Cottage Style Art Projects for Summer

As the days grow longer and the sun shines bright, many of us are longing to exercise our creativity! With that in mind, I have put together a short list of projects that are perfect for the current season and very easy to do! I hope you have a chance to sit down and make something beautiful.

Mushroom Garden Ornaments

Mushrooms are a must-have for many nature-related aesthetics. They also make lovely additions to a cheerful garden. If you are a lover of fungi, you’ll enjoy this simple project! All you need is natural air-dry clay, a little water, wooden skewers, and a waterproof sealer.

Get a small clump of wet clay and mold it into a sphere. It should be about the size of a golf ball. Then pinch the middle with your thumb and forefinger to divide it into two pieces. Mold one piece into a cylinder and the other into the bowl-shaped cap. Poke a few holes onto both pieces where you will join them, and dab plenty of water on both spots. Now attach them firmly and you have a mushroom! Once it dries a little bit, poke a skewer in the bottom to form a hole you can use later to stick it in the ground. It should take a few days to dry completely, and then you can coat it in the sealer and put it in your garden.

Art Journal Spread

This one is very open-ended and full of potential. An art journal is a great way to experiment with ideas and help your creativity flow. My favorite way to begin a spread is to think of a concept or theme - it could be as abstract or specific as you want - and then collect fun and interesting materials to cover the page with. I especially like wrapping paper, watercolors, pens, pastels, metallic supplies of any kind, dried plants, and pretty stickers and paper scraps. If you stick to a color palette, the spread will be beautiful and cohesive. Since it is spring, consider taking inspiration from the flowers, birds, and trees as you create.

For a more in-depth tutorial on filling an art journal spread, click here.

Botanical Bookmarks

Who doesn’t love to read outside with the birds singing overhead? I know I do, which is why I thought this would be a perfect art project to include. There are many ways to make a bookmark, but I will briefly explain how I made the ones you see in the photo.

I used pieces of canvas that were about 6 inches long, a glue stick, newsprint tissue paper, watercolor pastels, a white chalk marker, a black pen, and acrylic paint.

I first took the paper and tore it into small strips. I glued 2-3 of these strips to each bookmark. Then, I painted or drew a simple flower using pastels or acrylic paint. On one of them, I glued a few daisy petals right above the stem and outlined them in pen. Once the plants were all painted on, I added small details with the white chalk marker. Feel free to try things out as you go and explore the possibilities!

I then cut a tiny slit near the tops of the bookmarks and inserted a piece of twine. I tied the tops of the twine, and the bookmarks were complete. If you want them to be nice and flat, you can lay a heavy book over them for a few days.

I hope you enjoyed this list of simple projects to try this season. They are so relaxing and fun! I am confident you will be happy with the results or at least have a good time in the process. Happy creating!