Making satisfying reality of a Pinterest pin
I did it. I really made a project I saw on Pinterest. Yes, I’ve visited a restaurant I pinned (Fatty Crab in NYC–a delicious success). And I’ve made lots of slow-cooker recipes I first saw on Pinterest. But I finally completed a complex Pinterest project. It’s a kind of a “Purple Allium” sculpture I saw a couple months ago. This feels like a Pinterest usage beach-head.
Here is the original pin.
I was hankering to re-create the pin on the right, from a French garden pinned by a guy in London.
Here is what I did this weekend.
I had written to the original pinner to ask for help with re-creating the cool faux Allium sculptures. But he had only taken the photo in France. He had had no knowledge of the project and could offer no pointers. I asked my pinpals for help and got some useful suggestions from D.L. Wilson and Danielle Chapdelaine.
After seeing a couple of my botched attempts to make flower-like globes out of chicken wire (can you spell KINDERGARTEN FAIL?), my son casually whipped out a perfectly round wire sphere while watching some random episode of CSI.
I was then off and running and made 11 purple globes to put in a rather dull spot of my garden. I like their ethereal and “what the heck is that?” quality. I am waiting for the suburban neighbor reaction to this new front yard installation. Fun! Thank you Pinterest.
P.S. Read the comments on this post for more info on how to make these.
Jules Pieri 
29 Responses to “Making satisfying reality of a Pinterest pin”
Lovely, Jules. We’re all getting creative this weekend.
So what did you make them out of? I would like to know also 😉
Carol,
I used two layers of fine gauge chicken wire. I first cut them into rectangles and made a cylinder. As I was forming the cylinder I was crimping the edges to form a sphere. I layered one on top of the other and tied it “shut” with wire. Then I painted them with spray paint, after I wired them onto heavy plastic coated stakes. It was actually pretty easy, except for cutting the chicken wire.
But how did you make them round? I’ve been fiddling with this and they just look hideous!
Our first one looked absolutely ridiculous. Make sure you have pretty fine chicken wire. Then when you cut a rectangle about 8 to 9 inches high cut about 6 inches off the length. Then as you start to roll it in a cylinder press in on the long ends to force them to the center. You can really make that happen just by crimping the top two rows of diamonds on each long side. A sphere really just naturally forms and then you give it a more uniform shape by pressing here and there. Finally you tie a couple little twists of wire on the first sphere before putting the second sphere over it with two more twists of wire. (I used florist type)
How do you attached the chicken wire to the post so it stays?
I used that green florist wire. The paint covered it. They are still holding up with all seasons so it seems good enough.
Jules Pieri Founder and CEO Daily Grommet
Mobile: 781 248 3099 My blog: julespieri.com Twitter: julespieri
What is the actual length and width of the chicken wire used. You use two pieces of this and I would imagine its 20 gauge chicken wire?
You need to make a youtube video of this, it would help a ton of people out!!
Cindy….alas I already made the sculptures–but I should have done that!
Mike,
I bought it off the shelf at the hardware, in a roll. It was probably 4′ tall. Maybe less. The lightest weight they had. I cut strips that were 8-9″ wide and then cut the length down a little bit…abut 6″. Then I pinched the wire diamonds (with my hands) along both long sides (about two rows deep) so that the strip naturally started curling in on itself to make a ball.
Jules,
So the pieces were about 9 inches by about 42 inches?
And you make 4 of them…I have 20 gauge chicken wire.
I watched my wife and my daughter suffer through making one and I said I get in touch with you and find out more information!
[…] Pieri, our CEO, was inspired by a Pinterest Pin she saw and replicated this lovely theme in her own […]
what type of post did you use to attach the wire?
It was one of those stiff plastic coated garden stakes. You can find them in any hardware or garden center.
Do share! How DID you make them,?
Tremendous things here. I am very satisfied
to see your post. Thank you so much and I’m looking
forward to contact you. Will you please drop me
a mail?
I want to know to make the painted chicken wire garden globes also. Would you please send me the instuctions. Their is a blurry image of the instructions I found on Google, but I can’t read it very well. I want to make these for my backyard that doesn’t get enough sunlight to grow flowers. I hope to hear from you soon.
Thank you,
Joy
Hi Joy,
Please read the comments on this post as I pretty much covered all I did there.
Jules,
You were right. After I read all the posts, I think I got it.
Thanks
Cool beans Joy!
I can’t find the directions for these could u email then to me plz
Victoria–the directions are in the comments here.
something like this only doubled?
Yes! Thanks for sharing this Darcie. (See link below, readers.) I think doubling is important to getting enough of the purple color on each ball. I can see in the original post that they used some kind of finer mesh but chicken wire has bigger holes/less wire to paint.
Thank you Jules. Lovely work. I bet a mesh bag that we get onions or fruit in could be used. (Put a balloon inside mesh bag, blow it up to size desired) Paint Modge Podge all over mesh. Let it dry. deflate balloon wrap bottom of mesh ball to a dowel. Paint color of choice. I can’t use chicken wire. I cut my hands up with it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjgOfHBEC-M sorry…. forgot to add this.
I’m not seeing how this is any better than the non-instructional Pinterest post. Where’s the how-to?
Hey sorry Tabitha. This is all I have. I am not a crafts instructor but if I can clarify what I wrote in any way, let me know. The instructions are more in the comments than in the post.