Pine Cone Angels

Pine cones dot the landscape wherever you find conifer trees. It is easy to pick pines cones up from under their branches when you go for a nature walk. Pine cones are easily one of nature's most versatile craft supplies.

If you live in an area that does not have conifer or evergreen trees, you can purchase pine cones at a craft store for next to nothing. Here's a fun and beautiful project to turn a pine cone into an angel.

This project can be adjusted to fit a variety of ages, so even the toddlers can have fun participating. Perhaps your family can create a family of pine cone angels to become natural play toys, or a lovely display to grace your table.


Supplies Needed

• Medium-sized pine cone
• Acorn
• White spray paint or acrylic paint and medium paintbrush
• Black and red acrylic paint and small paintbrush
• Silver or gold glitter
• Glue
• White card stock
• Pencil
• Doll hair or yarn
• Silver chenille stem
• Ribbon
• Scissors
• Newspaper (to cover your work area

Directions to Make a Pine Cone Angel

1. If you are using a pine cone that you found outdoors, you may want to bake it in order to kill any bugs inside and dry up the sap in them. To do this, place your cone on a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes to an hour.
2. Once the pine cone has cooled, paint it with the spray paint or acrylic paint and paintbrush. Sprinkle lightly with glitter while still wet. Let dry completely.
3. While waiting for the pine cone to dry, paint a face on the acorn. Turn it upside down and use black for the eyes and nose, and red for the mouth and cheeks. Let dry.
4. Glue the acorn head onto the pine cone body, with the pointed side of the pine cone up.
5. Draw a wing shape on the piece of card stock, and cut it out. Trace the shape onto the scrap of card stock, and cut it out as well. Turn one wing over so that they are facing in opposite directions.
6. Using the glue, trace along the inside of each wing. You might also want to make some markings inside the wings. When you're done, sprinkle the wings with glitter, tap off the excess, and let dry completely.
7. Glue the wings onto the angel's back. Let dry.
8. Place some doll hair or yarn in a hair color on the angel's head. Glue into place. Then form the chenille stem into a circle that will fit on top of the head for a halo. Glue into place and let dry.
9. Cut a piece of ribbon about 6 inches long. Form it into a loop and glue the ends to the back of the angel to make a hanger. Let dry completely before hanging up.

Tips

• If you don't like working with loose glitter, try using a tube of glitter glue. Dot some onto the painted pine cone here and there, and draw the details on the wings with it.
• If you prefer, you could use a piece of wide lace to make the wings. Gather the lace in the middle, secure with a piece of chenille stem, and glue to the back of the angel.
• For a more natural looking angel, skip the paint and/or the glitter.
• Try coming up with other characters to make your pine cones into.. perhaps you can create a family of them, or even start a village of pine cone people.
• A simpler pine cone person could skip the acorn.

Easy Ice Sculptures

Ice sculptures are not the first thing we usually think of when we think of easy crafts, but what is it that actually makes them so hard to do? Usually, when we see ice sculptures, it is at a wedding or other formal affair. The beauty of sculpted ice is fascinating to adults and children alike. If you were to find simple instructions for creating an ice sculpture, it might make a fabulous craft to try at home with your children. You could easily turn it into a full fledged family affair, and get everyone involved. With the low cost of the supplies, and how common the items are, this could make a great project to try out any day.

You don't have to give your children sharp objects to create a beautiful ice sculpture. Molded pieces can be assembled to make a creation, or molded pieces can be scraped with flat objects like rulers to create the perfect shapes. Best of all, creating an ice sculpture provides a valuable learning experience for kids of all ages.

Supplies Needed

• Water
• Ice molds and/or plastic containers
• Food coloring
• Salt
• Dish washing liquid

Directions to Make an Ice Sculpture

1. Wash the ice molds or plastic containers thoroughly with dish washing liquid and warm water. You need to make sure there are no traces of dirt or dust inside of them, because if there are, it will affect the outcome of the sculpture.
2. Fill each mold or container about 90% full of water to allow room for expansion during freezing. Add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. If the molds or containers you're using are opaque, you might want to mix the food coloring and water in a clear container beforehand so that you can see the results.
3. Place the molds and containers in the freezer, making sure that they sit level. Allow to freeze at least overnight, and for a couple of days if possible.
4. Remove the molds from the freezer and place them on a table. It's a good idea to do this outdoors if possible, because it will get messy!
5. Have your child or children build sculptures with the various shapes of ice. Each child can build his own sculpture, or they can work together to create one big one.
6. When the sculpture is the way they like it, sprinkle a bit of salt on the parts of the ice that touch other pieces. This will melt the ice a bit, helping the pieces stick together.

Tips

• For best results, use distilled water instead of tap water. Distilled water makes clearer ice, especially if you let it sit in the ice mold for a few hours to overnight before freezing.
• If you'd like to add a little extra shimmer to your ice sculpture, try adding a bit of glitter to the water before freezing.
• If temperatures are below freezing outside, and won't get above freezing for several days, you could leave the molds outdoors to freeze. This will eliminate the need for extra freezer space and make it possible to make as many pieces as you have molds. If you choose to do so, it's best to place the molds in a for sheltered area and leave them for at least a few days to ensure proper freezing.
• For a colorful idea, try mixing food coloring into the water before freezing the mold(s).

