How to Decorate Horse Shoes

Decorate horse shoes for home decor.

For many people, horse shoes are a sign of luck when hung on a wall with the open end facing upward. Regardless of superstition, horse shoes are a popular craft item and can be decorated in numbers of ways. You can decorate ordinary horse shoes with an array of materials like decorative ribbon or flowers to make creative wall hangings for your home or to give to friends and family as gifts.

Things You'll Need

• Fine grit sandpaper
• Newspaper
• Spray paint (suitable for metal)
• 1/2-inch wide ribbon
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Dried moss
• Artificial flower blooms

Instructions

1. Sand your horse shoe with fine grit sandpaper to rough-up the surface of the metal and remove any dirt and oil on the surface.

2. Lay your horse shoe on a layer of old newspaper and spray it with a spray paint that is suitable for metals. Use a black or brown spray paint to make the horse shoe adaptable to different styles of decor or choose eye-popping colors like teal or bright white for a modern look.

3. Allow the paint to dry and flip the horse shoe to paint the other side. Allow that side to dry as well.

4. Cut a 12-inch length of 1/2-inch wide ribbon with scissors. Choose a ribbon color to complement your decor, or a neutral color like off-white or tan.

5. Knot one end of your ribbon and thread the other end through the hole closest the end on one side of the horse shoe.

6. Thread the ribbon back down through the hole closest to the end on the other side of the horse shoe. Knot the ribbon at the very end. Pull up on the middle of the ribbon. The horse shoe should be supported by the knots on the back.

7. Set the hot glue gun to a medium heat setting and place a bead of glue along the face of the curve at the bottom of the horse shoe.

8. Press small bunches of dried moss along the bead of glue.

9. Apply another bead of glue, following the curve of the horseshoe, on the moss.

10. Press artificial flower blooms along the bead of glue. Allow the glue to dry for about 20 minutes before moving your horseshoe.

11. Hang the ribbon over a nail or hook to decorate your home with it or give it as a gift.

References

• REASON Charity: Decorated Horseshoes