...ethereal dream catcher tutorial

...to sleep

perchance to dream...

i'm sure you've seen a dream catcher...

they pop up every now and again

R.A.'s shabby chic couture ones are divinely

fab-u-lous

but as i have not found my way to the land of milk and honey

~ YET!

~ HA!! ~

that price sticker is a wee bit steep for me to fork over for one

(not that they aren't worth every penny!)

(i'm just sayin')

so what is a girl to do

to satiate a small desire of her heart

and to perchance

snare a dream in the process???

you know me all to well

YES!

we make one!!

before we do,

shall we explore the actual purpose of a dream catcher?

(just humor me and say, "a-huh"!)

a traditional dream catcher

was intended to protect the sleeping individual from negative dreams,

 while letting positive dreams through.

the positive dreams would slip through the holes

 and glide down the feathers to the sleeping person below.

  negative dreams would get caught up in "the web"

 and expire when the first rays of the sun struck them.

sounds like something i could incorporate into my dream land!

and i bet you already have most of what you need,

 stashed away somewhere in your studio like i did!

(priceless)

you can use an embroidery hoop

like i have here

(yes, i spry painted mine a matte, sparkly champagne color) 

a hoop or circular shape was used

because it symbolized strength and unity

and decorate it with whimsical findings,

you know,

 bits and pieces of your everyday life,

for me, that includes feathers, pearls, lace, roses and silk ribbons

but you may have a love for other materials

so this merely a guideline

~ use what YOU love

lacy, crochet doilies are something i have a slight obsession with

so i have a few at my fingertips at all times

so it just seemed natural to use them here

no web weaving required.

whatever size hoop you will be using,

just make sure you doily is slightly larger.

position your doily between the two hoops

when you are happy with it's position,

simply push your two embroidery hoops together.

that is the beauty of using this type of hoop

no fuss, no muss!

see, wasn't that easy?

now for the fun part...

embellishing!!

i tore strips of a white sheet into 1 1/2" wide strips

then hand stamped the word "dreamer" randomly down the length

 of my new "ribbon"

to make your own sheet ribbon:

start on the selvage edge, make a snip in your sheet

and tear it all the way down

it's that easy!

as you are playing with "the look" of your dream catcher

it helps to lay your pretty materials on each side

 to see what you like and don't like with it

here i added some lace ribbons...

and of course,

some sea silk ribbon!

on the top, i added a rose...

not traditional

but as these are my dreams

i need ethereal blooms!

a swan feather with the word "beauty" hand stamped upon it

gets tucked beneath my rose bloom

and a few downy feathers are attached along each side

along with some wired pearl streamers...

when you are pleased with your selections,

simply tie them together and then tie them onto each side

and voila!

an ethereal dream catcher!!

oh-so-lovely!

and with all of your personal pretties incorporated

how could you not have anything but happy, positive dreams

gliding down to you?!

i plan on making a few of these beauties for christmas gifts

as we could all use a little more whimsy dreams,

couldn't we?!

i hope you enjoyed your visit today.

and were inspired to create a dream catcher just for you!

also sharing this post with:

My Shabby Streamside Studio's: Holiday Decor Showcase

Common Ground's: Vintage Inspiration Friday

French Country Cottage's: Feathered Nest Friday

Freckled Laundry's: Air Your Laundry Friday

Romantic Home's: Show and Tell Friday

2805's: Potpourri Friday

Vintage Farmhouse's: Creative Things Thursday

here's to sweet dreams!

xoxo