Hey I Can Do That (OR Celebrating National Craft Month)

(p.s. these lace crochet napkins are available in my shop here!)

I've seen these felted acorns all over the internet lately and realized I already had all the materials to make them. The ones in the photo above are the ones I made with just a few tools and about a half hour! They'll make a nice little springtime decoration I think (I do love folklore and woodsy-inspired whimsical little things) OR try making them in warm fall hues for a very cool addition to your family's thanksgiving table!

And since March is National Craft Month, I thought what better way to celebrate than to get out these supplies and attempt something new...because if you're anything like me, than you've tried your hand at about a baker's dozen worth of different arts and crafts and probably have some supplies sitting away that never quite got enough attention ;)

Here is what I used to make these:
acorn tops (found on a recent walk in the woods)
roving in various colors for felting (if it's color you want try the rainbow room on etsy)
felting needles (there are ones with handles like in the photo or you can use a single one without the handle, just be careful!)
felting needle mat (you can use a regular clean sponge for this)
all-purpose super glue (you can buy specialty felt glues if you prefer)

I'm not an expert, I just like to play, but feel free to ask questions if anything isn't clear enough and i will certainly try to help!

1. Wash acorn tops gently in the palm of your hand or shallow dish with a little soap and water. Let dry on counter.

2. Rip off a little blob of roving in proportion to your acorn cap. You can achieve a basic round ball shape by bunching it up and constantly turning it 'round on your mat or sponge as you poke it repeatedly with the felting needle. BE VERY CAREFUL though! Felting needles have little barbs on them which is what allows them to take particles of the roving and smoosh them together to make sheets of felted fabric or shapes like this. Rhe barbs can hurt like the dickens though and special care and focus is needed to avoid this...yeah, I say this from experience.

3. To help shape your circle, you can roll it in your palms and then go back and forth to the mat to continue shaping with the needle. As the circle forms, add on small pieces of roving at the top so that it begins to look like a small thimble—the larger end will fit into the acorn cap and the rounded top will be the part that sticks out.

4. Once I had achieved this thimble-like shape that fit nicely into my acorn cap, I plopped a bit of glue into the cap and smooshed my felt acorn in. You can push your felt in with your thumb on the base of it so that it sits in there quite snugly and then you can always refine the shape a bit more at this point to achieve just the right look.

And there you have it, an eco-friendly and very cute addition to your decor!