daffodil sun catchers

daffodils are my very favorite flower...

i have loved them since i was a little Debby,
and saw the happy, silly, bobbing heads in Disney's 'Alice in Wonderland' - 
'Daffy O'Dill' made me laugh!
later in life, William Wordsworth's poem about dancing daffodils enchanted me,
and when i first saw hundreds of acres of daffodil fields in Washington's Skagit Valley,
my eyes filled with tears at the beautiful sight.
i used to visit those fields every March when i lived nearby.
now i take any chance i can to find other ways to enjoy daffies in spring - 
even if i have to make it myself!

this simple craft project combines the sparkle of light via crystals with silk flowers,
and is a lovely way to add some spring fresh style to any room.

continue reading for my easy tutorial... 

i'll be walking you through the entire assembly process, but first...
here's how i lay out the elements when making these.
it makes it so much easier (and quicker) to have them laid out in order!

tools include:
 thin gauge wire (i use green florists' wire), small wire cutters, and small needle-nose pliers,
scissors (to cut the twine and ribbon)

elements include:
faceted glass or plastic crystals of any size or shape,
tiny crocus buds, small daffodil blooms, small green leaves, and large daffodil blooms.
(if you wish to use other colors/types of silk flowers, just use the size of these as a reference)
i remove the plastic centers of flowers if they don't have a hole in them,
so the wire can easily slide through.

now, for the process:

1. run a length of wire through the hole in the crystal and twist to secure it.

2. slide the bud onto the wire - face down.

3. slide a small bloom onto the wire - face down.

4. make a small loop in the wire, about 1" up from the last bloom.

5. slide the large bloom onto the wire - face down.

6. slide the leaf / leaves onto the wire, face down.

7. slide a small bloom onto the wire - face UP.

8. make a medium loop in the wire @ 1/2" up from the last bloom,
twist to secure, and cut any excess off.

9. tie a length of twine onto the loop,
and tie a loop in the other end of the twine to hang the sun catcher.

OOPS! i forgot to include a pic of this last step: 
10. cut a piece of ribbon @ 3" long and tie a small bow just below the top wire loop.

when completed, the floral sun catchers look like this:

the twine loop on the top is easily used to hang them from a pushpin, as i did,
or you can wrap them around a tree branch and tie a knot.

i decided to hang them in the west-facing window of my studio space,
so they catch the brilliant afternoon sunshine...

they are such a cheerful addition to the room!
the light hitting the crystals beams into my studio,
bouncing rainbows off of the walls, ceiling, and floor.
sadly, i can't get a decent photo of that effect :( 

you really can make these using any color and type of silk flowers.
they work well in grand millenial, garden-style, boho-style, and tropical-style spaces
and even as ornaments on Christmas trees!
(i made some in orange tones, using poppies and gladiolas for our tropical-theme backyard)

links to previous related content:

tiki totem pole

shared online:

funky junk interiors | new upcycled projects to make #621

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