We loved the outdoors before moving to Aspen, but now, well, we basically live in nature. So why not dive in headfirst and take full advantage of living in such a beautiful place? That’s exactly what we’ve tried to do since moving in October, especially the last few months with it being our first summer living in Colorado.

And with me being a crafty, creative kind of mom, I managed to come up with a few very fun outdoor DIY projects that involve both nature AND glitter (theoretical glitter, but you bet I have a lot more projects up my sleeve with actual glitter). Both are incredibly easy to make, really fun for the kids to play with and will add a little something special to your day!

First up we have Dream Weaver Sticks.

These little sticks are adorable and colorful and everything you need to turn a boring summer afternoon into something fun! Plus it’s a craft you can do on repeat because your stick will turn out different every time. To get started, here’s what you need:

1. First and foremost, you’ll need to head outside and find the perfect sticks. Around our house, this is definitely the easiest part because we kind of have an endless supply. The key, though, is the smoother the better. You’re going to paint and glue things onto your sticks, so keep that in mind during your search. You can sand the sticks down if necessary, but that just adds an extra step.

2. Boom, you’re ready to get started! Take a look at all your supplies and start envisioning your Dream Weaver Stick. We like to use this paint (it’s washable and only requires one coat for vibrant colors), feathers, beads and string as our core items, but the possibilities are limitless. You’re also going to want to have a glue gun handy. This makes the process so much easier.

 

Once you’ve got your idea ready to go and the perfect color palette, start painting your sticks. There is no right or wrong – let your imagination run wild! Or at least encourage your kid to let theirs run wild. Think color blocking, stripes, dots, swirls – anything. A little bit of planning before you officially start painting can lead to some gorgeous sticks!

3. When you’re done painting, let the stick dry completely. You can always give it a second coat if you want to give it a super bright, rich look.

4. Now it’s time to go crazy adding beads, feathers and anything else that catches your eye! It is best to use a glue gun, so mom or dad will have to help out here. You can also use string to tie onto any knobs on your stick as well, then just put a dot or two of the hot glue on the stick to affix the string so it stays put. We love putting letter beads on the strings to spell out names or cute phrases – do whatever speaks to you!

 

Once you’re done, wave them around and make a wish! How cute and fun, right?! I’m telling you, your child will be entertained for hours.

Next up we have a flower crown! Who doesn’t love a good flower crown? I can’t be the only one. Sometimes I think I like this DIY more for me than Zelda, ha!

We picked real flowers for our crowns, and I encourage you to do the same, but a word from the wise – be sure there isn’t any kind of infestation in your flowers. After all, no one wants bugs crawling around in their hair.

Here are the steps to get started:

1. Decide what kind of flowers you want on your flower crown. We went with wild daisies because they grow like crazy in our backyard and easily lay flat to the head. This is something you want to think about before choosing your flower. Try to go with flowers that will lay down on your head. Also, look for something with a stem that will allow you to bobby pin the flowers. Daisies worked great for us! If you don’t have access to real daisies or just want to use faux flowers in general, these are a great option.

2. OK, now that you have your flowers, you’ll want to pull your child’s hair (or your own if you’re also doing a crown, and why wouldn’t you?!) back into a slick ponytail. Ponies work well so any excess hair can kind of poke out the back, but if you’re dealing with short hair or a child with not a lot of hair, you can just pin the hair down and you’ll be good to go. You just want the hair to be as flat and smooth as possible

3. Grab your flowers and trim the stems to about two inches. This will give you enough room to bobby pin without having too much stem happening.

4. Start pinning! I like to start in the center of the head and work outwards. This way you can be sure nothing wonky is happening in the front and I just found it easier to fill in the crown this way. I kind of went in rows until basically Zelda’s whole head was covered and there was virtually no hair showing.

For pinning, I used one bobby pin per flower. I wanted it to be secure but I was also trying to be really thoughtful of my process because all I could think about was bathtime and trying to remove all the flowers and pins. No one wants to deal with a cranky child and ratty hair.

And there you have it! You have the ultimate flower crown! Zelda and I love this style because it looks more like a princess tiara, which is exactly what we were going for.

What do you guys think?! These DIY crafts are a little outside the box and will get you and your kids outside in nature this summer! It also provides an opportunity to teach kids a bit about what nature provides for us and what we can take home for supplies and what we need to leave in the wild. Zelda and I truly had a blast, so I hope you do too!

Summer Outdoor DIYs
Beads
$12.99
String
$10.98