To make simple and at the same time beautiful original figures and appliques, you can use different natural materials. The most unusual crafts are made from seeds of fruits and various deciduous trees. You can also make cool crafts from cereals, which can be found in any housewife’s kitchen. Natural materials are quite easy to stick to any surface using plasticine or silicone glue. Therefore, they can even be used for partial decoration of watches or vases. But children studying in kindergarten or school can easily make original three-dimensional figures or make funny pictures from them. Below we have looked at many ideas for making similar crafts. Using simple examples and step-by-step master classes, you and your children can easily and quickly make such crafts with your own hands.
Features of using seeds for creativity
A wide variety of crafts can be made from natural materials such as bones, seeds and cereals. From them you can make:
- appliqués: paintings can be laid out using a stencil or creating a design during the manufacturing process;
- three-dimensional figures: large elements can be connected to each other using silicone glue, small ones are usually glued with plasticine, you can also paste foam blanks with seeds and cereals;
- small decor: small natural material is suitable for gluing individual parts of large crafts or paintings, watches;
- pendants and beads: gluing seeds to ribbons or gluing them in the shape of different objects (snowflakes, Christmas trees) allows you to get non-standard home decor or original jewelry.
It is recommended to use cardboard to display pictures of seeds and cereals. Paper is of little use for such crafts, since it will bend greatly under the weight of natural materials.
Pumpkin seeds in children's works
Flat, matte pumpkin seeds are easiest for children to work with. Inflorescences, buds, and bird feathers are collected from them.
Children aged 3 years and older can make an autumn craft using colored pumpkin seeds, which are glued to a picture of a tree or twigs. They can also make flowers by combining white seed petals with colored plasticine circles.
Variety of seeds
By combining different types of seeds, you can get the most unusual and amazing crafts. Such natural materials can be divided into the following groups:
- Regular seeds (in the form of droplets and ovals).
These include sunflower, watermelon and pumpkin seeds. They are most often used to create three-dimensional crafts or paste bases.
- Cereals.
From ordinary buckwheat, millet, and rice, you can create bright, cool applications and full-fledged paintings. When used, different types of materials can be glued side by side or even lightly overlapped (glued) on top of each other to form three-dimensional pictures.
- Tree seeds (maple, ash, elm).
Due to their large sizes and unusual shapes, they are more often used for making three-dimensional children's crafts.
- Legumes (beans, beans, peas).
The variety of shades of such seeds makes it easy to use them to create colorful, unusual paintings and applications.
- A variety of seeds and grains (apple, walnut, coffee).
Used for gluing bases or assembling three-dimensional figures.
Separately, it is worth highlighting the cones. Their individual scales are great for decoration. But whole cones are often used to make children's crafts for kindergartens and schools.
"Cereal" portrait
Professionals create portraits from pasta, cereals, grains, and seeds. To do this, you need to choose a material that is the same thickness. For example, pasta and legumes, oval voluminous flower seeds, corn. You need to find as many shades and shapes as possible.
The photo should be transferred to cardboard or board. Some masters do this as follows: they apply translucent paper to a photo or computer monitor, flatten the image, drawing lines and light spots.
Next, glue is applied and the grains are glued, starting with the eyes, eyebrows, mouth, and nose. Using a combination of large and small beans, fill the entire face. Note the tilt of the grains. If you put everything in a certain direction and then change the line, you will emphasize the desired features. When posting a portrait, be sure to rely on the original.
After laying out the face, hair, clothes, fill in the background. After some time, paint some parts. For example, eyes, pupil, eyelashes, mouth, dimples. The painting is practically made from cereals with your own hands. Then you need to apply several layers of clear varnish. Be sure to make a frame using the same material (pasta, beans). In this case, purchase paint and varnish in cans.
How to prepare
To create original crafts using seeds, be sure to dry the natural materials well before use. This is the only way to guarantee their long-term preservation in the future (they will not peel off or shrink in size), and also to eliminate the possibility of deformation of the finished painting or three-dimensional decor. To prepare watermelon and pumpkin seeds for work, you need to thoroughly clean them of any remaining pulp, then spread them out in one layer and wait for them to dry naturally (they can also be dried in the oven). If necessary, you can color the seeds (often used for rice, pumpkin seeds):
- Transfer the seeds to a bag, add acrylic paints (you can also use food coloring, or in extreme cases, gouache).
