Acorns are terrifically fun to find when you’re out hiking, and they also make terrific craft supplies, amenable to a variety of methods, a component of a nearly infinite number of projects. Crafting with acorns is also special because you’ll always know that you collected them yourself–who would pay money for acorns!?!–and I bet that if you’re anything like me, whenever you look at the projects that you created with them, you’ll think back to your happiest autumn memories from that year. Check out these five projects to get you started: My girls and I have been working all month on wet-felted acorns (more on that later!), but these needle-felted acorns, posted by Becky Striepe on CAGW almost two years ago, are still popular, and for good reason: they keep that warm felt vibe while looking pretty realistically like acorns, and they’re an accessible entry into needle-felting. [Creative Commons image by greentea, used with attribution] Next » If you weary of autumn decorations that are just a little TOO on-target for the holidays (I have two small children, and I know that by the advent of winter I will be sick unto death of everything jack-o-lantern or turkey), then injecting just a hint of understated seasonal decor into your overall interior design can add just the right amount of festivity. This framed acorn art, for instance, tutorial courtesy of Delia Creates, would not look out of place in any home, and yet when you look at it, you know it’s autumn. One note: acorn caps need no special preparation to ready them for crafting, but unless your acorns, themselves, are pristinely perfect, they can harbor tiny critters, critters who might take it into their little larval heads to come hatching out just as you’re putting Thanksgiving dinner on the table. To be utterly safe, dry your acorns in the oven at a low temperature for a few hours or freeze them in the freezer for at least two weeks, or, for a completely cruelty-free method, leave this year’s acorns in a dry place to cure naturally (and let all the little critters worm their way out at their leisure), and craft with last year’s acorns. [Image by Delia Creates, used with attribution] Next » Perhaps, however, you’re really into kitschy holiday crafts–the reason I’ll be so sick of jack-o-lanterns and turkeys in a month is that I’ll be up to my ears in them! Fortunately, with the right mindset, at this time of year anything can be turned into a jack-o-lantern. Painted with high-quality paint and sealed with a clear gloss, these acorn jack-o-lanterns, tutorial courtesy of Family Fun, are cute enough to hand out to trick-or treaters. [Image by Family Fun, used with attribution] Next » An acorn craft for your home doesn’t have to be elaborate to be beautiful. This acorn mobile, tutorial from Crafts by Amanda, is rustic but well-designed, a satisfying engineering project suitable for a kitchen, mudroom, or front door foyer. [Image by Crafts by Amanda, used with attribution] Next » As another simple acorn craft, these acorn cap jewels, tutorial courtesy of Homemade Serenity, are sure to delight any child–heck, they delight me! Simple with marker and glitter, we’ve also used glitter, acrylic paint, and Mod Podge with our acorn caps, and used them for everything from rainbow art to payment for the pretend veterinarian. [Image by Homemade Serenity, used with attribution]
