Acorn Necklaces and Dolly

 

The allure of acorns this time of year tempts more than just the squirrels. Little hands seem to pick up a handful here and a handful there, and I find them in bags, in bowls, in coat pockets, and rolling along the floor throughout the season. I have daydreamed about crafting with them for ages. There's a long list in the back of my head of all the glorious things to do with acorns, but the girls were having so much fun just playing with them this year, that I delayed. One cold morning, when I realized how large our stockpile had grown, I decided that a few could be spared for my lofty crafting goals, and baked them in the oven. Wow! What a wonderful smell! I baked them at around 185 degrees to kill off any wiggly things occupying them that might decide to pop their head out at a moment's notice. I had already given such things a fighting chance to get free by leaving them in a jar for a few days, and many did flee and were let outside unharmed. Gross part aside, the acorns smell marvelously of Fall when baked. After they were baked and cooled we clamped them and drilled holes in them in my husband's workshop. They are roly-poley little ones, so you need to be careful when drilling (which is why I enlisted Jake for this task, as he clamps and drills things everyday... but rest assured, you can accomplish this task without a pro... you just might break a few in the process). We used an electric drill, but a hand drill might be fine. After that we picked some hemp cord and a few wood beads and set to work. Oona was able to design and string her own with a little help. Elsa, whose two, preferred to have me do it. The hemp cord would fray a little when adding beads, so next time I might use something on the ends to seal it (a tiny bit of beeswax, perhaps?). We just tied knots in the necklaces and used some extra acorns for dolly necklaces. I love the simple doll necklaces, but also love the mix of caps and acorns and beads on the longer strands. After we finished I made Jake drill me another so that I can make one for myself at some point. It was too much fun. I'm half tempted to let Oona design one for me.

And as you can see in the photos, I finally got around to making a doll for Elsa. Her name has changed a few times so I'm reluctant to call her anything, but I think she is loved. Elsa chose the green eyes and green dress color (to my surprise, as she is going through a pink/purple phase... at least I hope it's a phase.) She is, of course, Lucy's sister. I'm hoping to make the girls some more doll clothes and baby carriers for these girls for Christmas, but I might only have time for the carriers. More from my crafting world soon!


Joining in with KCCO over at Frontier Dreams .