Our “Five Ornaments in an Evening” column for this year was doomed from the beginning. The individual projects we selected all took more than an evening to complete — last week’s glitter glue on tuna can lids fiasco being the latest example — so we decided to bag that column for this year.
The one project we had planned to include that can be finished in an evening is this week’s fluffy feather boa wreath. It’s fast, easy and (we think) fun; the only drawback is that it’s pricey. The good news is that the wreath can be disassembled after the holidays and the materials can be recycled or eaten.
To make our wreath, you’ll need a Styrofoam wreath base, feather boas, pins, wired ribbon and embellishments of your choice.
The Styrofoam wreath will cost you between $3 and $6, depending on the size. You may want to stay on the smallish side, since the boas, though quite long, do have to be wrapped around the base a number of times. If you go bigger than a 12-inch (the size of our sample), you’ll need more than one boa of the same color to make it all the way around.
We suggest using pins for securing the boas because they can be easily removed during deconstruction. Just make sure they are the kind with the little plastic or pearl-like heads so they don’t get lost in the feathers.
We find wired ribbon better for making bows, but if you fall in love with an unwired version, don’t feel bound to a hard and fast rule.
For embellishments, we chose a chocolate reindeer, a Santa face and a sparkling golden dove to show versatility, but the choice of decoration is entirely up to you.
As for boas, be prepared to spend at least $5 for each one. Those used for our sample were $8 apiece, and we strongly recommend that you not go below $5 each. Less expense can mean less quality, which can, in turn, mean excessive shedding, bulges and thin spots — and a boa that may fall apart easily.
If you do find a bargain, give the boa a little shake (to check shedding) and examine it for uneven spots. Also, take a few minutes to wrap the boa around the wreath base before you leave the store. There’s nothing worse than getting home, finding you’ve come up short in the middle of the project and having to dash back to the store hoping to find more of the same material — especially during the holiday shopping frenzy.
Assembly is simple: wrap the boas around the wreath base and secure the beginning and end with pins. We thought about using red and white boas only (for a peppermint look), but decided to add a green one because the color combination reminded us of Christmas ribbon candy, one of our favorite things.
When the boas are in place, make a hanger by bending a paperclip to form an “S” shape, attach it to the back of the wreath and add your embellishments.
We secured the chocolate reindeer by sticking a toothpick in the bottom of the candy, then sticking the other end into the Styrofoam.
To add our Santa face (a great find at “The Uff Da Shoppe” in Stanwood), we made a hanger of heavy thread and ran it through Santa’s hat, over the top of the wreath and tied it to the paperclip hanger we made in back, making sure that the face was well centered in the wreath. The same process used for attaching the Santa face was used to attach the golden dove. The thread is easily hidden in the flurry of feathers.
You can add more embellishment if desired, but we kept ours to a minimum as the feathers tend to get smashed, and part of the fun of the boas is that they dance in the breeze and add life to the wreath.
This wreath is a gift that keeps on giving for a fellow crafter. When the holidays are past, your friend can eat the chocolate or save the ornament, use the red and white boas for Valentine’s Day and the green one for St. Patrick’s Day, and reuse the Styrofoam base or break it apart and use the pieces to stabilize dried flower arrangements throughout the year.
Contact Jonetta Coffin at jrocoffin@aol.com.
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