Fri 14 Oct 2016

Make your own floral suncatcher

Suncatchers are fun crafts for the whole family. Each family member can make their own personal design to hang in their room. During the rainy months of autumn and the cold months of winter, crafts provide the perfect indoor distraction. So, put the TV off, shut down all computers, tablets, and other electronics for some quality creative time at home!

You will need:

  • Mactac (also called clear contact paper)

  • Embroidery hoop

  • Pressed flowers and leaves

  • Suction cup for hanging

Method:

  • Cut two squares of mactac and make sure that they are both slightly larger than the embroidery hoop.

  • Plan your design according to the size of the embroidery hoop. The best way to do this is to set the hoop on a flat surface an arrange your flowers and leaves in the middle. Once you are done, remove the hoop and leave your design as is.

  • Peel off the backing of one of the contact paper sheets and secure it to the embroidery hoop just as you would a piece of cloth. Make sure that the sticky side is facing upwards.

  • Now arrange your flowers and leaves on the sticy side of contact paper. Place on flower, petal, or leaf at a time so that you recreate your original design. Press gently to ensure that the plant material is properly stuck to the contact paper but take care not to press too hard.

  • Once you are done arranging all of your plant material, you can carefully remove it from the hoop.

  • Now it’s time to peel the backing off the second square of contact paper and place it on top of your design. Do so carefully and make sure that each piece lines up with the next. Even if they don’t line up perfectly, the important part is to make sure that the circlular interior of the hoop is covered.

  • Place your design in the hoop again trim the contact paper around the edges of the hoop.

  • Attach a suction (or another hanging device) and hang in your window where it can capture the sun and add colour to your room!

Most of these steps are fairly easy even for children. That said, they might need some help sticking the second layer of contact paper in place as well as trimming the edges. Since each child has different abilities, it’s up to parents to decide just how much they should or should not assist with this craft.