Picture Frames and Acorn Bells

by Stacy Davis

2 Materials

15 Minutes

Easy

Last year around this time, I picked up the cutest metal acorn bells in fall colors at Michaels. I think they were meant for a kid's crafting activity. I picked them up on clearance. A package of six acorns was $2. STEAL! Did I mention that they are bells? How cute! The only thing was that I really didn't know how to display them or what to do with them. I went in my craft room and I started looking at things that I had on hand that might work for this project. I had painted some picture frames from Walmart and had never really used them for anything. I began imagining a creative "wreath" for the front door. icon

I found some fabric to tear into strips and then I braided these strips. These strips would be used to hold the acorns together in a small bundle.

First, I used a white frame with the braided fabric scraps. I hot glued them in place. I added a bow at the bottom with hot glue, too. On this one, I screwed 2 eye hooks into the top of the frame and used braided fabric as a hanger. I wasn't happy with how it looked so I changed a few things.

I changed the background to a dark wood backdrop. I traded the fabric hanger for jute twine and added some glittery velvet ribbon to the center of the bow. I also dry brushed some gold metallic paint onto the white frame.

Just a few simple changes and I loved it.

I love the fall colors and the jingle that the acorns make. It can go anywhere around the house or on the front door.

I still had three acorn bells left from my package so I decided to try them in another frame that wasn't being used. This one was gray and I really wasn't sure that it would work with the colors of the bells but I ended up liking it even more than the first one that I made. I used jute twine instead of fabric scraps to hold the bells. And a pale yellow chiffon ribbon adds something special to the frame.

So, the moral of the story is not to pass up something that is in the kid's craft aisle just because that was how it was intended to be used. Think outside the box and make it your own special crafting project. Think of it as your creative license to go in direction that no one else is expecting.