Welcome to Month 2 of the Craft Challenge! After a great start with some yarn crafts it is on to our April theme: Springtime.

Spring seemed to come late for Ottawa this year with snow as recent as last week! I like snow, and winter is fine, but I want spring and summer to get going in full swing because I have a garden to grow and some weather to enjoy! This month’s theme helped break me out of the winter blues by having me focus on spring and what it means to me.

I had two ideas for this challenge and decided to bump one idea to next month as it is a recycled craft as well which fits with next month’s theme. So onto idea number two! I was looking online for some décor ideas and I kept stumbling across these beautiful wire wall décor pieces. Ranging in price from $20 to $70, the flower décor really caught my eye.

But there was no way I was shelling out that kind of money for something that is essentially wire, time, and a mounting device. So, onto the DIY version I went and I must say…I like this so much that I will definitely be making more!

How can you make one of these flower wall hangings? Read on!

First get your materials. You will need a thick gauge of wire. I suggest 16, I made this one with 20 gauge and it was thinner than I would like which makes it less visible from a distance! You will also need pliers, gloves, and a mounting device (something like a command hook would work fine).

Next, measure out your wire. I suggest starting with 180 inches worth of wire all in one piece. That is the amount needed to make my flower which has dimensions of approximately 16” by 16”. Each petal is about 8” long and each spiral in the middle is about 4” long. You can adjust this to make your preferred size of flower but to match the tutorial go with these measurement.

Now let’s make your first petal. Leave about 2 inches excess at the start of this first petal, it will be used later for anchoring the rest of the petals. After the 2 inch mark, measure 8 inches then fold and measure another 8 inches. You should end up with a shape like this:

Now you need to make your first spiral. From the end of the first petal measure 4 inches then fold and measure another 4 inches. Pinch at the end of the petal (and start of the rest of the wire) and twist. This spiral will stick out into a petal across from the one you just made. For now, just let it be.

Now you can repeat those two steps (minus the excess 2 inches that you started with) to make 7 petals and spirals. You can make more if you like but seven worked well for me.

Once you have made your petals and spirals, do a practice run of how it will look. Simply lay the spirals on top of each other so their bases line up. You should achieve the effect below (my finger is holding where the spiral bases meet.

Once you are happy with that, up turn the excess 2 inches you started with into a pole that stick up from the flower. Starting with the first spiral you made, slide one of the spiral loops onto this pole. You may need to loosen and retighten the spirals as needed.

Once all spirals are on the pole, use your pliers to fold the pole over the center of the flower to ensure the spirals stay where they are. If you have any excess wire after you made your last flower/spiral you can use it to strengthen the center as well.

Then it is just a matter of arranging the petals and spirals to look the way you want. There is no right or wrong way to do it. Then mount on a wall!

My husband smartly suggested to mount mine on black canvas to make it really pop. You should not need to do this if you use a thicker gauge wire but you are always welcome to! You can also use other colours of wire as well. Some black wire would look amazing on white canvas.

Stop by the other Craft Challenge bloggers to see what they have created for the Springtime Craft! You can visit their blogs by clicking below.

