Last week I shared some of my recent styling work (here) and one of the fancy details that many of you noticed from the shoot – and emailed about, which I absolutely love, yahoo – was the DIY Driftwood and Copper Display Shelf Wall Hanger. I had the gorgeous cloud planter in my hot little hands and I wanted to display it in some way that was both fitting and not too distracting from the planter itself. I needed whatever I chose it to be sturdy and substantial enough that I might leave it up for a while, in real life (not just a temporary staged thing for the shoot) and that would allow the cute and small planter to stand on its own. I am fairly confident I nailed it with this one, for no other reason than I adore how it turned out, and while this project is fairly straightforward and easy to figure out, I thought I would share the products I used and the steps for this, which are really more like tips that will help you with each step. Of course this comes from a place of trial and error hindsight so this should be a snap for you to replicate.
MATERIALS //
/ 2 or More – Copper Tube Straps – sized for your particular driftwood, see below
/ 1 – Piece of Driftwood or an interesting Branch
/ 4 or More Drywall Anchors – Depending on the length of your wood and number of securing points, see below
INSTRUCTIONS //
/ Choose an appropriate piece of driftwood or a branch that is relatively long and has a shape that curves in, in at least two places, which means you need either a very loose U shape or a relatively straight piece that can easily be secured to the wall. If you are wanting to hang something as I have, you will also need an offshoot that is strong enough to act as a hook. If you are using this for jewelry storage or display, you can simply slide your necklaces or bracelets right onto your wood. If you plan to display something that has any weight to it, you will need to make sure your wood is thick enough and strong enough to do so and that will sit against the wall tightly where the copper tube straps are placed.
/ Choose appropriately sized Copper Tube Straps. Mine are a 3/4 inch size, and will only secure my wood at the very ends. I was working with what I had on hand, but it would be ideal to secure your wood about one inch in from either side so there is no risk of your wood twisting in place or falling through. To choose the appropriate size for your tube straps, simply measure the width of your wood in the area you will be securing to the wall and then account for any odd twists or wiggles that your driftwood makes in that area that might cause it to not rest perfectly flat against the wall. So, for example, if your driftwood is 1 1/2 inches thick and there is a jag at one of your securing points that sticks out a quarter of an inch, then you would have an total width (or depth if you prefer) of 1 3/4 inches. But, since this does not have to be precise and in fact you might benefit from going a tad smaller in some cases so there is absolutely no wiggle room, in this instance you might choose a tube strap that is either 1 1/2 inches or precisely 1 3/4 inches if they make them in quarter sizes beyond the 1 inch mark – which I do not know…
/ Secure your driftwood to the wall. Choose a drywall anchor set that is appropriate for the weight you will need to support. You should try to mount things to your wall studs whenever possible and secure in more than two spots for longer and heavier pieces, if possible. Use the copper tube straps as a guide for your drywall anchor placement. and then put the anchor pieces in the wall at your marked points. Then secure using the screws that come with your anchors, through the screw holes in your tube straps and test for stability. If you have any wiggle jiggle whatsoever, using the mounting putty as needed to fill any spaces that are causing this movement. I placed my putty between the wood and the tube strap to ensure there is no wiggle room at all for my driftwood to shift or turn and let my planter come crashing down.
