Get Crafty with Nature12 nature inspired crafts to inspire you throughout the year …..

Explore the great outdoors, then come home and Get Crafty!

© Red Ted Art

IntroductionAs a keen “Mummy Crafter”, we often run the risk of “staying indoors” and making something, rather than exploring the great outdoors… This ebook was designed to get us out of the house more – to enjoy being outdoors, exploring nature and seeing the potential in everyday outdoor things… Combining the great outdoors with some great crafts.

It is also another way of crafting inexpensively whilst connecting with nature. Some of the crafts are things are to be made, played with and discarded all in the same afternoon - that is what is fun about nature! Others can be admired as decorations or gifts for months to come!

I challenge you to go outside and take a good look around. What can you find? What does nature provide us? Some things are already beautiful just the way they are and would make a nice decoration without any crafting. Others can be transformed with minimal effort.

All materials in this book will come directly from nature, supplemented, with a little glue, paint, string, salt dough (flour, salt & water) and theoccasional googly eyes! We made ourselves a nature bag to collect these in… why not have your own “special nature bag” too?

So… get outdoors once a month. Look around. See what you can find and Get Crafty!

Maggy

Maggy WoodleyAuthor of Red Ted Art http://www.redtedart.comBringing Colour And Art to Children’s Hearts

Ice OrnamentsBrrrrr. Although January signifies a fresh start, many of us are fed up with the remainders of winter… we still face a cold coldJanuary and February with some hopes of Spring in March. Brrrrrto the cold. But rather then be grumpy about the cold, let’s embrace it, with these beautifully simple ice ornamentsThis is a great activity to explore a little science and meteorology: talk about how and why water freezes and as the weather warms up, you will see that the ice melts and the decorations fall down. Nature’s weather cycle!

MaterialsAnything from nature – but holly berries and leaves are particularly cheerful, sticks make for interesting patterns or raid your nature craft box for shells and mini cones. Some water. String. A shallow dish. Freezing outdoors.

Step 1 Fill your shallow dish with water (if you use cooled boiled water, the results will be clearer)Step 2 Place a long piece of string – make sure it is submerged properly, as it needs to freeze into the ice as neatly as possibleStep 3 Add your nature items. If you are VERY careful, you can even write something, however, when you move you dish outside, it does slosh a bit, so may undo all your hard work –your call!Step 4 Place outside and let freeze overnightStep 5 Hang and enjoy!

January

February – Stick HedgehogsThe winter months are long and your craft materials sparse: save for LOTS AND LOTS of sticks! Hooray for sticks. Sticks are surprisingly versatile. We loved making our little hedgehogs.

In UK Hedgehogs love to hibernate in the winter months – usually from November – March, though on occasion they may already make an appearance in February

MaterialsLots of sticks. Salt dough or air drying clay. Googly eyes (optional)To make salt dough: 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt, UP TO one cup of water (a little less water is better than too much). Air drying clay will yield “better” results, but I like these crafts to be made with anything around the home!

Step 1 Make a large egg shapeStep 2 Add your sticks & googly eyesStep 3 Let air dry (salt dough may take 2-3 weeks, or you can place it in an oven at 50-100C – take care with the sticks & keep checking on them. No googly eyes in the oven! Also salt dough has a habit of “spreading”, so you may need to prop it up a little wherever you let it dry)Step 4 Use as a paperweight!Thank you to Catherine Bean at Sun Hats and WellieBoots for sharing the idea!

February

Stone DucksI love these little Stone Ducks – you can make them any time of year and their jolliness really fits with Spring and Easter – Nature all around is sprouting green and blossoming – but not yet enough for us to pick flowers and leaves. Go for a walk on the beach or in the forest and collect lots of stones for sorting at home!

These stone ducks double up as a nursery rhyme “Five Little Ducks went Swimming one Day” or as a counting game or size arranging game. Perfect. This is also a great craft for very small hands – my 16mth old LOVES painting stones.

Materials6 different sized stones. Acrylic paint (white, yellow, orange). Black marker pen.

Step 1 Sort stones in piles & find your “best duck stones” – this in itself can be a fun activity!Step 2 Paint one white, 5 yellow stones. Have extra stones handy – your toddler may insist on different colours. Rest on a plastic lid or baking paper to dry. Newspaper will stick to the stonesStep 3 Once dry, touch up any areas that may need extra paint.Step 4 Add two eyes and an orange beakStep 5 Play!

