Scrap Wood DIY Firecracker Project
I am a self-proclaimed problematic wood hoarder. I always see a project in a piece of good wood. I used some of these Jenny Lind crib spindles when I made my sister a Christmas Tree Ladder last year. All I had left was these 4 pieces. I had thought about saving them to make some Christmas ornaments but, then they just seemed to scream out to me to make them Faux Firecrackers.
Every once in a while, I feel compelled to purge my scrap wood pile. I don’t necessarily mean throw it to the curb because heck, that is where I got most of it from! I mean that I create items trying to only utilize scraps that either I found curbside or scrap material that was leftover from materials I purchased but kept the remnants of. Typically this purge/creation happens near a holiday. I love to decorate for a holiday but, hate to spend too much of my money on the decor prices that you see in stores. I am able to create items for literally pennies!
I just started painting them with inspiration from the original lines of the spindles. I wanted to make them fun!
To complete this project I used the following materials:
4 leftover spindles
3/8″ dowel rod pieces
rope (I bought it from Dollar Tree for $1)
Hot glue gun and glue
My ryobi drill with a 3/8″ spade on it
Chalk paint
I drilled a hole in the top to accommodate my rope wick and a hole in the bottom for the dowel. The rope was the exact thickness as the dowel so my 3/8″ spade bit worked for both.
They turned out so cute that I felt compelled to go back to my scrap pile the next day to see what other wood remnants could be used to make faux firecrackers.
As you can see simple dowel rods and simple 2 x 2″ remnants make for perfect firecracker decor. I also used 4 thin round dowels to make the TNT looking decor piece on the far right. I just glue them together around a square dowel that I had laying around. A round dowel will also work. Then I just added some simple twine to complete the look!
I think that the DIY firecrackers look great in my patriotic Radio Flyer!
The DIY firecrackers also look great in a crock filled with chippy spindles and architectural pieces. You can even utilize them without adding the dowel at the bottom. I stuck a few simple firecrackers in my lanterns in my backyard. I wrapped the faux firecrackers and some spindle pieces in a string of solar twinkle fairy lights. It makes for great lighting and an patriotic oasis for a 4th of July gathering!
