12 Days of Christmas 2014 - Day Twelve

Day 12! It seems like it came so fast! I am 60 years old today and sometimes I feel every day of it!  Haha! This is our last post for 12 Days for 2014, and like I said yesterday, it's another angel project. And I think this one is my favorite of the 12 for this year. In the past, I have posted pictures of trips to the coast of Oregon, including all the driftwood my hubby and I like to collect. Well, I thought some of the pieces would make pretty angels! If you don't have any driftwood, you can buy it at nurseries and the like, but you could use whatever you can find. Really big pine cones would be nice, or old, weathered wood that you could cut a shape from and file the edges.......use your imagination and see what you can find. I love  using "things" I have found for totally different uses.

Choose the pieces you want to use. I chose 3 pieces all different sizes and shapes, so you can see that all sizes and shapes work just as well! Ignore the holes for now. That comes later.

You will start with some baling wire. I chose it because it's black and rustic looking. And it will rust if you want that look. Now find something to use as a form for the wings. I happen to have a container of wipes that is oval instead of round and I used it to wrap my wire around, but you could use a round one, too, or a peanut butter jar, etc.

Wrap the wire 3 times and then slide it off the form.. If your form is round, squeeze your wire wraps into a kind of oval shape, and then pinch then in the middle. This takes a little muscle because baling wire is pretty stiff.

 Bend the short end of your wire at a 90 degree angle, wrap the long end around the middle of the wings, and cut it the same length as the short end. Using a pair of pliers, twist the two ends together like a bread twist.

Spread your wire loops out to look like wings. It doesn't matter if they are not all the exact same size. That just gives her more character. You can see in the photo below that one of my angels is quite a bit larger than the others, and I just coiled the wire by hand instead of trying to find something big enough to wrap it around..

Now is the time to drill your hole for the wings. Use a drill bit that will drill a hole that the twisted wires will fit into without being too lose. Choose which way is up on your wood and drill a hole at the top. Depending on your wood and it's shape, you might have to drill the hole right at the very top or down a little lower. Adjust for what you have.

Try the wires in the holes to make sure of the fit. If they fit well, then use a strong adhesive like Beacon 527 or E6000 to glue them into the holes. Let them dry before you go to the nest step, or they will keep falling out! (This is the voice of experience talking. I tend to be impatient and I had to glue them back in 4 time!!!) If you accidentally get the hole a little big, use a little piece of bamboo skewer or tiny dowel to put in the hole to fill the space. Just put the wings in first, with glue, and then wedge the skewer or dowel in the side. Let the glue dry before using some wire cutters to cut the skewer off.

All you have to do now is put on the finishing touches. Most important would be a head! She would look rather funny as the headless angel of Christmas! I used a head bead for the little angel. It had a hole all the way through, so I used some moss for hair to cover up the hole. For the two larger ones, I used wooden balls that had to be drilled. For all of them, drill a hole for a dowel that will fit the hole in the wood ball or bead and glue the head on the dowel and the dowel in the hole on the angel.

After the head is dry, glue some trim around it for a halo and some lace or half a doily around her neck. That's it! She's done. You can see that my three angels are completely different shape of driftwood, but they all look beautiful! You just have to see the potential of the wood.

It's kind of like people. You have to see the potential in them, even when they make it hard. We all have our weaknesses and strengths, but we don't always share them with others. This can make it hard for others to get to know the real us. At this Christmas season, I would challenge us all to look past the outer shell to see the good and the potential in everyone we come in contact with. It will change your whole outlook! And if we all do this one little thing, although not always easy to do, we can make a real difference in someone else's life, and therefore in our own lives. Remember the words of Christ when he said, "Love thy neighbor as thyself."

Spread some cheer, and have a very, merry Christmas!

Love to you and yours,