Another
Ornament?!
There's Always
'Shroom For More!
By Natalie Zaman
Making mushroom ornaments for your Yule tree is easy and fun. All you need are a few arts and crafts supplies and some recyclable materials:
Red, white and green glitter
or paint
White glue or hot glue gun (get an adult's help when using hot glue!)
Wooden hinge-style clothespins
One Empty Egg Carton (enough for a dozen mushrooms!)
Corks from wine bottles or empty thread spools*
 |
*The
corks and thread spools will be used to make the mushroom stems. If you
don't have access to these, cut a drinking straw into 4-5 equal length
segments, bunch them together and wrap them in masking tape. If your family
goes out to a restaurant where alcohol is served, ask your server to ask
at the bar for any unused corks—they would only throw them away,
but you'll do something better with them! |
Cut out the individual sections of the egg containers—each egg “cup” will be a mushroom cap.
Put a drop of glue on the end of one of the corks or thread spools, then pop an egg cup, open side down, on top (like a hat!). If using white glue, allow your mushroom to dry thoroughly before moving onto the next step.
Paint the inside of the mushroom cap and the stem with glue...
...then sprinkle the glued surface with white glitter (or you can paint the inside of the cap and the stem white). Allow to dry thoroughly. (Hint--the flat, unused section of the egg carton makes a great tray to catch stray glitter!)
While the inside of the mushroom is drying, paint the top and sides of a clothespin with glue...
then sprinkle with green glitter. Again, you can use green paint instead and—you guessed it—allow it to dry thoroughly.
When your mushroom is dry, paint the outside of the cap with glue, then sprinkle the glued surface with the red glitter. Of course, you can use red paint instead of glitter, and—let's all say it together—allow it to dry thoroughly!
When both the mushroom and the base (clothespin) are completely dry, you can put them together. Holding the clothespin green side up, place the mushroom over the metal hinge and secure with a drop of glue. If you're using hot glue, your mushroom will be ready to clip onto your tree in less than a minute. If you're using white glue, guess what? You have to let it dry before hanging!
This craft isn't new—in fact, it appeared in a magazine 40 years ago! On her blog poopscape (tee hee!) Claire crafted this mushroom using styrofoam balls and sequins (visit her blog for other fun crafty projects—some for adults, some kid friendly). We put our spin on it by upcycling (reusing old stuff to make cooler stuff).
Whatever method you choose, crafting these spores might 'shroom become a Yule tradition! Bright Solstice to you!