How ideas spread and develop on Flea Market Gardening page.

An astounding reminder!

Linda Gladman posted her garden vignette and our eyes went right to the sparkling blue beads dangling like a cloud above all. See the How To below. Also, see how ideas spread and develop on Flea Market Gardening page. It’s magical and inspiring!

Linda Gladman’s garden sparkler hovers daintily above her stunning vignette

Linda lucked upon some glass star-shaped beads and curled and twisted wire to hold them in place in a dozen and a half of strands which she attached to a pipe. She says, “I used stainless steel wire, not sure of the gauge though. If you want rust then it doesn’t matter if you use regular wire. I used. Use glass beads if possible as plastic beads will fade overtime.

I wrapped the stainless wire over a piece of dowel I had on hand first to give it the curly appearance then weaved the floral wire with the beads after. It’s really just an option and you could put the beads on the wire and secure with a crimp bead here and there or fill each strand with beads.”

Linda Gladman’s garden sparklers

Going back in time…

Deanne Clemons told us long ago, sparklers are fun to make and blow in the breeze

Sue tells it all…

“My first attempt at a dancing garden sparkler…fun but took a long time but I think it’s worth it, Sue tells us.

“I used rebar wire and then a small hose clamp to tie them together then shoved them down a pipe that I pounded into the ground. On the beads I took the beads and strung them on then made a loop with my rounded pliers so the beads could start and stop…worked well!  Hmmm note to myself: make these much taller, maybe on a pole about 6 ft instead of 3 ft…..cats had way to much fun with it last night”

Sue Gerdes invented this Garden sparkler

Myra refines the process…

Myra Glandon “Here is a winter project inspired by Sue Gerdes…. a garden sparkler to move with the breeze…. using old beads and wire.  Just bead the wire and stick the ends in a small metal tube! I have been inspired by FMG to create several things I wouldn’t have thought of on my own”

Myra Glandon Here’s the garden sparkler I made last spring, inspired by Sue Gerdes’s garden sparkler. It dances in the wind

Myra zip-ties the wires and stuffs them in a pipe pounded into the ground

“I used 17 gauge wire, random beads, needle nose pliers, side cutter pliers, and a zip tie.  I wanted mine to be random lengths, so I didn’t measure my wire lengths.”

Myra Glandon‎ My garden sparkler is still looking good. .. Year 3

How To

The wire

Myra used 17 gauge wire. Jeanne Mork says, “I use 18 gauge wire for mine.  It’s thinner than coat hanger, and much more flexible.  Don’t use floral wire. Linda says she tried it and it rusted out and broke in places over the years.

How to find beads:
Linda found her unique star shaped beads at a thrift shop!
If you don’t get so lucky,…do a search on Amazon for this:

bulk “Large hole” glass beads star

I found paks of 50 -100 beads in various colors, with or without metal centers.
Linda says glass stays sparkly and plastic will lose their shine, so choose glass if you can.

Also, look through the beads you already have. Once you find your wire, you’ll know if the beads will thread on.

Click to go to Amazon beads

Click to go to Amazon beads

Threading the beads on the wire
Just bead the wire, crimp the wire like Linda did to space the beads where you want them

Myra used crimp beads at random areas to create separation, stops and starts in the beads, and says you could also create a loop in the wire and then continue threading.

Small lead weights used with fishing tackle would work to keep beads from sliding too much and just crimp on.

The pipe

Use copper pipe, painted pvc or clamp the thinner wires onto rerod or rebar stake.  You can make it short or tall!
Pound the pipe into the ground, then attach the beads. Gather up the bead-threaded wire, zip tie it and  stick the ends in the  metal tube.

Than come the delightful variations…

Teri Smith‎’s whimsical sparkler threaded into fancy vases

Alice Pullin goes sky high with her sparkler..

Another of Deanne Clemens’s sparklers

And more variations…

Annie Downs’s unique plant stake sparklers

Ann Elias accented her green garden bed with cast off curtain rods she custom spray painted

Ann Elias A close up view

Jimmye Dye-Porter’s sparkling plant stakes

Jimmye Dye-Porter says, “I made these Fairy Garden Wands with small hole beads and tips from a broken umbrella- or, as my daughter used to call them “rain-brellas”

Top them with the umbrella rib tips. Use them in an arrangement or in a Fairy Garden   Consider making lots of these sparklers to use in floral arrangements for a wedding.”

I love the creativity of this group….where will your next gardening project take you?

Myra Glandon’s finished sparkler in the garden