Beechnuts are just as important in autumn as chestnuts, acorns, etc. and are used for all kinds of crafts. Beechnuts are the fruits of the common beech tree and are characterized by spiny fruit casings and triangular nuts. Today we'll show you some great ideas for crafting with beechnuts that promise fun for young and old. Get inspired!
Especially in autumn, there are beechnuts everywhere. You can either collect them in parks and forests or buy them ready-made. It is best to lay out the collected beechnuts to dry for a few days beforehand. Only the spiky covers are needed for our craft ideas.
Make hedgehogs out of beechnuts with children
SmallMaking hedgehogs, is great fun for the children in autumn! And the little prickly robbers can be quickly conjured up with beechnuts. You just need a suitable base such as modeling clay, salt dough or why not a potato. You can then put the beechnuts into these. Alternatively, you can cut out the outline of a hedgehog from cardboard.
Combine with hay
Animal figures made from hay are great decorations for the home and garden that convey a farm atmosphere. You can make a great hedgehog in just a few simple steps using hay, an empty 2-liter PET bottle and beechnuts.
Material and tools required:
- dry hay
- beechnuts
- thin winding wire
- Hot glue gun
- decorative mini apples, mini pumpkins, rose hips, acorns and co.
- a plastic bottle (e.g. 2 liters)
- Newspapers
- tape
- Eyes to stick on
- a chestnut for a nose
First wrap the bottle with newspaper and secure it with adhesive tape. This gives your head and body shape and makes them fuller. It is important that the hedgehog stands stable and does not wobble. Now, starting from the head, wrap the bottle with hay and wire. Since most of the body is covered with beechnuts, you can only focus on the head and save hay. If the animal is clearly visible, cut off the wire and shorten any protruding stalks.
Attach the beechnuts with the hot glue gun. Simply put a dab of hot glue on the bottle and stick it close together. Then decorate with the decorations, stick on the eyes and nose and you're done!
Sweet cone gnomes with hats
Secret Santa is a great ideaif you want to make something nice with the children in autumn or winter. Natural materials are primarily used for this, namely beechnuts and cones. By painting the cones and drawing faces, children can practice their fine motor skills and express their creativity.
Material and tools required:
- Cones and beechnuts
- 20 mm Styrofoam balls or wooden beads
- Hot glue gun
- Acrylic paints and brushes
- Glitzerspray
- Thread/thin cord for hanging
- black fineliner pen
First paint the cones with any paint and brush and let them dry. Of course, autumn colors such as yellow, ochre, red and orange are ideal. Then spray with gold glitter and let it dry briefly.
Paint the eyes, nose and mouth on the balls. Then use the hot glue gun to attach the head to the body. Fix the beechnuts on the balls like hats with hot glue. If you would like to hang up the gnomes, tie a string onto the gnome hats.
Decorative balls
Decorative balls can be made from many different materials and are really very pretty. They look great on a tray or hanging from a decorative branch. The decorative balls can be made quickly with a Styrofoam ball, hot glue and natural materials.
Material and tools required:
- Styrofoam balls from the craft store (approx. 11 cm diameter)
- Hot glue gun or glue
- beechnuts
- Scissors
- (optional) brown acrylic paint and wide brush
- (optional) hanging thread
First you can paint the balls with brown acrylic paint or cover them with moss so that none of the white Styrofoam can be seen. It can be advantageous to use a piece of cardboard roll as a support for the Styrofoam ball. Then the ball is glued one beechnut at a time. It's best to work from top to bottom. Then glue in a decorative cord.
Make your own Christmas tree
The decorative ball also fits perfectly on a clay pot. A clay pot that is smaller than the diameter of the Styrofoam ball is best. By the way, you can implement the same craft idea with a cone shape and create a small Christmas tree made of beechnuts. Red or white berries can then be beautifully used as Christmas baubles.
Noble flowers
As soon as the beechnuts are ripe, the capsule-shaped fruits open. This is where the cores are located. It looks particularly beautiful when a shiny pearl is surrounded by the brown, spiky shell. If all of your beechnuts are closed, you can try briefly pouring hot water over them. Then let the cases dry out thoroughly for a few days.
Combine with candles
Dried beechnuts are also very suitable for autumn table decorations. They are usually used when making wreaths and arrangements, but also serve wonderfully as filling material for autumn lanterns, glass vases or trays with high rims. In combination with candles, the rustic beauty of the beechnuts really comes into its own.
Make a wreath with chestnuts
As already mentioned, Styrofoam shapes can be used in many different ways for crafting. To make a wreath, you simply need a blank and a hot glue gun. Everything else is left to your imagination. For example, here are some great ideas:
- You can also use chestnuts to fill the gaps between the beechnuts. In addition to the pleasant color contrast, both natural materials have differences in texture. Chestnuts have a smooth, shiny and pleasant to the touch surface.
- The interaction of beechnuts and moss looks just as wonderful. Moss wreaths convey a feeling of forest. To make the moss last longer, we recommend preserving natural products with a mixture of 1 part glycerin, 1 part acetone and 3 parts spirit. The moss is placed in the solution for around a week. This prevents the natural material from starting to mold after a certain amount of time.
Have fun and good luck!
