3.28.2014

Spring Decorating with Nature..twigs, raffia & wood


I strive to keep my seasonal expressions in line with my day-to-day home decor. In other words, since I don't have pastels in my home,  my spring decorating will lack pastels (unless it's a wreath for the door). I love using natural elements and taking inspiration from nature, which inspires my projects much of the time. That said, today, I'm  sharing how I created my Spring Nest with Pyrographic Eggs.

Spring Nest with Pyrographic Eggs
Spring Decorating with Nature..twigs, raffia & wood

Spring is all about the birds around our house. We have 3-4 bird houses and a couple of feeders so you can always see birds somewhere close by. This led to the idea of doing a nest with wood eggs embellished with the wood burning tool. I am still a beginner with the wood burner, truthfully, I'm still overcoming a mild fear since it's much hotter than a glue gun and we all know how that smarts! However, I must say I am tickled with the results and it's harmonious with my existing decor.  I am placing my nest and eggs under the bell jar (cloche) I received at Christmas but it would be just as pretty sitting on a mantel or tabletop on its own.

Bell Jar with Pyrography Eggs in Raffia Nest


Here's how I created my Spring Nest with Pyrographic Eggs. Obviously, you can make the same things without using a wood burner. Paints, inks, and stamping are options that would bring a similar look to your wood eggs. 

Bell Jar with Pyrography Eggs in Raffia NestSupplies:
  • twigs
  • raffia
  • Wood eggs
  • Wood burner or paints, inks, and stamping supplies
  • black paint
  • hot glue 
  • scissors
[it took 2 days to complete the project. One day to do the pyrography and the 2nd day to complete everything else]


First, I painted the wood eggs white. I did one coat and wasn't overly concerned with coverage. I simply didn't want the color of the plain wood. 

Wood Eggs one natural & one painted white

Then I found twigs that would fit under my bell jar and allow for a nest in the branches. I worked two branches together until I could get them to stand as a unit then I hot glued the joints just to make sure when I added the nest and eggs they wouldn't collapse. 

Raffia Nest in twig branches

My next step was adorning the eggs. I had no real plan or pattern. I just used the existing wood burner tips I have to do the work. In a few instances, I used the tips to create icons like hearts, zig-zags and flowers. If you decide you want to pursue pyrography check out my tips and cautions to help get you started. Each side of each egg has a different pattern. I wanted to practice with the burner so now I have a bunch of different looks just by turning the eggs over!
Pyrography Eggs

Once I had the eggs decorated, I built the nest. I took an empty box and cut out a circle and painted it black. This will be the base of the nest where I can attach raffia using hot glue and it is the resting place for the wood eggs. I took a handful of the raffia tied it on each end and wound it around on itself and hot glued it to create a fairly tight circle. I attached the raffia to the cardboard using hot glue. I trimmed and glued until I got the shape and appearance I wanted.  
Raffia Nest

I didn't like the starkness of the raffia (it just didn't look natural) so I dry brushed some black paint on it to tone it down some. 

Finally, I placed the nest in the twig branches and added the eggs to the nest. Unfortunately, I could only fit 3 of the 4 eggs I had decorated but as with all decorating learning to edit is essential so I went with 3 eggs.

Pyrography Eggs in Spring Raffia Nest
It is hard to get good pictures through a glass jar but I took a few to give the full effect. 

Cloche with Pyrography Eggs in Raffia Nest
 
Do you do seasonal decorating? How do you decide materials, colors? What inspires you? I'd love to know!


 
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D SteppAbout D Stepp
D is a lifestyle blogger who shares recipes, craft ideas, gardening information, and DIY projects from her home in Kentucky. D is the author of two blogs : The Shady Porch, which features easy-to-make recipes along with tips and tales from a home gardener, and Craft-D-ness, which displays a wide range of arts and craft ideas and DIY projects. She is the co-author of Bosco's Sammiches. Click here if you would like to follow D via, Twitter and Facebook.

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