A Harry Potter Christmas: Fawkes the Phoenix A Tree Topper in progress . . .

The Idea to make Fawkes the Pheonix

I found the idea for the tree-topper pictured below on epbot.com. I fell in love with the idea immediately, but with no real hope of undertaking it. So when I did decide to take it on, like many craft projects I undertake, I completely underestimated the time and supplies it would require to make.

Due to my impatience and efforts to be thrifty I bought a different decoy bird than the one the epbot post referenced on Amazon. WELL, it turns out that my bird was not white under all of the paint, but black. My bird also has wings that are completely folded to it’s sides vs. the bird in her posts.

With those setbacks and December getting really busy I lost some steam and put Fawkes away for a few weeks to finish later. Then at church, they decided to throw a Broadway production themed dinner and asked me to host a table. I love musicals, but knowing I had been making all of the Harry Potter decor I had, I asked them if they’d let me theme mine after the Broadway play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”. They agreed and I was given the green flag to host a Harry Potter themed table.

So now, Fawkes is back, but a work in progress. I decided against putting Fawkes on a perch for now and just leaving him on the log/stump he came on.

I drilled holes in his body to emit light and am looking to put some kind of lights inside of him.

This is what I have so far:

Fawkes stripping
the paint
Fawkes a bird in progress
Fawkes with some color

I’d love some opinions on putting feathers on him or not and if you think the holes look goofy and need to be covered up.

I’m also in charge of a small 2-minute presentation on our theme. I thought we’d do a little song called Harry Potter in 60 seconds, but it would only be my husband and I singing so that idea might be out . . . I was thinking about Harry Potter Mad Libs (like they do on Jimmy Fallon). What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments below!

UPDATE: I finished the project! Check out the pictures below to see the finished product. Check out my full tutorial on Fawkes the Pheonix coming soon . . .