I need to make an enchanted swan for my YOE project.
My thought is to use a fall seasonal item and transform it into an enchanted swan.
My  plan is to use a gourd -- a small plastic gourd with a crooked neck  that comes in a little net bag with other seasonal items like pumpkins  and leaves.  BUT, I am at home and 22 miles away from the closet cheap  little store. To make a long story short, my husband calls and ask if I  need him to pick up anything on his way home from work. Yes I do, and  thank you very much. He arrived home an hour and a half later with a  little net bag filled with gourds, pumpkins and leaves from a cheap  little store. Price: $3.
 (I already took the gourds out) 
With the gourds, and my paint stash, and my craft necessities drawer the swans come to life.
I  painted the gourds white. It took several coats to cover the  orange/yellow gourds. The gourds had a small stem on the end of the  crooked neck that was perfect for the swans beak And I painted the  stem/beak yellow and painted a dot of blue for the eyes.
The  paint is dry. Now it is time to adhesive the feathers and feet to the  painted gourd. I have this trusty adhesive that adheres anything to  anything. It works on anything. I adhesived the feathers to the fattest  round part of the gourd on each side. Then I adhesived the yellow  sparkly pompoms to the bottom of the gourd for the feet. And lastly,  adhesived a silver twine to the top of the crooked neck for the hanging  loop for the swan ornament.
I am amazed myself at how cute they are.
It was super easy to make, and you can make one too.
gin