An acorn wreath is a traditional Autumn/Fall craft project that will keep a child or adult occupied and make a gift or decoration for the home.

It will require some supervision, depending on the child’s age. You’ll need :

Acorns, a wicker wreath frame, a hot glue gun, glue sticks, a newspaper, flowers or other decorations.

To make the wreath, spread the newspaper on a flat surface and lay the wreath frame on it.

Heat your glue gun and, starting in the middle of the wreath, begin gluing the bottom of an acorn. Place the glued part of the acorn in the middle of the wreath and stand the acorn upright.

Make one row in a straight line going all the way around the wreath. Repeat the process from top to bottom with the wreath still lying flat.

Decorate with flowers, bows, or other ornaments. Be sure not to leave any open spaces except at the back. The back of the wreath should be clear of acorns so it lies flat.

A wreath hanger is recommended as it is quite heavy.

A Pickle Pucker Jar

A lady called Betsy Hatfield submitted this idea to The Romantic website :

Last year at Valentine’s, I got a big glass pickle jar from a restaurant, scrubbed it clean, and painted the jar with flowers, hearts, sunshine, clouds, etc.

Then I got a bunch of “fancy” doodle pads and began writing reasons & reminders of how & why I love my husband. It didn’t stop there — I began collecting little poems, quotes, and song lyrics to add to the pot.

When my husband is having a rough day he can open the lid and reach in for a “boost”. This jar was easy to make and VERY personal, and he enjoys it year around. I love to collect stuff for the jar as well!

We’ll be looking around for more unusual craft ideas for February 14 in the next two weeks.

For a fun bouquet or just something to add a little pizazz to gift wrapping, these tissue paper carnations are a unique way to give flowers.

The project is incredibly easy and inexpensive. My 12-year-old made these in under half an hour.

The materials are simply:

Colored tissue paper

Decorative pencils

Pencil Eraser Caps

Small elastics

You can use any color of tissue paper, even white - or layer different colors for a rainbow effect. Lay out your tissue paper in layers of 4 - 6 sheets. 4 makes a loosely petaled flower, 6 is a bit tight and harder to work. We found 5 sheets were about right. Then measure a rectangle of about 5 - 6 inches wide and about 10 - 12 inches long. This will determine the size of your flower but the great thing is that it doesn’t really matter if you are exact or if you eyeball it. The edges don’t even have to be particularly straight as when you fan out the paper, these inconsistencies will only make it look more real. This makes it a great project for kids who may not be as meticulous about measurements and straight edges.

Once you have your rectangle, start an accordion fold at one of the ends. Fold on the short side, not the long. Fold over and over as if you were making a fan. Each fold should be about 1 inch width. When you are done, fold it over to find the middle, then unfold and place an elastic around the middle of your now 1 inch wide folded fan.

Take a pencil and wind the elastic on the pencil end, just under the metal band that holds the eraser on. Placing it here keeps it from slipping off easily. To ensure it doesn’t slip off, place a colored eraser cap over the eraser. This also makes the pencil more useful as the owner will be able to erase with it without removing the flower.

Now fan out both sides and grasping the edge of the innermost tissue paper layer, start pulling it up towards the middle. Once you have done that, do the next layer and the next and so forth. Pull each layer on both sides towards the middle until your carnation is formed.

You can make several of these and give them like a bouquet of flowers. Alone, these tissue paper carnations can be attached to gifts instead of bows for a unique decoration.

For an individualized and complementary Thanksgiving centerpiece, make your own cornucopia. The materials and construction are simple.

You will need:

One cornucopia. Get the size that best fits your table.

Styrofoam block or ball in a size that will fit about halfway into the horn.

Silk flowers or ornamental plants. You can get these in traditional autumn colors or make them fit your dining room decorating scheme.

Place the styrofoam ball or block in the horn and push it down so that it fits snugly about halfway. Next just stick the stems of the flowers into the styrofoam and arrange to your taste. The only requirement is that you use enough flowers to hide the sytrofoam and make sure they are of varying lengths, but that some are long enough to drape elegantly beyond the rim of the horn and onto the table.