How to make a seed/bean abstract mosaic . . .

My teachers sample of an abstract bean mosaic.

       Seed and bean mosaics seem to go in and out of fashion. This simple craft can be used to teach young students about the qualities of texture and design at very little expense to the teacher, camp director, or an art department. 

Supply List: 

• A heavy duty piece of cardboard or inexpensive Masonite, or recycled sheet of pressed wood 
• either wood glue or white school glue
• pencil 
• Mod Podge 
• A wide assortment of seeds, beans, rice, nuts, and or dried items may be collected; I've listed specific varieties below. 
• Suggested dried beans, seeds and rice available at your local grocery store: Red beans, Black beans, Anasazi beans, Sunflower seeds, White rice, Brown rice, Pumpkin seeds, Melon seeds, Black eyed peas, Green split peas, Yellow split peas, Navy beans, Pinto beans, Wild rice, Indian corn, Lentils, Grass seed, 
• Suggested dried materials available at your local florist, hobby outlet, or even outside in your own backyard: Devils claw, Wheat stalks, Money plant, Sponge Mushroom, Pomegrante, Lotus Pods, Okra Pods, King Cobra Bark, Pod Oars, Pinecones, Acorns, Hazelnuts, Walnuts 

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Draw a design on your cardboard or wood board 
2. Glue the dried materials down with either wood glue or white glue in designated areas or patterns.
3. After the glue has dried, completely cover the entire surface with Mod Podge in order to seal it properly.

Left,Photograph of my abstract, bean mosaic up close. 
Right, These dried beans were purchased at a local grocery store.

More Crafts Made With Seeds and Beans:

• Here is a listing of projects using seeds, pods, nuts and beans from my Christmas blog.

How to mosaic a bird house . . .

I purchased this prefabricated, wooden birdhouse 

from a craft store called Michael's. It is an actual

 birdhouse that may be used outdoors.

       This mosaic birdhouse can be hung outside if you would prefer. My mother kept it inside in her sunroom.

Supply List:

• Selection of mosaic tiles, glass marbles, tiny mirrors, seashells... 
• Cement grout 
• Elmer’s wood glue 
• Plastic-like gloves 
• Old damp rags or paper towels 
• Prefabricated wooden bird house 
• white acrylic paint 8. burnt umber acrylic paint 9. bucket of clean water

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Glue the tiles directly to the surface of the prefabricated wooden bird house. 
2. Let the applied tiles dry over night to ensure that the glue has hardened. 
3. Check to see if the glued tiles have stuck to the surface permanently. Some of them will, some of them may only seem temporarily attached. The application of this step is necessary to help the tiles to stay in place before grouting them primarily. 
4. Mix the grout solution according to the directions on the label. 
5. Wear gloves if the label says that it is necessary. 
6. Gingerly apply the grout directly onto the surface of the tile work. Make sure that the grout does get pushed into as many of the cracks as possible. This is a bit messy. 
7. Wash your gloves thoroughly and you may put them back on or choose to remove them all together at this point. Be cautious about this removal however, some people do have mild skin allergies to grout and will develop a rash when coming in direct contact with it when its wet. 
8. Now your going to delicately wipe down the surface of your tiles with a damp rag or paper towel. You will be throwing these towels away. 
9. If you wish to rinse and squeeze out a sponge or towels as you work, keep an old bucket full of water for this procedure. Do not wash this contaminated water down a sink! Grout will collect in pipes and harden. You will need to pour this old water down a sewer pipe outside or simply find an area of your yard where you may dispose of it. Grout won't hurt an old leaf pile or the ground where plants are not growing. 
10. You want your project to look clean on the surface of the tiles when you are finished. The cracks between the tiles should also be completely filled with grout. 
11. Leave your mosaic project out over night to harden properly. If you see remaining grout on the surface of your tiles after it has hardened, you may go over the surface of these tiles with a light weight sand paper and damp sponge again. 
12. You may wish to seal the exposed wooden areas with a tough varnish if you choose to hang your bird house outdoors.

More Crafts About Birds:

• How to draw a peacock, an ostrich and a blue jay...
• Download bird coloring pages to practice your fine motor skills

Craft a Mosaic Tea Tray

Handmade mosaic tea tray with lovely scones.

       These tea trays are perfect for serving up your favorite tea and scones. I recycled these 1950's ceramic tiles that I found inside of an old cabinet. It seemed a shame to throw them out. I am sure that these would be quite expensive if I were to purchase them today.  

