Craft Project – Page 14 – Wineberry Woods

09Dec 2022 by catbird 3 Comments

Solstice Tree & Handmade Sun Ornaments

Craft Project, Nature Art, Play, Winter Solstice

I have been meaning for years to make a dedicated Winter Solstice tree. Our family tree has solstice-y vibes but really focuses more on ornaments that we design together to commemorate each year. It's already packed full of ornaments and we add a few more each year. So last year I got another tree for another room and dubbed it the solstice tree. That December got away from me as the often do and I only managed to buy one blown glass ornament. This year, not wanting to buy a million expensive ornaments, I decided to make the bulk of them and I am beyond thrilled with how them came out. All of the crafts are super kid friendly, but can just as easily be done by adults. My Solstice…

01Dec 2022 by catbird No Comments

Chrysalis Sleeping Bags

Craft Project, Hibernation Celebration, Learning, Nature Art, Nature Collection, Winter

I was so inspired by this artwork from photographer Levon Biss that I knew I needed to come up with a project about insect hibernation. My brain immediately went to chrysalis sleeping bags because a chrysalis is in a way a tiny sleeping bag, and the patterns on these are so beautiful I though they would be amazing inspiration. First things first, insects don't technically hibernate. Many are inactive during the winter and undergo a state in which their growth, development, and activities are suspended temporarily, with a metabolic rate that is high enough to keep them alive. This dormant condition is termed diapause. We made our sleeping bags on a small scale for stuffies, but this would a fantastic project for an older student (or grown up...) at full…

28Nov 2022 by catbird 3 Comments

Dried Orange Garlands

Craft Project, Free Printable, Winter Solstice

Dried citrus garlands are easy to make, look and smell beautiful and are a great project for kids to help with. Click the image below to download and print! Citrus GarlandDownload

04Nov 2022 by catbird 1 Comment

Make Twig Stars

Craft Project, Nature Art, Play, Winter Solstice

Make some easy stick stars one of two ways. Big ones can be used to decorate the house and small ones can be ornaments or gift toppers. You cab leave them plain or dress them up with other natural materials. Twig stars are an easy nature craft for all ages that look rustic and elegant. Twig Stars Materials: twigs twine pretty greens and other natural materials (optional) Method: Cut or break your things into 5 pieces of approximately the same length. Lay them out in a 5 pointed star shape and tie the joints with twine. Add a loop of twine to the top if using as an ornament. Add greens or dried flowers for decoration as desired. Willow Stars These will really only work with willow branches, you bend…

03Nov 2022 by catbird 1 Comment

Naturally Scented Cinnamon Pine Cones

Craft Project, Winter, Winter Solstice

I always look forward to those cinnamon pine cones that find their way to grocery store checkouts and craft stores this time of year. Even though they are extremely artificial, I kind of love them. So I decided to make my own with natural essential oils and ground cinnamon. They smell even better and are simple to make. Use teh recipe below to make a big batch or just sprinkle some essential oil on a few! I actually used to sell these back in the day. Materials: pinecones cinnamon essential oil clove essential oil cheap ground cinnamon water freezer bag Method: Place your pinecones in a freezer bag and pour in just enough water to cover/ soak them. Start sprinkling in the essential oils-- I don't measure, just enough that…

03Nov 2022 by catbird No Comments

Snow or Mud Faces

Craft Project, Nature Art, Nature Collection, Play, Winter, Winter Solstice

Here is an easy activity for a winter day-- make snow or mud faces on trees! Collect some natural materials: sticks, pinecones, berries, leaves etc, and find a tree to make a face on! Pack your mud or snow on first and then use your nature finds to embellish the face. Easy and fun! Wet snowball type snow will work best, and if there isn't any snow where you live live will do the job too! You can think about what the spirit of the tree might look like or just make a funny face,

01Nov 2022 by catbird 3 Comments

Winter Nature Table

Craft Project, Nature Art, Nature Collection, Nature Table, Play, Seasonal Nature Table, Winter, Winter Solstice

Nature tables are the perfect place to store and display all those nature finds that we "just had to bring home." Honestly I am almost as bad as the kids about this... Ours is on our porch so that things can be easily added and subtracted at will and we change it out for each season. (And it substantially reduces the stray sticks in the house..) In winter, we add obvious things like holly and evergreens, but also sticks covered in lichen, crystal-y rocks, found bits of nuts, pinecones and a prized deer antler. Log slices and old shelves and add some height and you can use vases to hold the greens. The kids are always tinkering with the arrangement and moving things around which is great. This is actually…

28Oct 2022 by catbird No Comments

Hand Rolled Herbal Beeswax Candles– Guest Blogger!

Craft Project, Winter, Winter Solstice

A huge thank you to Harmonie O'Loughlin for today's guest post!! Check out her beautiful sites Flora's Feast Botanicals and Plant Wonder Collective and her IG feed here. She is sharing her hand rolled herbal beeswax candles with us-- take it away Harmonie! Making DIY rolled beeswax candles is astonishingly simple and has both a functional and beautiful outcome. It is a satisfying craft project for adults and kids alike. Keep your hands busy while enjoying teatime with friends. Encourage fine motor skills in children. Savor the honey sweet scent of the beeswax and the aromatic notes of crushed herbs. What are rolled beeswax candles? Rather than melting beeswax and pouring it in a vessel, you roll sheets of beeswax to make tapers. The sheets look similar to the beeswax…

19Sep 2022 by catbird 3 Comments

Mushroom Foraging Badges!

Autumn, Craft Project, First Harvest, Free Printable, Nature Art, Nature Journaling, Play, Summer

I have been promising my kids that I would make them "badges" for each new mushroom they find while out hiking, this is not all of them, but it's a start! Print them on cardstock and cut them out, or if you are feeling adventurous print them onto fabric and sew them onto felt circles. Check out my mushroom foraging hike if you need suggestions for this fun activity! Click on the image above for the PDF!

15Sep 2022 by catbird No Comments

Fall Birthday Countdown!

Autumn Portfolio, Craft Project

My oldest’s bday is coming up at the end of September and we broke out this countdown I made last year. There are little clip art raccoons behind all the doors (his favorite animal) and now my youngest wants one too! Both my kids are obsessed with counting down to their bday and keep a list of numbers that they cross off until their bdays independently so this fancy version was a big upgrade. You could cut doors on any drawing or clip art piece and make your own! Happy fall!!

Category: Craft Project