Spring Crafts to Embrace the Season

 Spring Crafts to Embrace the Season 

By: Kate Mitchell 

 

 

Pressed Flower Stickers/Bookmarks 

Utilizing pressed flowers is so much fun in the springtime because crafts with them are very customizable and allow for lots of creativity! I suggest making stickers and bookmarks for something fun and easy, but there are lots of other ways to use pressed flowers such as a mason jar lamp or customizing picture frames. For making stickers, the easiest thing is to use parchment paper and packing tape, making sure there aren’t any air bubbles.Also, when making the bookmarks be sure to paint a layer of mod podge over them once you’re finished to ensure the flowers don’t get ruined. I find pressed flower crafts always test my patience because they take so long to fully dry out, but I promise it is worth the wait to let them dry completely because I have had some moldy and smelly flowers due to my own impatience. Crafts like these are also a great excuse to be mindful and go outside especially because spring approaching summer is such a busy time for so many people, so it can be refreshing to take time and go for a mindful walk to collect your flowers. I find a screen free walk is very beneficial for my mental health, especially when I am overwhelmed by schoolwork and other things. So, get outside, find some flowers and happy crafting! 

 

 

Build and Paint Birdhouses 

For me, bird houses and bird feeders are quite nostalgic. There was a certain magic of hanging it up and watching the birds come and go like a strange proud bird mother. However, bird feeders are a lot more of a commitment because they can be harmful if they aren’t managed properly. Feeders easily become a breeding ground for bacteria and can then spread diseases. Additionally, they can attract predators such as cats and other larger birds, which can be dangerous. So, I’d advise against bird feeders unless you do your research and make sure it won't end up doing more harm than good. 

As for birdhouses, they can be fun just for decoration and maybe a little friend will come and take shelter in it. If you get thick popsicle sticks and some hot glue, it could be a lot of fun to design and make the house yourself. For the people who don’t want to build the birdhouse, you could also find one to paint at either the dollar store, or any craft store such as Michael’s. Once you have your house, you can add any design you’d like with some acrylic paint or even paint markers if you have some. Once it’s done, you can paint a thin layer of mod podge over it and then try to hang it in a spot with a bit of shelter such as a tree or on a porch or balcony. 

 

 

Floral Painted Candles  

This craft requires some materials that many people may not have at home, but if you have the resources, they are a lot of fun and make great gifts! This was a bit of a trend for a while, but you use a large white candle as your canvas and a bunch of multicoloured tea lights to act as your paint. Light the tea lights for long enough to completely melt the wax before you start and then be sure to dip your paintbrush far enough away from the flame, or else it can become a fire hazard. Candles with floral designs make great decorations for spring, but you can get very creative with them. From my experience, you do have to work quite fast; the wax will dry onthe paintbrush extremely quickly. Additionally, be sure to clean your brushes thoroughly to not let the wax ruin them. Overall, this is a very cozy and fun activity, and you get a pretty candle out of it. (The picture on the left are candles that my friends and I made!) 

  

 

Painted Plant Pot 

What better time than spring to adopt a new plant? This craft is extremely straightforward and a lot of fun! You can either find a plant pot you have lying around, or go buy one from any local plant store, and then customize it using acrylic paint. It could be really cute to match the pot design to colours on the plant or even give it a name and write it on the pot. If you get smaller plants like succulents, you could even do a matching set of a few little pots and make a little series of them. Again, these also make great gifts for your plant-loving family and friends.  

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