Grungy Clothespins

One of my favorite grungy goods to make are Grungy Clothespins. They're not the easiest things to do since they're long and skinny and have to be dipped in hot wax--without also dipping  my fingers in the hot wax too. But they are worth the care it takes to make them because they are so cute and primitive when they are finished.

To make these, I always melt my wax in a Presto Pot that I bought just for making my wax-dipped items. It allows me to control the temperature of the wax rather easily, which is important since wax does have a flash point and can burst into flames if it gets to too hot! 

What I do is melt the wax and then use a heavy duty needle to poke into the inner part of the clothespin's opening. The wood tends to be a bit softer in there and even though it takes a little bit of effort, I can usually get a needle in there. Then I use the needle to hold onto the clothespins when I dip them into the hot wax. I dip them for a few seconds, then immediately roll the clothespin into ground cinnamon until it's fully coated. I do all my clothespins one at a time like this. Once they've all sat after being rolled in cinnamon, then I take each one and dip them in the wax again to seal them. I have found that letting them set a bit before sealing them enables the cinnamon to stick much better during the next dip. So I dip quickly on one side, then the other, then set them on wax paper to dry. When I sold these in my store,  I always wrapped up three of them with a piece of homespun for that primitive touch.

These make perfect bowl fillers in wrapped bunches, or just a whole bunch of individual ones together. They also look good on a shelf in a bunch, or you could tie homespun to each top and use them as ornies.