Pinecones come in enough shapes and sizes that they lend themselves well to sorting activities. This one includes a graphing element to show students a visual representation of the most common types of pinecones in their own community.
Thread Painting: Embroider Evergreen Trees
Introducing CbMixtape! Mixtapes are playlists of specific bits from different classes, grouped together by a common theme. It’s a fun way to learn how one topic is approached by a variety of artists with different techniques, all rounded up in one curated mixtape.
Unearth the magic of toadstools in this enchanting selection of Creativebug classes. Use watercolor to paint a field of magical mushrooms with Maria Carluccio. Then, play with vibrant colors under Carolyn Gavin’s guidance with a selection from her Daily Painting Challenge, featuring flowers, fruits, and the natural world. Use pens or markers to make sweet and simple ‘shrooms with Lisa Congdon. Learn an intriguing monoprint technique taught by Courtney Cerruti, then take a more playful appropach as you sculpt and paint a tiny toadstool to make into an adorable bauble.
From My Kitchen to Yours: A Month of Giftable Goods & Recipes
This year, don’t miss this opportunity to bestow the gift of deliciousness upon your loved ones. Starting with quality ingredients and leveraging a few expert tips, Cobrina of Creativebug demystifies the creation of various costly items that can be effortlessly crafted within the comfort of your own kitchen. Fancy infused salts, decadent compound butters, and handmade candies are just a taste of what you’ll learn, and as an added bonus, we have included a set of downloadable recipe cards and gift tags, enabling you to present your culinary creations with a polished and professional touch. Whether you desire a single exquisite item as a thoughtful host gift (or a treat for yourself) or a generous batch to distribute among friends and neighbors, these recipes are tailor-made for gifting and entertaining.
Shelf-life and suggested uses for every recipe are listed on the gift tags in the PDF.
Coming November 15
Crochet an Heirloom Granny Hexagon Stocking
This class will be available to view November 15, 2023.
Crochet designer Twinkie Chan loves making crocheted stockings around the holidays. They evoke such warm and nostalgic feelings, and they truly seem like something her Grandma Wendelton would have made. Join Twinkie and learn how to crochet an heirloom granny hexagon stocking. This classic granny hexagon motif is perfect for the season because it resembles a giant snowflake, and Twinkie teaches you the basic granny stitch, which is made of double crochet stitches and chains. You’ll also learn how to work in the round to create a six-sided shape. Choose your own color scheme and how many colors to use, and easily adjust the size of your motifs to change the size of the stocking. To assemble the hexagons into a stocking shape, Twinkie provides several diagrams and guides you through her preferred method of putting it all together with a hand-sewn fabric lining and a hanging loop. Imagine how sweet your home will look with a line of cozy, handmade stockings, waiting to be filled with special treats and holiday magic.
Coming November 22
Decorative Metal Embossing
This class will be available to view November 22, 2023.
Learn how to emboss metal with artist Mia Semingson of Two Hands Paperie. Inspired by traditional Mexican tin art, Mia shows you how transformative and flexible metal can be – you can even use the metal from a tube of tomato paste or paint. She begins by demonstrating how to transfer a paper template to thin metal sheet, then learn how to push and pull the metal to create embossed textures and designs with tools you might already have on hand. Find out how to paint your metal projects with alcohol ink to add touches of color. Start with a metal test strip to experiment with your tools and paints, and then Mia will guide you through three different projects: a low-relief ornament with an image of a hand, a sacred heart which includes layered pieces with lots of dimension, and a high-relief embossed box lid which is a wonderful opportunity for upcycling.
Coming November 24
Sustainable Play: Holiday Crafts
This class will be available to view November 24, 2023.
Make the holiday season even more special with one-of-a-kind, personalized projects. Artists of all ages can craft along with illustrator, toymaker, and storyteller Suzy Ultman as she upcycles regular cereal and cracker boxes into handmade holiday magic. Learn to make a menorah that looks like a unicorn by tracing a template, cutting cardboard, painting it, and creating play-candles with clothespins. Suzy also shows you how to turn cardboard into different holiday shapes with a robust collection of templates to trace as well as tips and ideas for painting the shapes in unique ways. Learn how to bring your own holiday shapes to live and then use them to make gift tags, ornaments, mobiles, and garlands
Draft and Sew the Hanten Coat
A hanten coat is a Japanese style of short outerwear that is often padded or quilted and sewn with cotton fabric. Artist, author, and illustrator Sanae Ishida designed this modern version of a hanten with interestingly angled pockets, no padding or quilting, and a faux suede outer shell with a silky lining. Beginning with the front and back torso slopers that you can make in Sanae’s Torso Sloper Class, she’ll teach you how to make adjustments to your slopers to draft the coat pattern, prepare the pockets as well as a pleat for the coat lining, then sew together the outer shell and coat lining with a technique called bagging which also means you don’t have to finish any raw edges on your seams. This coat has no closures and can be worn by anyone, and the beauty of drafing your own pattern is that you can make your hanten just the way you like. Watch the compliments fly as you wear this coat out and proudly explain that you made it from start to finish.
