Give a party look to your home with this festive piece based on a simple purchased swag.



You'll need:
Gold spray
10 palm spears
Piece of cardboard (a recycled box is ideal)
Scissors
Raffia
Hot glue gun
Glue sticks
Copper wire
4 large wooden beads
75cm swag form (from craft shops)
Palm or willow twigs (from around a tree)
Secateurs
Paperbark or palm fibre
Dried flowers (we used 2 bunches of short-stemmed lavender, 1/3 bunch Nigella orientalis, 1/3 bunch physalis (Chinese lantern), 1 bunch strawflowers, 1 bunch carthamus, 3 badam fruit)
3 cedar stars
4 apples
14 canella
Spray gloss

Here's how:
1. Spray the palm spears gold and set aside to dry.

2. To make raffia medallions, cut 8cm-diameter circles from cardboard. Wrap each circle firmly with raffia; knot at the back and wind around the card until completely covered. Secure the back of the circles with a drop of hot glue. Wrap copper wire around the covered circles five or six times to form a star shape.

3. To make tassels, cut 10 strips of raffia to 20cm lengths, bundle together and tie. Holding a bundle at the tie, fold in half. Wrap another length of raffia around the bundle 3 or 4 times and tie tightly about 2cm from the folded end forming a loop. Trim the ends straight. Slip a wooden bead over three strips of raffia and plait the strips; tie off. Make four.

4. To assemble the swag, bundle together 30 palm twigs, broken into 20cm and 35cm lengths. Tie at one end with raffia. Push the tied ends into the end of the swag form so they intertwine. Secure with the hot glue gun and raffia. Repeat at the other end of the swag.

5. Lay palm spears over the ends of the form, covering the tied ends of the palm twigs. Poke the stems into the form and tie in place with raffia. Cover the tie with paperbark or palm fibre and glue in place. Tear off 5 or 6 pieces of paperbark and space fairly evenly across the form.

6. Separate the lavender into 8 bunches and tie with raffia. Glue the bunches evenly across the form. Working from the middle of the form, glue on larger pieces such as cedar stars and apples and outline the form with canella. Add in clusters of carthamus and strawflowers and then bundles of nigella around the lavender bunches. Glue on raffia medallions and badam fruit. Continue until any gaps are filled.

7. Add the physalis last as it is the most fragile. It is not necessary to place the flowers symmetrically. As long as you define the middle and the outline of the swag. Arrange the colours and shapes in small clusters or groups and ensure that the colour is balanced on each side of the swag.

8. Tie two plaited raffia tassels at each end of the swag. Make loops from raffia to hang the swag. Remove any glue 'cobwebs'; neaten the back of the swag, if necessary, and apply several coats of spray gloss.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens