Nature Art – Wineberry Wood Press

04Dec 2024 by catbird 1 Comment

Pomander Mushrooms

Craft Project, Nature Art, Winter, Winter Solstice

I started making dried orange mushrooms to use up the rounded parts of the orange when making dried orange garlands. They are super cute just left plain, but I had a brainstorm while I was making pomanders recently-- if I stuck cloves into the "cap" before drying them, they would look super mushroom-y and even better, smell amazing. They make lovely winter holiday decorations, great handmade gifts, cute ornaments, and super special gift tags. They would even be adorable nestled in some potpourri or a winter wreath. A perfect craft to spruce up and make your home smell like the holidays! Pomander Mushrooms Materials: oranges or clemetines knife whole cloves toothpick sticks glue dried moss twine (optional) Method: First prepare and dry the oranges. If you are using clementines just…

18Nov 2024 by catbird 1 Comment

Peppercorn Owls

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

When I saw that the Plant Wonder Collective November plant of the month was peppercorn I was a bit stymied. I have committed to making a craft with each plant each month and the more culinary herbs are often tough. I had used tri-color peppercorns in my spice mosaic ornaments a few years ago, so I decided to make a twist on those. As I was sifting through cookie cutters looking for inspiration, the owl cutter jumped out at me-- the colors were perfect and it would make the cutest winter decoration! And so peppercorn owls were born. They are adorable as ornaments, make the sweetest gift tags, and my favorite way to use them was the owl moon garland I made by stringing them with dried moonwort seedheads. The…

09Sep 2024 by catbird No Comments

Autumn Leaf Lanterns

Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Craft Project, Nature Art

As soon as the weather begins to turn cold, I cannot stop making lanterns. This darker time of year is perfect for flickering lights and lantern walks. Sometimes I build the lantern structure itself for a more advanced project, but I like to have a variety of easy to make lanterns as well. This is one of those. I usually like to leave natural materials natural, but these lanterns are so cute I couldn't help myself! The lantern also makes use of fallen autumn leaves making it especially seasonally appropriate. If you are working with younger kids, or just prefer the natural shapes, you can skip the cutting and just use full leaves instead. You can use any type of leaf you prefer, although some seem to hold their color…

09Sep 2024 by catbird No Comments

Harvest Moon Sun Catcher

Autumn, Craft Project, Folklore, Foraging, Full Moon, Harvest Moon, Nature Art, Nature Collection, Play

I know, I know, it should really be a moon catcher, but those aren't a thing and not all littles can stay up late enough to see the full moon! The Harvest Moon is what the September full moon is called in Europe and parts of North America. In most of Asia it is the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival and while I don't live in Asia, I find this celebration and it's related folktales super inspiring. I am also always interested in similarity of celebrations across cultures, and you will find some sort of harvest celebration in just about every place with a temperate climate this time of year, many with similar traditions. The Mid Autumn Festival is connected to the folktale of Chang'e and the Moon Rabbit. It's a lovely…

09Sep 2024 by catbird No Comments

Autumn Equinox Harvest Chandelier

Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Craft Project, Foraging, Garden, Nature Art, Nature Collection

The Fall or Autumnal Equinox is the midpoint between the Summer and Winter Solstices. Day and night are of equal length in nearly all parts of the world. The Equinox is the astronomical first day of fall, traditionally starting the fall season. Darkness and night increase, we move within our homes and ourselves and begin to prepare for the coming winter. This is the time of year when farmers would historically know how well their summer crops did, and whether they would have enough food for the winter. It’s not a coincidence that so many disparate people and cultures celebrate the harvest around this time. Whether you observe the equinox, Thanksgiving or another fall celebration, giving thanks for the harvest is something we can all appreciate this time of year. …

06Sep 2024 by catbird 1 Comment

Summer Stream Craftbrunch

Craft Project, craftbrunch, Hike Ideas, Nature Art, Nature Art Materials, Nature Collection, Play, Recipes, Summer, Summer Solstice

Summer is miserably hot and swampy where I live and sometimes we struggle to get outside as much as we do the rest of the year. It’s theoretically a slower time of year, but it never feels that way to me. One minute the whole summer stretches in front of you and then suddenly it’s September. I started hosting “craftbrunches” years ago to slow down and connect with friends and family. The premise is simple, everyone brings a simple dish and works on a seasonal craft together while laughing and gossiping. It’s an afternoon event which feels easier to schedule between clubs, camps, and soccer games. Including a simple kids craft keeps the littles occupied while the grownups catch up. A Summer Solstice craftbrunch is a perfect respite from…

12Aug 2024 by catbird 1 Comment

Solar Powered Floral Lanterns

Craft Project, Nature Art, Recycled Materials, STEAM, Summer, Summer Solstice

I don't think it's any secret that I love making lanterns, I have tons of lantern projects on this site and am constantly trying to think of new and different ways to make them. They have however, all been fall or winter lanterns until now. This hasn't really been intentional. I just seem to gravitate towards lantern and candle projects in the dark half of the year. But as I was planing my Midsummer's Eve Party, I knew I wanted to make a summer lantern. Flowers seemed like the obvious choice, and I decided on a wooden frame, but I wanted something that really made it a summer lantern. I found a solar powered light bulb and it all come together. This lantern doesn't just look summery, it is literally…

25Jul 2024 by catbird No Comments

Stream Art & Paint Rocks

Craft Project, Foraging, Nature Art, Nature Art Materials, Nature Collection, Summer

One of my favorite things to do while the kids are splashing around and collecting minnows is to look for paint rocks. Paint rocks are actually little chunks of ochre which is a soft rock that has been used as pigment since prehistory. Ochre can be found in various red, yellow and brown shades and largely derives it's color from iron. The best way to test and see if you have found a paint rock is to scratch it on a rock or hard surface. Ochre will not only make a mark, but mix with water to make, an almost creamy textured paint! You can see how it transferred to my fingers in teh picture below. There are a number of things that look like they might be paint rocks…

10Jul 2024 by catbird 1 Comment

Fun Summer Solstice Craft Ideas For Kids

Craft Project, Nature Art, Nature Collection, Nature Journaling, Nature Table, Play, Summer, Summer Solstice

Looking for fun crafts to do with (or without…) kids for the Summer Solstice? Click the text next to the images for the tutorials. Save for later! Sun Catchers: Plarn Sun Catcher Bioplastic Sun Catcher Blooming Fern Sun Catcher Tidepool Sun Catcher Sun Powered Crafts: Solar Oven Crayons Solar Oven Shrinky Dinks Shadow Drawings Solar Lanterns Solar Circuits Solar Balloons Decorations: Sun Prints & Anthotypes Turmeric Shibori Bunting Shell Candles Sea Glass Mobiles Shell Fragment Wreaths Flower Crowns Summer Nature Activities: Summer Nature Journal Summer Nature Table k

10Jul 2024 by catbird No Comments

Solstice Shadow Drawings

Craft Project, Learning, Nature Art, Play, Summer, Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year and the sun is it it's highest position in relation to the Earth. This means that the shadows are the shortest than they will be all year. (Think about how in summer the sun feels directly overhead, that's because it is!) In fact areas close to the equator will actual be able to observe zero shadow days on the solstices at solar noon. Ancient astronomers measured the length of shadows to make mathematical calculations, like Eratosthenes, who in approximately 200 BCE calculated the circumference of the Earth be making detailed measurements of how shadows lengthen and shorten throughout the year. In addition to the shadow drawing project described below, you could also draw or record the shadow of a fixed…

Category: Nature Art