Autumn pleasures: doing handicrafts with conkers and acorns

Autumn to me isn't autumn without decorating with its season-specific bounty. Top of the list, of course, are colourful leaves of all shapes, hues and sizes which we pick up and then arrange at home in myriad ways to display their fleeting beauty. Likewise, I can think of little more beautiful than a huge arrangement of anything we could find on a walk outdoors: wild asters, grasses of all kinds, hop bines (Humulus lupulus) with large bunches of hop cones that weaved through and over a hedge. Or Old man's beard (Clematis vitalba). Bare rose branches sparkling with hips, fruit-laden twigs of e.g. privet (Ligustrum) or snowberries (Symphoricarpos), interesting seed pods and the dead stems of, say, burdock (Arctium).

But the most fun for my money is to be had from getting creative with acorns and conkers.

I've never outgrown my love for conkers. Each year, I find myself unable to resist bending down and stuffing every pocket to bursting point with these marvels of beauty. And I don't care about the odd looks I get! I'd so love a desk in "conker" - that is, made of wood in this incredible colour, gloss and smooth finish which is simply crying out to be touched. Alas, that's not possible as the conkers shrivel and turn matte and dull within days, especially indoors. So the next best thing is to spend a whole afternoon handling them with some fun results at the end. Which is what I have done every autumn of my childhood and have reintroduced when I had my own children. And they love it.

Since they are pretty popular in Germany, it surprised me to find the concept of crafting "little conker men", as we loosely call them, unknown amongst those I've met in Britain. I've lost count of the times other children, mums, even teachers reacted rapturously on seeing them, usually asking to join in. I've held special "workshops" at my children's school and even used it as the main "event" at a birthday party where it also met with an enthusiastic response. Maybe I should start doing it professionally...

So what are "little conker men", then? As you will have figured out from the pictures: it's conkers joined together to resemble creatures. Strong glue may work, but without the aid of a glue gun I find the smooth skin of conkers and acorns makes it tricky indeed and much prefer joining them with matchsticks. Or toothpicks. You drill a hole into the conkers where you'd like to join them and push the matchstick in as the joint. Depending on whether you want "legs", "arms" and a "neck" or not, you either sink them in completely - shortening them if necessary - or leave them visible. A drop of glue into the hole or on the end of the matchstick may help but isn't really necessary. It's trickier to find a balance for your creature.

Of course, it's not just conkers and acorns you should consider. Anything you've gathered and  like can be used. Cones are brilliant, as are beechnuts and their shells. Sycamore seeds or maple keys make lovely wings, for instance. The seeds of lime trees (without the "wing") can become bulging eyes, or antennae, or a tail. I once turned the stalk of a pumpkin into an elephant's trunk. The only limit is your imagination.  And while personally I'm a "purist" who doesn't like using any "artificial" materials, many children enjoy adding bobbles or pompoms or those wibbly-wobbly google eyes you can buy in craft shops. If you intend to keep your creations on the windowsill, shelf or mantelpiece for a little longer however, don't use things that rot or go mouldy quickly.

Children in particular love combining a walk in the woods or a stroll in the park with a "treasure hunt" for natural materials to use. Much more fun that way! You could even turn it into a casual nature lesson: What is this? Where does it come from? Et cetera. While visiting places like arboretums or big gardens with a large variety of (tree) species usually yields the most diverse materials, this isn't necessary at all. In fact, too many different "ingredients" to choose from may even stifle the imagination. Much like when you want to go out  and feel overwhelmed by the choice on offer so you end up doing nothing (or only that which you always do). 

What else do you need? Little. If you have a glue gun, that's great. I only have glue in tubes, such as UHU. For unadulterated fun I'd recommend something like a wax cloth to protect your table or other work surface. Then the sticks: matchsticks, wooden skewers or tooth picks tend to be stronger and easier to use as joints than twigs. Use pruners to pinch off the match heads or to shorten your sticks to size. To drill the holes into conkers and acorns etc., we use a small hand driller, a bit like a screwdriver. Obviously you should be careful when using it and small children should leave it to adults to drill holes for them. Anything else? No - just bring a bit of time and your imagination and you're ready to go. Have fun!