Craft doesn’t just have to be a indoor pursuit, there are plenty of things that you can make which will bring fun and colour to your garden
For the past few years we have invited friends round to our house and garden at the end of the summer holidays. Although a big gathering takes some planning and is all ‘go’ on the day, the memories we have made on those sunny summer afternoon are priceless.
Bring in the colour craft
Strangely the garden can look quite green by the end of August. Some of the best of our flowers have gone over. No matter, it is easy to bring more colour and craft into your garden by making some simple pom-pom garlands.
I had brilliant fun using scraps of neon netting to make very fluffy pom-poms. I tied these to the trees at a child-friendly height and they create a real sense of fun and wonder.
A festival welcome
To get the party atmosphere I chose a festival inspired colour scheme. Just to make sure our guests knew where they were going we hung paper fans, pom-pom garlands and ribbons onto our garden gate. These blew in the breeze and brought a party atmosphere to the patio.
Cosy Comfort
It is really important to create lots of comfy seating areas so your guests can chat and lounge about. It is also a perfect excuse to show of your crochet skills and get out all your handmade blankets and cushions.
Going on a fun hunt
We have lots of young friends and I enjoy making things specifically to entertain children. Firstly Little B and I like to set up a garden trail. We had animals and characters within the garden and set our guests the task of finding all our hidden creatures. If you promise a small prize for a completed treasure hunt you will find there are oodles of willing participants. In addition, we really enjoy making the search fiendishly difficult.
Say it in words
Why not set the tone and mark out the party areas with a combination of signs. A welcome sign is always inviting for your guests.
I was also inspired to use some coloured masking tape to write playful words inside our garden den. Play and fun is the name of the game and hidden messages which only they will see delights young minds.
I used my new Posca pens to write on our kitchen window so that no-one was in doubt where the music was coming from. This looks more difficult than it is. Firstly I sketched the words on a piece of paper. I stuck this to the outside of the window and then traced the shapes on the inside with the Posca Pens. Quick, simple and effective
Dressed for the occasion
Let imaginations run wild with a few items available from the dressing up box. This year I made a few quick and easy tutu skirts, by knotting strips of netting around headbands. Let me warn you – don’t get disappointed if a five year old turns down your offer of wearing a fairy tutu because she has made a very deliberate choice of her favourite party dress and doesn’t want to spoil the look. Never mind, the pom-pom and flower headbands were popular with all our little girl guests.
A little night light
Don’t forget to bring a little romance to the evening by dotting some tea-lights around the garden. From mid-spring I start collecting jam-jars so that I can begin the cover them in crochet, bringing a little sparkle to the proceedings. All these ideas are a bit of colourful crafty fun which provides a focus for my evening makes and allows me to dream of balmy summer evenings filled with giggles and fun.
If you are looking for more outdoor crafty inspiration please have a look at the books in my previous blog post here, and also have a look at the excellent Middlesized Garden blog which has a fabulous post on garden parties here.
If you have any crafty ideas for the garden please do leave your suggestions below.
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