Winter IN THE Forest

Burnished gold, mossy green, fiery red, and burnt orange celebrate the season's glories. Create a woodland utopia filled with cheeky mushrooms, tiny birds, and chic trees.

MUSHROOM MAGIC

Start with a purchased wooden base to make fungi with the velvety feel of the forest floor, left. Simply gather velvet fabric circles around the caps. It's so easy, the whole family can join in the fun. If velvet isn't your style, use acrylic paint to embellish the unfinished wooden caps.

DESIGNER: YOUR HEART'S CONTENT

MATERIALS

☐ Wooden screw-top mushrooms (three sizes available at hearts-content.​com)

☐ Stretch velvet fabric: desired colors

☐ Button thread

☐ Sewing needle

Trace patterns in Pattern Pack onto white paper; cut out. Trace patterns onto stretch velvet fabric; cut out.

Go to page 94 to see stitch diagrams. Using doubled button thread and small running stitches, stitch ½ inch inside the edge of a velvet circle; leave long tails. Remove cap from a wooden mushroom that matches the size of the circle. Put the stitched circle on top of the mushroom cap. Pull thread tails to gather the velvet tightly around the cap; tie off. Repeat with each velvet circle. Screw each mushroom cap back on a mushroom base.

CARDINAL VIRTUES

The tiny diorama, above, nestles in an unexpected home: an eggshell. Designer Kris Cairelli transforms eggs from her flock and recommends use of local eggs for their stronger exteriors. With bits of clay, paint, glitter, and twigs, a natural scene comes to life inside the cleaned-out shell.

DESIGNER: KRIS CAIRELLI

MATERIALS

☐ Eggs

☐ Awl or skewer

☐ Jewelry flush cutter

☐ Micro rotary tool with sanding tip (optional)

☐ Artists brushes

☐ Crafts glue

☐ Glitter: snow-ice blend

☐ Low-temperature hot-glue gun and glue sticks

☐ 3-millimeter jute twine

☐ Oven-bake polymer clay (such as Sculpey brand): red, black, and orange

☐ Acrylic paint: black (optional)

☐ Dried twigs or birch bark