Queen for a Day...or Two...or Three

Just recently I participated in another swap - this one was hosted by Molly of Fleur de Bee and it was a Crown Swap. Having never made a crown before, I did some research and decided I would like to make a chicken wire crown as I had seen in many books and online.

I started with the chicken wire for the frame and let my imagination go with what I thought my partner would like. It has a very vintagey feel to it and I love the old chandelier crystals I added to the tiers of the crown. My partner was Kristen of Sweet Dreams Art Studio and from perusing her blog, I noticed that she decorated with these same colors. I hope she likes it!

Here is the front...

And the back with some old buttons for detailed trim...

I used some vintage millinery flowers that I had on hand as well as some velvet leaves...

And look at this old perfect hatbox I found at one of our local stores to send the crown in...

It's on it's way to Kristen...

I also made her a fun soldered necklace with a cute girl with a crown on...

A close-up...

And here is what I added to the back of the charm...

Here is the wonderful crown that Kristen sent me - I love the look of it and now it resides on my mannequin...

She also made me this great masquerade mask...

I loved this swap as it challenged me to make something that I had never attempted before. I can't wait to see all of the rest of the swappers and their crowns!