- Close the bag and mix the seeds well, distributing the paint or dye evenly. Leave for 30-60 minutes.
- Place on a flat surface and dry completely.
Also, seeds can be painted directly after assembling crafts or laying out applications.
Preparing natural material for the needlework process
Having chosen pumpkin and sunflower seeds as materials for crafts, they must be carefully prepared for further use; for this, the following manipulations should be carried out with the already selected seeds:
- carefully sort and wash all the seeds;
- lay out to dry on a baking sheet or tray;
- after drying, you can start painting;
- Dry the seeds again until completely dry.
After making any craft or product, it is recommended to treat the crafts, paintings or accessories with a varnish coating, this will allow you to preserve the attractiveness of the masterpiece you created with your own hands for a long time.
Crafts from sunflower seeds
With the help of sunflower seeds available to everyone, the following crafts can be easily and simply created:
- Beautiful decor "Sunflower".
A disposable paper plate is used as a base. It is covered with yellow paper. A thin layer of black plasticine is glued to the central part of the plate. Sunflower seeds are glued to this plasticine.
- "Hedgehog" figurine.
The body and legs of the hedgehog are made from plasticine. Sunflower seeds are glued to the back with the sharp edges facing up. The figurine is completed with eyes and a nose made of plasticine.
- Figurine "Owl".
The foam ball is completely covered with a thin layer of black plasticine. In the front upper part of the sunflower seed ball, two circles of 2 rows are laid out. These will be the eyes of an owl. They can be supplemented with highlights from white plasticine. The rest of the ball is completely covered with seeds to form feathers.
Stylish frame for photos, paintings or mirrors in ethnic style
To make a frame or frame, it is necessary to prepare in advance an overlay base, which is used as wood, chipboard or plastic, and even thick cardboard; this base for the frame must fully correspond to the dimensions of the product being framed:
- choosing a color scheme and decor for frames using seeds;
- conceptual drawing of a sketch in pencil on the surface of the frame;
- applying glue and its uniform distribution over the surface;
- decorating the frame with sunflower and pumpkin seeds in accordance with the sketch;
- drying the work, you must wait until the glue has completely dried;
- coating the frame with clear varnish and drying the product again.
In addition to seeds, other natural and artificial materials and decorations can be used to decorate the frame; they are selected based on the general design concept and interior design used to decorate the room.
Without knowing which seeds can be used to make crafts, you can use sunflower and pumpkin seeds in the first stages; these are excellent materials that are easy to process and allow you to create bright and attractive products.
From these materials you can make voluminous crafts, beautiful flowers and trees; in combination with plasticine, seeds make excellent decorations and bright accessories that will decorate any home or cottage.
Pumpkin Seed Crafts
Pumpkin seeds are ideal for coloring, so you can make bright and unusual crafts from them. For example, together with your child, using this natural material, you can make:
- Application "Sailboat".
Color some of the seeds blue, blue and brown. A boat and a mast are made from brown seeds, and a sail is made from white seeds. And from blue and blue seeds the sea and sky are laid out.
- Painting "Carrots".
The seeds are colored brown, orange and green. Carrots are made from orange seeds, and their tails are made from green seeds. And the brown ones are the soil in which these carrots grow. The background remains undecorated, so it is recommended to use white or light blue cardboard as a basis.
How to dye pumpkin seeds at home
Looking at various ideas and manufacturing methods, you can notice that already painted pumpkin seeds are used for the creative process; bright and rich colors attract attention and make the craft original; it is better to paint it like this:
- place dry or liquid paint in small plastic bags;
- pour a certain, small amount of seeds into each bag;
- close or tie the bag and thoroughly mix the seeds inside.
This method allows you to paint all the seeds at once in different colors, without getting dirty and without wasting a lot of time; after coloring, you need to additionally dry the materials, while individual seeds should not come into contact with each other.