Supply List:

• Selection of mosaic tiles
• glass marbles
•  tiny mirrors
• seashells 
• Cement grout 
• Elmer’s wood glue 
• Plastic-like gloves 
• Old damp rags or paper towels 
• Prefabricated wooden tea tray 
• white acrylic paint 
• bucket of clean water 
• soft paint brush 
• acrylic varnish sealer 

Left I recycled 1950 bathroom tiles to mosaic a prefabricated wooden tea tray. Right, A close-up
 of the period tiles.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Glue the tiles directly to the surface of the prefabricated wooden tea tray. Let the applied tiles dry over night to ensure that the glue has hardened. Do not check to see if the glued tiles have stuck to the surface permanently. Some of them will, some of them may only seem temporarily attached. The application of this step is necessary to help the tiles to stay in place before grouting them only. 
2. Mix the grout solution according to the directions on the label. 
3. Wear gloves if the label says that it is necessary. 
4. Gingerly apply the grout directly onto the surface of the tile work. Make sure that the grout does get pushed into as many of the cracks as possible. This is a bit messy. 
5. Wash your gloves thoroughly and you may put them back on or choose to remove them all together at this point. Be cautious about this removal however, some people do have mild skin allergies to grout and will develop a rash when coming in direct contact with it when its wet. 
6. Now your going to delicately wipe down the surface of your tiles with a damp rag or paper towel. You will be throwing these towels away. If you wish to rinse and squeeze out a sponge or towels as you work, keep an old bucket full of water for this procedure. 
7. Do not wash this contaminated water down a sink! Grout will collect in pipes and harden. You will need to pour this old water down a sewer pipe outside or simply find an area of your yard where you may dispose of it. Grout won't hurt an old leaf pile or the ground where plants are not growing. You want your project to look clean on the surface of the tiles when you are finished. 
8. The cracks between the tiles should also be completely filled with grout. Leave your mosaic project out over night to harden properly. 
9. If you see remaining grout on the surface of your tiles after it has hardened, you may go over the surface of these tiles with a light weight sand paper and damp sponge again. 
10. With a soft brush wipe on gently a wash of white paint on the exposed wood and then seal it with a varnish.

More Crafts for "Tea Time" Play:

• Craft a Christmas Themed "Time For Tea, Placemat"
• Search the posts at our doll blog for Tea+time

Apply a faux metal finish to an egg...

A Repoussé Easter Egg technique.

       High school kids might enjoy this egg decorating project. It is certainly a bit more complicated than most Easter egg crafts. 

Supply List:

•  a plastic egg
•  aluminum foil (The type you buy at a grocery store)
•  black acrylic paint 
• white glue puff paint (any color)
•  masking tape
•  Mod Podge 
•  soft cloth or tissue 

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. First cover the surface of the entire plastic egg with masking tape until none of the surface is left bare.
2.  Use you puff paint to draw a swirl pattern around the entire egg. 
3. Let parts of the design dry as you proceed. 
4. Once you are finished and the surface is completely dry, this could take some time, brush the white glue to areas of the egg while applying the aluminum foil. 
5. Take care not to rip the foil and do not layer more than one sheet. 
6. Use your finger tips to press the foil down into the surfaces of your design over and over until you are satisfied with the overall effect. 
7. Now let the egg dry completely and then brush a watery layer of black acrylic paint onto the egg's surface.
8. Wipe away the paint with a soft cloth or tissue so that the raised areas made by the puff paints are shinier than the crevices of the design. Let the egg dry. 
9. Apply Mod Podge to the finished surface when done.

More Egg Crafts:

• Visit our giant egg hunt at Color The Bible!
• The Story of Easter Eggs by Christoph Von Shmid
• How we sculpted and painted a rainbow of colored eggs for our dolls...

Assemble a birch bark bird feeder...

       This bird feeder is easy to make because you start with a prefabricated wooden bird feeder. I made it many years ago while camping at Arcadia. I collected the bark from a peeling birch tree in the woods and glued it to the bird feeder, simple as that! 

Supply List:

• prefabricated wooden bird feeder
• wood glue
• small stones, about 30
• large rubber bands or twine
• hot glue and hot glue gun 

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Make sure the surface of the wooden bird feeder is clean before your begin.
2.  Glue strips of birch bark to every surface area of the feeder excluding the "floor" of the feeder. 
   
3. You may need to wrap twin or rubber bands around the exterior of the feeder to help keep the bark from sliding off while the wood glue dries. 
4. After the bark is dry, hot glue the stones onto the floor of the bird feeder with a hot glue gun.

More About Birds:

• Visit our secret listing of "bird" crafts, printables, poems etc... for young crafters and their teachers here.
• Craft a bird-feeder toy for your dolls here and then learn how we made an outdoor garden bench for our dolls here.
• Learn how to make a bird with feathers too!