
Prepared to lay down his own life, prepared to make his last stand.


At first it was just sounds, those that sounded of bells.
But from which direction they were coming, the soldier could not yet tell.
When out from the clouds, the moon did appear.
Lighting up the sand as though daytime and revealing eight tinny reindeer.


With a white bearded driver, dressed head to toe in red.
The soldier still unsure, put the sights to his head.
As he hollered and laughed and called out each name,
The soldier wanted to believe his eyes, but held his target just the same.

“Now Dasher, now Dancer, Now Prancer, and Vixen.  On Comit, On Cupid, On Doner and Blitzen!
There are men and women about, who sacrifice themselves for the free!
We’re going to thank them all tonight, before any presents go under the trees!”

He reached behind him, and slowly pulled from his sack,
A large wooden pole, with a white flag on the back.
Standing from his sleigh, he began to wave his hands,
Signaling his good intentions, to alert the soldier man.


The soldier waved him forward while remaining at the ready,
He radioed to his command, his hands never unsteady.
As St. Nick approached, he did exactly as he was told.
Holding his hands within sight, he wasn’t there to be bold.


The soldier could hear the deer breathing, and see the smile on Santa’s face.
As the sleight came to a stop, and he stepped out with grace.
“Good evening my dear boy, and Merry Christmas to you all.
We have a special gift for you, soldiers one and all.



Backup arrived and Santa accepted his search without a sound,
He completely understood their caution, for many brothers and sisters had gone down.
As they completed their job, even checking the bag in the sleigh.
They gave the thumbs up, Santa was ok.


As he stepped back a bit, his hands began to shake and his knees became weak.
A tear dropped from his eye, as he slowly began to speak.
“My list of nice and naughty is very hard to compile.
But the men and women of the military are at the top by a mile.”


“You ask for nothing in return, but your life your ready to give.
You sacrifice your body, your hearts, so that others may live.
You may only require a thank you once in awhile but you see that just won’t do.
I’m here to bring the magic of Christmas to each and every one of you.”


He stepped to the sleigh and removed his toy sack.
It was a velvety red, with a gold stripe down the back.
And as he moved in close, his suit began to change color,
It became a combination off all the services BDU’s, a suit unlike any other.


“You may not have known this, but I’ve been in battle myself.
I wasn’t always Santa, and my workers not always Elf’s.”
As he spoke with a grin, and a twinkle in his eye,
He reached into his bag and let out a large sigh.


“I’m sorry to say I can’t end this war, and I can’t send you home.
It wouldn’t matter anyways, as you wouldn’t leave your unit alone.
So what I have here, is just a little treat of Christmas spirit,
Take a moment to relax, as you get to see and to hear it.”


With his final word, the bag began to glow.
It levitated above the ground, and began a picture show.
There were children with smiles, and families left back home,
Playful pets and Christmas trees, and even a saluting Gnome.


There was laughing and a few tears as moments were remembered.
And a few silent prayers for those lives who had been surrendered.
As Santa stood back and took in the sight,
He knew the country would always be ok as long as there were these brave men and women to fight.


As the show shed its final light, and everyone returned to order.
Santa began to shake hands, and to thank each soldier.
He made his way back to the sled, before resetting his sack and stepping in.
His shoulders slumped forward for a moment, as he ran his finger through the hair on his chin.


“As much as I’d like to stay, it is my duty to go.
So many stops to make tonight, at each station throughout the world.
But as you're celebrating here, with your family number two.
Don’t ever forget those people at home that love and appreciate you.”

“Back in the states, there are people you’ll never know.
Who love and appreciate, the continuous courage that you show.
The men and women of the services are the bravest in the world.
And make it safe for me to bring joy to every little boy and girl.”


As the sleigh began to move and started to lift to the air.
He dropped down a package to each soldier standing there.
It wasn’t a gift that could be heard or for that matter even seen.
It was instead the thanks and feeling, the knowledge of what they really mean.

With the sleigh going up and pulling out of sight,
Santa hollered back to them, “Merry Christmas and Thank you, because of you we sleep safe tonight.”

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to the men and women abroad who serve our country every day.  Your sacrifice and courage do not go unnoticed.  God bless the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Maine Corps, and Coast Guard!!

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Merry Christmas, Happy Hanuka, Happy Kwanza, Happy New Year, and any/every holiday I may be missing!  

