DIY Halloween Headpiece

I don’t know about you, but when it comes to Halloween, I like to get creative. I want to build. I want to create. I want to inspire! That’s why this Halloween I decided to make my costume on my own. I didn’t want to buy anything premade. It’s been such a fun process that I thought I’d share what I’ve done with you!

So what am I going to be? A witch from the woods. What does that entail though? Really, anything you want! Let’s start with my absolute first thought on the project: The headpiece. It’s really what inspired the whole thing. I didn’t have any plans at first, I just imagined a fun headpiece and it spiraled on from there.

Materials:

Model Magic (I didn’t want anything to heavy on my head and kids can use it!)

Bouquet of fake flowers

Scissors

Feathers: Orange Tips Lady Amherst, Blue Macaw Small Wings, 4-6" Lady Amherst Pheasant Tails, Eleanor Earring, and 3 sets of XL Grizzly Rooster feathers in my hair!

Silver and gold spray paint

Hot glue (with gun)

Moss (at any craft store)

Pinecones (borrowed from good ol’ Mother Nature)

Plain black headband

Small bird

Foam head (optional! I preferred it because I wanted it to be easier to rotate, but by all means if you like a challenge, try it without!)

The Headpiece:

I wanted something hectic looking. I wanted people to question what was on my head and why I would have it there. I started with a basic headband and model clay. With the model clay I created small, lightweight antlers. The shape was a bit hard to get so don’t worry if it takes a while! I looked at pictures of actual deer antlers to really bring it to life. Once you’re happy with the general shape, move on and let them dry! Depending on the kind of clay you buy, the times will vary. The one I used had a 24-72 hour dry time.

Here was the fun part. Time to rearrange the decorations! I cut up the bouquet as my first step. I cut most of them down to the base of the flower and rearranged the flowers on the table around my headband.

Keep the extra little metal stems, you may need them! I tried to get a general feel for how it would look before I didn’t any permanent adhering. Once I was happy with the layout, I brought out the hot glue gun. Here, I glued the base of my antlers to the base of the headband. (Remember! These antlers are soft still so please be careful! Even after a day’s dry time, they were delicate!) Once the antlers were glued in place, I set the headband on a foam head (I wanted it upright so I could easily reach around, but it’s not needed! Don’t worry if you don’t have one! If you choose not to use one, watch out for gluing your headpiece accidentally to the table). I took flowers individually from the layout I previously had and began gluing! There isn’t really a need for anything perfect so don’t worry if it doesn’t sit straight!

You will see the headband through the flowers at some points which is where our moss comes in. A dab of glue on the moss and you’re set! Cover any spots of the headband showing. I even threw moss around the flowers as well. (it’s nature, it has no rules!)

(Heads up! The antlers do follow a rule. It’s called gravity! If the antlers start to bend or break, use the extra metal stems I told you to keep before as a bracer underneath! I needed to use this technique to keep them sitting upright. I stuck several of them through the actual antler and then another two on each side as a resting point for the antler to sit. This kept them steady and safe. You can see them underneath the bird in the photo below.)

Feather time! I knew I needed that extra UMPH to it, and the feathers and pinecones were exactly the detail I needed to finish this piece off! The pinecones I used are real! I just spray painted them in a ventilated area (namely, in the grass) and hot glued them down. The feathers were placed in areas I felt complimented the piece as well as the feather itself. The last piece was a cute small little bird that I tossed onto some moss on the base of the antler.

And voila! The headpiece is finished! Overall, it shouldn’t take a lot of effort or time. The hardest and longest part is the antlers (shaping, reshaping, drying, breaking, reshaping. Drinking wine helps here.) The flowers and feathers are super simple and quick, and you can easily do the headpiece with just those alone!