How to Make Cinderella Carriage Using Flower Wires

Use floral wire to create a chic, French-inspired wire sculpture of Cinderella's classic dome-shaped carriage. French wire sculptures have long been a classic home decor item. Many home accent stores carry everything from decorative wire bird cages, to fruit baskets to wire sculpted candle holders. Use floral wire and dried flowers to craft your carriage and decorate it. Your end result will be a piece that looks expensive, but in reality cost very little. All that's required is time, patience and some artistic ability.

Photograph of Cinderella's carriage
Sketch pad
Pencils
5-inch styrofoam sphere
22-guage florists' wires, lightweight
Wire cutters
Dried flowers (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Obtain a photograph of Cinderella's carriage and sketch your design based on this photograph. Sketch how you want to attach each wire together and plan out your sculpture in this way. Sketch 10 wires criss-crossing from the very top of the carriage and forming a sphere of vertical wires. Sketch five horizontal lines connecting those wires. Sketch two large wheels and spokes, as well as a drivers' platform at the front of the carriage.
- 2
  Unravel your spool of florists' wire and cut the vertical pieces needed for your design using the styrofoam sphere as your guide to cut the correct length. The wires should be able to completely encircle the sphere.
- 3
  Cross 10 wires at the center of each wire so they are spaced evenly, and twist them together at this middle point, or use one short piece of wire to connect all 10 wires at this point.
- 4
  Lay your wires on the styrofoam sphere and gently bend the wires until they conform to the sphere. Remove the sphere being careful not to lose the shape of your wires. The shape will form the basis for your round Cinderella carriage. Finish the sphere by twisting the vertical wire ends together at what will be the bottom of your carriage.
- 5
  Weave the horizontal wire pieces through the vertical pieces, according to your design. Start at the top and twist the ends together to secure the first horizontal wire. Trim the excess wire with your cutters. Repeat until you have reached the bottom of the carriage.
- 6
  Finish the carriage by twisting three pieces of wire together to form a circle about one-third the height of the carriage sphere. Repeat until you have two of these large circles; these are the carriage's wheels. Twist several wires from the wheel to the center of the wheel and then twist the ends together to secure, forming the spokes and center hub. Repeat for the second wheel.
  
  Attach the wheels to the carriage's sides using one, short piece of wire looped through each of the spokes' hubs and attached to the lower sides of the carriage sphere.
- 7
  Create a small drivers' platform by twisting rows of wire together to form a flat, lattice-work rectangle. Attach to the front lower middle of the carriage using a short piece of wire weaving the two pieces together and twisting to secure.
- 8
  Twist any loose wire ends and trim close to the sculpture. Add dried flowers to decorate your carriage, if you wish.

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