Making an Owl Window or Wall Decoration

I've stolen a craft idea from kindergarten and I am going to share it with you today - paper owls with leaf wings.

              

My own darling children didn't feel like making these, but I thought they were very cute. Number Three pitched in a little, pinching the scissors and glue every now and again, just to keep me on my toes, and Number One and Two collected the leaves for the wings, but they left the actual craft bit up to me.

Here's what you will need:

Coloured card for the owl bodies

White and black card for the eyes

Orange card for the beaks

Leaves

Brown card for the tree (optional)

A black marker pen

Glue

Scissors

Sticky tape

Step 1: Using a saucer, draw circles on the coloured card. These will form the bodies of the owls, so you need one circle per owl. 

Step 2: Cut out the circles.

Step 3: Cut out circles of black and white card for the eyes. You need a small white circle and a slightly larger black circle per eye. 

Step 4: Cut out one triangle of orange card per owl for the beak. The diameter of the white of the eye should be the width of the widest part of the beak.

Step 5: Glue the white of the eyes to the black circles. Then use the black marker pen to draw a black dot in the white of each eye, as shown in the photo below.

Step 6: Glue the eyes and beak onto each body. 

Step 7: Glue a leaf on either side of each owl's body for the wings. 

Step 8: Per owl, cut out two small triangles of coloured card and tape these to the back of each owl's head as ears.

 Step 9: (Optional) Cut out a tree shape from the brown card. Tape it to a wall or window. Then arrange the owls on the branches and tape any remaining leaves to the tree and around the bottom of the trunk.

Making an Autumn Wreath and A Centrepiece

Recently I started volunteering a bit more at Number One's primary school. Today was my first day lending a helping hand in the classroom and do you know what, I actually learned something. I know they say you learn something new every day and I know I do almost every day. But being back in a classroom and hearing a teacher say something I didn't know was a bit of a throwback. 

To cut a long story short, what I learned was that today, 23rd September 2015, is the autumnal equinox. I had planned to post something completely different here today, but given my newly aquired knowledge, I feel it apt to share something autumnal. 

On returning from the school, I did a quick bit of gardening. Well, weeding really. Badly needed weeding, if I am honest. My German neighbours put me to shame with their neat front gardens and their weeded and swept footpaths. As a little reward to myself when the weeding was done, I snipped a few branches from the rosebush and gathered up some fallen leaves and walnuts from the patio with the aim of making a table decoration or wreath to bring a bit of Autumn feeling into the house.

To the material I had gathered outside I added the following:
secateurs
some garden wire
a large three-wicked candle
a straight-sided glass bowl
some red and white bakers' twine
some buttons
an embroidery ring
a decorative scissors
washi tape
ribbon
And a cup of coffee. Then I got to work, with Number Three only too eager to lend a helping hand, especially when it came to getting his hands on the secateurs or the candle, in true toddler fashion.

To Make a Traditional Decorative Wreath
Cut a length of wire. I used a piece approximately 40cm long. Wind it around a branch of the rosebush with plenty of rosehips on it. 

Then form the branch to a circle and wind the two ends of wire together to hold it in place. Look at both sides and decide which is the front and which is the back of your wreath. Next cut a length of twine and wind this around the wreath, arranging and fastening the leaves and rosehips in place at the front as you go. Tie both ends of the twine together. Now decide which end is up and loop a ribbon around that part. I tend to choose the barest-looking patch of the wreath as the top. The ribbon disguises it. 

At this stage you can, if you choose to, add some other elements. I added some of the walnuts from our garden but you could use acorns, chestnuts or a few crisp, dry leaves. 

Apart from the fact that we have an abundance of walnuts, I love that when carefully cracked they reveal a heart shape.

To Make a Craft-Themed Wreath
Having finished one wreath with a toddler running round me, I thought I might as well use up some more of my material and make a second one. This time round I went for a craft-theme. 

As a base for the wreath I used my embroidery ring. I wound a small rose twig around one side, with the rosehips hanging at six o'clock, if you get me. Then I fastened it in place with bakers' twine. Still using the twine, I threaded a couple of buttons and a small decorative scissors onto it and stretched this across the ring a couple of times. With the end of the twine I made a loop for hanging the wreath from. As a finishing touch I tore a length of washi tape and added it across the centre.

To Make a Centrepiece
While I was fiddling round with nuts and rosehips anyway, I thought I'd make a nice autumnal centrepiece to brighten up the kitchen table.

I started by placing my candle in the centre of the glass bowl. Then I twisted lengths of rosebush around it.

I scattered walnuts in among the rosehips and then added a couple of apples from our apple tree to complete the autumn look. 

These don't take a whole lot of time to make, especially the centrepiece, which can be thrown together in a matter of minutes. But they do bring an instant bit of seasonal feel to a room or entrance hall. 

Easing Into Autumn

Over the past week or so I have found myself in a kind of limbo between Summer and Autumn. The weather has been chilly in the mornings and evenings but up to 22°C and sunny during the day. The children have gone back to school but just with half days this week, leaving us with holiday-like afternoons to enjoy the sun, play or have visitors. 

But there is no denying that Autumn is coming, and swiftly. The evenings are definitely dark, the walnuts are starting to fall from our tree and the local vineyards have started selling Neue Wein (must, young wine). 

To ease myself into Autumn, I have been making mental lists of things that are good about the season and that has led me to compile this list of ways to acclimatise and enjoy the shorter, darker days that are fast approaching.

- Have scented candles in jars around the place. Light them on dull days to cosy up the atmosphere

- Flick through some cookbooks for warm meal inspiration like stews, hearty soups, casseroles and warming desserts like poached pears in red wine or fruit compotes

- Plan days out with the children for those upcoming chilly weekends. Visit castles, forests  and parks. Collect chestnuts for playing conkers, gather blackberries or mushrooms, jump in piles of dry leaves. 

- Stock up on hot chocolate and marshmallows for rainy afternoons when the kids come in from school

- Put rosehips, chestnuts and other Autumn fruits into a glass bowl  as an alternative decoration to bunches of flowers 

- Root out your board games, playing cards and other rainy day activities and keep them somewhere handy so you remember to play them

- Start a hobby or project like making an advent calendar, taking up crochet, sewing new cushion covers or making homemade Christmas cards

How do you adapt to the changes in seasons? What are your favourite things to do in Autumn?