DIY spring centerpiece

We try our best to follow the church seasons 'round here in this Anglican household, but the flowers were on sale at the craft store and I just had to go ahead and bring this brainchild to life. Even if I can't actually display it until Easter morning.

And then I thought I would just go ahead and share it with you, because maybe you will want to display it before Easter and throughout Spring, if you decide to make your own.

This idea was inspired by this year's bird trend at Pottery Barn. I can't afford PB for my random Holiday decor, but I can afford the local craft store :)

You will need:*

Long-stem silk flowers

Faux Moss
Pastel Speckled Eggs**

A bird's nest of straw or twigs**

About 2 feet of raffia ribbon

Glue gun and extra glue sticks

*All of this should run between $15 and $30, depending on what you already have laying around and which sales you stumble upon and where you live. It cost me just under $20.
**I found these items on the wreath-making aisle

And some wire cutters if you have them.

(If yours are anything like mine, you will need to update your Tetanus shots before using them :)

Cut the moss and any excess leaves from the stems.

Lay flower stems together to form a tight, skinny X shape. Practice placing the bird's nest on top to make sure you are forming a flat-enough base so it doesn't sit lopsided.

You do not want excess stems coming past the center and making things ugly, so

Cut the stems about 2 inches past the point where they meet in the middle.

Use hot glue to secure them against one another, making sure you are leaving a wide enough base in the middle for the nest to rest on.

Like this.

For additional security, add extra hot glue where you can but only in the center where it will be hidden under the nest.

Wrap raffia around the center to secure it further and to provide a better surface area for the nest. Hot glue the loose ribbon ends down.

Put a dab of hot glue about every 2 inch around the bottom circumference of the nest. Take the moss and loosely drape it around the hot glued points so that it is secure but still natural-looking.

Pile hot glue onto the raffia surface area.

Set the nest on the hot glue. Hold it in place until the glue sets. About a minute or two should suffice.

Then, glue leaves and any other remnants from moss or silk flowers that have fallen off around the base of the nest.

Like this. Isn't it festive?

If you try this and have questions, just drop me an email! It's actually very easy, so if it appears hard it's totally due to my lack of giving a clear and concise explanation.

Did you meet Claude yesterday? I had so much fun with his story.