Let Summer Inspire Your Creativity

Summer is the most generous season for crafters. Long days, abundant botanicals, warm evenings on the porch — it's the perfect time to slow down, get your hands into something creative, and make objects that capture the beauty of the season. These five nature-inspired projects celebrate summer in tangible, lasting ways.

1. Pressed Flower Art Frames

What you'll need: Fresh flowers and leaves, heavy books, parchment paper, a picture frame, white or kraft cardstock, clear-drying craft glue

Press flowers and leaves between sheets of parchment paper inside heavy books for 1–2 weeks until completely dry and flat. Arrange them on cardstock and glue in place, creating botanical compositions that can be displayed in frames. Wildflowers, ferns, and herbs all press beautifully. Make several and create a gallery wall of summer botanicals.

Tip: Thinner flowers press more successfully than thick blooms. Pansies, daisies, and ferns are ideal starters.

2. Driftwood Mobile

What you'll need: Pieces of driftwood or thin branches, twine or fishing line, collected shells, sea glass, feathers, or beads

Find a flat piece of driftwood at the beach or use a smooth branch from your garden. Tie varying lengths of twine from the wood and attach collected treasures — shells with small holes drilled through, sea glass, feathers, or small stones. Hang it from a window or porch for a gentle, nature-inspired kinetic sculpture.

3. Herb-Infused Beeswax Candles

What you'll need: Beeswax sheets or soy wax pellets, candle wicks, dried summer herbs (lavender, rosemary, chamomile), essential oils, glass jars

Melt wax according to package instructions. Add a few drops of essential oil that complements your chosen herb (lavender oil with dried lavender, for example). Pour into a jar with a centered wick, then gently press dried herb sprigs against the inside of the warm jar — they'll adhere to the wax as it sets, creating a gorgeous botanical candle. Let cure for 24–48 hours before burning.

4. Sunprint / Cyanotype Art

What you'll need: Cyanotype paper (available at craft stores), fresh botanical specimens, a sunny day, a tray of water

Arrange leaves, flowers, or feathers on cyanotype paper and place in direct sunlight for 2–5 minutes. The UV light reacts with the chemicals in the paper, creating a blue-and-white photographic impression of your botanicals. Rinse in water to develop, then let dry. The result is stunning, scientific, and uniquely summer — no photography equipment required.

5. Stone Painting Garden Markers

What you'll need: Smooth, flat stones, acrylic paint, fine-tip paint markers, outdoor sealant spray

Collect smooth stones from a garden or riverbed. Paint a base coat and let dry, then use paint markers to add herb or vegetable names, small illustrations, or decorative patterns. Seal with an outdoor spray varnish to protect against weather. Place them in your herb garden, vegetable patch, or along a garden path for a handmade touch that's both functional and beautiful.

Making the Most of Summer Crafting

  • Gather materials mindfully: Collect fallen flowers and branches rather than cutting from gardens — or ask permission first
  • Work outdoors when possible: Natural light shows colors truer, and fresh air makes crafting more enjoyable
  • Preserve the season: These projects are wonderful ways to capture summer's ephemeral beauty in lasting objects
  • Involve children: All of these projects can be adapted for kids, especially stone painting and pressed flowers

Summer won't last forever — but the things you make during it will. Pick one project this week and let the season do the inspiring.