When a client asked me to create a wreath for the New York Junior League‘s Winter Wreath Celebration and Auction, I immediately knew I wanted to do something risky to set my design apart from all the others. I felt totally against creating a typical, round, preserved green wreath. This was a risky, absolutely unsafe approach, but I wanted something authentic and unusual that would get people talking. Plus, I had only two weeks to pull of the entire project! Working under pressure helps me focus pure creativity, so the time crunch actually worked in my favor.
My first and biggest hurdle involved convincing my husband to part with a trophy item from his past! His European mounted deer skull became the centerpiece of the wreath. I upholstered the skull in plaid fabric, leaving the antlers bare and natural.
Surrounding the European mount are real white birch branches and a combination of real and silk pheasant feathers. McArdle’s Florist and Garden Center in Greenwich did an excellent job of providing materials to help me create my design vision.
The finished wreath completely lived up to my goal of building something unexpectedly beautiful.
I was not at the Junior League auction, but from what I heard this wreath was the talk of the event! Bidding over the wreath was fierce, which only goes to show that taking risks and not conforming to common expectations can really pay off!