How to Make a Charm Wand
The word "wand" conjures up thoughts of Harry Potter and good fairies everywhere. Who wouldn't want a magical item that we could swirl in the air and make all our cares go away? Wands have also been associated with witchcraft and superstition for ages and evidence of those belief systems is present in many children's books and history books as well!The charm wand goes back to a superstition about evil spirits. Originally said to be a glass tube filled with seeds, the charm wand was hung over a person's doorway to confuse evil spirits entering! The theory goes that the evil spirit would become distracted by counting the seeds in the tube and never gets around to doing the household any harm!This modern spin on a charm wand utilizes some unusual items to create a beautiful and special gift for a new homeowner or decorative and conversation item for yourself. Are you ready to get charming? Let's go!
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Things You'll Need
- Hollow glass or plastic tubes approximately 26" long and 3/8" diameter
- Small corks to seal ends of tube
- Broken colored glass or glass beads
- feathers
- Gloves
- Colorful ribbons or decorative string
- Curtain rod holder to fit tube
Instructions
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Get Your Materials
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1
Get your glass tubes and corks. You should be able to find clear plastic tubes and corks from your home improvement store, and I got my glass tubes from a science surplus store (link provided below.)
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2
Get colored glass for free! Go to your local stained glass supply store and they usually have a box of free, broken glass that you can pick up nothing! Break larger pieces into smaller ones with a hammer and always wear safety glasses!
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3
Use glass beads if you'd like. You can get beads online in bulk, or keep your eyes on sales at your local craft stores. Remember, get the best you can afford, as the quality of your materials will create the quality of the final project.
Assemble Your Charm Wand
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4
Take your glass tube or plastic tube and seal one end with the cork. (If you are using a test tube you already have a sealed end!)
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Carefully fill the glass tube with the broken colored glass or glass beads. Wear gloves when working with broken glass.
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Seal the tube. Once you have filled the tube with colorful beads and glass, seal the other end.
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7
Tie colorful ribbons around one end of the tube for decoration.
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8
Hang curtain rod holder over door entryway and rest charm wand into the U shape of the rod holder. You are now protected from evil spirits!
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Tips & Warnings
When giving the charm wand as a gift, always include a story card explaining the purpose of the wand and include the curtain rod hardware!
Make Mini-wands for friends offices or cubicles using small test tubes! Fun!
Resources
- Photo Credit Diane Steinbach
