Monday, April 20, 2015

The hook


I can't believe I decided to bend these keys to turn them into hooks.  I thought bending the spoons was difficult.  Bending those keys was even worse.  Add to that the fact I broke three of them before they ever bent past the first bend.

But bend them I did.  I plan to put them on a piece of wood and use them for hooks in my basement studio.
 
Another reason I wanted to play with them was to see how difficult it would be to stamp words or letters on them.  After all, I'm not really skilled at that sort of thing.  And it's easier stamping on keys than spoons with rounded and oval bowls.

You can see I did a lousy job on the first one.  I can barely make out the word "be."

I needed to give both my hands and my attitude a rest, so I took a walk through my flower bed.  The irises have begun to bloom

just as the last of the tulips are dying out.  Can you see the one red tulip that is barely clinging to life?  At first, I thought it was a leaf.

Of course, I had more irises that were in various stages of bloom, so they will be around for quite some time, I hope.  And because they are extremely "juicy," they don't press well, but they pound well.  I hope to find time to pound a few of them after my 22 days of recycling are over.

But now it was time to get back to work.  And work it was, too.  My second key was marginally better.  At least you can read the "OK."

Two more of these keys and I was ready to call them finished.  And I could finally read the words "FUN" and "JOY."

So it's time to be OK,

have fun, and experience joy.
 
For the final key, I decided it looked better with no words on it other than the ones it came with.

For Day 20 of 22, I bent 8 keys, but three broke, leaving 5 I turned into hooks.  Of those, I used my metal stamps and wrote fun, inspirational words on 4.  Thank you for joining me, because your comments and visits have meant the world to me.

I'll be back later today with my T Stands For Tuesday post, which will count as Day 21.  Gosh, I'm nearly another year wiser!


14 thoughtful remarks:

johanna said...

and finally you succeeded!! you are a woman after my heart, not giving up the Experiment! great "fun" and "joy":)
awesome irises, nature is that far here, i haven´t seen one this year so far.

johanna said...

correction: nature is NOT that far here... i´m typing nonsense here...

Nan G said...

Love purple bearded irises! They're gorgeous, E! Now what on earth day are you doing?! Bending keys! I hope you used a vise and not pliers. My hands ache for yours. :) I'm working on your B-day card and hope to mail it today. And pulling supplies for to make my Memorial Day decorations. Have an awesome week, Elizabeth. Warm hugs from the Girls and I.

Nancy said...

Your determination paid off! What a unique project you'll have. The purple color in the Iris is beautiful- so refreshingly spring.

Divers and Sundry said...

I don't have irises, but it's our state flower so I guess I ought to lol. Thx for sharing yours. I always enjoy seeing the seasons progress through your gardens :)

I've never seen keys turned into hooks, but now that I've seen it I'm amazed I've never seen this done before. I would think this concept would sell well at our local craft fairs. I like the look.

pearshapedcrafting said...

I'm back, and starting here and going backwards because I just love the keys for one - I can only imagine how difficult this must have been - but definitely a joy to see! Second - the beautiful Irises, I just love this colour, the ones I have are yellow, need to buy some more I think! Now….what else have you been up to?? Hugs, Chrisx

Rebeca Trevino said...

E - how in the HECK did you ever bend (or break) those keys? you must be super-woman!

a fun project, non the less.

happy Spring!

Dianne said...

so clever dear E! love the words...I've only stamped into leather, can't imagine the difficulty in stamping metal!! can't wait to see the finished hooks mounted in your studio...hope your hands aren't too sore!

additional note: you are exactly right in your latest guess on my Cottonwood Counterfeit Journal blog! so now you can enjoy 10 more days free of guessing. must admit, I feel as though I'm running low on ideas. hope I can keep it up...

froebelsternchen said...

Boah .. you are clever Elizabeth and your Irises are awesome!
xoxoxo
Susi

Craftymoose Crafts said...

Thanks for the walk through your Iris garden-they are among my favorites.

I applaud you for even trying to bend those keys.I think you did a fine job with the lettering, too.

~*~Patty S said...

Gorgeous Irises you've captured their color and beauty perfectly E!
AND
bending keys AND stamping on them...you are a powerhouse of creativity. They look super...
You must really be strong in addition to determined :-)
oxo

Darla said...

What a great use for the keys. I admit I don't think I'd have the power to bend them or maybe even stamp them. Fun idea tho.

Darla

massofhair said...

Iris' and cornflowers are my two absolutely favourite flowers Elizabeth their blue/purple colours always make me smile, so glad you have shown us yours.

So wonderful to see your bent and metal stamped keys, another thing i want to try.

So much inspiration as always :-) xxx

Halle said...

YEa!! these are cool. I was thinking of doing something similar. I'm thinking of revamping our message/calendar/key rack area just inside the door. I thought it would be fun to have keys as the key hooks.