Create Wire Details to Enhance Your Favorite Craft Projects

I'm what some people would call a wire aficionado. Your friends will say that about you when you start enhancing your craft projects with wire shapes. I've created and taught my own wire techniques for years. I've even done Groupon classes for enthusiastic wire-workers. When I create handmade greeting cards, scrap book pages or even key chains, I always add a quick hit of wire craftiness.

Once you get your fingers limbered up, you can make a pair of earrings in ten minutes or adorn a greeting card in a jiffy. You can personalize a picture frame in 30 minutes or create great big wire letters or shapes for your wall. Older kids can do it too, if you help them handle the tools. Here's what you'll need.

Tools

• Needle nose pliers
• Round nose pliers
• Wire Cutters
• Files to smooth rough edges

Materials

• Clear packing tape
• Clear industrial strength glue: I use E-6000
• Wire in the metals in gauges of your choice
  

A brief wire tutorial

Some guy probably created wire gauges to keep crafty women confused, but it's a simple system of opposites. The smaller the number, the bigger the wire, and vice versa.

• 20 g., my go-to wire, is sturdy and small enough to be versatile.
  
• 14, 16 and 18 g. give a bolder look,
  
• 12 g. wires and under are really bold but hard to handle.

Craft stores sell gold, silver and copper wire which are often alloys or coated for tarnish resistance. You can also buy these pure metal wires in a hardware store:

• Copper is malleable. The color can be a great enhancement for any craft project.
• Aluminum is silver, shiny and easy to manipulate.
  
• Blackened steel is hard and more difficult to curve.
  
• Galvanized steel has a muted silver tone and has a warning about the chemicals used to make it.

Working with wire

• If you're not used to wire-work, your hands may resist the movements.
  
• Practice to develop the dexterity you need.
• If cutting wire leave the ends rough, use a file to smooth them.
  
• To curve simple wire shapes use your hands or tools.
  
• To create swirls to enhance your favorite craft project see "What Can You Do with a Simple Swirl"?
  
• To learn zig-zag or wave techniques read "Crafting Wire Jewelry with Zig-Zag Style."
  
• Check out "Simple Hearts Wire Earrings" to learn basic heart shapes.

Add wire shapes to greeting cards

• Create a wire shape with 20 or 16 g. wire.
• Cut a square of clear packing tape, slightly bigger than the wire shape you want to add.
• Lay the tape out, sticky side up.
• Press your wire shape on top and flip onto your card
• Glue shapes into place if you prefer.
  

Enhance your scrapbooks

• If scrapbooking is your passion, add wire shapes to accent your pages.
• Make swirls and wavy shapes.
• Write words and names.
• Use the sticky tape procedure above or use adhesive to add shapes to your scrapbook.
• Invent a few shapes of your own.

Add wire shapes to a picture frame

• Create wire shapes or words.
  
• Use a toothpick or small piece of wire to dot a glue trail on E-6000 on the back of your shapes.
  
• Add to your frame in a decorative pattern.

Once you've learned a few wire techniques and a developed a bit more dexterity, you'll be able to transform a piece of wire into people, flowers or whatever you desire. You'll have fun and in no time you'll become a wire aficionado like me. Here are a few things to try along the way.

• Go super size to create wall art.
• Flatten your wire with a hammer and anvil for a different look and texture
  
• Make fancy wire-work jewelry.
• Make wire shapes for key chains.

Source:

Techniques from my wire-work classes