Living lakeside in the country has definitely changed my aesthetic, and I find myself turning to nature more and more for inspiration. I put together a DIY evergreen wreath tutorial for Hello Holiday that has such an organic, earthy feel to it that I surprised myself!
You can see the full how-to on Hello Yellow but this was pretty straightforward to make. Once I gathered armfuls of evergreen branches (using pruning sheers for a clean cut), I cut down the branches into smaller piece. I grabbed bunches of these trimmings, fanned them out, and affixed them to my wreath form using green floral wire. Easy! Then I just worked my way around the wreath, layering on the boughs.
When I was finished with the wreath, I accented it with feathers. I picked up a zillion Canada goose feathers from the yard one day and I was so enraged by their constant presence. For some reason, vowing to make something pretty with their feathers seemed like the perfect revenge (I do not understand my logic). I actually wanted to make something like Britt Bass' arrow art, but then I found adorable clip-on birds at the craft store and decided that an earthy wreath would be an even better use! Take that, geese. Ha!
After collecting them, I cleaned the goose feathers. First I popped them all in a ziploc bag and placed it in the freezer for a few days (to kill any bugs), then I gently washed them in dish soap, rinsed, and let them air dry. I mixed them with some shimmering faux foliage stems and a handful of teal feathers from the craft store for some subtle colour, inspired by the lake and it's moody, grey blues this time of year. A dab of hot glue is all that was required to affix them.
The wreath is so full and lush - and smells amazing. I love that it is huge because it makes such a statement on my walls.
You can see this wreath - and tons of other holiday crafts, DIY projects and decorating ideas - in Hello Holiday! And, if you missed my other modern holiday decorating ideas, check out my DIY agate wreath and DIY dyed bottle brush trees.
