Peacock Feather Boutonniere

I wanted to make something for my date to a formal that complemented a peacock feather headband I was planning to wear. Hence, the peacock feather boutonniere!

Very nice pop of color, but still masculine.

Gather materials or, as in my case, have your obliging mother go out to the craft store and mail them to you.

All of these items were found in a craft store.

- peacock feather
- wire bundle (for base of boutonniere - try to find a false floral stem)
- ribbon
- floral tape
- 2-3 straight pins
- hot glue gun and glue
- wire cutters
- scissors
- extra embellishments (I used more feathers, colored brads, and mirrored floral decorations)

I had a treasure trove in a peacock feather spray. It provided four extra peacock feathers (just in case), smaller feathers in complementary colors, and a length of bundled floral wire for the boutonniere base. I highly recommend looking for something similar.

Cut a 3-4" length of bundled wire with wire cutters. This will serve as the core of the boutonniere.

Select a peacock feather and cut it from the stalk. Attach near the top of the wire with a small dab of hot glue. Don't worry about trimming the feather just yet.

To give the boutonniere some body, add a few feathers. The green and black ones were taken directly from the spray. The blue were found in the spray as 'spikes'. Attach one end to the wire with a dab of hot glue, loop the feather around, and glue the other end in place.

Once satisfied with the feathers, wrap a small amount of floral tape around the wire to hold them in place. Stretch the tape as you wrap to make it stick.

I cut a small portion of the mirrored floral piece to include in the boutonniere. Tuck its end into the floral tape and ensure it is secure.

The wire is covered with raffia and a dark paper coating, but we've added floral tape and need to polish the stem up.

Affix an end of a length of ribbon to the top of the stem (covering the floral tape) with hot glue. Spiral the ribbon tightly down the length of the wire and cut the ribbon. Fold over the ribbon's edge and attach to the back of the wire with hot glue.

Bend or curl the end of the wire to bring the boutonniere to the desired length. This will help it to look finished off and will take care of any "safety length" added when cutting the wire.

Tuck a few small, colored brads into the ribbon and bend the heads over to keep them in place.

Trim the peacock feather to the desired shape -- probably somewhat pointed at the top (think spades in a deck of cards).

Attach to a shirt, vest, or jacket with straight pins and you're ready to hit the town (just make sure you bring a matching headband)!