Our neighbour is an avid gardener who spends the winter making plans for her garden. To keep track of the best choices, she tacks up seed packets on a garden room tackboard. These push-pins for her tackboard will add a clever and appealing touch. I plan to give them to her in an attractive old tobacco tin I found in an antique store, which I’ll label “For your tackboard.”

Supplies:

• Twigs of approximately 3/4- to 1-inch diameter

• Saw

• Wood glue

• 6 slender finishing nails

• Drill

• Drill bit with a diameter just smaller than the nails

Instructions:

Clean off all loose debris from the twigs because as they dry inside the house they can make quite a mess. Using a saw, cut the twigs into segments that are no more than 1 inch long. No need to use a tape measure — the various lengths give them more rustic charm. Secure the drill bit in the drill and using the growth rings as a guide, drill into the middle, only halfway into each of the segments. (When you do this be careful that you don’t drill right through, slip and drill a hole in your finger as I did!) When all the segments have been drilled, place a generous drop of wood glue on top of each hole. Push the head of the nail through the glue as far into the hole as possible. Use your fingertip to smear the excess glue over the end of the push-pin to ensure a good seal and make sure the nail is straight. Dry the push-pins overnight. If used too soon while the glue is still wet, the nail will pull right out of the wood.