recycling
Bike Tire Rim Fall Wreath-Tutorial
I made this project a few years ago and it is still one of my favorite fall decorations. The bike tire rim was found in a pile of childhood bicycle parts that my son was cleaning up. Old vines and leaves were tangled in it’s spokes. It almost looked like it was decorating the area. Giving it a closer inspection, I realized the structure and the spokes would be ideal for a decorative fall wreath.
The rim had the rusted axle and bolts still attached, so my husband supplied the muscle to remove them. I used a grease cutter to remove the icky oil inside the center hole of the wheel.
Unfortunately I just have the one finished photo of the wreath, but I think it will be enough for you to visualize the steps.
Step 1
Paint both sides of the rim and the spokes using a brown or orange acrylic paint. I used an old paintbrush that I could pounce on the spokes. It actually gave the metal a textured surface that looked similar to rust, which was perfect for this project. Allow the paint to dry well or it will scrape off when decorating. Note: A spray paint could also be used, but the texture will be smoother.
Step 2
Wind a 9-foot long fall garland around the rim. If your garland has decorative berries and flowers like mine, adjust the garland with the decorative elements on the front of the wreath. Weave the beginning and end of the wreath under the spokes to secure. Cut away excess garland if needed. My rim was 16 inches in diameter so 9 feet of garland was more than plenty.
Step 3
Cut 1-yard of black netting in half lengthwise. Netting is usually about 72-inches wide. After cutting you will have two pieces 18-inches wide by 72-inches long. Scrunch the width of one length together and lightly wind halfway around the rim over the garland. Tuck the beginning and end of the netting under the vine of the garland to secure. Wind the remaining netting around the other half of the rim.
Step 4
Gather several strands of raffia in your hands and tie into a bow. Cut a 6-inch length of craft wire using wire cutters. Thread the wire through the back of the raffia bow knot and tie the ends of the wire around the rim at the top of the wreath.
Enjoy!
Places I’m partying this week:
Monday:
Inspiration Monday
Make It Pretty Monday
Block Party
Craftastic Monday
Monday Funday
Tuesday:
Trash 2 Treasure Tuesday
The Inspiration Board
From Dream To Reality
The Scoop
Wednesday:
Wow Us Wednesdays
Wednesday’s Adorned From Above
{wow me} wednesday
A Little Bird Told Me
Wednesday Whatsits
Whatever Goes Wednesday
Time For A Party
Thursday:
Catch a Glimpse Thursday
The Project Stash Link Party
Under $100 Link Party
Creative Inspirations Linky Party
Lovely Ladies Linky
Celebrate It! Blog Party
Create It Thursday
Friday:
Feathered Nest Friday
Frugal Friday
Creativity Unleashed
Show and Tell Friday
I’m Lovin’ It
Simple and Sweet Fridays
Saturday:
Show and Tell Saturday
Get Schooled Saturday
Party Junk
Show-Licious Craft & Recipe Party
Sunday:
Think Pink Sunday
Submarine Sunday
That DIY Party
Nifty Thrifty Sunday
Sew Darn Crafty
Bouquet of Talent
“This Little Light Of Mine” Birdbath
This Little Light Of Mine Birdbath
I’ve wanted to make one of these for a long time, but I couldn’t seem to find all the pieces I needed for it…until last week.
I had already purchased a few lamp bases at yard sales, but I couldn’t seem to find any flat plate-like ceiling fixtures for the bowl. Last week we changed out a bad fixture in our kitchen and I decided the bowl-shaped fixture would work just fine.
I clipped the cord on the lamp and pulled it out…
…then removed the harp and bulb socket from the top of the lamp base. This was really simple. You basically just unscrew it from the large threaded pipe that runs down through the lamp base.
That pipe is important. It just so happened to be the same size as the smaller pipe that was used to hold the glass fixture to the ceiling.
I positioned the glass fixture upside down on top of the lamp. The decorative nut that held the ceiling fixture in place was used inside the bowl to screw the two pieces together. I also used household cement to help secure it, and caulking to seal it so it could hold water.
The metal base didn’t look bad, but I decided to paint it white anyway.
I think it will look adorable in a flower bed…if it EVER gets warm enough to plant flowers. Ahem…please ignore that I said that when I am complaining about 100+ degree temperatures in a couple of months.
Enjoy!
Places I’m partying this week:
Monday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Sunday
Weekend
