Surviving Christmas

A personal guide to surviving Christmas with style and grace!

Fast & Elegant Peacock Feather Wreath

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Making a peacock feather wreath is a very easy project and will result in a beautifully elegant finished product.

This sort of wreath makes a beautiful adornment for your home at any time of year, and can be enhanced by the addition of ornaments, dried flowers or left in its natural splendor.

Materials:

For this project you will need a straw or foam wreath base, feathers, white craft glue and ornaments (if desired).

The size of the wreath base which you choose to use will be a part in determining the size of the wreath. After you have chosen your base, you will need to buy peacock feathers.

The amount of feathers you buy will be determined by the size of your straw wreath base, the larger the wreath base, the more feathers you will need. There are great sources of peacock feathers on the internet or you may choose to visit a local craft supply store and pick out your own.

If you live near Chinatown, peacock feathers, both natural as well as dyed, can be found for almost ridiculously low prices. Sometimes you can also order them through the gift shops in bulk as well.

In buying a product of this kind, I usually buy a few more than I think I will actually need for my project.

I find running short of supplies before a project is finished to be very frustrating and I’ve found that I can always add the surplus to my craft supply box and just knowing that they are there usually brings to mind some sort of fun project for which they can be used.

Directions:

You may also want a sharp nail to help make openings in the straw wreath in which to place the feathers.

Before you start your wreath, you will want to look at your feathers to see where you want to cut them off. While there are fronds nearly all the way down the shaft on these feathers, usually only the last 6 to 12 inches should be used (or you might have a 7 foot wreath!).

Cut about 2 extra inches, and trim off the side feathers so that you have a smooth quill to stick into the base.

First, dip the cleaned end of your feather in a bit of white craft glue (the kind that dries clear, like kid's glue for school), and then insert the feather into the wreath base about two thirds down. You may need a nail at this point, to create the openings for you. Set the feathers about three to four inches apart, all in a row.

When you have gone completely around the wreath base, you will want to go up about a half an inch, and repeat, setting these feathers over a bit so that they don’t come directly over the other feathers.

Repeat this for about two more rows.

Then you will want to do one more row with slightly shorter feathers. This will give your wreath a fuller layered appearance.

If you are going to add in sprigs of dried flowers, they will go in the “V” created between two feathers, and the stem should be dipped in glue as well.

To add small ornaments (glass balls or otherwise), use floral wire, and attach by running the wire through the ornament hoop, then around the back of the wreath, and twist to secure.

Tuck the twisted end into the wreath base so that you don't scratch whatever you hang your wreath on!

Congratulations! You have just created a beautiful work of art, ready to be hung!

Many Blessings
GrannySue 

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