Yes, this is happening. The time is now: make your own feather wreath, honey! I posted about this two Octobers ago, and I thought it was due for a revisit as I just got out my Halloween decorations last night.
I'm of two minds. I do know that it's only October 3, and I think the Halloween-Industrial Complex tries to make us buy things earlier and earlier every year. It's like a junior Christmas for shopping. I walked into Pottery Barn and a sign said, "Halloween: A Season of Decorating," and I was like, "Oh, it's a whole season now?" But then there's this other part of me that spent like fifty bucks on pumpkins and mums this weekend.
Anyhoo.
So yes, if you are into it, get a straw wreath form, like this:
For our wreath, Laura and I used a 15" form. We just left the plastic wrap on so little bits of straw wouldn't stick through.
Get some floral pins, like these:
Then get some feather boas. We used 3 of the 6 foot boas to cover our wreath. You want good coverage. Pin one end of a boa to the wreath and start wrappin'. Go all the way around and around, pinning at the start and end of each boa. Enjoy the fluffiness.
Add a little bauble if you want. We put an orange ball in there. I went looking for just such a Halloween-ish bauble, thinking they wouldn't have Christmas-style hanging ornaments for Halloween. Boy was that wrong. There so totally ARE black and orange hanging ornaments. Turns out, people around these parts are having Halloween Trees now. A Polly Perfect friend of mine over in Fancy Land has a huge one that she made out of what is essentially a giant grapevine cone. It has hanging ornaments and black birds on it. But this woman is crazy nuts for Halloween. She was worried that her HOA would write her a dunning letter about the gravestones she put along her front sidewalk on September 15. As she said, "But it's just a small graveyard." See? A season of decorating.
If I had to critique my own feather wreath effort, I would say that the wreath is maybe a little too fluffy. It looks more like a circle than an actual wreath, because the feathers fill up the hole in the middle. Probably some further experimentation with wreath sizes and boa fluff levels would lead to a more refined product. I dunno, it gets the mood across.
All the supplies cost just under twenty bucks, which is about half what these are going for. And now I'm seeing feather wreaths everywhere, ever since I STARTED THIS WHOLE TREND two years ago. Not really. Maybe.
I'll leave you with Hank loving on a pumpkin.
Happy Early October! Are you buying into the whole Season of Decorating thing? If so, feather that mother up! And naturally, take pics and come tell us where we can look at them.
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18 comments:
Hmm.. I can sooo see that made in hot pink for my daughters room! LOL
Love it!
I am so racked with guilt over Halloween. We have very lame decorations and nothing for the yard, really. My kids are so disappointed -- thankfully, though, a pop-up Halloween store just opened up the street for me, so I imagine I'll be visiting that. Sigh.
This is adorable! I'm totally making it.
This has been the Halloween of crafts. After I visited my cousin and saw all of her Halloween decorations made by her children I thought, hmmm.... that's a great idea. Instead of spending loads of money on decorations, I'll empploy my children to make them for me. Isn't that what children are for? Work?
Oh man, I love this! I'm totally NOT making it, because I do not do Halloween decorations, but this is an awesome idea.
I showed my daughter and she is a go for giving it a try! thanks for the suggestion!
Boo!
You are SO cutting edge!
Cute! It looks a little like Mr. Snuffalupagus. But in a good way. :)
I love the wreath and the pumpkins, but I have to say that I think going ALL out decorating for Halloween is a little much for me. It seems like it's gotten to be even more of a thing in the last few years--or maybe I've just been out of the country long enough for it to seem excessive. :) I think for me, I don't wanna elevate it to the same level as Christmas. Like sending your 12 year olds to their 8th grade formal in a stretch Hummer...then what will they do for their senior prom? Know what I mean? A Halloween tree just seems like overkill.
But what do I know?
Down heah, where we are held hostage all summer by oppressive heat and humidity, I think the turning of October spurs a NEED to celebrate in a big way. And there's Halloween! So we go with it. We already have little cloth ghosts we made years ago hanging from our front tree and a giant spiderweb by the front door. That happened on Oct 1.
Having small children has made me sort of an anti-decorator, though I have a ton of Halloween/Thanksgiving seasonal decorations. Like decorative pumpkins and pumpkin or atumnal leave candle holders. I have some "spooky" Halloween specific stuff, but most of it is fall seasonal. Because I'm cheap. But I don't put it out anymore. Maybe this year? I don't know. Miles William is totally in that must-touch-and-possibly-break-everything stages, so we'll see.
Halloween just strikes me as the strangest decorating phenom ever. Like someone over at Hallmark realized, "What the heck---we've got a month or so where people aren't buying crap! Quick, slap a mask on Snoopy and create worthless, innocuous cards for people to send."
Then the think-tanks at Party America and Priscilla's pooled resources and drew up a line of one-size-fits-all costumes to market to babes and babies alike: think Dorothy since that's the life-sized cardboard cutout I bumped into Friday when I bought napkins for a block party.
Alas. We do mums and pumpkins and call it a day. : )
Great picture of Hank! Perfect for your Halloween greeting cards...You are sending your Halloween cards aren't you?
I'm afraid we are bah humbug about Halloween (Hallowe'en? -- or is that an out-dated spelling?) We usually turn the lights off and go to a movie until the coast is clear... Maybe we'll be different when Seamus gets old enough to care! So, I'm only commenting because I can see what I think is Bill's painting in the picture -- Cool! xo
M, re: the costumes for babies and babes, it's the "sexy_____" costume syndrome. If I see one more sexy vampire chick I am going to hurl.
Like, looking like a hooker is not a costume. Unless you're going as a hooker? Or no.
Bonnie, I predict that as Baby Shay gets bigger, you and Bill will have renewed interest in Halloween!
And darn that CVS! I went in there tonight for something mundane and happened to scan my card at the little coupon machine. It have me a one-day $5 off coupon for Halloween decor, and I now am the proud owner of a string of big spider lights. And they are adorable!
I *love* Hallowe'en, and I love decorating for it. But I honestly haven't since Xander was born, because...really? WHO HAS TIME?
He's 3 this year. I guess I might have time.
And. And! Paul doesn't work that night. So we might actually get to "do" Hallowe'en.
Loving the wreath! A visit to Hobby Lobby is in my future. And maybe Michael's...
I have one Halloween craft that I do every year, that my Mom created when I was younger. Little ghost suckers, with coffee filters or tissue paper. I'm sure there are variations out there, but they are fun and easy and cheap. Everything I'm looking for in a craft!
I am TOTALLY going to make one of these this year. I have to go to the craft store to buy feathers for Jude's chicken costume (sigh...).
Here is my Halloween wreath:
http://griggboys.blogspot.com/2010/10/halloween-crafts.html
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