Semi-Homemade: Art Fairy Wand

by Elizabeth Van Allen

for scribblesbyartteachervanallen.blogspot.com/

My self-proclaimed crafting specialty is semi-homemade.  This skill developed out of a serious annoyance that kept on popping up.  I was just never able to find exactly what I needed or wanted until two years after I'd settled on something else.  I'm not kidding, it always takes two years for my ideas to hit the market.  I don't know about you, but I just don't have the patience to wait that long.  From personalized sneakers to tailored tops, from specialty-use aprons to custom-painted coffee tables, my lack of patience often ropes me into hours of enjoyable/frustrating/fulfilling crafting and sewing time.

That being said, you can imagine that I just can't settle for a bagged halloween costume. No, no, I have to go that extra mile, mile and a half.  This year I have developed/obsessed over/spent way too much time on a Fairy Art Mother costume, complete with wand and headpiece.  You'll see the whole thing put together in another post, but for now enjoy a little fairy wand DIY!

My Supplies

Materials:

• Captain America Wand from a local party store
• assorted ribbon
• old paint brushes
• 2 miniature paint palettes from a craft store
• glue gun

Process:

1. Design your wand. What's your theme? Figure out what you need, sketch it or write it down, and gather your materials.  If you have to buy anything, remember your coupons!
2. Get a cheap, prefab wand.  Why reinvent the wheel?  Since this wand is for my Fairy Art Mother costume, I chose one that already included two of the three primary colors.



Step 4- Attach Wand Base Pieces

3. Prepare your working area by covering the surface with newspaper or cardboard.  I used a cardboard box top so that I could move everything quickly and easily from our dining room table and store it all together just in case I had to finish up at another time. If you are using a glue gun remember to put it on a non-flammable surface like tin foil or an old baking sheet!



Step 5- Ribbon

4. Attach any extra base pieces to wand. I chose to add a few old, broken paintbrushes using a silver twist tie and some hot glue.
5. Fasten ribbon to the wand base. You'll cover up messy knots and gloppy hot glue in the next step.
6. Add finishing touches like buttons, patches, bows, pictures, old barrettes, or in my case miniature paint palettes. These cover up any messiness and tie together your wand's theme or color scheme.
7. Remove hot glue strings. Take another glance and make sure they're all gone.

Step 6-Finishing Touches

Step 6- Covering the Knots

What are some of your favorite 

semi-homemade shortcuts?