Please feel free to share the blog post, share the poem.. it deserves to go viral!  Not just because he's my husband...but because it's an amazing, heartfelt poem that rings true to so many...

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The Internal Debate

Don't mind this post... more to do with me thinking out loud, and seeing what you all have to say...  Looking for input.

Right now, I do a lot of hand building.  95% of my work is hand building, working with slabs of clay rolled out with my slab roller.  Which, don't get my wrong, I enjoy doing...or I wouldn't be doing it at all.  But I have found that my true calling/niche is in sculpting.  And I really want to delve into that some more...explore the possibilities.

BUT, I have just gotten to the point where I have 5 stores where I have my items displayed, and soon to be 6!  This is HUGE for me!  What great opportunities!  But I don't know if my sculptured work would fly in these spaces.  One of them, perhaps..  Actually..  2 .. now that I think about it.  

With Christmas coming up, I know I'm going to be busy with Christmas ornaments and Christmas orders, so I don't know if I'm going to be able to "play" now..but maybe after Christmas I'll get to let this creative muse explore the ideas floating around in my head.  I've been trying to get better at sketching them out so I don't loose them.  It's helping quite a bit, surprisingly.  I need to find a way to balance my "good days" with fulfilling orders for the hand built stuff, and still giving me time to play and sculpt..  Hmm..

Footsteps For Freedom

I am thinking for my next sculpture, that it's going to be another set of military boots...thinking about creating a series..  And the series will be titled "B.O.G. - Boots On Ground".  No two sculptures will look alike, but they will all share a common theme and be somewhat similar....  So if you have any ideas, please feel free to let me know!  

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Very small fish vase I made

Playing Catch Up

So much to do, so little time...I had that feeling all summer with the wedding coming up, and now that the wedding is done.. I still feel that way!  But in a good way.  So here's a brief run down to get ya all caught up.
- Got married August 10 to the man that completes me in every way imaginable.  It was a windy day, rained right up until the ceremony and then it stopped.  It wasn't a heavy rain.. a sprinkle really..  but it was a great day, filled with laughter, family, and fun. :)  OH!  And I made all the wedding favors. :)

- Have had several doctors appointments the last month ranging from neurology to urology.  Fun stuff, huh?  bleck.  As a matter of fact, I have 2 more appointments coming up on Monday!  But I think those are the last two for a while...unless something drastic happens.
- Got my son all enrolled in school (my big 6th grader!), attended an orientation, and he started school August 21.  They start fairly early here, because it is still a very rural community with farms all over the place.  They have a 2 week vacation in September/October so that the kids can help with the potato harvest.
- Re-opened my Etsy shop (www.etsy.com/shop/jsbarts) after it had been on vacation for nearly 2 months while we were doing all the wedding preparations.  And in the last week, I've gotten 3 orders!  All for the same pumpkin spoon rest!  I guess I need to make lots more of those!
- Began selling my stuff at a gift shop in Caribou, Maine; that is known for carrying quality, handmade items, but MOST known for carrying Amish made furniture.  Hoping to do well there.
- Started making Christmas ornaments to get all stocked up for the big art/craft show that is done up here in Fort Kent at the University.  I've been told it's a big to do and that I SHOULD do relatively well.  Keep your fingers crossed!

I think those are all the major items...I've also decided to nix the themed days.  They're not really helping me stay on track at all...I am going to keep Mudita Mondays, as I believe those are important.  It's always nice to recognize someone for their efforts and be genuinely happy for their successes, whether it is of any benefit for you or not.  There needs to be MORE positivity in the world.. and more recognition of the good things people do.  So yea... that's staying.  :)

Lots of ideas for upcoming posts.... so stay tuned my friends!

OH!  and I almost forgot.. I am running a Labor Day sale at my Etsy store.. until 2 September.  Just enter "LABORDAY" in the coupon code to receive $5 off any purchase of $15 or more in my shop.  Please spread the word!

TTFN

Merry Christmas

A little late, but I have been enjoying my time with family this holiday season.  :)  We had an amazing Christmas!  Aside from the adults (myself, my fiance, and my cousin who is visiting) all getting sick throughout the week, I would say that Christmas couldn't have been better.  Our tree may have been a little slimmer than what we wanted; but thanks to the future in-laws, that changed when they came up Christmas day!  But in reality....Christmas isn't about what you get, or how much is spent.  It's about the magic that happens during the season and spending time with family.  It is my favorite time of year!  I hope you enjoy our Christmas pictures.