Instead of Tossing the Walnuts, She Turned Them Into Tiny Photo Holders
Walnuts tend to end up in the bowl during fall, then in the trash once they have served their purpose. Brittney Smart found another use for a few of them, turning whole walnuts into tabletop holders sized for small photos, cards, and children’s artwork.
The project needs little beyond walnuts, wire, a drill, pliers, and tin snips. Each walnut becomes the base, while a short wire rises from the top and curls into a loop that grips the paper. The brown shells also give the finished holders a fall connection without adding pumpkins, leaves, or other seasonal decorations.
Start with walnuts that can stand on their own
Shape matters before any drilling begins. Smart chose walnuts with flatter bottoms that could remain upright without support. Once wire and a card are added above the shell, a walnut that rocks on the table becomes much harder to balance.
Testing several walnuts first also avoids doing the rest of the work on shells that cannot support the finished holder.
Drill a hole sized to the wire
The drill bit should match the thickness of the wire. Smart drills from the top into the walnut, stopping before the bit reaches the opposite side. The goal is a narrow opening that can grip the wire rather than a wide hole that leaves it loose.
Keeping the hole small matters because the wire needs enough resistance to remain upright once a photo is placed in its loop.
Keep the opening narrow
The finished hole is little wider than the wire itself. That close fit reduces movement at the base and keeps the metal stem from shifting under the weight of a card.
There is also no need to drill deep enough to pass through the walnut. The wire only needs enough depth to anchor inside it.
Move the drill away from the shell seam
The natural seam running around a walnut looks like an obvious place for the hole, but Smart found that drilling there can split the shell. Her solution was to move the hole just to one side of the seam.
That small change keeps more of the shell intact around the drill bit and leaves a stronger point for the wire.
Cut a short piece of wire for each holder
Smart uses a piece of wire between 4 and 6 inches long. A shorter section works better with heavier wire because the walnut has to support both the metal and whatever goes into the holder.
The wire does two jobs, creating the vertical stem and forming the small clip at the top.
Bend the end into a double loop
Pliers turn one end of the wire into overlapping circles. Rather than making a decorative curl, the loops create the slot that holds the edge of a photo or piece of paper.
The two sections need to sit close enough to grip the paper without crushing it. Their position can be adjusted with pliers before the wire goes into the walnut.
Twist the wire into the drilled hole
A snug hole lets the wire twist into place instead of dropping straight inside. Smart notes that super glue can secure the stem if the fit ends up loose.
At this stage, the walnut should be tested on the table again. Moving or bending the wire can shift the center of gravity enough to help a holder that wants to tip.
A split walnut can still become a holder
One walnut broke along its seam during the project, but the shell half did not go to waste. A new hole and the same wire loop turned the broken piece into another stand.
Smart found that the half-shell version was the sturdiest holder in the group. Its broad cut edge creates a larger base against the tabletop than an intact walnut provides.
Small artwork slips between the wire loops
Once the wire is secure, a photo, note, place card, or small piece of artwork can slide between the loops. Several holders can sit across a shelf or table without the space required for conventional frames.
The walnut remains visible below the paper, making the base part of the display rather than hardware that needs to be hidden.
Kids’ artwork gets its own tabletop stand
Smart used one finished holder for a small watercolor made by a 5-year-old. The wire lifts the paper above the table while the walnut acts as a compact base, turning a loose piece of artwork into a freestanding display.
The same setup could hold small photos or handwritten cards through fall, then return to the drawer once the season changes.