Easy Christmas Ornament Hooks (Tutorial)
by Rena Klingenberg. © 2003-Present Rena Klingenberg. All Rights Reserved
These Christmas ornament hooks add a touch of handmade elegance to your decorations.
Yet they’re simple enough that they don’t upstage the ornament.
These hooks make charming gifts and are quick to create.
They’re also a great way to use orphan beads from your stash.
The finished size is about 2″ (51mm) long.
Supplies:
- 18 gauge round wire – soft or half-hard, 5″ (127mm) long.
I used Artistic Wire in “gunmetal” color. - A bead that will fit on your wire.
I used a red seed bead, size 6/0, but you could use something larger if you wish. - Wire cutter.
- Round nose pliers.
- Chain nose pliers.
- Sharpie marker – to mark your wire and also to use as a mandrel.
- Jeweler’s steel block and a plastic, rubber, or nylon hammer.
How to Make
Easy Christmas Ornament Hooks
Let’s start by a cutting your piece of wire 5″ (127mm) long:
Use your Sharpie pen to make three marks on your wire, as shown below (the blue lines in the diagram are where you’ll mark your wire):
Now your wire should look like this:
String your bead onto the wire, and slide the bead down to the centerpoint of the wire, right on the middle mark you drew:
Now we’ll bend the wire on each side of the bead, so the bead will stay in the middle of the wire instead of sliding up and down.
Use the tips of your chain nose pliers to grasp the wire right next to one side of your bead:
. . . then bend the wire, creating enough of an angle in the wire that your bead can’t slide past that bend:
Now your wire should look like this:
Now we’ll make a similar bend on the other side of your bead.
Use the tips of your chain nose pliers to grasp the wire right next to the other side of your bead:
. . . and bend the wire in the opposite direction from the first bend – creating enough of an angle in the wire that your bead can’t slide past the new bend:
Now your bead should be held in place between the two wire bends, like this:
And your wire should look like this:
Now it’s time to make the hooked ends on the wire.
We’ll use your Sharpie marker as a mandrel for bending the wire.
Lay one end of your wire across the marker, centering your ink mark on the Sharpie pen:
Place your thumb on top of your ink mark on the wire:
Then use the fingers of your other hand to press the wire ends straight downward:
Your wire should look like this:
Now we’ll make the same kind of hook in the other end of the wire – curving it the opposite way from the first hook.
Lay the straight end of your wire across the Sharpie marker, as you did before.
The short end of the previous hook should be pointing up:
Place your thumb on top of your ink mark on the wire:
Then use the fingers of your other hand to press the wire ends straight downward, as you did before.
Your wire should look like this:
Now we’ll finish off your ornament hook by making a tiny loop at each end of the wire.
Use the tips of your round nose pliers to grasp the tip of one end of your wire:
Then roll the wire end into a small loop:
Your wire should look like this:
Now make an identical loop at the other end of the wire.
Your wire should look like this:
Now let’s close up the hooks just a little, so they’ll look prettier and will also work more securely.
Slip one of your hook ends onto the Sharpie and press the sides of the loop gently to close up the hook slightly:
Then do the same with the other hook end.
Your ornament hook should look something like this:
Now we’ll flatten the shape of the hooks, since they’re probably a bit wonky after all the wire bending we did.
Lay one hook end on your steel block (keeping the bead off the block) – and use your plastic, rubber, or nylon hammer to pound the hook all over, on both sides, so that the entire hook end lies nicely flat with nothing sticking up:
Now do the same with the other hook end (again being careful to keep the bead off the steel block).
Your finished Christmas ornament hook may look something like this:
To use your ornament hook, thread the ornament’s loop or string onto one end of the hook.
Then hang the other end of the hook on the Christmas tree branch (or wherever you want to hang the ornament).
