Let me first credit this idea to anything that came up regarding jewelry displays when I googled "reuse tree branches."
I was trying to find projects that could use up the thick crepe myrtle branches I've had sitting in my yard since the winter. The original idea was to use them as holders/place markers for a friend's upcoming wedding. However, I wasn't satisfied with how they were turning out and scrapped that idea. Still, the branches were so pretty that I couldn't bear to chuck them.
So... I took a nice pretty branch and cut it down make a ~29" long section. No particular reason other than that was the halfway mark for that branch. Then I marked the branch every inch (using my handy dandy quilting grid pad) and centered it along what would be the bottom of the branch.
The idea was to use some old mug hooks I purchased for other crafts but never followed through. My 3-legged fluffball Mojo supervised the whole process... with his back turned to me.
Then I marked my drill with some scotch tape so I wouldn't overdrill the holes for the hooks. A nice thing (that I didn't expect) is that the scotch tape actually squeaks/squeals when you hit it. This gave me both visual and audial cues on when to stop. Which is especially good when you're being eaten alive by mosquitoes.
Then it was time to paint. Mosquitoes got me then, too. I have now learned that they don't care if it's 100 degrees outside. They're still gonna bite me. Viciously.
Once dry (despite being rained on while I went out to eat), I screwed in each hook.
I had realized before this point that I needed 23 hooks and my pack only had 20, but I couldn't be bothered to wait. I'll just add them later.
Then I added some recycled sari silk ribbon from
www.darngoodyarn.co m to hold up the final product.
Rather than holding jewelry, I wanted this branch to hold all the crochet circles accumulating on a wall in my bedroom. I've been slowing using up scraps with the intent of assembling a large blanket for my daughter. I have a long way to go, but I like to be able to see them so I can see the color balance as it grows.
Voila, a fancier way of displaying my lack of attention span!
A close up.
Hope you all like it. I know it's nothing super fancy, but the requirement to get outside for this challenge finally pushed me to give this a shot. In the future I'll probably make some painted (solid or striped or something else) and leave others natural, depending on the coloration of the bark.
