Vintage Spool Placecard Holder

This placecard holder is part of a larger project that I am working on. Here is a tutorial on how I created this easy project.

Supplies I used:
Wooden Spool (vintage or new)
Lace (length varies depending on the size of the spool but approximately one yard should work)
Alligator clips (mini, 1 1/4" Test Clips, available at Radio Shack)
Chopstick (pointy kind. A small stick might work as long as the end is thin enough)
Saw (or some way to trim the chopstick to length)
Various embellishments

Begin by inserting the chopstick through the spool. Keeping the point flush with one end, mark the length so that the piece will be the same length as the spool once it is trimmed. Using the saw, carefully trim the chopstick.

Next, attach the Alligator clip to the narrow end of the trimmed chopstick. I used needle-nose pliers and pinched the clip to the chopstick. I also used a bit of hot glue to tightly secure the two.

Insert the alligator clip/chopstick piece into the spool and carefully add a spot of hot glue into the top hole to center the clip and some glue into the bottom hole to secure the piece. Be careful not to let the hot glue overflow on the bottom of the spool or it will not sit flat.

Now comes the fun part. Start wrapping the lace (or other embellishment) from the bottom upwards. I used a bit of handmade lace that I found at an estate sale but you can also use ribbon. Note: If you cut handmade lace be sure to add a tiny bit of glue (I used Glossy Accents) to both of the cut ends so that they do not unravel. When you reach the top of the spool, add a spot of glue and secure the end.

To embellish my final piece I inserted a pearl-headed pin and some millinery flowers. The little card on top is from a card game I had thrifted. I liked how it mentions "a second-hand store". It is held in place by the alligator clip. There are so many ways to embellish these. I plan to share more when I complete the bigger project.

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