A wing and a prayer

Angels' Wings

we get in such a rush

to fill our lives with things,

we seldom take the time

to feel the brush

of Angel's wings

                           unknown

Angel Globes * Feathered Wreath

Who couldn't use a little divine intervention in their decor? The holidays are the perfect time to add some angelic touches to your home. Of course these heavenly crafts have to be created on an earthly budget.

Angel Globes

Yes, everyone's seen these clear ornaments used a million and a half ways, but here's a simple craft that's not necessarily just for the holidays. These globes can be hung in a window, dangled on a Christmas tree branch, or simply given as a delightful gift to any of the "angels" in your life.

These are a bit tricky to photograph but they consist of an "angel" feather and mini "halo"

resting in a bed of sparkly "snow"

I hung from white ribbon but something glittery or rustic raffia would work as well

or perched one a candlestick (mine's a dollar store find with a light coat of spray paint)

or suspend from an "instant" tree (I made one of found branches spritzed with a light coat of white spray paint and glitter. I stood the branches in flower foam in a white ceramic container -covering the foam with craft moss- be sure to choose fairly sturdy branches and secure them well- my first attempt took a tumble when I added ornaments- much to the delight of my cats)

You'll Need:

Clear ornaments

Epsom salts and "faux" snow or glitter-

the epsom salt adds enough weight to keep it balanced

Craft feathers in white

Ribbon

Glittery pipe cleaners

Angel quote tags

Easy How-to

Funnel epsom salt with a bit of glitter or "snow" into globe

Pop in feather or two

Create small halo from pipe cleaner and squeeze through globe opening

If halos get a little misshapen use 2 skewers or cocktail stirrers to reshape halo inside globe. I positioned two skewers in opening in halo and pressed outward to reshape. (like building a ship in a bottle but not as hard as it would seem)

Use skewer or stirrer to rearrange or adjust items

Hang from ribbon and attach a quote if desired

 (here are a few of my favorites also available on the "Printables" page)

Feathered 

Wreath

I saw a feathered wreath at my local craft store and loved the gossamer glamour but wasn't thrilled with the price tag. I reinterpreted my own version for a fraction of the price. Since they say doves are the angels of the bird world I added one for good measure.

craft store feather wreath $34.99

You'll Need

A basic wreath: 

(mine was straw and $1 after thanksgiving but any type that could be painted white will work)

White spray paint

A feather boa (from craft store- you may need 2 if wreath is large)

Some additional feathers (I had them leftover from the angel globes)

Self Stick-on sparkles or faux jewels

Assorted doves or ornaments of your choice

silver doilies - optional

Ribbon or hanger

glue gun

 Easy How-to

(this is similar to our black Raven Halloween wreath from our Halloween Fun post)

Spray wreath with a quick coat of white paint (if it's not already)

Glue one end of feather boa to back of wreath and wrap evenly all around, adjusting as necessary

Glue or secure other end of boa 

 Looks a little sickly so far

Hot glue extra feathers for fullness. I trimmed the tough "quill" ends off of some feathers for a lighter fluffier effect. I also felt my wreath needed some more subtle sparkle, so I cut up a small plastic snowflake (6 for  $1) and glued it's "branches"among the feathers.

Then get creative: add sparkles, birds, ornaments, to taste- I cut a small "crown" from silver doily and glued on to dove's head for a royal touch. I tried a few arrangements with the accent ornaments before committing to glue and opted for a fairly simple design (if feather boas, sparkles and birds in crowns can be described as simple)

Hang with ribbon or hanger if desired

*Not wild about white? This idea could be reinterpreted in any fun or unconventional holiday color: Vintage Pink, Dove Grey, Baby Blue?

I tried a few different vignettes and thought the wreath worked well with the angel globes and some (not necessarily Christmas) bird themed odds and ends I had on hand.

Wishing everyone Joy 

and 

Peace this Holiday Season