Christmas Craft: Nature Baubles

With Christmas approaching in a few months, we have been making Christmas decorations for the Possum Valley tree. Nature Baubles are a wonderful way to bring some of the native outdoors inside at Christmas time.

Materials:

- Plastic or glass baubles: We chose plastic, as it is a safer option. The plastic baubles are also sold in two halves, making them easier to decorate. We purchased our baubles on EBay from the ‘Pack It In’ store.

- Decorative ribbons: We selected natural colours, but you can choose whichever colours you like.

- Supa Glue, or any glue suitable for sticking plastics.

- Judi Kins Diamond Glaze. This is available at craft stores and online. It is water based glue which can be used as a glaze or sealant and dries with a shine.

- String

- Natural materials: dried leaves, small gumnuts, dried flowers, etc. Ensure the materials are completely dry.

- Acrylic Paint: We used Jo Sonja’s gold paint, and ‘crystal’ and ‘silver’ glitter paints made by Hunter Studio (available from Target or K-Mart).

- Glitter: Any glitter you like. We used Cosmic Shimmer Glitter Jewels, a chunkier, crystal like glitter which is sold in small jars. We bought ours on EBay.

Directions:

- Decorate the inside of your plastic bauble by painting small areas with the crystal glitter paint. Alternatively, paint a thin film of glue or Diamond Glaze on inside areas of the bauble and sprinkle with glitter to achieve a sparkling ‘snowy’ effect. Leave to dry.

- Paint some of your collected natural materials. Leave to dry. You can use them without painted highlights if you prefer.

- Place your collected materials in one half of the bauble. Add a pinch or two of loose glitter. 

- Place Supa Glue around the seam of one half of the bauble. Don’t use more than a few drops as it will ooze out when the halves are sealed and may stick to the items in your bauble. Click the bauble together to permanently secure the glue. Wipe away any excess that leaks out.  Leave to dry.

- Feed some string through the holes at the top of the bauble. Then tie ribbons around the top to hide the hole. Secure the ribbon with Supa Glue. You can also glue ribbons around the side of the bauble to hide the join.

Nature baubles are a great way to remember special events such as a holiday. Chris and Mark recently returned from Denmark with a wonderful of collection of natural items to use. You can also include photographs, toys or other keepsakes inside the baubles. A lovely addition to any Christmas tree or mantle.