Watermelon seeds
Small watermelon seeds are more suitable for laying out various applications. For example, using such natural material you can make the following crafts:
- Application "Cheburashka".
Cheburashka is drawn on a white sheet of cardboard. Its body and ears are sealed with watermelon seeds. You can use black peppercorns as eyes or make eyes from black plasticine.
- Painting "Peacock".
A peacock is drawn on a white sheet of cardboard. The stripes dividing its tail into feathers are lined with watermelon seeds. You can stick pine cone scales or beans on the ends. The remaining “empty” elements of the picture are simply painted.
- Unusual kitchen clock.
The old kitchen clock is disassembled into individual parts. The base (into which the clock mechanism is inserted) is covered with seeds. An indication is cut out of golden paper and pasted over the seeds. The watch is assembled in reverse order.
Panels of cereals using plasticine
Small seeds develop fingers, but it is difficult for children to work with PVA glue and cereals. They do not distribute the glue over the entire surface of the design, which is why lumps and voids appear. In addition, their crafts quickly crumble. In this case, it is better to replace the glue with plasticine, clay or a quickly hardening mass.
Use very thick cardboard or thin chipboard. Draw a picture with all the lines. Take plasticine that matches the color of the cereal or the background of the plot. Distribute it first along the lines and border of some area. For example, apply plasticine to the middle of the flower. From the outer edge, secure by pressing in the yellow corn kernels.
Next comes the second round of black beans or watermelon seeds. Fill the middle with buckwheat. Then distribute the plasticine along the lines of the petals, laying them out with black seeds, and fill the rest of the space with red corn kernels.
Natural materials make extraordinary pictures of cereals and seeds; making them with your own hands is not at all difficult, especially if you take materials such as dried flowers, berries, and leaves. These works should also be varnished, framed and hung on the wall.
Maple, elm and ash seeds for creativity
Unusual tree seeds are ideal as an addition to ready-made figurines. They make interesting wings and ears. You can also make the following original crafts separately from these natural materials:
- From ash seeds you can make a three-dimensional chrysanthemum or a real porcupine. To do this, plasticine is glued to a cardboard base in the shape of a circle, and the seeds themselves are glued to it.
- And maple seeds can be made into an applique in the form of a Christmas tree or unusual snowflakes. Such natural materials are very well suited for making simple crafts for the New Year.
- “Fluffy” elm seeds will be an excellent basis for creating applications with different flowers. You can use pea halves as the centers of the inflorescences. But the ash seeds themselves will become beautiful petals. Such applications can be supplemented with butterflies made from dry leaves and branches and stems.
Advantages of material selection
Among the obvious advantages of making crafts from seeds with your own hands, the following should be noted:
- Availability of consumables. Any thrifty housewife will probably have sunflower seeds or beans on hand.
- Combines perfectly with other natural materials.
- Seeds can be easily attached to paper using glue, and can also be covered with acrylic paints.
- Most seeds pose no danger to humans, especially children. However, when creating crafts with young children, safety precautions should be observed (the risk of a foreign body entering the respiratory tract if handled carelessly).
- A huge number of ideas for crafts from seeds that can be brought to life (appliques, creating women's jewelry, decorating vases and dishes).
Many creative studios practice making crafts from seeds for children, since such activities stimulate fine motor skills of the fingers (development of speech, thinking, abstract perception and logic).
Ideas for crafts made from seeds
To choose which craft to make to decorate your home or to participate in a competition in kindergarten or school, we recommend that you read the simple instructions for making original products. You can use different types of seeds for:
- Layouts of simple applications.
On a sheet of cardboard you need to draw an image (for example, the sun, an owl, a cat). Lay out the background from small grains or cereals, paste over the image itself with larger seeds of different shades: the sun can be made from sunflower seeds, the wings of an owl can be decorated with beans.
- Topiary.
A very simple craft that uses a large foam ball as the base. Such a ball can be covered with watermelon seeds and coffee beans. If desired, you can make a stand for him from a skewer or branch. The structure itself is installed inside a small flower pot.
- Kitchen panels.
