Step outdoors this spring or summer and create your very own DIY nature stick frame! This is a wonderfully enjoyable outdoor craft project for children of every age.
RELATED: Pressed Flower Suncatcher
Turn this into a two-part project by gathering and preserving flowers first, then making the stick frames. Grasses in city parks near playgrounds frequently contain plenty of wildflowers that are trimmed during spring and summer. Collecting a few of these blossoms before they are cut makes them ideal for this project.
Have you never created pressed flowers before? It’s very simple! Check out our easy tutorial on pressing flowers.
It also serves as a lovely keepsake present for Mother’s Day or someone’s birthday.
Materials
How to Create a Nature Stick Frame
1. Assemble the frame.
Start by arranging your sticks. Set the two 8-inch sticks parallel, then lay the two 6-inch sticks across them to create a rectangle. Allow roughly one inch of overlap at each stick end.
With adult help, hot-glue the sticks together to create a rectangular frame, then let it dry for 2-3 minutes.
2. Cover with jute or ribbon.
After all four corners have been glued and stabilized, wrap each corner with a 36-inch piece of jute or ribbon – one strand for every corner of the frame. Ask an adult to apply a small dab of hot glue to the frame’s back, then carefully place one end of the jute into the glue. Keep it pressed in position.
After the adhesive has dried, wind the jute in a crisscross design until you reach its end. Fasten the tip with hot glue.
Continue with steps 3 and 4 until every corner is covered and the frame feels firmly secured.
3. Create a hanging loop.
Take the short, 20-inch piece of jute and turn it into a hanger for the frame. Tie a double overhand knot to attach one end of the jute to one side of the frame, then do the same on the other side. Put the frame aside.
4. Place flowers on self-laminating sheets.
Peel away half of the backing. Only half of one sheet is needed. If preferred, use the entire sheet and trim away the excess later. Arrange the dried, pressed flowers across the center of the sheet, on the adhesive side.
Remember that the edges of the self-laminating sheet must be trimmed and attached around the stick frame, so leave approximately 1-2 inches of open space along every edge.
5. Close the laminating sheet.
When your arrangement is finished, peel off the remaining backing from the self-laminating sheet and fold it over to the opposite side. Apply firm pressure to enclose the flowers.
Cut away any extra portion of the self-laminating sheet that is not required for the frame. Before trimming, check that it will fit properly on the stick frame.
6. Attach it to the frame.
With assistance from an adult, glue the lovely floral artwork onto the back of the stick frame.
Admire your gorgeous nature art frame!
