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For a long time I’ve seen crafts done with found items, and I have to say— they’re my favorite! Anything you can put together after a good long walk outside is pretty fantastic. In order to start this craft I took my pups along for the search. For this project, you’ll want to find twigs and sticks that are ¼ inch or less in width, for each cutting.
DIY Hanging Twig Heart
• Twigs, of width measuring ¼ inch or less
• Hot glue gun
• Hot glue sticks
• Gardening hand clippers
• Ribbon
• Paper
• Pen/Pencil
• Spray PaintMethod:
Start by drawing a good-sized heart on a piece of paper, to use as a guide. My heart was about 4 inches at its widest. Keep in mind that because the heart shape is all curvy, the smaller the heart, the more tiny twigs you’ll need to outline it. Plug in the glue gun, to start warming up.Cut the twigs to match your outline, and lay it down on your guide. What worked best for me in attacking the rounded areas was to begin by clipping four small pieces. Glue the small ‘v’ at the top with two of the small pieces, and wait 30 seconds for it to stiffly dry. With the remaining two small pieces, angle them slightly downward to start the curves of the heart. Continue to follow the rest of your drawn guide, and when finished, wait at least 5 minutes before moving on.
I experimented with a few different ways to lay the additional twigs to complete my hearts. The twigs I used were not particularly flexible, so inter-weaving on top of each other left my heart a bit sparse. My favorite application was to choose a few diagonal lines, and build in between. Eyeball-measure (my favorite method!) the length of the sticks and cut each individual twig as you go. Be stingy with the hot glue, as to minimize globs. When you’ve reached your desired density of twigs, allow the twig heart to dry for another 5 minutes.
Set yourself up a little spray painting area, and wield your color of choice! The best way to get full coverage of the twigs is to spray paint in tiny circles. Allow the hearts to dry for one hour.
The final step involves a hot glue gun again. Loop the ribbon you’ve chosen for hanging, and glue both ends to the backside of the little inner ‘v’ of the heart. Let the hanging loops dry until very hard.
I gave my hanging twig hearts away as party favors to celebrate the 20th anniversary of family friends, James and Marjorie! I placed soft pink fancy diamond labels on each hanging twig heart, and decorated each guest’s place settings.
Used In This Project:
- Fancy Diamond Labels • I chose the “Katniss” style in Pale Pink.
Zoe is born and bred in Portland, Oregon and recently moved to Orlando, Florida. She studied sociology and philosophy at University of Oregon, and is currently employed at a law firm. Presently, she devotes her time to being lost in the tropical vegetation of her backyard, sun-scorched bike rides, repurposing everything she can think of, quirky cooking, and promoting the creative lifestyle that she loves.
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