The best time for harvesting natural materials is summer and the beginning of autumn (before the first snowfall). Tinkering do it yourself same crafts it is possible on long winter evenings, but for this you need to take care of natural materials in advance.
In various natural zones of our country, many plants grow, the fruits, leaves, roots and seeds of which can be used for crafts. But some of the plants that you will find on this site are found only outside of Russia, so when traveling on vacation, do not forget about your hobby. Do not hesitate to ask your friends and acquaintances to bring from the foreign trips preparations necessary for creativity. A collection of various natural materials will allow you to boldly fantasize, create new original crafts.
Before proceeding with procurement, it is necessary to learn how and when to collect, where to store and how to pre-process this or that material.
Mostly, plant materials necessary for handicrafts, with rare exceptions, are harvested during the period of their full ripening, since unripened fruits, when dried, can change shape, wrinkle and lose their appearance.
You can prepare some natural materials without even leaving your apartment if you leave (and not throw in the bin) bones of cherries and apricots, peaches and watermelons, pomegranate and papaya and other ordinary and exotic fruits.
Everywhere, wherever you are, look around and find a wide variety of natural materials to create interesting crafts. One has only to carefully look at the nature around us! These are cones and nuts, fruits and herbs, roots and bark of trees, river and sea shells.
It is necessary to stock natural materials with a solid supply, based on the whole year, since with the onset of winter everything in the forest and field will be covered with snow and you will no longer be able to find an acorn for the intended crafts. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the inevitable waste - materials damaged during the operation.
Going on vacation or on weekends on trips and hikes, be sure to bring along a small hacksaw, a sharp knife, a tourist hatchet and a large basket or bag for finds.
For crafts presented on the site Do it yourself, you will need the following natural materials:
CONES: spruce, pine, cedar, fir, alder, larch, cypress, juniper, yew berry;
ACORNS oak with pluses (cups at the base of the fruit);
Chestnuts: sweet (edible) and decorative (inedible). Unripe chestnuts have a green spiny shell;
NUTS: pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts, beech nuts (with a spiny shell), pine nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, Manchurian nuts, peanuts;
PITS: peach, apricot, cherry, cornel, plum, persimmon;
WOODEN MUSHROOMS: birch, spruce, aspen, pine, oak;
BRANCHES various trees and bushes;
ROOTS trees and shrubs;
BARK trees: pine (old - thick and young - thin, golden red), oak, spruce, aspen and birch bark - birch bark;
BULBS plants;
TUBERS plants (e.g. potatoes);
PEEL onions and garlic;
SEEDS trees (e.g. lion seeds of maple, ash, linden); herbs and cereals
STRAW wheat, oats, rye;
FLOWERS garden and wild plants (for example, inflorescences of thistle and burdock (burdock);
Seashells river and sea;
SINKS garden (land) snails;
FISH scales, skin, fins, tails and gill horn plates of sea and river fish;
FEATHERS forest and decorative (canaries, parrots, peacocks) birds, home ducks, geese, chickens and turkeys;
Mosses and Lichens: a variety of mosses and lichens, stalks of the lizard (lycopodium).
In addition, you will need seeds of watermelon, pumpkin and sunflower (they are useful as additional material for the manufacture of individual parts), corn cobs (with grains and leaves); fruits of yellow water lilies (capsules); decorative pumpkin fruits, potatoes, apples, eggshells and much, much more.
For making paintings and seed compositions, stock up on cereals used in the household: buckwheat, oat, rice, wheat, semolina, millet, lentils, and coffee beans.