Pinwheel Jewelry Plant Stake

Translucent plastic, metal wire and teardrop beads create lovely, colorful garden stakes from AMACO.

Materials:

• AMACO Friendly Plastic — one each:
• AMACO Friendly Plastic Turquoise/Blue
• AMACO Friendly Plastic Avocado/Black
• AMACO Friendly Plastic Purple/Black
• AMACO Friendly Plastic Swirl/Blue
• AMACO Friendly Plastic Fuchsia/Black
• AMACO Friendly Plastic Burnt Orange/Black
• AMACO Friendly Plastic Orange Copper/Black
• AMACO Friendly Plastic Gold/Black
• AMACO Fun Wire — Clear/Silver (24 & 18 Gauge)
• 1/8" Eyelets and Eyelet Tool
• 1/8" Leather Hole Punch and Hammer
• Teardrop Bead
• Silver Head Pin and Jump Ring
• Round Nose Jewelry Pliers
• AMACO Needle Tool
• Scissors

Instructions:

1. Cut the plastic into triangle pieces and place one of each color on the baking sheet in the pattern shown below. Make different size pinwheels by cutting different size triangles.
    
2. Soften the Friendly Plastic® according to the package instructions. Using a needle tool, start in the center of the softened plastic and slowly draw outward in a spiral motion. Allow the cut lines to seal back together. Cool the plastic and remove it from the baking sheet.
    
3. Make a 1/8" hole into the center of the plastic pinwheel with the leather punch and a hammer. Place a 1/8" eyelet into the hole and secure it with the eyelet tool.
    
4. Cut a 32" length of 24 gauge wire and wrap it around the pinwheel in a random pattern. Secure the wire on the back.
    
5. Cut a 36" length of 18 gauge wire, bend in half around the round nose pliers and twist tightly leaving a loop at one end. This forms the base or stake. Insert the twisted wire stake through the eyelet center of the pinwheel. Slide the pinwheel up against the loop. Cut a 16" length of 18 gauge wire. Make 4 wraps with it around the twisted wire stake, just behind the pinwheel to secure it into place. Form a random design with the remainder of the wire. See photo.
    
6. Cut a 16" length of 22 gauge wire. Make 4 wraps with it around the twisted wire stake just under the wraps made with the 18 gauge wire. Twist and spiral the remainder of this wire around the stake as shown in the photo. Tightly wrap the end of the wire around the stake to secure.
    
7. Grip the stake with the pliers just behind the pinwheel and bend the wire 45 degrees.
    
8. Place the teardrop bead onto the head pin and form a loop at the point of the bead with the round nose pliers. Add the bead where desired using a jump ring.

For more great garden crafts, click here for our garden crafts eBook!