So many feathers!I have been collecting feathers for years. Whenever I find them on my walks on the beach, in the woods, or in my yard, I pick them up. I always feel that they are a treasure left for me to find. They are so beautiful, detailed, and each one is unique. For years I have put them in various containers, cups, vases, jars. Most recently I bought a large gallon mason jar that I arranged them in. It was nice but you could not really see the individual feathers. I spent lots of time looking on Pinterest for what to do with feathers. There are beautiful feathers in shadowboxes or hung by string on the wall. In each case these displayed only a few feathers at a time and I had so many. How could I possibly pick just 3 or 5?! I did see that people created feather wreaths. They tended to be made of lots of downy feathers which I didn't have many of. Most of mine are wing feathers. I decided to give it a try anyway. I looked at wreath forms and decided on a grape leaf wreath. I thought I would be able to cover it all up and it would give me plenty of places to hot glue the feathers to. I laid out all of my feathers on my table and semi-sorted them. I wanted to have a variety. I began gluing them in place, on multiple sides at the same time. I realized that I needed to select feathers that curved all in the same direction. It's a good thing I had so many! I propped the wreath up on a folded up towel. This helped my arm take a break and let me look at it without it sitting on the table. I also needed the hot glue to be semi-dry before I turned it and added more feathers. After working for a while, I realized I really needed a whole layer of larger feathers in the back. I had gaps in my larger feathers that I felt looked odd. I tried adding more feathers in the gaps but it was not so easy to get them to fit. I wanted them to be evenly spaced and allow all the other feathers to be "on top" of them. So I flipped it over and worked on the back side. I placed feathers and adjusted them, and then glued once I had the placement correct. Once I had the back completed I worked on filling in gaps on the front side and making sure the feathers in the center hid the wooden wreath underneath. I added smaller feathers in between larger ones, keeping mind colors and patterns. The feathers I used are primarily, white, black, grey, and shades of brown. There are some turkey feathers which have an iridescent bronze or greenish color depending on the light. I had some Blue Jay feathers that I wanted to use but I wasn't sure how they would look. Luckily it is pretty easy to slide them into a few places to see if you like the placement. I ended up adding three blue feathers. Gluing them into place without messing up other feathers was not so easy! Here is the final wreath. I hung it up on my coat rack to see how it looked, it needs a nail or hook that sticks out a lot in order to properly support the weight and because the feathers curve backwards and some will touch the wall. This whole process took me a few days (and my whole dining room table!). I needed to take breaks so I didn't get frustrated or rush. I ruined a few feathers by accidentally getting hot glue on them. Sometimes I could trim it off or cover it up with another feather. Other times I had to remove the feather completely. I also needed the time to think about how it looked. If I thought it was terrible, I wanted to be able to stop before using too many feathers. My family helped, giving suggestions and encouraging me. It was definitely a learning experience and I'm sure if I did it again it would be easier. That's what is fun about DIY projects, trying something new!
I love the way it turned out and I think it is a beautiful way to display my feathers so I can appreciate all of them.
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Farmhouse Wooden Candle HoldersI was looking for some large candle holders that I could use as decor on shelves or on a mantle. I wanted them to be wood and have a farmhouse, old look. When I was unable to find anything, I decided to try creating my own. I purchased wooden candle holders at Michael's. I liked the shapes and different sizes but I did not like the finish, they were a light color. I decided to stain them a darker color, that would match other wood stained items in my home. I used Minwax Early American. To start I tested out my stain on the bottom of the candle holder to see how the color would turn out. It wiped off easily and I realized that there was a waxy finish on the wood. I carefully sanded the candle holders, being sure to get into the cracks as much as I could. I used a fine grit sandpaper, 350 grit. I carefully wiped off all of the dust. Then using a rag that I didn't mind throwing away, I dipped it into the stain and rubbed it all over the candle holder. I prefer using a rag to a brush, as it doesn't flick stain anywhere. I can squeeze the rag to have stain drip off into smaller corners if needed. I am able to really rub it into the wood. If you prefer a brush, use that. I let the stain dry overnight even though it says it only takes a few hours. I considered painting them white and then distressing them. Instead I decided that I liked the way they looked stained. There are darker areas and lighter spots. Some sections even look slightly greenish due to the tones of the wood. But this is what makes them unique.
So I needed to seal them with something to protect them from our humid weather, even indoors. To seal the candleholders I used Watco Danish Oil. This rubs into the wood and seals it without a shiny hard top coat. I find it protects the wood while still looking natural. I used a rag to rub it all over the candle holders and let it dry for a few hours. Turn this planter into a farmhouse succulent dream!
Step 1: Unscrew the wooden planter from the metal frame. Step 2: Sand the wooden planter gently, smoothing out any imperfections Step 3: Dip a rag into your stain and gently rub all over the wooden planter. Wipe off any excess. Let dry overnight. Step 4: Using a clean rag, dip it in your sealer. I used Watco Danish Oil. This sealer soaks into the wood and provides a smooth matte finish. It is NOT a shiny top coat. Rub thoroughly all over the wooden planter. Wipe off any excess. Let dry overnight. (Use any sealer that you want, for the finish you are looking for.) Step 5: Trace the shape of the planter on the foam block. Cut inside the line, the block will be smaller than your tracing because of the top edge of the planter. You will need to trim the foam until it fits snuggly inside the planter. Be sure to only slice off small pieces at a time. Use the scraps to add additional pieces in any gaps, to ensure the foam stays in place. Step 6: Prepare your faux succulents. You'll need the wire cutters to trim the ends. If your succulent has many stems, trim the ones on the outer edges. Step 7: Poke holes into the floral foam with your screwdriver. Then shove the stems as far into the foam as you can. Continue until you have all the succulents arranged in the foam. Step 8: Prepare the moss. Mine was in a big clump and I had to pull apart strands. Lay it around the base of the succulents to see how it will fit. Step 9: Squirt lots of white glue onto the floral foam and attach the moss. Add moss all across the back and any empty spaces between succulents. You want to cover up all of the floral foam. Step 10:
Carefully fit the wooden planter back into the metal frame. Screw the frame to the planter. Hang it on the wall and enjoy! |
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AuthorAna is a designer and maker. She has a Bachelors in Art from Lewis & Clark College and a Masters in Education from Portland State University. Ana has worked as a graphic designer, color designer, footwear developer, elementary teacher and media specialist. Her passions include books, outdoors, and creating. Ana enjoys sewing, photography, painting, collage, embroidery, jewelry making, gardening and being outside. ArchivesCategories |