adorable acorn people (you can make them too!)

I have gained a reputation as the craft queen on the years we do Thanksgiving with my husband's family (see: ornamental balls, felt Christmas tree ornaments). This year we made little tiny acorn people with wood bead heads. I did the hot gluing of cap, bead head, and acorn bodies for the kiddos. Then we decorated with fine tip sharpies and yarn for scarves. Credit due to none other than Martha Stewart herself.

an unconventional acorn wreath

I am just going to fess up right away. I made this wreath last October and then never wrote about it. Hee. And I am not sure I am finished with it anyway.

But – first things first. I was inspired by both a rectangular wreath made from a frame and an all-acorn wreath and decided to combine the two. I've since lost the original links but there are examples aplenty on the ole Pinterest.

After gathering up a variety of sizes of acorns (I love a nearby park to add to my collection), I heated them in the oven to kill any creatures that might be living in them and then got busy with the glue gun! I did do a base that was more organized and built layers evenly. So I would work all the way around the frame over and over, slowly building it up until it was full.

My first thought was to paint some stripes of different widths on it, leaving some "bare" acorn as its own stripe color. I had in mind a yellow gold and some purples. I really wanted it to looked dipped but there didn't seem to be a good way to accomplish that.

My latest thought is metallic spray paint – maybe bronze colored. Instead of taping it off for neat and tidy stripes I would let the overspray speckle the bare acorns. I think I will paint most of it, leaving just the top bit plain. Of course, I don't actually have the spray paint at the moment and the last thing I really need is a new project!

the table is set for autumn

I found these wooden bowls while thrifting (which I don't actually do all the time; it just seems that way on this blog!). The set of pine needle nesting baskets with lids were actually something my husband had owned for years. I love them for displaying with natural items. All of the round containers ares spread across the table and are filled with natural treasures, some collected in the past and others being added as the season progresses. There is a park near our home that has a huge variety of oak trees and I love to collect all the different types of acorns!

amazing acorns!

Remember last fall when I was so thrilled to discover the acorns in my front yard sporting pinstripes? Well, this autumn I am enthused at how many different types of acorns there are! I think somewhere buried in my brain I could remember learning that there were different kinds of oak trees. So it should not be so surprising to me to discover different style acorns.

On a recent afternoon when I needed a better mood and the baby needed a nap, I went on a long walk to a nearby park. I had in mind that I had found some exceptionally large acorns there before so I thought I would look for a few to add to my collection. As I walked through my neighborhood and onto my park I kept noticing all kinds of acorns. "Ooh – fuzzy tops!" And I would carefully lower down, gather a bunch, and stuff my pockets. People driving by must have wondered what on earth I was doing. The enthusiasm I have for acorns is probably only shared by our squirrel friends!