March

Flower GirlSay aaaaah! Aren’t flowers in the hair just the prettiest thing? Here we have what are classed as weeds turned into something beautiful. Take dandelions and any other weed you can find and turn them into this little flower crown.

MaterialsDandelions with a longish stem. Contrasting flowers (optional).You will find that the first 1-2 you make are a bit fiddly and maybe fall apart, but you will soon get the hang of it… and come up with wonderful creations.

Step 1 Cross your flowers at right angels. Lift the stem of the 1st

flower over the top of the 2nd and around about its “own head” (see images 1-3)Step 2 x Take 3rd flower, place it under the first two. Bend stem over the stems of 1st & 2nd flower and around the head of the 3rd. Step 3 Keep going until the garland is long enough. Secure the last flower, back with the front by threading stems into existing loops.

April

Flower Book MarksThis is almost a “cheats” way to pressing flowers. It is quick and easy and fun. The children love it as it is a surprisingly tactile craft.

It may even encourage a little reading, or you can make these for school books and friends.

MaterialsSmall flowers & leaves. Again, we tried not to pick any “real” flowers, but just some blossom off a plentiful bush, some contrasting little green leaves and the much abundant Daisy.Masking tape. Colour card. Sticky back plastic or contact paper. Hole punch. Ribbon.

Step 1 Collect your flowers, we then arranged them by colours in little dishesStep 2 Cut out a piece of contact paper and tape it, sticky side up, onto the table. It is a bit fiddly, due to stickiness of paper, but persevereStep 3 Place all your flowers onto the contact paper – place them face down, as this is the side you will seeStep 4 Carefully peel off masking tape and stick card downStep 5 Cut to size. Punch a hole and add some ribbonDone!

May

Bark & Leaf Woodland ElvesAny nature craft lover will have to make bark and leaf people at some point! Traditionally, Autumn is a great time for these, thanks to all the beautiful leaf colours. However, why not celebrate the beauty of leaves in summer too! We love making these and then imaging that they are real woodland elves, looking after the trees and the flowers for us.

Did you know that elves are originally a Germanic mythology? It was believed that they had magic abilities to both aid and injure mankind. They have always been thought to be small people living in forests and underground.

MaterialsBark – as flat and thin as. Leaves - different sizes and shapes. Paper. Pen. PVA glue. Scissors.

Step 1 Arrange your leaves and have a play with them on the table first. Which look nice together. Can you see the elves emerging? Maybe trim a leaf a little here and a piece of bark there.

Step 2 Arrange on paper, glue down.

Step 3 Add faces and feet as appropriate!

Done!

June

Meadow BraceletsThese are gorgeous little bracelets that you can make whilst sitting in a meadow and having a picnic. They are a nice alternative to the “traditional” daisy chain and can be used as friendship bracelets too.Friendship bracelets became popular in the US in the 1970s and are worn by both boys and girls. There is a strong influence from indigenous traditions, where the recipient of a bracelet, makes a wish when receiving it and then must wear it until it falls of naturally - the wish will then come true.

Materials3 long pieces of grass – try and find them as long as possible. You can also experiment with different grasses, some are brittle and snap, but many will let themselves be knotted and woven. Keep your bracelet plain or add little daisies and flowers once finished.Step 1 Carefully tie a knot at the top of the three grasses.Step 2 Start weaving – keep your “top” part of the weave loose – as you will need it again at the end and weave the rest as neatly as possible. I found one light green grass, which made a pretty contrast.Step 3 When the bracelet is long enough, thread the 3 strands through the “loose top part” of the weave. Put round hand and then tie a 2nd knot and done!Step 4 Add flowers if you wish.

July

Acorn PeopleThis is a fabulous little craft for “out and about”. Save for the eyes and mouth you can make this anywhere at any time and it takes less than two minutes! I love the idea of making a whole bunch of these and leaving them in the woods for other children to find! You can of course also make these with your kids at home! Acorns traditionally form part of Autumn Crafts, but in the UK we often have many green ones ready in August.

It is believed that an acorn on your window sill will prevent the house being struck by lightening – this because the god of thunder, Thor, was believed to have sheltered under an oak tree during a storm. And did you know that in Korea they make jelly from acorns!

MaterialsTwo acorns – one with “hat” and one without. Reasonably fresh as the older they are the harder they are. It helps to have a toothpick or similar to help create the holes for twigs. Very small twigs x 5. If these are played with a lot you may need a little glue, but they will certainly survive an afternoon without!

