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Painted Acorn People Decorations

October 17, 2018 by Rosie 4 Comments

Today I’ve got an adorable painted acorn idea for you – painted acorn people decorations!

We’ve had such fun collecting acorns over the last few weeks – it’s become one of my daughter’s favourite activities! She loves picking up the acorns and collecting them in a basket.

I wondered what to do with all the acorns we had collected and thought they would make really sweet little people decorations!

This activity is perfect for children around 5 and up – older children will especially love painting these. You will need to help with drilling and gluing, however children can paint to their imaginations content!

These painted acorn people decorations are fun to make and also make sweet gifts. They are cute little decorations to hang on a tree for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Painted Acorn People Decorations

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You’ll need:

  • Acorns and caps
  • Acrylic paint pens
  • Embroidery thread or narrow string
  • Super glue or wood glue
  • A drill with small drill bit
  • Blu tac
  • Spray polyurethane varnish (optional)

1. You’ll need to start by gathering some acorns, if you haven’t already. This makes for a fun activity with the kids. Collect plenty so you have lots to choose from, as well as plenty of caps if they are not attached. It’s useful to have lots of caps to choose from.

2. When you get home you’ll need to wash and prepare the acorns. You’ll probably want to plan to paint later on in the day, or the next day. Give the acorns a good rinse to get rid of any dirt. Lay them on a clean towel to dry for around an hour.

3. You’ll then need to dry out the acorns in the oven to kill off any bugs that may be hiding inside the acorns. I had forgotten that I would need to do this! After our first acorn gathering I left the acorns in a bucket – when the next day a bug crawled out of one of the acorns! Eek! So make sure you dry out the acorns before crafting, to kill off anything lurking inside.

To dry the acorns – simply lay the acorns and caps onto a foil lined tray and place into an oven heated to around 80 celsius/175 faranheit. This low heat will be just enough to dry out the acorns and kill off any bugs. Leave the acorns for around 2 hours with the oven door ajar, checking on them periodically.

4. Once the acorns are prepared you’re ready to paint! This might be a good time to match up some of the acorns with caps that fit. Put the caps to one side and put your acorns on a tray or sheet of plastic on your work surface to paint.

Fine nibbed acrylic paint pens are ideal for this, but you could also just use sharpies. Remember to put aprons on to protect clothes. I used a little bit of blu tac to stick the acorns onto a tray to hold them in place. This makes it easier to allow them to dry too.

Paint little faces and features on the acorns!

I painted the white of the eyes first and allowed to dry before adding the other features. I liked the natural look of the acorns, but if you wanted you could paint all of the acorns with a colour first, then allow to dry before adding faces.

5. Leave the acorns to dry thoroughly. Once dry, if you wish you can spray with a little polyurethane varnish to help seal the paint. I used this Plasti-Kote Spray which worked well. In the states Modge Podge is similar and more readily available. It also comes in a matte finish if you prefer. Follow instructions and spray very lightly. Allow to dry overnight, or until thoroughly dry.

6. Drill two small holes in the top of each acorn cap that you wish to use. Thread a small length of embroidery thread or string through each hole and tie in a knot. Put some super glue or wood glue in one of the caps and stick onto your acorn person. (Remember to do this for your child, we don’t want any fingers being glued together!)

Ta da! You made a painted acorn person!

Make as many ornaments as you like, then hang them up! I think these would make really sweet homemade gifts for friends or family. You can hang them up for Thanksgiving or Christmas – or even make them into a necklace. I love the idea of handing them out as little kindness people too. What do you think?

 

I hope you love this idea!

If you’re looking for other acorn crafts you might like this post from fellow blogger Crafts on Sea. Plus, don’t forget, I’ve got Halloween ideas all sorted for you with these Awesome Halloween Activities for Preschoolers – you can adapt most of the activities for older and younger kids too.

Remember to pin this post for later!

Linking up with Sarah and Make It Monthly.

