Craft Project: Milkweed Ornaments (Shadow Pods)

I used milkweed pods from the woods around my house for this ornament idea. You may have other types of pods in your area or you may be able to find something similar in the dried flower section of the craft store. Great project for Scouts or school groups. Use a hair dryer on the paint and Fiberfill for snow to keep it quick.

Approximate Time: 15 minutes

Supplies:

• Dried Milkweed Pods
• Acrylic paints, sky blue, royal blue, white,brown, green
• "Snow-Tex" Craft Medium or Fiberfill
• Twinkly Paint or Diamond Dust and Glue
• Tiny Figures, Deer, People, Houses, etc.
• Thread or Ribbon to hang
• Silver Glitter Paint, optional

Instructions:

Make sure pods are split and emptied outside, preferably in the woods where you found them. Basecoat one half of a pod inside and out with white. Dry.

Dip paintbrush in Royal Blue and wipe most of it off. Rub it on the outside of pod and dry.

Inside pod, paint top half sky blue. Dry.

For pine trees, use brown paint for trunks and dry. Holding a small flat brush horizontally, add limbs by lightly tapping on trunks, with longer strokes toward the bottom. Dip "dirty" brush in white and add to limbs for snow in the same manner.

Fill bottom half of pod with Snow-Tex or Fiberfill. If using Snow-Tex, allow to dry overnight.

Add clouds to sky. Dry.

Add twinkly paint or diamond dust to entire project as desired. Dry.

Now add your figure with hot glue. If your figure is a house, add a smoke line in the sky coming from the chimney with thinned white.

Add silver glitter paint to rim of pod if desired.

Attach thread or ribbon with hot glue or needle.

By Cindy from Waynesburg, PA