Step 1 With your tooth pick make small hole at either end of your acorn. Then use one of the small twigs and insert it to connect the head to the bodyStep 2 Make four more holes in the body and insert the rest of your twigsStep 3 If you have a pen handy draw on a little face.

And whilst you are all crafty – why not build an elf house in the wood or garden?

August

Poppy Husk PrintingOne way of exploring nature, is to see what prints things make. We discovered that poppy flower husks look like little snowflakes! Poppies flower throughout the summer. Towards the end you will find these husks standing proud in fields and gardens. Either draw a picture and add lots of snowflakes or use this technique to make your own cards, wrapping paper or jam jar covers all ready for Christmas.

MaterialsDried poppy flower husks (we picked some from a local field) –pick lots as you tend to use them for one printing session and then no more. A Bowl of Water. Paint or Ink. Paper.

Step 1 You will see that the dried husk is “concave”, which does not allow for printing as you need a flat stamp. So you need to soak the husk in water first for about 30min (make sure you have shaken out all poppy seeds)Step 2 Squeeze all the water out of the husk, else you will have a watery pool on your paperStep 3 Less paint is more, but basically just have a go until you have the perfect stamping routine. I find the 2nd stamp is usually bestStep 4 Decorate a whole sheet (if you wish you can cover the paper in a base colour first).

September

Pine Cone OwlsA pine cone is a brilliant Autumn craft material. It looks wonderful, is tactile and can be turned into so many things! We love owls and they are perfect for Autumn and Halloween, so we made our own little Pine Cone OwlsIn Western cultures the owl is a symbol of wisdom, but they have also been connected with sorcery and witches. Hence their popularity around Halloween.

MaterialsA pine cone. 2 googly eyes. Some contrasting funky foam/ felt/ card for eyes and beak. Feathers. Ribbon for hanging (optional). PVA.

Step 1 Cut larger and smaller circles from your foam. You can use coins as templates or do it free hand. “Assemble eyes”. We used some cut offs as eyebrows on the green owl.Step 2 Place cone on table and see how it “naturally sits” - you want your owl to be able to sit “unaided”. Once you have done this, add the eyes and beak to the front with lots of glue. It will dry clear (see gluey photo below)Step 3 Add some feathers.Step 4 Tie on a ribbon if required.

Done

October

Pine Cone Christmas TreesLook again and you will see that your cone already resembles a Christmas tree.. Either paint them green and decorate or, if you want to use them as decorations on your own Christmas Tree, paint them in bright colours: white, silver, gold and decorate to your heart’s content – this will let them show up more (a green tree within a green Christmas tree may not show up!).

You could also use them as little decorations on Christmas presents.

All the glitziness has huge “little person” appeal and my son adores his!

The tradition of decorating a Christmas tree started in Estonia and Germany in the 16th Century. Traditionally trees were not set up until Christmas Eve and then removed on or just after twelfth night (6 January) which is also the arrival of the Three Kings in Bethlehem.

MaterialsPine Cone. Spray paint or acrylics in desired colour. Sequins. Glue. Ribbon.

Step 1 Paint your cone the desired colour and let it dryStep 2 Glue on your sequinsStep 3 Knot your ribbon to the top and hang in your tree!

Done!

November

Stick SantaWe are great fans of “stick men”. They are so easy to make and lots of fun. We have already made many! What better way to celebrate this, than with a Stick Santa? He is quick and easy to make and makes a great little gift, maybe even use it as wrapping paper décor? Ours is going straight in the Christmas tree!

Modern day Santa is derived from St Nikolaus – who is celebrated on the 6th December in many Germanic countries. St Nikolaus day celebrates the life of the very generous and giving Bishop Nikolaus.

MaterialsA chunky stick about 15cm long. 2 googly eyes. 2 cotton wool buds for the cap and beard. Red felt. Red ribbon for hanging. PVA glue – a hot glue gun would also come in handy, but isn’t necessary!

Step 1 Find a nice position for the eyes – I like to use natural features for the nose – e.g. a little branch. Glue on with plenty of PVA. It will dry clear, so don’t worry if it shows.Step 2 Cut a semi circle of red felt, bring together (inserting knotted ribbon in top) and use lots of glue to form a cone. Glue on stickStep 3 Hide any unevenness in hat with a cotton wool trimStep 4 Add the beard.

Done!

December