We went to the Fairy Birds reading and party on Saturday, and everything was absolutely whimsical! There was so much lovely and it was especially cute to see all the little girls in their wings. I loved the wings, but I couldn’t get my self to buy 4 of them, which would have put us out about a Benajmin, and I figured we could make our own for a much friendlier price for 4 girls. If I had to just buy one, it probably wouldn’t be as intimidating, but when you have 4 girls will want to be fairy birds, DIY was the way to go in our case. We did buy the book though, and the girls have been reading and re-reading it together ever since.

Fairy Bird Wings
for little ones who want to learn about giving and become a fairy birds

Supplies:
6′ white feather boa
10″ floral wire
6 – 8 white chenille stems
Various colored feathers
Wire cutter
Scissors
Glue gun & glue stick
1 yard of 1/4″ elastic
Sewing machine
Coordinating thread

Directions:
1. Tie the ends of the feather boa together.

2. Fold the feather boa in half.

3. With your 10″ wire, wrap it tightly around the center of the boa to gather the center together. Twist together the wire ends to connect.

4. Overlap the ends of two chenille stems, twist together, center it onto the center of the boa, wrap around center a couple times, and proceed to wrap it around the feathers to give it a bit of structure. I repeated this two more times with 2 more pairs of chenille stems to give the wings more structure, so that they wouldn’t just flop down. Fluff the feathers so that it hides the chenille stems.

5. From the elastic, measure and cut a length that will be comfortable for your child to put on like a backpack. Sew together the ends of the elastic, then fold in half, and sew a small stitch down the center, so that the elastic is now a figure 8. This can also be sewn by hand, but machine is always faster. Feed elastic through one of the wires wrapped in the center. Another option would be to center the figure 8 elastic on the gathered center, and take another chenille stem to wrap around the elastic, joining it together with the wings.

6. Using your glue gun, add the colored feathers to the bottom of the wings. It’s best to attach it to some of the white feathers near the bottom. There you go! You’ve got some pretty, fluffy wings, and your little ones can join the ranks of many fairy birds all over the world. Immediately after the Fairy Birds party, the girls and I stopped by the craft store to pick up some supplies, and making fairy bird wings was our afternoon activity together. Total I spent about $35 (with a coupon) to make 4 fairy bird wings. It doesn’t have the large wing span the “real” fairy bird wings have, but my girls are happy with our homemade ones, and it does have a nice little bounce. If you’re not a DIY-er (and don’t need 4 of them), buy the wings here.

It’s a very sweet story that teaches children about giving. Obviously, we were totally inspired. I highly recommend it, but I must warn you, your little ones will definitely be wanting their own set of wings, so be ready for that too!

outfit details: dress, c/o tutu du monde. glitter headband, mane message.