Woodland Festival Crown

For as long as I can remember, I have always had long wavy hair. Anytime I have an event to go to I get anxiety over having to fix my hair, as it can be rather time consuming. I starting making hair accessories to put something awesome in my hair, rather than having to doing something awesome with my hair. With minimal time and effort, I can style my hair while adding some great accessories. In this easy DIY indestructible, I will show you how to make a Woodland Festival Crown with soft LED lights. Good luck and hope you enjoy!

Step 1: Supply List

Supplies gathered for this project:

Scissors

Wire Cutters

Needle Nose Pliers

Steam Wrap Tape- Brown (Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft $2.49*)

Stem Wrap Tape- Green (Craft Warehouse 3 pack $4.99*)

Naturally Coiled Wire (Micheals $4.99*)

Florist Wire 24 Gauge (Micheals $1.99*)

1 Package Butterflies (Micheals $8.49*)

3 Calla Lilies (Craft Warehouse $1.99* each)

1 Stem Lace Blossom (Micheals $4.99*)

Ashland LED Submersible Floral Lights (Micheals $12.99*)

E6000 -Optional- (Micheals $4.99*)

Strung Beads (ended up not using in project)

*Prices list above are the regular full retail price

Although I got these items from a few stores, you should be able to do one stop shopping at Micheals, Jo-Anns, Craft Warehouse or HobbyLobby. If you do not have any of these in your area, you will still likely be able to find these at your local craft store, as many of them are common craft items. These stores almost always have coupons for 40% or 50% off an item plus other great coupons. It never hurts to do a quick check and many will scan coupons right from your smart phone.

Step 2: Building the Base

For the base, take the naturally coiled wire and make three to four loops. Check to see that it fit where you would like on your head and adjust accordingly. Once you have it how you like, use your scissors or wire cutters to detach the base from the spool of wire. Wrap the end a few times around the base to keep the crown from losing its shape.

With a new length of naturally coiled wire, wrap a few times around the back of the crown base. By hand, or with help from some needle nose pliers, start making twists and curves. I used two long pieces for the back and two shorter lengths of wire for the sides. You can be as creative as you like. I also, with help from the needle nose pliers, curled or spiraled the ends of wire.

Check to see how it fits and make any adjustments as needed.

Step 3: Add Full Length Stem Flowers

The Calla Lilies I selected had great wired stems that curved nicely. It seemed wasteful to detach them, so I decided to incorporate them into the crown. Depending on the flowers you select and the mobility of the stems, you can either wire just the blossom in (as seen in the next step) or weave the entire stem and blossom (as shown above).

Be sure that you weave the stems in and out of the naturally coiled wire enough that they will stay in place. The easiest way to test their attachment is to pick the crown up by the front and give it a quick shake. Tip the crown side to side and front to back. If nothing shifts much or falls out, you should be good to go.

Step 4: Lighting Prep (Optional)

I really love these floral lights from Ashland. It is a 9 foot strand with 20 LED light. Theses lights can be totally submersed in water. You don't have to worry about getting stuck in a rain shower or having to take it off should you go for a swim. Another bonus is the battery pack is very small and easy to hide.

The wire on this strand of lights is thin, silver and bendable. I was originally added them to crown straight from the package. After the first few weaves, it dawned on me that I would cover the silver wire with brown floral wrap. By doing this, it makes the crown look more natural and gives it more of a twig or vine look. This step is not really necessary but I like the final result.

If you have never used floral wrap before, it is really easy to use and comes in a few different colors. It is important that the wrap is applied with enough resistance that if caused slight stretching of the wrap. If the wrap is applied to loosely, it will just unravel when you let go. When mild stretching is used in the wrapping process, it allows the wrap to stick to its self. When you get to the end of the wrap, you can give a tug to the wrap breaking it off. The extra stretching from this (verses just cutting the end with scissors) will add a little extra stickiness for best adhesion at the ends.

Step 5: Incorpotating the Lights

Weave the lights in and around the crown base. You will want to be mindful of where the small battery pack ends. I had mine end at the back of the crown. Since the lights are wired, they are easy to weave into the crown and hold there form well.

Step 6: Adding the Goodies

There are two options for this step. You can either wire in the goods or you can glue them in. If you go with the glue option, I suggest using E6000. It does have a strong odor (use in a well ventilated area) but has great bonding abilities. It is hands down my favorite glue for projects. I like the wire option for this project because it gives you the option of switching out the flowers without having to make another base. Ultimately, it just makes it more versatile.

If you select the wire option, cut the flowers were you like and wire on a new stem. I suggest 24 or 26 gauge floral wire. It is thick enough to hold whatever form you bend but not so stiff that it is hard to use. You can use the common green or silver since it will be wrapped in floral wrap.

The butterflies that I purchased came pre-wired and just needed finished in floral wrap. As explained in an earlier step, be sure that you wrap it tight enough to cause the wrap to stretch or it will not stick to itself.

Once all your goodies are wired and wrapped, start twisting them into the crown. On a few of mine, I had a little extra length. You can cut the extra wire off or you can use your needle nose pliers and make a spiral (frequently seen on grapevines).

Step 7: Finished Woodland Festival Crown by Day

Step 8: Finished Woodland Festival Crown Into the Night