Step by Step Guide to Making Mrs Hinch's Stick Decoration

In an attempt to keep ourselves busy during lockdown, myself and my boyfriend have been working on improving the mess that we call our garden. It's been a long and tiring job, but now we've done most of the hard work, it's time to start adding the finishing touches.
While clearing out we happened to find an abundance of sticks which needed a good home. Inspired by Mrs Hinch and her stick decorations, I decided to dust of my (very rusty) creative skills, and have a go at making something pretty. I have to say I'm incredibly pleased with the result and thought I would share a step-by-step guide with you all so you can have a go too!

Things You'll Need: 
- 2 sheets of thick cardboard
- A pencil
- A variety of different sized sticks
- Glue (Glue gun or Superglue)
- Scissors or Scalpel
- String
- 1 large can of spray paint in a colour of your choice

Step 1 - Gather your Sticks
The amount of sticks needed is completely dependant on the size and shape you want to make, so I would suggest gathering as many as you feel necessary. It's always better to have to many than too few.

Step 2 - Draw your Template
Grab one sheet of cardboard and sketch out a rough design of the shape you want make. I found sketching with a pencil easier as you can erase and adjust if necessary.

The beauty of this kind of project is that every choice is completely up to you. You get to decide the size, the colour and even the shape! Not fancying a heart? That's okay! Why not make a star, or an initial, or even a Micky Mouse head?! The possibilities are endless.

Step 3 - Thread the String
Once you're happy with the shape you've created, you need to have a think about how you would like to hang your project. Using a pair of sharp scissors or a scalpel, pierce a small hole around 5cm from the edge and thread your string through.

Step 4 - Sort your Sticks
Once you have your template it's time to begin arranging the sticks onto your template. This is where the garden scissors will come in handy - it's likely some of your sticks will need trimming in order to fit perfectly.

Step 5 - Get Gluing
Once you're happy with your design it's time to glue each piece into place.
For this I strongly recommend using a glue gun if you have one, if not Superglue does do the job. It's just incredibly fiddly and I spent the next 3 hours picking dried glue of my fingers.
Once each stick has been glued to the cardboard I suggest gluing in between the gaps, just to make the hold a little stronger. Then leave to dry over night.

Step 6 - Spray the Back
Now for the fun bit. It's time to unleash the spray paint!
Again, you can use whatever colour you like, but I suggest buying a larger can. There's nothing worse than getting half way through and having to go buy more supplies!

For this step, place the project stick side down onto the spare sheet of cardboard and start spraying. Try to keep the coat even, and hold the can around 30cm away.
Personally I did three coats of colour with 15 minutes in between each application, and then left to dry overnight.

Step 7 - Spray the Front
After 24 or so hours, if you're happy with the back, flip it over and get spraying the front. As with the back, keep the can around 30cm away and try to keep the coat fairly even.
Try to pay close attention to the cracks and try to cover any cardboard which may not be hidden by sticks (such as the edges). Again, I did three coats with 15 minutes between each application, and then left to dry over night.

Step 8 - Display Proudly
And that's it! Once dry you can hang and display your decoration in its new home proudly!

If you do decide to have a go I'd love to see your finished pieces! You can always give me a Tweet, leave a comment over on Facebook or drop comment below.

Happy crafting!