Driftwood Garland Two: Hawaiian Style

Here's a quick look at my second driftwood garland. You may remember I was scheming a couple of week ago about what I would make with my latest stash of driftwood. After some thought and experimentation I decided to just go with the basic garland. To see my basic Driftwood Garland DIY check it out here. You can also find a collection of driftwood project inspirations here.

On this project I learned a few more things that I thought I would share. Here is my update.

• Use a strong poly cord. I used a thin but hardy poly cord that can hold up to the weight. A few weeks after I made my first driftwood garland it came crashing down to the floor when the cotton cord I used broke. So I had to restring the entire thing. I put a match to the end of the poly cord to give me a good, firm melted edge which made it a lot easier to thread it through the driftwood.

• Last time I used a small drill bit then had a hard time getting my cord through the holes. So this time around I used a 5/32 bit, which made bigger holes and made it much easier to string the driftwood. Big timesaver!

• When drilling the holes in the driftwood, on bigger pieces you need more pressure pressing down with the drill. But on small, more dainty pieces pressing too hard can cause the drill to shatter the piece. So in those instances it's good to take a very light tough. Something you can experiment with.

• After you drill through on one side, then run the drill quickly through the back side hole to clean it up. Rough edges make for a nightmare when trying to string the cord through.

• This time I organized all the pieces before I started threading by color, shape and size. That way I could do a better job balancing out the flow and appearance of the garland.

The last thing I learned this week is how masculine a garland with bigger pieces of wood would look. The pieces of wood I used for my first garland were pretty small, so it inherently looks more petite and girlish. This garland is full of much bigger pieces and it has a much more edgy, rough, masculine feel. The bolder look and feel definitely give this garland the feel of the rugged side of Hawaii.

That stronger look affects where I want to put it, how I want to hang it and the total weight of the piece as well. So while I wanted to try one with bigger pieces, in the end I learned that I like the look of smaller pieces of wood better. If you have any questions please feel free to leave them in the comments below and I will definitely answer them.

image via kalanicut