FALL WREATH WITH PEACOCK FEATHERS
My kids recently came home with a big bunch of stunning peacock feathers from their aunt’s farm. Peacocks molt at the end of summer and lose their big, beautiful feathers. They will regrow them by spring to be ready for their next mating season. Luckily, my daughters visited just at the right time to collect some of the peacocks’ striking feathers.
I absolutely love the beautiful and vibrant jewel-toned shades of blue, turquoise and purple and the unique golden shimmer of peacock feathers. Since my kids were playing all kinds of games with them, I decided to “save” some by incorporating them into a fall wreath.
For this stunning fall wreath, I used eucalyptus, Russian sage, lavender, blue thistle and globe thistle, added peacock feathers as beautiful accents and a golden metal floral hoop as the base.
TIPS TO MAKE THE PERFECT FALL WREATH WITH PEACOCK FEATHERS
Gather everything you will need in advance to avoid interrupting your creative flow.
Cover your work surface with some old newspaper or an arts and crafts mat in case it gets a bit messy.
Make sure to have enough material. The amount of material you will need depends on the size of your hoop and how full you want it. It’s always better to have too much than not enough materials at hand.
Keep your materials sorted- this will help you stay organized.
Prep your materials before you start assembling your wreath. I prefer cutting my branches, stems and feathers before making small bundles to set aside ready to be assembled all in one go, instead of stopping and making every bundle between fastening them to the hoop.
Make sure to step back and take a look at the big picture during your wreath making, since it is easy to get lost in small details. That way you can ensure your wreath is nice and balanced and has the desired volume.
You can always refine your wreath at the end by tucking in some more materials or cutting smaller details later.
Trust your creativity and follow your creative instincts. Enjoy the creative process just as much as the end result and let go of any fixed ideas. Be open to incorporate new materials or some you might already have and play around with different colors and textures.
MATERIALS YOU WILL NEED
peacock feathers
eucalyptus
russian sage
lavender
blue thistle
globe thistle
bow or string to hang wreath (optional)
newspaper or mat to cover your workspace
floral metal hoop
a roll of floristry wire
TOOLS YOU WILL NEED
pruners
scissors
wire snips
INSTRUCTIONS
Cover your workspace, gather your tools and sort all of your materials.
Cut your branches, stems and feathers into smaller pieces, 2-3 inches long. Keep them sorted and organized.
Make small bundles with 4-5 stems each and lay them out beside each other.
Attach the end of your floristry wire roll to the floral hoop by wrapping it around tightly until it’s securely fastened and won’t slide. Don’t cut the floristry wire at any time! It will make it easier to attach the small bundles one after the other.
Lay your first small bundle on the floral hoop, hold it with one hand and wrap the floristry wire around the bunch two to three times with the other hand to secure it tightly to the hoop. Make sure to give it a good pull to fasten the bunch properly on the hoop and keep in mind the branches will dry and shrink a bit over time. The tension of the wire will hold your wreath together, so keep it wrapping tightly!
Continue by layering anther bundle in the same direction, slightly overlapping the first one and wrapping it tightly to the hoop with your floristry wire.
To avoid getting lost in the small details step back and check your wreath occasionally to make sure it’s nicely balanced.
Build up your wreath by fastening two thirds on the floral hoop in the same manner. Tie your wire off by wrapping the wire around tightly for two more times and snip it off with your wire snips, leaving a couple of inches. Knot the end of the wire to the loop on the backside. Make sure to tuck in the sharp end to avoid it from scratching your wall or door.
Start building up the other side of the wreath starting from the other side leaving approximately a third of the floral hoop without greenery. Once you get to the middle tie off the end of the wire like before and fasten a nice full branch and one or two nice big blue thistles in the middle to cover the wire or add a bow in the middle.
Add a bow, ribbon or piece of yarn to hang the wreath if you would like.
Step back, admire your creativity and find the perfect spot for your brand-new fall wreath with peacock feathers!