Have you got a collection of CD’s and DVD’s that you no longer need? Make a craft with them! There are loads of CD Upcycle ideas out there. Today we are going to turn a few old disks into beautiful suncatchers!
It’s midway through the Winter break for the kids, so we are looking for easy kids crafts. You will likely already have all the supplies for this craft in your cupboards.
You will need:
- Gem Stones
- Old CD’s or DVD’s
- Craft Glue
- Fishing Line
Have you seen Fifi and the Flowertots? It’s a super cute British kids cartoon. This DVD was sent to us from family in England. We watched it for years. We decided we are finished with this disk and it’s the first one to get glamourous.
This disk has pink showing through which makes it original. Simply glue your gems to the CD.
It looks really pretty if you can make a pattern with the gems.
This one started out organized but then things got very random.
The sparkle of the CD’s plain silver side will look fantastic spinning in the sun. Adding the gems makes a beautiful combination.
Okay it looks like a mess here but when it’s done its dazzling!
This is full of variety in sizes and random colours and it looks beautiful!
There is no need to drill a hole to tie it up. It already has one! Cut an arms length of fishing line, insert it through the Cd’s hole and tie a knot.
Hang it from the kitchen window and wait til you see the sun hit it!
This shows that your CD upcycle doesn’t need to be full of gems to look good. This one required no glue since the gems came on a page of gem stickers. No mess! Also, its quick-no need to wait for glue to dry.
Flip it over and decorate the other side.
This could be a great craft for a camping trip! Gem stickers, old CD’s, and ribbon or fishing line.
This was done with stickers also. Do you have a pre-teen who babysits? This would be a great craft for the babysitter to take to their babysitting job. I loved it when we had a young babysitter arrive with projects and crafts for the kids. Very good business plan kids!
This CD and DVD upcycle craft is a project you will really enjoy doing with your kids! I could see this given as a gift from the kids to their grandparents….or a sick friend or a teacher gift.
Have a look at some other suncatchers I’ve already done.
Twisted Wire Art – Love Heart SunCatchers
I have been excitedly pinning all sorts of “Wire Art Crafts” on Pinterest – But for some reason I’ve been nervous to get started….until now! This is my first attempt and I hope there will be many more to come! So let me show you how I made a beaded suncatcher!
You will need:
- wire (14 and 20 gauge wire)
- wire cutters
- wire plyers
- beads
- a cutting board or other desktop protection
- ribbon
I recommend a cutting board because I don’t want you to scratch up your dining room table or kitchen counter or any other surface you craft on. Wire projects can leave sharp ends-which can do some damage.
For wire: I bought 14 and 20 gauge galvanized stainless steel. This is much cheaper at the hardware store than the craft store.
Cut a length of 20 gauge wire approx. 27 inches long (69cm). Use big wire cutters from your DIY tool box rather than jewelry making plyers. 20 gauge wire is thick!
Bend it in half so the heart shape begins to form the point in the top middle of the heart.
Gently manipulate the wire (with your hands not tools) to make the shape of a heart. Bring the bottoms together and twist.
Keep twisting the bottom and rounding the ends.
Fast forward to see how the amber one turned out….
For the blue suncatcher I formed the wire into a heart and wrapped the excess on the side.
This is actually really hard on your hand muscles. Take breaks if you are getting achy muscles in your arms or hands. I think this looks a bit sloppy so I prefer the first option.
Now cut a piece of fine 14 gauge wire 30-40 inches long (90cm).
Start by twisting the fine wire around the side of the heart a few times and then wrap the wire around a round pen to make a loop. Slide the bead onto the wire and then make another loop around a pen. Have this loop face opposite direction.
Continue wrapping the wire to make a loop and then bead it and next loop in the opposite direction. Wrap it around the side a few times and repeat making loops and adding beads, zig zagging over the heart. You may need up 3 yards (2.5 m) of wire for this part. This takes a bit of time.
When I finished this one off, I just wrapped the excess wire around the bottom of the suncatcher.
For the blue one I added a drop bead on the bottom. Cut a piece of 14 gauge wire 3 inches long. Twist the end around to anchor a few beads on. Wrap this at the end bottom of the heart.
This is a great project for someone who doesn’t follow patterns well and likes to free style (Like Moi). It’s a random, twisting, original piece of wire art.
