The natural beauty of Washington State will never cease to astonish me. Even in these damp and dreary winter months, I love to take walks in the woods and marvel at the velvety moss, the bizarre, otherworldly-looking mushrooms, and the stark beauty of bare trees.
Another thing I love about these off-season nature walks? The forest floors are positively brimming with impromptu, organic craft supplies. So bundle up, grab a basket, and let's go foraging for your next art project! Just make sure you brush up on the local foraging rules , opens a new windowbefore you pocket that pine cone.
According to my 4-year-old niece, every tree stump in the forest secretly functions as a "fairy apartment building," and this whimsical book makes me wish she was right. Even if you don't plan on building a fairy condo of your own, the meticulous detail and creativity of the projects in this book (acorn pod cups!) are pure magic for all ages.
The foliage-loving little people in your life will find plenty of fun leaf crafts in these two books. Super Simple Leaf Projects is packed with home decorating projects like placemats and candles, plus helpful instructions for preserving and pressing your leaves. Look What I Did With A Leaf! is kid-friendly but surprisingly sophisticated, teaching children to develop their artistic eye and create intricate animals using a variety of leaf shapes and sizes.
Take your nature crafts to new heights with the high art handicrafts in Woodland Style. Each chapter focuses on a different medium (twigs, tree bark, moss, etc.), with rich, dazzling photographs to give you inspiration throughout. This book is packed with inventive house and garden decorations like an ornate pine cone mantlepiece, a moss-covered garden table, and a surprisingly elegant vase made from bark strips.
This unique book combines art with science, exploring the how and why behind nature's colors and offering craft ideas for each shade. Even grownups will enjoy this simple and sweetly poetic ode to our planet's natural bounties.
