Grateful, Peaceful and Potential


The heart often points me to a certain creative direction.  And in response to this internal whisper, I obediently listen, ponder, and then make…sometimes that’s it, there are no bells or whistles involved.  While putting together these bottles of bliss I felt a calling to use calm and quiet colors…a soft and serene palette reflects the peaceful feeling that I often have.

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Walking outdoors also encourages peaceful feelings.  And if I happen to find little treasures like acorns, I always bring them home, grateful to have stumbled upon these natural gifts. 

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The acorn is a symbol of strength and patience, resilience and growth.   And seeing one often makes me think of the power of potential…how is it possible that one single, seemingly insignificant seed can magically grow into a glorious, towering oak?  And eventually, with seeds of its own even.  The magnificence of mother nature is ever-inspiring…big or small, I am grateful for it all. 

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To celebrate this little nugget from nature I created an acorn using material from a white cotton pillow case.  And since the acorn cap is so darn adorable, I decided to use it as is. 

To begin making this acorn, remove the cap from the seed.   Then use a hand awl to carefully pierce two holes through the top, center of the acorn cap (these holes can be used to run a piece of twine for hanging purposes.)  If you like, create a mini tag with a special word (I used “2010” as a date reference) and attach it to the twine with a jump ring before knotting the ends.  

Next, hand tear plain cotton fabric into thin strips, roughly 1/4 ” wide and 10″  long (depending on your cap size, you’ll need about 2-4 strips per acorn.)  Then tightly wrap these strips into an egg-shape, adding a dab of craft glue to the strips as you wrap to help keep the shape together.  Once the wrapped egg-shaped form looks like it’s a good fit for the cap, use craft glue to adhere it to the inside of the cap (with the end of the strip tucked inside the cap.) 

For Thanksgiving it might be fun to make a batch of acorns (you can skip the twine hanging loop) and plop them into a clear glass bowl for display.   I love bringing the outdoors in…nature’s bounty adds so much warmth to a home.   BTW, you could make some acorns with hanging loops as well – this simple decoration could look charming dangling from the limbs of a Christmas tree.



10 Comments, Comment or Ping

  1. This is my color palette! I love the calmness of whites and naturals. That acorn is sweet and since I have a TON of acorns in our yard I will be trying this out soon. Would make a neat addition to a gift box, too. Thanks Becky!

    November 22nd, 2010

  2. Lisa, great idea! And BTW, the tiny bottle with the white feather are both from you…thanks again for sharing.

    November 22nd, 2010

  3. this is really a neat project! so pretty, too!!!

    November 22nd, 2010

  4. Hi, Becky. Just stopping by to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! Love your little projects today and the neutrals. I saw a great tree in Country Living covered in old vintage bottles for decorations so I had picked some up at a local sale. I’m looking forward to adding some wire and hanging them from the tree. You’ve given me some great ideas to add a bit of a twist to these. Looking forward to a long weekend when I can play a bit and think about Xmas decorating. I hope you have a blessed holiday!

    November 22nd, 2010

  5. I love the peaceful look of your ornaments, symbolizes to me the magic of the first snowfall. I love the acorns, I have a ton of acorns in my yard.
    Lisa I know what you n’ I will be doing! lol

    Love the bottles with the feathers and words! Thanks for the inspiration~

    November 22nd, 2010

  6. These are so beautiful and so very calming, just looking at them makes me feel calm and I remember to breathe. will be stopping by this post quite often just to make me stop.
    As always very inspiring.
    love me 🙂

    November 22nd, 2010

  7. They’re all so sweet, Becky. The little bottles make nice embellishments on a present, don’t they.
    Happy Thanksgiving!
    Diane

    November 23rd, 2010

  8. Hi Becky!
    So sorry to be such an infrequent visitor of late – time is just wooshing by at a breakneck pace of late. WAH! Everything looks wonderful and thought provoking and inspiring, I’ll look forward to catching up with you next week. Wishing you and yours, a very Happy Thanksgiving!
    Sally

    November 24th, 2010

  9. my son has been bringing acorns home for about a month. we have placed them in a little tray. it’s wonderful to see how excited he gets to share something for our home. these are beautiful, becky. have a peaceful and warm thanksgiving.

    November 24th, 2010

  10. stopping in to tell you, how thankful i am to have you, as a new friend.
    happy thanksgiving.
    xo

    November 24th, 2010

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