Fun Ice Skating Picture

Among winter sports activities, ice skating is one of the most common. People love to ice skate at their local skating rink, or frozen pond. Ice skating is a wonderful physical activity, and a great way to get out and enjoy the winter months. Watching graceful figure skaters on television or at a live presentation or competition is a favorite activity for many people of all ages. Ice skaters have that certain grace that is truly a beautiful sight to behold. That's why ice skating is so frequently photographed and videotaped.

The beauty of ice skating can also serve as the inspiration for some fun craft projects. This ice skating picture is easy enough for even a small child to create with just a bit of help. Your finished project will be beautiful enough to keep on display all winter. Here's how to make it.

Supplies Needed

• Piece of light blue card stock or construction paper
• Piece of white card stock or construction paper
• Piece of yellow card stock or construction paper
• Aluminum foil
• Cotton balls
• Fine-tipped black marker
• Small twigs
• Pictures of figure skaters
• Glue
• Scissors

Directions to Make an Ice Skating Picture

1. Cut the white card stock in half lengthwise, but instead of cutting in a straight line, make some subtle curves. Glue the cut out piece onto the bottom half of the blue card stock to make a snowy ground.
2. Use the scrap of white card stock to cut out some cloud shapes, and glue them onto the blue sky. Cut a circle out of the yellow paper to make a sun, and glue it onto the sky as well.
3. Cut an oval shape out of the aluminum foil. Glue it onto the white card stock with the shiny side up to make a reflective pond.
4. Find some small pictures of figure skaters, either in a magazine or book or online. If you can't find any that are small enough, you could use a computer graphics program to resize them and print them out, or even draw some on white paper or card stock. Cut out the figure skater pictures and glue them onto the aluminum foil pond.
5. Glue three cotton balls onto the “snow” in a vertical line to make a snowman. Draw a face and some buttons on with the marker, and glue two small twigs into place to make arms.
6. Hang up your work of art for all to see!

Tips

• For best results, use heavy duty aluminum foil. Regular aluminum foil tears more easily, and might rip as you're gluing it onto the paper.
• To make sure your pond is smooth and bubble-free, use a craft stick to smooth it down after gluing it into place.
• If you want to make it look like it's snowing in your picture, you could splatter paint it once you've done all the cutting and pasting. Simply splatter white paint onto the picture with a toothbrush, and let dry.

Frozen Sun Catcher

When I ran across the idea for this frozen sun catcher, I was hooked by the idea. Take advantage of the natural winter conditions to try this out for me. Living in Arizona, I am not going to get the opportunity to try it out myself. I would love to see the results if you try it out. Let me know if I can post your pics of it here with the instructions!

When you think of winter, most of us think of cold and snow. I think of beautiful scenes of the sun glistening of off the freshly fallen white snow. This sun catcher is bound to suit the bill and take advantage of the freezing temperatures and the winter sunlight. It is bound to add beauty to your porch or lawn, or anywhere you grace with it's presence.

This sun catcher uses the crystal clearness of frozen water to encase your treasures and display them in the sunlight.

Supplies Needed

• Water
• Any color of food coloring
• Shallow disposable aluminum pan (pie pans work nicely)
• Round orange slices
• Dried flowers
• Pressed pine needles
• Small pine cones
• Cranberries
• or any other tidbits you want to use 
• Sturdy twine
• Scissors

Directions to Make a Frozen Sun Catcher

1. Run enough water into a pitcher or bowl to fill the aluminum pan. Add food coloring until the desired color is achieved.
2. Pour colored water into the pan until it is about a quarter of an inch deep. Keep the rest of the water for later use making the second half of the sun catcher.
3.  Place the pan in the freezer or outside overnight so that it freezes solid.
4. Cut two pieces of twine, each about a foot long. Place the end of one piece about halfway down one side of the ice, and run it along the side up to the top, leaving the remainder outside of the pan. Do the same on the other side with the other piece of twine.
5. Arrange the orange slices, flowers, pine needles, pine cones, cranberries, or other tidbits on the surface of the ice. When you have arranged them to your liking, slowly pour another quarter inch of the colored water into the pan. You can either pour the water over your layout, or arrange your layout in the freshly poured layer of water.
6. Place the pan back in the freezer or outside overnight so that the new layer of water will freeze into ice, locking your design in place.
7. Sit the sun catcher out in your home at room temperature until you can easily remove it from the mold. Or if you prefer, run warm water over the back of the pan until the sun catcher is released.
8. Sit the sun catcher out in your home at room temperature until you can easily remove it from the mold. Or if you prefer, run warm water over the back of the pan until the sun catcher is released.
9. Find a nice spot outside, and tie the pieces of twine together to hang your sun catcher!

Tips

• You can use lemons or lime slices in addition to or instead of the orange slices.
• For best results, use a light color of food coloring. Darker colors could soak into the orange slices and change their color.
• Keep in mind that the sun catcher will eventually melt. Make sure you put your sun catcher somewhere that will not be affected by the dripping water as it melts.
• Consider putting it in a spot is shady for at least part of the day to keep it frozen and looking good longer.
• If it's nice and cold outside, consider doing the entire project on the porch or patio. That way you won't have to move it after adding the decorations and the water, and the items won't shift around as much.
• You may want to try running the twine right down the middle of the pan. It might hang onto your frozen treasure just a little bit longer this way.

Enjoy trying this green nature project by yourself or with your kids. Find more green craft projects in Green Crafts for Children: 35 Step-by-Step Projects Using Natural, Recycled, And Found Materials to try out all year long with your kids.