Mixtape: 5 Ways to Make an Owl
Introducing CbMixtape! Mixtapes are playlists of specific bits from different classes, grouped together by a common theme. It’s a fun way to learn how one topic is approached by a variety of artists with different techniques, all rounded up in one curated mixtape.
Spread your artist wings as you paint, draw, and craft five sweet owls. This selection of classes draws inspiration from our larger daily practice classes, ensuring you’ll develop essential skills while creating charming owl-themed works. Keep your eye on the recycling bin as you use upcycled materials to paint a cardboard owl with Suzy Ultman and craft toilet paper tube owls with Courtney Cerruti. Sketch a parliament of owls with Lisa Congdon using markers or pens, then learn Courtney Cerruti’s innovative monopriting technique to make two more.
Crochet Halloween Appliqués
Celebrate spooky season and unlock your inner crochet wizardry with seven Halloween-inspired appliqués: a ghost, pumpkin, spider, and a bat, a skull, a potion bottle and a witch’s hat. Twinkie Chan is a crochet designer, author, and believer in the crafterlife. In this class, you’ll learn a bewitching array of stitches and techniques, from single crochet up to treble crochet, working in rows and rounds, making an invisible join (or perhaps a phantom join?), and an otherworldly way to change yarn colors. You can use your appliqués for an infinite number of fun projects, like enchanting garlands, spine-tingling party invitations, and the most haunting Halloween treat bags. Whether you’re an intrepid beginner or an experienced crocheter, these charming shapes will inspire you to conjure up wickedly delightful decorations that will leave everyone spellbound.
Make Paper Plants for Home Decor: A Daily Practice
Multi-media maker and author of Handmade Houseplants Corrie Beth Hogg finds magic in the cross-section of nature and art. She fell in love with working with paper because it’s so versatile, unpretentious, and accessible. Join Corrie for a foliage-filled month of making four lifelike paper plants to decorate your home: Boston ivy, an oak branch, smooth sumac, and the begonia “fall fashion.” These are a few of Corrie’s favorite autumnal examples because of the striking, colorful display that the real varieties gift us in the fall. You’ll work on one plant at a time and complete a simple step each day, starting with making your own cardboard templates with Corrie’s PDFs. Then, learn how to transform paper into leaves with painting, cutting, folding, and hand-drawn details. To turn your leaves into branches, Corrie teaches you how to use floral wire and floral tape. You’ll be able to apply these techniques to just about any plant you love, in any colorway, and for any season. Creating paper plants is a beautiful and meditative way to capture a seasonal moment that can be so fleeting and to keep it for as long as paper lasts.
Learning About Conifers
Set students up with a good base of information about conifers and how they differ from evergreen trees.
As a quick primer, a conifer is a cone-bearing tree. The word describes how these kinds of trees reproduce. An evergreen describes a tree’s leaves, or in this case its needles.
Fun fact for kids: Needles count as leaves!
While most conifers are also evergreens, that’s not always the case. You’ll know an evergreen when you see one because they keep their leaves throughout the year.
Help students learn more about trees through identifying features with the Tree ID activity found in PLT’s Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide.
Types of Evergreen Trees
These lessons investigate the different types of evergreen trees students may encounter. Introduce the idea of evergreens as trees that maintain their look, shape, and leaves throughout the year. Point out differences in evergreens with activities that investigate the nuances found in their needles.
This easy sorting activity helps students understand and visualize the difference between evergreen and deciduous trees. Here’s a quick tip for teachers and students: Deciduous trees lose their leaves in the fall. Evergreen trees keep their leaves or needles year-round. This is a good sorting activity to include in pod- or center-based learning, especially within small groups of diverse learners.
Pine Tree Investigation
Younger students will love this lesson on the life cycle of a pine tree, starting with something most have encountered: the pinecone. The top activity is very hands-on as students learn about different textures on a pine tree, including those sharp needles! Remind children to be careful and gentle around tree needles and other harsh surfaces they may encounter in their exploration activities.
As they get more comfortable, broaden their understanding with lessons on the power of the pinecone as a safe harbor for seeds and where to find the seeds in a pinecone.