A more complex craft that is made on plywood. Thin slats are glued onto the plywood to form numerous cells. The cells themselves are pasted over with different grains and cereals.
Hedgehog made from seeds
You can make a beautiful and realistic hedgehog using sunflower seeds. Also for work you will need a sheet of cardboard, silicone glue or plasticine, plastic decor in the form of mushrooms and apples. The work is carried out step by step according to the following master class:
- A hedgehog is drawn on a sheet of cardboard. His paws and muzzle are painted pink (with a pencil, felt-tip pen, paints).
- The back is covered with plasticine.
- Carefully, starting from the top and going down, sunflower seeds are glued onto the plasticine. Subsequent rows should slightly overlap the previous ones.
- Plastic apples and mushrooms are glued to the back of seed needles with silicone glue (or a glue gun).
- You can glue a dried berry or a ball of black plasticine as a nose to the hedgehog.
Pictures from seeds
Bright paintings can be made from different materials using seeds of different colors. Without repainting them and selecting applique elements according to shade, you can create an unusual craft with your child to submit to the competition. The work should be carried out according to the following scheme:
- Glue a piece of burlap to the thick cardboard.
- Closer to the upper right corner, separately glue 3 pea seeds - they will act as the centers of the flowers.
- Stick millet in 2 rows around one pea, and lentils and rice next to the others.
- Around the finished cores, petals from pumpkin, sunflower, and watermelon seeds are laid out in 1-2 rows.
- 1 thin branch is glued to each flower - it will act as a stem.
- You can supplement the “bouquet” with dried leaves, which will become the leaves of the flowers themselves.
Flowers
To prepare for autumn craft competitions in kindergarten and school, you can make not only flower-shaped appliques from pumpkin seeds, but also three-dimensional flowers. For work you will need: cardboard, pumpkin seeds, plasticine, a thick branch, a glue gun. The craft itself can be made using the following master class:
- One circle (with a diameter of about 7 cm) is cut out from a sheet of cardboard.
- A thin layer of plasticine is glued onto a cardboard circle.
- In the central part of the inflorescence, 3 pumpkin seeds are placed vertically.
- Along the perimeter of the circle, 2 rows of seeds are glued horizontally.
- Moving from the edges of the inflorescence to its center (the stamens of the seeds), the remaining empty space is filled.
- Using a glue gun, a thin branch—the stem of a flower—is glued to the bottom of the circle.
- If desired, dried or paper leaves can be glued to the stem itself.
New Year's applications
From dried seeds you can make not only autumn crafts, but also create amazing New Year's applications. You can make such a craft using one of the following master classes:
- Snowman.
A silhouette of a snowman is drawn on a sheet of cardboard. A thin layer of white plasticine is glued over the image. Rice is glued onto plasticine. Eyes, buttons and a carrot nose can be made from paper or plasticine.
- Herringbone.
The trunk of a Christmas tree is laid out from ash seeds. The tree itself is drawn above it. Pumpkin seeds are glued along the drawn silhouette with the sharp edges facing up. Then the pumpkin seeds are painted with green gouache. The Christmas tree is decorated with bright “toys” in the form of purple beans and yellow and green peas.
- Snowflake.
A snowflake is drawn on a sheet of cardboard with a minimum number of patterns. According to the picture drawn, small white beans are glued (on glue or plasticine).
Owl
For this work you will need white and black beans, green and yellow peas, sunflower seeds, yellowish rice, buckwheat. On cardboard, draw an owl on a branch. Make the pupils from black beans, gluing a reflection (of white beans) in the middle. The whites of the eyes will be made from white beans, and the borders will be covered with black beans.
The nose and paws will be made of yellow peas, the wings and head will be made of sunflower seeds. Fill the rest of the space with rice and buckwheat. Glue a couple of feathers (seeds) on top of the cereal on the breast. The branch can be made from buckwheat, the leaves from green peas. Paint the background with blue gouache.
To make a picture of cereal fit into the interior, make an appropriate frame. Garnish it with beans, corn or peas. To create a specific pattern, like a baguette frame, use macaroni, gold or silver acrylic paints. Cover the frame and picture with varnish.
