November 10, 2019

DIY Fork Easel

Fall has arrived and it may seem early for making Holiday gifts, but before you know it, it will be December, and you will wonder, where did the time go. This is a very easy gift to make for your friends and family that like shabby country/farmhouse style. I wish I could claim this as my idea, but I saw it on Etsy for a lot of money, and since I am a vintage silverware hoarder, I had everything I needed. These little easels are perfect for holding table place cards, pictures, business cards, anything your heart desires.

What you will need:

pliers (one flat nose and one rounded nose)
vintage forks
soft cloth

Let’s get started:

The first thing I do is clean my silver fork, it is so much easier this way, skip this step if you wanted it to have a rich aged patina.

I like to use a soft cloth with my pliers, so I don’t dig up my fork finish. My rounded pliers don’t have “ridges”, so I can make the curls without using a cloth.

With your cloth wrapped around one of the outside tines, bend straight forward 90 degrees. Place your pliers on the other outside tine (trying to bend in the same place as the first tine), and bend forward 90 degrees.
Wrapping the cloth around one of the 2 center tines, bend 90 degrees backwards, repeat with the other tine. Once you have completed the 2 center tines, bend the 2 center tines outward (about 20 degrees), in opposite directions, this may be a bit tricky and need a little muscle power, but this will help balance your easel.
To help balance your easel, you will need to bend the outside tines outwards also, again, about 20 degrees. If you have a vise, it would come in handy at this point. If you have thin tines, it shouldn’t be a problem, but if they are thick and heavy, will need some muscle.
Now the fun part, the curls !! I did 3 different curls, using my rounded jewelry pliers. This is where your creativity comes in. You can also curl the back tines if you want, but I usually only curl the front tines.

Done!! Aren’t they adorable. I have given many away as gifts and sold dozens at craft fairs. Next time you see some old silver or silver-plate at a garage sale or thrift store, pick them up, you will find so many uses for them.