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Filed Under: Arts and Crafts, Autumn, Crafts and Activities

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Malin - Sensational Learning with Penguin

    November 1, 2018 at 10:01 am

    These are so cute! And a great tutorial, thank you! #MakeItLinky

    Reply
    • Rosie

      November 2, 2018 at 2:02 pm

      Ah, so glad you like them. Very easy to do! x

      Reply
  2. Helen Smith

    November 1, 2018 at 3:47 pm

    Brilliant idea! Great for decorating the Christmas tree. Thanks

    Reply
  3. Sarah

    November 11, 2018 at 10:18 am

    Awwwww Rosie these are SO CUTE!!! We always collect loads of acorns, but never know what to do with them! We will definitely be trying this next year. So adorable! #MakeItLinky

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Rosie!

Lover of tea on the beach and avid recycler!

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Sweet and simple ideas to inspire kids. 👩‍🎨
Art | Crafts | Nature
Lover of tea on the beach and avid recycler! 🐚🐠🐳 ❤️

Rosie
Happy Mother’s Day to all those celebrating this Happy Mother’s Day to all those celebrating this weekend. 🥰🌸
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We love using washi tape in crafts, especially homemade cards. It’s so fun and easy to use and looks really effective. Why not give it a try? 
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You can make these washi tape cards for any occasion. Your kids will enjoy coming up with their own designs. Search ‘washi tape cards’ on the blog for full tutorial.
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Have you used washi tape in kids art and crafts? 👩‍🎨
Back to school yesterday for these two ❤️❤️

I’m missing them already! 🥰 But have to say it’s nice to have 5 minutes peace for a cup of tea! 😆☕️
Now the big tidy up begins!

Are your children back at school? Or still home?
Do you feel like showering a little love this Febr Do you feel like showering a little love this February? 🥰
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I think we need all the love and good vibes right now and I do love a creative project that doubles as a gift! 💝 
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We loved making these dancing heart stencil cards - simple to make and sweet Valentines for your children to hand out. 😍
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When I get 5 minutes I'll make a blog post 🙄😆but they are easy enough to make:
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-Draw a heart shape on a piece of card and cut out a stencil. 
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-Place stencil on folded white card, sponge red and white paint, let dry.
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-Spread a little love!
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These would be a cute and easy activity over the half term/winter break. ❄️
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Do your children like to make Valentine cards? 💕
Do you feel like you're balancing all the things r Do you feel like you're balancing all the things right now?
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Life is throwing everything at us at the moment. If you feel like you’re about to topple and fall with the weight of it all, you are not alone. 

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Get your children printing and decorating Christmas trees on a sheet of parcel paper. You’ll keep them busy and creative, then can wrap gifts for the grandparents or friends in the paper! 
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Are you planning to add a personal touch to gifts and cards this year? Have you made gift wrap with your children before?
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Joining in with @makemerryandcreate @littlelion_mom @playwithmamma and #makeyourchristmascrafts
Wow, it’s been a while! I took a bit of a soci Wow, it’s been a while! 

I took a bit of a social media break, as life took over. As it does from time to time. So taking the time to say hello to you all again.👋 

I’m Rosie and I love to share simple ideas to inspire kids to get arty, crafty and creative. 🎨 

I also 💚the outdoors and try to share this love of nature in many of my projects. 🌲 

This is me and my crew, back in October on my 40th birthday! A beautiful beachy day. 🏝 

Since then we’ve bought a house, moved and had one kiddo in isolation for 14 days 🤪- hence the radio silence. 

A break has helped me ditch the overwhelm and simplify my priorities. But now, I’m so ready to start getting creative again and bring on all the festive vibes! 🎄

When life gets overwhelming, don’t be afraid to step back and focus only on the things that are important. Take a breath, get outdoors and then reprioritise, one step at a time. ❤️

How are you doing with lockdowns, winter and festive preparation? What helps you step back and reprioritise?
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One thing I am doing is starting to sort through the pile of creations 🖼 (and clutter too!) in the house. It’s reminding me of all the lovely things we have done together (even when mum guilt sometimes tells me otherwise) and helping to clear my mind too. ❤️
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If you’re feeling a little lost at the moment I can recommend a good sort out as a starting point! @whatkatysaiduk is a wonderful inspiration on decluttering. 🥰
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We had a roarr-some time at @roarr_dinosauradventure in Norfolk last weekend.
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