So I’ve been churning out ornaments for the October craft show, but have been trying to figure out an easy way to display them all. I didn’t want to throw them in a basket together because the hooks would get all tangled up. Upon seeing these galvanized metal tomato cages at the home improvement store, I thought about how they resembled a Christmas tree shape, and the thin wires would work great to display the ornaments. It’s cheap, and you can customize to your color scheme or holiday!
So all you really have to do spray paint them…that’s it! I went with these three colors.
I did about 3 coats on each cage. The metal hangers on the ornaments may scratch the paint here and there, so I wanted to make sure I had thick coverage. If you’re worried about scratches on the paint, you could finish them with a hard clear sealer of some sort, or maybe even wrap the wires in fabric instead.
Be sure to spray in all the nooks and crannies, including the underside of the wires.
The pictures don’t really do them justice! In real life they are super cute and the colors really pop!
I tied the top pieces together with a rubber band to create the triangular tree shape. The rubber band works good because it grips well and won’t slide off.
Once your peak is tied off, you can decorate it to fit your theme. One of my cages will have just Halloween and Fall ornaments, so I am going to top it off with this witch’s hat.
The other cages will have Christmas and Winter themed ornaments. I am going to put one of these metal stars on one, and probably a Santa hat on the other.
I have many more ornaments to make, so hoping they will be full soon! I think one on each end of my tables at the craft show will add a lot of visual interest to the booth, giving it height as well.
How else would you “decorate” the tomato cages without interfering with the ornaments being displayed? Or just leave them as is? Have a wonderful weekend! 🙂
Jun 19, 2020 @ 14:15:29
Absolutely brilliant! You can display a lot of merchandise on just a little bit of real estate. Booth rent can be expensive at the better shows! I’ll be copying this idea! I’m assuming every one of my shows will be cancelled for 2020, but I’ll be ready for 2021! Thank yo so much for the idea!!!!!!!
Jun 19, 2020 @ 14:32:11
Thank you so much Pam! You really do get a lot of bang for your buck with this display. as I add more and more ornaments I just love how they look! I am praying my October craft show doesn’t get canceled but like you said, I’ll just be ready for 2021! Haha. Thank you again for your kind words! 💕 Maggie
Jun 19, 2020 @ 14:17:17
what kind of hooks do you use to hang them ?
Jun 19, 2020 @ 14:29:01
I use metal Christmas ornament hangers that are curled like a spiral, they are kind of more decorative than the standard metal hooks. I found them on Etsy. I think they give the ornament a little something extra! 😊
Jun 19, 2020 @ 15:24:28
GENIUS!
Jun 19, 2020 @ 18:49:31
Very good idea! I have a suggestion…for example, on the Christmas one. Don’t have all of the snowmen together, trees together etc! Mix them up. So people’s eyes have to look all over that particular theme, otherwise their eyes may just see one style and not pay attention to the other styles on the tree. I hope you understand my explanation!
Jun 19, 2020 @ 18:51:42
Thank you Barbara and yes I understand what you are saying! I agree and will definitely will mix them up a little. I think it will make the whole thing look more interesting. I’ve just been hanging them up as I’ve been completing them so that’s why they’re kind of lumped together. 👍😊
Jun 19, 2020 @ 20:39:11
Very cool idea,, I’m going to try this! I was using an old mug tree – I was limited to the number of ornaments I could display. Thanks for sharing! BTW – one of my November craft shows bite the dust already (it was in a middle school).
Jun 20, 2020 @ 11:17:12
GREAT idea! I am thinking though, it looks a bit bare at the top, by the witch’s hat/star/Santa hat… perhaps add another ring. It wouldn’t even need to be affixed, it would just sit there, embroidery hoop or something? Will give you even more space for additional ornaments. Unless you have another type of decorate to fill that space. 🙂
Jun 20, 2020 @ 11:19:46
OK, embroidery hoop may be too large, like an extra large key ring. Or just fashion it out of wire.
Jun 20, 2020 @ 15:27:23
I was kind of thinking the same thing! I’ve been trying to figure out what to put there to fill in the space. I like the idea of an embroidery hoop, just kind of sliding it over the top and it could just sit there. I’ll have to play around with it and see what looks the best. Thank you so much for following along and for your comment! Happy crafting!! 💞😊 Maggie
Jun 21, 2020 @ 09:28:50
So there isn’t that big empty spot on the top, can you cut the wires shorter?
Jun 21, 2020 @ 10:10:06
Never thought about that, but that’s a great suggestion! I was thinking of adding another little wire around that blank section in the top area, to make space for even more ornaments to hang. Going to play around with it and see what looks best! 😊
Jun 30, 2020 @ 21:44:31
I wanted to know about your wood slice snowman. Can you tell me how you made them? How did you connect the sliced wood? I would appreciate it.
Jul 01, 2020 @ 11:07:46
Hi Lillian! I was actually thinking of doing a post about them. I just took little wood slices and used small fish eye screws for the hanger on the top and to connect the two pieces. The faces are just painted with regular acrylic paint and topped with a sparkle mod podge to seal. Hope that helps. The next batch I make I will take pics and do a post! 😊
Jul 19, 2020 @ 01:39:07
Please do a post about the wood slice ornaments. Where did you get the slices? How big are they?
Jul 27, 2020 @ 08:18:53
Hi! I am actually about to post a tutorial on them today! 🙂 Thanks for following along and happy crafting!! ~maggie