Grapewood Ceiling Sculpture

The Alpha Workshops used our 48" Grapewood to create a gorgeous sculpture commissioned and conceived by MR Architecture + Decor for the ceiling of a Fifth Avenue retailer.

The Alpha Workshops is a non-profit design studio/school founded in 1995 to provide training in decorative arts techniques to individuals living with HIV/AIDS. They can be contacted at 212-594-7320 or info@alphaworkshops.org.

Branches as Beach Decor

Beach decor is heavy on weathered finishes and colors, and sandblasted branches such as Sandblasted Manzanita Branches and Grapewood Branches fit right in, as illustrated in a few window displays in NYC. 

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Fish and Grapewood

Retired high school principal Mike Verdun of Bemidji, MN used our 18-24" Grapewood Branches to display the first three fish he ever carved. The beige Grapewood provides a great background to highlight and compliment the richly colored and detailed fish. It's quite the gorgeous display!

Grapewood Dog Collar Hangers

Wilmington Animal Healthcare in Wilmington, NC contacted us a while back seeking driftwood-y looking branches on which they could display their dog collars. We suggested they use 10-12" Grapewood Branches, which they did with great results! 

Grapewood Candelabra

The other day I stopped by the Fifth Avenue outpost of Japanese retailer Takashimaya for some inspiration. They have a floral studio up on the sixth floor and there are always some interesting creations on display. What caught my eye was a single Grapewood Branch with a number of tea lights perched on it, seemingly defying gravity - simple and intriguing, just the way I like things. Question is, how the heck did they get the tea lights to stay on there? Did they glue them directly onto the branches? Sure, that would work, but cleaning the holders would be very difficult. The best solution would allow the tea light holders to be easily removed. I spent about an hour poking around Jamali Garden looking for a ready-made solution, when it hit me: tea light holders + glue + roofing nails + holes drilled in Grapewood Branches = solution! And doing it this way would allow me to use any vessel, such as bud vases. I got to work. 

Supplies and Materials:

• 2-3 of the 18-24" Grapewood Branches; 
  
• Tea Light Holders, Bud Vases (or whatever small vessel you like);
  
• 1" Roofing Nails (these have large heads); 
  
• Super Glue Gel; 
  
• Electric Drill with drill bits of various sizes;
  
• Wood Screws; 
  
• Long Cable Ties.  

The first thing you need to do is arrange your Grapewood Branches in a way that it will make the candelabra as stable as possible. It is rare that you'll find a single Grapewood Branch that's stable in all directions, and this is why you need to use more than one (we used two). Obviously, you do not want this thing tipping over. Try tipping it in every possible direction, and rearrange until you get a stable configuration. Once you've done this, secure the branches together at their contact points with cable ties (a set of pliers would be useful here to pull the cable ties tight). 

Next, it is time to permanently secure the branches together with your wood screws. You'll probably want to drill a small pilot hole through the branches, as Grapewood is fairly hard. We actually used coarse-thread drywall screws, but the bite of these was a bit too aggressive.

  

Now it is time to glue the nails onto your tea light holders, votive holders, or whatever it is you've chosen to use. First, clean the bottom of them. Then turn them upside down, put a dab of the super glue gel on the nail head, and stick it on. The more glue the merrier. The super glue gel sandwiched between the metal heads and the glass takes quite a while to set, so you should leave these overnight. After the glue has had plenty of time to set, give the nails a good wiggle to make sure they are secure - you are likely to have one or two that don't have a strong bond, and now is when you want to find this out - not when you have a lit candle in it or a vase full of water. This is especially important with heavier items, such as bud vases, which when filled with water and flowers will put the most strain on the bond. 

Next up, start drilling the holes into your Grapewood. Pick a drill bit that is just a hair bigger than the nail. As for where to drill, pick spots that are level and drill straight down. This is the trickiest part of the operation. You'll likely end up with a few holes that angle a bit away from vertical, but you'll also have some holders or vases where the nail isn't quite glued on straight - match these correctly (rotate the vase or candle holder), and they will sit (more) level.  

Add your tea lights, votives and/or flowers and you have a stunning and unique centerpiece that will surely get a lot of attention!

Hand Carved and Painted Kestrel

This spectacular Kestrel was hand carved and painted by a customer in Florida, Wendy Marcin (it is mounted on one of our 10-12" Grapewood Branches). We can't get over how life-like this bird is, and how much work and skill must have been required to produce it.

The Kestrel is a gorgeous small falcon found throughout the world - we even occasionally see them in Brooklyn. Head over to Wikipedia for more information on the American Kestrel.