It's my favorite time of year...Autumn is here! I couldn't wait to start decorating this year. I have been bursting at the seams with creativity!
Don't think you have time, energy, or money to decorate? This craft took me around 30 minutes, cost under $4 and I let my kids get in on the fun by helping me collect the acorns...and we were lucky enough to get to them before all the squirrels did!
I love all of the oranges, reds, yellows and browns of fall, but wanted to add a little metallic sparkle to it all. So, here's all you need to glamorize some acorns:
--a handful of acorns, silver or whatever color you choose of spray paint, a cardboard box or newspaper. I used Rust-Oleum Bright Coat Metallic spray paint-(look for a very shiny silvery-gold cap, not the dull gray ones).
--or for a kid-friendly version: craft acrylic paint, paintbrush, newspaper, small cups for putting paint into.
-Now I learned the hard way that acorns need to be prepped before using inside the home-little larvae started to come out into a vase I had them in. Yuck! But there is an easy way to kill them...
-Bake the acorns on 350 degrees for 15 min. I wrapped them in foil on a baking sheet for a cleaner prep.
-After they have cooled, I put a handful of acorns in a small cardboard box.
-Then, I lightly sprayed them with shiny chrome spray paint, rolled them around in the box, sprayed them again. Allowed to dry in the box.
-After they were dry, I wanted to expose some of the brown, so I lightly sanded them with sandpaper.
Or, they could dip just the ends of the acorns into a cup of paint, then allow to dry on newspaper. That simple! A variety of bright colors would be fun.
To finish and add a little elegance, I put the acorns in a small glass vase and wrapped a sheer bow around it. Such a pretty transformation of the humble acorn!
I would love to hear from you! Let me know if you try this idea how it turns out.
Well, now it's time to hunt down some acorns...and be careful around those squirrels!
You're right: they do look better on here than on skype :-). I love them! I really like the metallic look. It would be fun to experiment with some bright colors, too. Like red, since that's so "in" ;-)
ReplyDeleteBecca- I told you they would :) Yeah, I'm into metallic accents along with rich colors too, I just think it adds a little punch. Red would be really pretty and it is "in"! Please show me pics if you decide to do some!
ReplyDeleteYou're so clever! I envy your creativity. If you are ever in Arizona, please feel free to stop by and work your magic at my place :)
ReplyDelete@ Happy Kid City-thank you! Part of why I created this blog is for people who think they aren't creative-to be inspired to make something-I think anyone can be creative if they try! )
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! Cheap, easy, and pretty. My three favorite things =)
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