Plant A Rainbow

The time for gardening in our little neck of the woods is finally here! As we prepare our space for planting, we are also dreaming up the colors and faces of the flowers we hope to see sprout from the soil.

Not long ago my friend sent me over the etsy link for these rainbow seed bombs. I fell in love. I decided I needed to figure out how to make them! 

Aren't they lovely?! Here is the etsy link for those of you who would rather buy them all ready to go. I think they would make a great gift for a green thumb loved one.

If you want to give them a go, we did some playing around with recipes online and found a system that worked.

Here's how we made them.

To make you will need:

colored construction paper 

seeds (we used a wildflower pack so we could plant all the colors of the rainbow!)

food processor

cheese cloth

elastics

cups & bowls

To begin: 

Tear up your paper. One color in each bowl.

Therapeutic process I tell you. Something about the feeling of ripping up paper. A little addictive :)

Pour water over your paper bits until the paper is covered.

Let your paper soak for 15 to 20 minutes.

Taking one color at a time... add the bowl of water and the paper to a food processor and blend.

Cut out a square of cheese cloth, lay it over a cup and secure it with an elastic.

Pour half of your paper/water pulp into the cheese cloth to begin draining.

Sprinkle a small amount of seeds onto the pulp and then pour on the rest of your paper mixture on top.

Undo the elastic and give the cheesecloth a squeeze to drain out more of the moisture.

Roll them in your hands until they are nice and round.

Let your seed bombs dry.

There you go! 

Sink your beautiful little bombs in some soil... water them well... then wait as they eventually explode {in slow motion} and burst into a bright rainbow of fresh flowers!

You could also "bomb" areas in need of some beautifying. Throw them around and spread the rainbow love. 

Perhaps it's time for a rainbow revolution!

May your day be bursting bright with color and beauty.

Mandala Sun Catchers

I developed a love for mactac and pressed flowers when I was a girl. I have fond memories of being given a box of pressed flowers, some plain paper and mactac to create cards with. I think I still may even have a couple of those cards hidden away as keepsakes from my childhood. 

I thought it might be fun to do something similar with my girls. This past summer we collected and pressed flowers from our garden and in the wild. We thought it would be so nice to have these flower faces smiling at us in the window! It was such a treat to pull them out now and admire them in the midst of (this never ending!) winter. We really enjoyed playing with these flowers and creating pressed flower mandala sun catchers! 

They are simple to create.

Here is a quick how to...

To make you will need

mactac (also known as clear contact paper)

embroidery hoop

pressed flowers

suction cup for hanging

To begin...

Cut out two squares of mactac a little bigger than your frame.

Decide on your layout for your sun catcher.

Peel the backing off one of your mactac squares and secure (sticky side up) in your embroidery hoop.

Gently place your pattern of flowers onto the mactac .

When your design is complete, carefully remove it from the frame.

Peel the backing off your other square of mactac and press it on top of your design. 

 Place it back into the hoop.

 Cut off the edges around the hoop.

 Hang in your window to enjoy!!

Wishing you all...

abundant beauty in this day...

 and always!

Only 17 days until spring! The count down is on. Hopefully these flowers will tide us over until the fresh ones pop up their sweet faces!

In sunshine and flowers,

Birch Bark Fairy House

A little love for the fairies...

home sweet home.

Here is a simple way to create a fairy house for your fairy garden, nature table or for play in the home.

To make one you will need

birch bark 

pine cone

acorn cap

small jar

ever lasting flowers (optional)

glue (I used a glue gun but I think that wood glue and gentle hands would work well too)

To begin

Cut a strip of birch bark and soak it in water to soften.

Wrap it around your jar and secure with elastics. 

Leave it overnight or until dry.

Remove it from the jar and glue together to make

 the base of your home.

Cut out a circle of birch bark and then cut out a pie piece shape. The bigger the piece, the more pointed your roof will be.

Glue the opening back together and you have a roof!

Cut out a door and glue your roof on.

To shingle your roof, cut a pine cone apart until you have a small pile of pine cone scales.

Glue your pine cone scales onto the roof in layers of circles.

Top it off with a acorn cap....

 and embellish with flowers if you are inspired. 

There you have it! A home for the fairies.

Now we await their arrival and hope that they enjoy their new abode.

Do you have any favorite fairy house creations? We always love new fairy inspiration!

For the love of fairies,

Borax Bejeweled Bits Of Nature

On my walks I am often drawn to gathering bits of beauty that cross my path and carrying home an arm load (and pockets full!) of natures gifts. My girls have joined in on this pleasure and together we keep our vases, nature table, baskets, jars... (you get the idea ;) full.

The collecting doesn't seem to end in winter. There is still so much beauty peeking out of the snow ~ milkweed, Queen Anne's Lace, berries, branches... a bounty of natures gifts!

Inspired by the borax snowflakes, I thought we might combine our love of nature with our love crystals and see what happens!

  We were truly delighted by the outcome. 

Mother nature being the true artist!

Here's how simple it is.

To create you will need

seed pods, branches, dried grass, berries, pine cones... any bits of nature that call to you

borax 

jars

water

*Borax is a laundry booster and is labeled *all natural* but please use caution when working with children. Have the adult or teacher handle the borax and work in a ventilated room just to be safe*

To begin gather your bits of nature.

Put your water on to boil.

Then place your borax into your jar (3 Tbsp for each cup of water).

Add your boiled (measured) water and stir until dissolved.

Submerse your bits of nature into the jar and let sit. 

The longer you leave them the larger the crystals will grow.

We just kept peeking at ours (every couple hours) until we had the size of crystals we desired.

When they are ready, gently remove them from the water and lay to dry.

Be sure to handle the pieces with care, as the crystals are quite fragile.

We were enchanted with their shimmering crystals.

Each one beautiful in their own way.

I think one of our favorites was this coneflower seed head. The girls were convinced it was now a wand for a very lucky fairy.

Perhaps an acorn hat for the fairy too!

The berries looked as though they had been frost kissed

and the grass sparkled and glittered in the sun.

The crystals hung so delicately on Queen Anne's Lace skeleton.

The milkweed pods were lovely all bejeweled.

With each piece we marveled.

We placed a bouquet of these jewel glazed beauties our table. Just the right bit of glittering magic to brighten these cold winter days. 

We also lay some on our nature table with King and Queen (and baby) winter to keep them company. 

I think we are hooked!

 A very HAPPY VALENTINES to one and all. May your day over flow with all things LOVE!