Ladder Crafts

Think twice before throwing this old ladder away.

Ladders are more than just useful pieces of equipment that assist us when we need to reach high places. They elevate and are often symbols for success. Ladders show up in biblical stories and folklore. You can reuse an old ladder or create crafts focused around ladders to create unforgettable household items and gifts.

Bible-Themed Ladder Crafts

This craft is suitable for children in Sunday school. After telling the story of Jacob's Ladder, hand each child a strip of paper. Show children how to punch holes in two columns along either side of the strip of paper. Demonstrate how to thread yarn through the holes so the yarn resembles the rungs of a ladder. Ask kids to draw angels along each rung using paint or crayons. Alternatively, to make this more challenging, give children edible tools to create their own ladder to Heaven as Jacob from the Bible had envisioned. Give children pretzel rods, pretzel sticks, licorice, toothpicks and gummy bears. Invite them to use their creativity and ingenuity to create a portrayal of Jacob's Ladder.

Ladder Crafts as Home Accessories

A stepladder table is a suitable craft for homes that need tables and extra storage space. Wash and sand two small stepladders and a sheet of board. Wipe them all down and sand them. Prime them to create a proper canvas for painting. Paint all of them the color of your choice. Once the paint has dried, position the stepladders where you want them and nail the boards to them. You'll no doubt create an eye-catching table. Or, reuse an old ladder and create a display in your home by using it to hang pots and pans. Measure and screw hooks along the rungs of the ladder and arrange the hooks so each rung has the exact same number, or screw them in sporadically. Attach chains or ropes to either end of the ladder. Suspend the ropes or chains from hooks screwed or drilled into your ceiling. Hang pots from the hooks screwed into the rungs.

Ladder Crafts as Greeting Cards

Using ladders as a motif allows you to create inspirational and unforgettable cards. Create a success-oriented greeting card as a simple, yet elegant way to commend anyone you know who has recently experienced some success. Purchase a standard piece of card stock and fold it in half. Cut a piece of colored or patterned wrapping paper to the dimensions of the front of the card and glue it on. Make a small ladder out of pipe cleaners and attach it to the front of the card. Write in magic marker, something to the effect of "congratulations on your success." You could also create ladders out of fabric and glue them on to the front of your card stock or use a giant piece of card stock and cut it out to look like an enormous ladder.

Ladder Crafts as Jewelry

A wide variety of ways exist that you can use ladder themes to create charming, original pieces of jewelry. Bead jewelry wire and twist it into a ladder shape, making it as large or small as you would like. Add your homemade ladders to earring posts or earring fishhooks. Or, string a piece of ribbon through them to make them into a necklace. Alternatively, add small, metal ladder charms onto bracelets or glue them onto rings.

References

• Christian Crafts: Jacob's Ladder
• "Paper Crafts Magazine and Stamp It!: The Ultimate Paper Crafts Collection"; Leisure Arts; 2006
• "Women's Day" magazine; Pot Rack Ladder Craft; Bernadette Baczynski; Oct. 14, 2009
• "Women's Day" magazine; Entry Bench Ladder Craft; Bernadette Baczynski; Oct. 14, 2009
• "Quick & Easy Beaded Jewelry"; Elizabeth Gourley, Ellen Talbott; 2002
• "Crafts From Your Favorite Bible Stories"; Kathy Ross, Sharon Lane Holm; 2000