Hello and Welcome to the First Episode of HGTV's Handmade: A DIYer's Journey
I am Meg Allan Cole, a DIYer and crafter from Brooklyn, New York, who has been creating DIY YouTube videos since 2007. In "YouTube speak," that's forever! I'm excited to share this first episode of HGTV's Handmade with you, where we're going to use nature as our inspiration and recreate the stunning Driftwood and Gem sculpture.
Today, I'll be using nature-inspired elements to create a unique piece of art that can serve as a table centerpiece for parties or a statement piece on a bookshelf. The possibilities are endless, and I'd love to see how you interpret this project in your own way. To get started, we'll need some essential materials: Driftwood or grape wood, gold galvanized wire, gems (real or handmade), clay faceted gems, scissors, and a glue gun.
For our base material, I've chosen grape wood because it has more branches to work with. You can use any type of driftwood you like, but the grape wood will provide a more versatile canvas for our design. Now, let's move on to the fun part – adding the gems! Take your galvanized wire and snip off pieces that are about 10 inches long. These will be used to attach the gems to the Driftwood.
Next, select your gems – you can use real or handmade ones, or a combination of both. For this project, I'll be using handmade gems made from polymer clay, which you can check out in my previous tutorial. Take your first gem and place it where you want it on your Driftwood. Then, wrap the wire around the gem until it's securely attached.
To add more complexity to our design, some gems will require a dollop of hot glue to keep them in place. For others, I've found that wire alone is enough to secure them. You can experiment with different techniques to see what works best for you. Some gems can be wrapped around the gem first, followed by additional wire to attach it to the wood.
The beauty of this project lies in its individuality – feel free to go with a masculine palette of black and gold or choose Jewel-toned colors to make it pop! Once you've added all your gems, display them proudly on your favorite table or shelf. But why stop there? You can take this design to the next level by suspending it from the ceiling using Mason line and a staple gun.
I recently created an all-white version with airplants that gives a more mellow beachy vibe. I love how this project turned out, and now I have a new bold statement piece for my home. I'd love to hear from you – what kind of spin would you put on this design? Share your ideas in the comments below! Don't forget to tune in for the rest of the week to check out more DIYs from my home girls Julia, Karen, and MaryAnn. Until next time, bye!
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhello and welcome to the very first episode of hgtv's handmade I am Meg Allan Cole a diyer and crafter here in Brooklyn New York who's been making DIY YouTube videos since 2007 in YouTube speak that's forever take your woly mammoth bone and make a crease in your animal Pelt today I'm going to use nature as my inspiration and I'm going to recreate the Driftwood and Gem sculpture that you may have noticed in our previous video this could be your eye-catching table centerpiece for a party or a rad piece of art to go on a bookshelf suspend it from the ceiling if you want there are so many different things you can do with this so let's make it you'll need Driftwood or grape wood I used grape wood because it has more branches to work with gold galvanized wire gems clay faceted gems scissors and a glue gun take your galvanized wire and snip off pieces that are about 10 in Long take your gems which can be real or handmade or a combination of the too like I'm doing handmade gems are easily made with polymer clay and you can check out my tutorial on them here take your first Gem and place the gem where you want it on your Driftwood wrap your wire around the gem until it's securely attached continue adding your Gems by placing and wrapping for some gems I added a dollop of hot glue first to keep it in place for some I found that wire alone did the trick you can take the larger gems and wrap the wire around the gem first then add more wire to attach it to the wood this project is open to your individual interpretation go with a masculine palette of black and gold if you want or choose Jewel toned colors to make it pop once you've added all your gems display it proudly on your favorite table or shelf want to go to the next level suspend it from the ceiling using Mason line and a staple gun suspend some more gems with Mason line from the wood and you have a major moment happening from above I made this allwhite one with airplants that gives a more mellow beachy Vibe I dig how this project turned out and I love that I now have a new bold statement piece for my home what kind of spin would you put on it let me know in a comment below because I always love to hear from you be sure to tune in for the rest of the week to check out more DIYs from my home girls Julia an Karen and MaryAnn and I will see you next week bye be sure to tune in throughout the week be sure to tune in throughout the weekhello and welcome to the very first episode of hgtv's handmade I am Meg Allan Cole a diyer and crafter here in Brooklyn New York who's been making DIY YouTube videos since 2007 in YouTube speak that's forever take your woly mammoth bone and make a crease in your animal Pelt today I'm going to use nature as my inspiration and I'm going to recreate the Driftwood and Gem sculpture that you may have noticed in our previous video this could be your eye-catching table centerpiece for a party or a rad piece of art to go on a bookshelf suspend it from the ceiling if you want there are so many different things you can do with this so let's make it you'll need Driftwood or grape wood I used grape wood because it has more branches to work with gold galvanized wire gems clay faceted gems scissors and a glue gun take your galvanized wire and snip off pieces that are about 10 in Long take your gems which can be real or handmade or a combination of the too like I'm doing handmade gems are easily made with polymer clay and you can check out my tutorial on them here take your first Gem and place the gem where you want it on your Driftwood wrap your wire around the gem until it's securely attached continue adding your Gems by placing and wrapping for some gems I added a dollop of hot glue first to keep it in place for some I found that wire alone did the trick you can take the larger gems and wrap the wire around the gem first then add more wire to attach it to the wood this project is open to your individual interpretation go with a masculine palette of black and gold if you want or choose Jewel toned colors to make it pop once you've added all your gems display it proudly on your favorite table or shelf want to go to the next level suspend it from the ceiling using Mason line and a staple gun suspend some more gems with Mason line from the wood and you have a major moment happening from above I made this allwhite one with airplants that gives a more mellow beachy Vibe I dig how this project turned out and I love that I now have a new bold statement piece for my home what kind of spin would you put on it let me know in a comment below because I always love to hear from you be sure to tune in for the rest of the week to check out more DIYs from my home girls Julia an Karen and MaryAnn and I will see you next week bye be sure to tune in throughout the week be sure to tune in throughout the week\n"