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I have a strong rule when it comes to craft supplies: only buy for specific projects. No, “oh, that’s pretty”, or, “oh, that could be useful”. Every supply must have a purpose/reason, and I clear through my stash fairly regularly to make sure what I have is in good condition and usable! These wooden peg people broke that rule.
Well, kind of. Long story short, in 2019 my work celebrated 4000 customers, and our Directors wanted to put figurines of all the staff members on a cake. We went through a lot of ideas. Unfortunately, what they had in their head probably wasn’t doable in the timeframe, and I ended up with a pack of wooden peg people, waiting for a project. Until I came up with this DIY army of angels idea and everything fell into place!
What you’ll need to create your angels:
- Wooden peg people
- Shimmer paint: Hobby Craft or here’s a similar pack from Amazon
- Copper wire
- Gorilla or hot glue
You’ll also want:
This army of angels DIY can be broken down into four simple parts:
- Paint (or leave natural if you wish)
- Poke holes for halo & wings
- Shape halo and wings
- Assemble and glue together
A couple of tips:
I used the pointy end of an old compass to press holes into the back of the peg people for wings, and into the top for the halo. I was planning on using a bradawl, but we seem to have misplaced it after putting up the last set of shelves. Whoops. The purpose of these tiny holes is simply to give the wire something to sit into slightly. The glue will do the rest of the job, so your holes don’t need to be too deep.
To shape the halo and wings, I suggest using some long nose pliers. Or really, any pliers that you have. Trust me, it will save your hands that really start hurting after a little while if you’re shaping the wire by hand! I ended up commandeering Hubby’s Leatherman which worked perfectly. The wire that I used was fairly soft and malleable, but still holds it shape which is ideal!
Now, let’s talk glue. Originally I started this project by using gorilla glue. It was my first time using gorilla glue, but inspired by the copious amounts of DIY content I’ve been watching on YouTube, I decided to give it a go. It’s definitely a strong hold. However, if you’re like me and you weren’t able to make holes that would hold the wire stably without glue, then I suggest going for hot glue. You’ll end up being able to see the glue a little more, BUT it dries more quickly, and that means you can move through your army of angels a lot more quickly.
I think this might’ve been one of my favourite Holiday Crafts that I’ve done this year. A little bit fiddly at times whilst I was figuring out the hole and glue situation, but with a movie on in the background and lots of cups of tea, it was a lovely way to spend a weekend!
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