Finish the project by putting a bit of ribbon (or clear fishing line) through the top and tying it in a bow. Hang in your window!
I’m pretty pleased with my first attempts at wire art. I am eager to try it again soon!
Make an EASY Garden Decoration From Wire, Marbles and Beads
Wire Art – Suncatcher / Wind Spinner
This gorgeous craft will make you feel like an artist and is easily made in just 15 mins! Make it in the summer for the outdoors to spin in the breeze or in the winter hang it in the window as a sun catcher.
You will need:
- marbles, beads, glass stones
- sparkly nail polish
- Galvanized Steel Wire 14 Gauge
- 2 pairs of pliers, one with wire cutting edge or wire cutters
- clear fishing line
Simply get started with a bag of medium sized flat glass stones from the dollar store. Put a piece of newspaper or wax paper down to protect your work space.
Paint one side of the stone with sparkly nail polish. Allow to dry.
If you paint the flat bottom side of the stone the glitter shines through so you only need to paint one side. You could do a similar effect by putting glue on the stone and dipping it in a bowl of glitter. We went with nail polish which dries so quickly and we have lots!
After your stones or marbles are ready, cut a 12 inch length of wire. We used 14 Gauge Galvanized Steel Wire. You can cut your sizes longer or shorter depending on your own preference. At times the ends can be a bit sharp so protect your surface by using a scrap of wood or a cutting board.
If you don’t have a jewellers mandrel you can look around the house for something similar. I had a wooden dowel that looks just like the handle of a wooden spoon. Find something to wrap the wire around and use the pliers to further twist and squeeze the wire into the desired shape.
Using flat glass decorative stones will require you to flatten the wire slightly to hold it in place. If you are using marbles the twists will be nearly perfect for sliding the marble in and pinch the wire slightly to hold it in place.
My first attempt at this was a bit frustrating. As I pulled one part of the wire the shape would change and the stone would fall out. But then I got the hang of things. Once you see how cool it looks as the spiral gets a bit crazy it feels like your making a real piece of wire art!
You may need to use a use both of your pliers to twist the wire how you want it. This will help to focus bending a particular section of the wire without affecting another part of it that you are already happy with.
Cut a length of clear fishing line. This is a must have for your craft supplies if you don’t already have it. You can get fishing line from the hardware store, craft store and dollar store. It has many uses including bracelet making or hanging decorations from the ceiling when your having a party.
I like how each one turns out completely different. Shape the wire in a tight spiral or loose and whimsical. Add a bead on the end. Or several beads throughout the wire. Use a giant bead instead of a flat stone. Or use marbles!
These are dollar store marbles that you might put in the bottom of a vase. I need to locate some play marbles and see if we can find some cool ones.
These shiny beads are metallic pony beads and very inexpensive (around $3 from Walmart if I remember correctly)For this wire project the hole needs to be fairly wide. Choose beads with big holes if you are using glass beads. I had these left over from a previous bracelet making project. The nail polish used here is a speckled multi coloured one. It looks fantastic in the sun!
So there you have it! Every one of these turns into a unique bit of wire art. Hung from a branch with fishing line will have it spinning in the breeze.
I hope this inspires you to make some wire art suncatchers/wind spinners for yourself. I just made 10 and I’m so pleased with these I think I will keep on making them and try selling them at the craft table at work.
Don’t you love it when a craft exceeds your expectations! You really should try this!
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Beaded SnowFlake Suncatcher-Easy Craft for Kids!
We love Beads and Pipe-cleaners are a craft cupboard essential. So on this snowy winter’s day the kids and I made snow flakes to hang in our windows-and we used just those 2 ingredients. Beads and Pipe-Cleaners! Sparkly beads look so lovely in the window-so this will make a gorgeous sun-catcher.
Cut a 3 pipe-cleaners in half. I think the sparkly style would have looked gorgeous but today we only found turquoise and white which both give a nice cool look.
Take the 3 half length pipe-cleaners and twist in the middle so they hold the shape of a snowflake.
String on plastic beads. As long as the bead hole is big enough to slide a pipe-cleaner through it will work. But if your crafter is younger you may want to use pony beads-the type of plastic bead with big holes.
We chose white, clear, silver, turquoise and blue. As you get close to the end bend the pipe-cleaner so that the beads don’t slide off.
Find a scrap of narrow ribbon to tie to an end and hang from the window. Stand back and admire!
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