Date : June 18, 2022
Put winter in the frame of your window art hanging
When was the last time you looked out your window and noticed the world outside?
A simple mindfulness activity is to use the window as a frame to capture a picture outside. What can you see through your window?
Can you see:
- Trees with no leaves?
- Grass wet with dew?
- Frost on the corners of the windows?
- Sunlight peeking through a clouded sky?
This craft is an artwork you can create, inspired by what you see outside your window.
In May Gibb’s early career, she would look out her attic window in London to develop and create the settings and characters for her stories.
For this craft, the window is the frame to capture a tree going through the seasons from winter to spring.
Materials
- 6 paddle pop sticks
- 1 hot glue gun
- sticks and twigs from trees outside
- blue paint (or whatever colour paint you wish to paint your window frame)
- paint brush
- paper
- scissors
- mini pom poms
Instructions
STEP 1: Glue one end of the paddle pop stick to another to make one corner of the window frame.
STEP 2: Complete the square shape by dabbing hot glue to the end of each paddle pop stick.
STEP 3: Glue one paddle pop stick across to make a cross for the window pane.
STEP 4: Paint the window. Use the white paper to protect your table surface. I chose blue paint as it imitates a clear blue sky (common in Queensland where I live) on a winter’s day.
STEP 5: Select some sticks and glue on yellow pom poms. While some Australian native flowers will bloom in spring, some can stay all year round. Wattle is one Australian native flower which can survive heat and cold.
STEP 6: Glue your wattle branch to the back of the window.
STEP 7: You can add a ribbon to the top of the window to create the art hanging. I used some spare May Gibbs ribbon to hang my art on the wall.
STEP 8: To make another winter window, you can choose not to add pom poms and instead drip hot glue on the branches to look like frost or icicles.
When your winter window art hangings are complete, hang them on the wall. You can make four windows to create all four seasons in Australia.
Alternatively, you can choose not to add the ribbon and lay them against a wall. I’ll leave how you display them up to you!
Other Bush Craft Ideas
Play Noughts and Crosses Using Gumnuts and Sticks
Crafty Bec
Crafty Bec is here to help stimulate little imaginations and spark a creative flame in little people. Inspired by May Gibbs’ own passion for creative writing and art, Bec helps educators and mums to embrace nature inspired creativity.
https://www.theplumbette.com.au/
