Use items from nature - seashells, tiny pebbles, pine cones, colorful rocks - to create a wonderful picture frame and a souvenir shadow box. A great summertime kids craft
Nature’s Friend Picture Frame
A wonderful way of displaying photos from your favorite out door adventure.
What you need:
A picture frame – you can use a simple purchased wooden one or you can buy picture frames for kids to decorate at your local craft store.
- Twigs, seashells, small pebbles
- Artificial or dried small berries, flowers or tiny pinecones
- Craft glue
What you do:
- Remove the glass from your frame and set aside. Before gluing anything in place decide how you want your frame to look. Arrange your large natural items in different ways and decide where you want them to go.
- Next glue your larger items in place on the picture frame. This would be the twigs, larger seashells and pinecones and similar items.
- Now fill in the empty items with the smaller items. Place dried berries, tiny seashells, dried flowers or even bows into the small spaces.
- Put the glass back into the frame. Put your picture inside and hang where everyone can enjoy your wonderful creation.
Nature’s Shadow Box
This is a fun recycle craft as well as a way to display small trinkets from a nature hike or trip.
What you need:
- Empty plastic TV dinner tray that has been cleaned
- Small items from nature – seashell, pine cone, dried flowers, preserved butterfly, favorite rock
- Ribbon, twigs, tiny seashells or other items to decorate edge of the shadow box
- Craft glue
- Kite string
- Awl or large darning needle
What you do:
- The TV dinner tray is your shadow box. Decide how your shadow box will hang and which side is the “top”. Punch two holes, evenly spaced, near the top. Thread the string through the holes from the front. Tie in the back. This is to hang your shadowbox.
- Decide how you want to decorate around the rim of the tray. Most TV dinners have a flat edge. This is perfect for lace, ribbon, small seashells or colored pebbles. After you have decided how you want your trim to look glue it in place.
- Now place your treasures from nature in the little spaces of the TV dinner tray. Try arranging them several ways. When you are happy with how they look, place a small mount of glue on the bottom of the item and glue in place.
- Hang your item on the wall and you have a wonderful memento of a special nature trip or just a fun summer.
NOTE: You can use a purchased shadowbox from a craft store or use one you make yourself out of wood as well.
Hot glue may be used in place of craft glue but only with ADULT SUPERVISION!
The copyright of the article Fun and Easy Nature Crafts in Kids Crafts is owned by Belinda Mooney. Permission to republish Fun and Easy Nature Crafts in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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