There’s a chill in the air and twinkling lights popping up throughout the neighborhood. Only one word can describe the feeling the winter holidays bring: magical.
Materials
- An old Blizzak tire by Bridgestone
- Yardstick
- String
- Pencil for tracing
- ¼” Plywood board (or ¼ inch foam core)
- Jigsaw (or scissors if using foam core)
- Nail gun and nails
- Thick wire edged ribbon in red, blue or green
- Holiday sweater
- Thick rubber bands
- Hot glue gun and glue
- Duct tape
- Galvanized bucket
Steps for Transforming Old Tires into Ornaments
Step 1:
Using a yardstick, measure the diameter of the tire hole. Add an inch or two to the width that you measured, and halve it. If your tire hole was 12 inches across, you would add two inches making it 14 and halve it to 7. This will be the length of the string you use to draw your circle.
Step 2:
Tap a nail into the center of the plywood or foam core and tie the string around it. Attach the other end of the string to a pencil, making sure the distance between the two is the halved value you calculated.
Step 3:
With the string pulled taught, draw a circle on the plywood or foam core. Using a jigsaw, or scissors—depending on the material you use—cut the circle out.
Step 4:
Take your wired edge ribbon and tape the edge to the underside of the tire, so it is firmly in place. Wrap the ribbon tightly around the tire, making sure to not leave any gaps. This is best done with another person, so they can assist in holding the tire up, while you wrap.
Step 5:
Once you’ve gotten all the way around the tire, leave a tail of a couple inches before cutting. Take the tail and tape it using duct tape to the back or underside of the tire.
Step 6:
Take your holiday sweater and wrap it around the circle of plywood or foam core, making sure the pattern is centered on the circle.
Step 7:
Using the duct tape, tape down the collar and the hem of the shirt on the backside of the board. Grab the excess material and secure it tightly with a rubber band.
Step 8:
Using a nail gun, secure the sweater-covered plywood to your wrapped tire. Use about 12 nails around the perimeter, spaced like a clock.
Step 9:
Turn the galvanized bucket upside down, so that the narrower end is on top. Line it up with the top center of your ornament and secure it to the ribbon using a hot glue gun.
Viola! Now you have a stunning decoration that you can say you made yourself with an old set of tires.
Before you head out to check the holiday decorations around town, make sure your car is ready for winter weather by visiting your nearest Firestone Complete Auto Care location. Or visit us here for the latest tire and auto service coupons.
