HOLIDAY DIY: Rainbow Feather Tree Topper

My colorful tree needed a topper. I was brainstorming for days until I remembered the pack of  large colorful feathers I've had for years. It dawned on me that I could use some leftover silver chenille stems to wrap the feathers around the tree top...and the perfect tree topper was formed! I used what I had on hand, but you could use any type of large feather in any colors you desire. For me it was important for the chenille stems to blend into my silver tree, so the feathers would be the star. Next year, I plan on adding other feathers or something else to fill in the space between the top and 1st row of branches. I'll be the one stalking that post-Christmas Michael's glitter stem sale.

SKILL LEVEL: Easy

TIME: About 15 minutes

COST: About $6-$10 depending on the kind of feathers you use. You can reuse all the supplies later for other projects.

SUPPLIES:

• Large colorful feathers - I bought this pack years ago from Michaels. I used about 20
• Chenille stems (aka pipe cleaners) or wire - I mostly used silver ones that matched my tree, so they would blend in
• A sturdy chair or stool - Handy for reaching the tree top, if it's much taller than you. I have long arms and could reach mine

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) I started at the very top and worked my way down. Wrap one end of a chenille stem around the top of the tree, about 2-3 inches down. Lay a couple feathers against the top section, with the feathers curving outwards. Wrap the chenille stem across the bottoms of the feathers. Continue wrapping the top, adding more feathers, until you reach your starting spot.

2) Wrap the remaining section of chenille stem around the tree top again, pulling tightly, but don't add more feathers with this pass. This helps bind the feathers to the tree. At the end, twist another chenille stem end onto that one, creating a longer stem. Wrap around the tree again to secure the feathers. Twist on another stem to the previous one. You will do this every time you reach the end.

Repeat these steps, moving each tier of feathers down to closer to the bottom of the tree top. I have 4 tiers. If you are using colorful feathers, try not to overlap matching colors.

3) To finish off, wrap the last tier with chenille stems several times, till you feel it's all secure. Tuck the end into the wrapping.

4) For the 1st row of branches, I attached some feathers using curled pieces of chenille stems. These were already on the tree. To make a curled stem, wrap it around your finger, creating a spiral. Stretch it out a bit, so the spiral is longer. Lay a feather on a branch. Twist one end of the spiral onto that branch, overlapping the feather. Press the end tightly, so it holds the feather on well.

That's all for this tutorial. It took me about 15 minutes to complete. This is pretty basic, so you can add lots of whimsical filler to it in the same manner. The chenille stems are basically fuzzy wire, so they hold well. If you don't have any chenille stems, regular wire will work. Floral wire works great for green trees, as it blends in. To see how I made other tree decorations, check out my Pom Pom Christmas Tree Skirt, Rainbow Beaded Garland, and Rainbow Snowflake Ornaments tutorials. However you decorate this year, have fun with it. Happy Makery!