I’ve got an upcycled wagon wheel project to show you today. But first can I whine a little?
Yesterday was one of those no good, very bad, everything-seemed-to-go-wrong days.
It started out great.
The sun was shining, the weather was warm, and I woke up raring to get to work …
… and then I slammed my finger in a door.
And I do mean slammed.
I now have a very purple fingernail and my finger is swollen.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, later I burned another finger while lighting a candle.
Looking on the bright side of things though …
My injuries got me out of having to make dinner last night. 🙂
Okay, I’m done whining. Back to the wagon wheel.
I bought it a few weeks ago at a yard sale. It’s not really a wagon wheel. It looks like it may have been a hanging light fixture from the 80’s, but it was cheap and I knew I could think of something to do with it.
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I spray-painted it white with some eye hooks in the existing holes, but later decided not to use the hooks.
I decided to turn it into Christmas decor, so I bought a bunch of inexpensive pine picks that were on sale at Hobby Lobby.
I used my Power Shot staple gun to attach the picks all around the top of the wagon wheel. I love this staple gun because you can use either staples or brads with it, and I use it all the time for projects like this that don’t require more heavy-duty attachments.
I filled the bottom of three antique lightning jars with coarse sea salt. It sparkles like snow, but the crystals are much larger than regular table salt.
The votive candles I put in the jars can nestle down in the salt and catch wax drips so I don’t end up with wax to clean out of the jars.
I wove jute webbing between the shafts to dress it up a bit more and hung the jars on wire inserted into the holes that were already in the wheel.
It’s too early to decorate my house for Christmas, but I decided to decorate the guest room so my mom can enjoy it when she comes to stay with us for Thanksgiving.
I’ll probably replace the candles with flameless votives so she can enjoy the look of candlelight without worrying about the flames.
And yes … it was while lighting these candles and putting them in the jars that I burned my finger!
I’ll be sharing more of the guest room once I finish with my Christmas decorating.
Vaya con Dios,
Ouch! The finger sounds painful, Angie!
Your wheel decoration is so fresh and pretty…I must admit I have Christmas decorating on my mind, too…
Beautiful idea, Angie, too bad it caused you some pain though.
Thanks Julie! With all the woodworking projects you do, I’m sure you’ve had more than one finger injury… you just don’t whine about it like I do. 🙂
Love the wonderful idea, but sorry about your finger ♥
Thanks Summer!
This project is so pretty. I love the crisp white and the pops of red. Ouch! Give those fingers some TLC today.
Thanks Becky! I’m definitely babying my hand, but it sure makes typing tough! 🙂
,for your pain and swelling I recommend arnica. I slammed my thumb in the door of my car, it was blue, not purple. I used both Anica gel and the sub lingual pellets. In two days I had no more pain. Lost the nail though. Blessings.
I have a feeling I’m going to lose my nail too Christie. I’ve had it happen before and it’s the pits!
I almost forgot, you can use a long length of spaghetti, lit at the end, like a long match to light the candles in their places. Less burned fingers. Blessings.
OUCH, (*#%*) OUCH,(#*!^) OUCH(*@!):
from the time tested ” true instinct mom forever school”: “come here and let me give it a kiss and make it better.”
from the times tested “true instinct tough mom forever school”: “o.k. its better, now go finish what you started.”
XOXOXOOX
p.s. put some lavender on it
elaine
This is such a cute idea. Now I need to find a wheel before Christmas!
Angie, I love your idea for the “wagon wheel”, except for the wire hangers. I think I would like small link chain better or maybe red ribbon with a bow at the handle. Would that be too much, do you think? I wish I could fine a wheel like that somewhere. I know just where I’d put it!
Also, next time you light the candles, light them before you put them in and then use a pair of long tongs to grasp them and lower them into the jars. No more burned fingers! (Hopefully!)