DIY driftwood decor

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I found this super cool looking piece of driftwood on the beach of Lake Michigan and saved it knowing I would some day find a way to display it. Well, the day has come!

I was looking for something new and "beach" related that I could put on my mantle and this is perfect. 

What you need:

driftwood (if you can't find any near you)
16 gauge wire
scrap wood
jig saw
sandpaper
hot glue gun and glue
drill and drill bit

If you plan to keep your driftwood inside, make sure you've cleaned it good so that there aren't any little bitty critters living inside.  Decide how you want it to stand up or lay.  My piece of driftwood had a nice flat bottom and stood up perfectly.

I cut out the shape of a fish and traced a few of them onto the wood.  Next, cut them out with the jig saw and then sand the edges to make them nice and smooth.




Next you will need to find a drill bit that is the same size as your wire.  Decide where you want to place your fish and then drill holes into your driftwood and to the underside of your fish.  I took pieces of wire and cut them about 2.5" long.  Then I made a bend in the wire about 3/4" away from one end.  The longer end will get put into the driftwood and your fish will get pushed into the top of the shorter end.




Apply a bit of hot glue to the long end of your wire and push it into place in your driftwood holes.  Hold it upright and in place until it dries to make sure that your fish will level.  Once you have all of the wire secured into your driftwood, do the same with the fish by adding a bit of glue to the inside of the fish and setting the fish on top of the wire.  Again, hold them in place until they are dried.  Then it's time to display.  I love how it's so simple, but is such a fun statement piece for on the mantle.

do it yourself