Walnut Shell Animals, such a sweet craft to do with the kids!

My daughter is going to Steiner (Waldorf) School and every year in November there is Martinsmarkt, which is a special 2-day event with different kinds of activities held in almost all the classrooms. And all families participate. Last year we had to either buy or create little treasures for the Fishing Game. They had to be small enough to fit into tiny sacks that were then caught with “fishing rods”.

So this is how I came up with this idea of making different cute animals from all the walnut shells laying around our house and they turned out much better than I first feared! These are also, just like all my crafts, very easy to make too, they do take a tiny bit more drying time though.

So, what you need is:
– Halved walnut shells
– Paint
– Sealer
– Paintbrushes

First I paint all the shells white, so the final colors are more intense. You can do this once or twice. Do wait until the first color is dry before applying the second layer.

After the white paint dries to the touch (it takes about half an hour or not even that much) I paint them with their primary colors (ladybugs – red, hedgehogs – brown, bees – yellow etc.). I do this two times and wait in-between until they are dry again. Now, with three or even four layers of color it’s better to wait a couple of hours for them to dry completely. Ok, one hour if you’re impatient like I am.

And finally, the real fun begins! Drawing their faces, noses, eyes, stripes, dots, tails… Again, after drawing the face wait for them to dry and then go to eyes and everything else.
Now let them rest over the night and then use a sealer if you wish (spray is the best, because some paint tend to smudge when applying the sealer with a brush; please trust my word, I have learned the hard way!). I used a sealer on the ladybug and the bee, not on the hedgehog – you can see the difference. Also, the sealer makes them much more resilient to the kids’ play; it makes them live longer.

Aren’t they super cute? They are played with in our house all the time. I’m even thinking about making them into brooches, has anyone any idea how could I do that? I thought about maybe filling them with paper clay and then knead the pin into it or glue on, but I’m worried clay might fall out… Does anyone have a better suggestion?

Polona xx

PS Painting rocks!

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You can follow Polona on Instagram or visit her online boutique Baby Jungle shop!

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