Ack, we’re painting the hall bathroom, and we can’t wait to finish, shoot pics, and share them with you guys! But since that’s still in progress, I thought this stellar example of things not always working out might make you guys smile. We always get asked “what happens if you try something and it doesn’t work?” and I always say “we blog about it, of course!” You know, like this and this and this. We love sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly. And we can totally relate to a failed craft project or ten. So here we go…
In Richmond it has been raining men. If by men I mean acorns. Seriously, those little buggers are everywhere.
So I got a wild hair and decided – most definitely inspired by all the crafty acorn projects on sites like Martha & Pinterest – that I would do a cute little acorn craft. So I gathered up some acorns with my trusty assistants (those would be Clara and Burger, who actually worked against me the whole time by throwing/kicking/chasing them away from me) and put a few dozen into a bag.
Then I froze those suckers because I remember hearing a few horror stores about bugs or other odd things “hatching” from acorns, and those I did not want.
I left them in the freezer overnight, which I hear is all that it takes to kill off anything suspicious (although I did think to myself “self, doesn’t it get that cold outside? what is superior about a freezer that makes it better?”).
Then a day later I took them out of the freezer and let them thaw out. Later I poured some leftover craft paint (a little tube of acrylic paint that was originally like two bucks from Michaels) into a bowl. Then I took all the “hats” (you know, those little top parts of the acorn) off and dipped the end of them into the yellow paint.
Then I realized this was a terrible plan since I had no way to keep them from rolling all over the place and smearing, until I looked over at the pretzels that we keep in one of those big glass containers on the counter next to the cereal. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?
Yup, I totally made little pretzel stands so they wouldn’t roll around. Oddly enough it actually worked. I know, I was just as surprised as you are at this fortuitous turn of events. Don’t worry, things go bad later.
After dipping a bunch of acorns and setting them in their little pretzel holsters to dry I turned my attention to the $2 faux flowers that I’d grabbed at Michael’s (50% off thanks to those ubiquitous mailer coupons). When I got them… yeah- not so hot. But it wasn’t anything a little trimmy-trim and a cute vase couldn’t solve.
Ah, much cuter. And kinda fall-ish in that not-putting-fifty-gourds-everywhere way. Understated and easy, if you will. And then a few hours later when my little yellow tipped acorns were dry they came into the picture too. See them chilling in that glass container?
Here’s a panned out shot of the console with a few other tiny fall tweaks. I switched out the blue and gray books for some leaf-colored yellow and red ones…
… and grabbed some old vase filler from my fall tupperware bin in the form of some tiny faux apples, that I shoved into a clear cylinder vase leftover from our wedding (it’s the same one that held lemons and limes on the table).
Then I felt very chuffed (that’s my favorite English word along with “the till”) until about a day later when I saw this. What the…?
I popped the top and looked a little closer and it was totally mold. Boo! And I know you guys get a kick out of the what-didn’t-work projects just as much as the ones that did – so there ya go. My name is Sherry, and I somehow made beautiful yellow tipped moldy acorns. I’m not quite sure what went wrong, but I’m pretty sure that mold is not the new chevron, so it’s not going to be sweeping the DIY world anytime soon. Just say no to mold.
Actually, to say that I don’t know what went wrong is a lie. I totally know what went wrong. I’m just not adept enough to dabble in acorn crafts. The stakes are just too high. Glue guns? Sure. Paint? Ok. Drills and power saws? Yes please! But acorns? They send a shiver down my spine. I’m clearly not ready for them yet…
So I did the loving thing and threw those moldy paint-dipped acorns away and whipped out some fun old printing letters for a rustic fall-ish feeling without the threat of mold (we have a ton of these with all of our initials, our wedding date, and even “YHL” thanks to a sweet friend who sent these three our way).
So other than a few tiny and cheap (well almost all of them were actually free) fall tweaks in the form of some leaf-colored books, a few cut down fake-blooms from Michael’s and some cute little apple vase filler, we’ve learned one thing. I’m clearly not attentive enough to master the delicate eco-system that is an acorn. So I’m leaving them to Martha and you crafty folks on Pinterest who can manipulate them into wreaths and decorative orbs and all of those other wildly creative things without so much as batting an eye. I’ll stick to cutting down faux flowers and popping them into a bright little vase thankyouverymuch. Eh, who am I kidding, I’m totally going to try my acorn luck again next year. It’ll be like an epic annual battle that keeps no one on the edge of their seat but me.
Has anyone else mastered the acorn or done any especially cute and not-at-all moldy fall crafts? Do tell. I promise I’ll only pout a little…
Jennie says
A really good friend of mine hot glued acorns all over a wreath form last year and spray painted the entire thing a great chartreuse green. It was adorable! The next morning, her wreath was bare – squirrels had eaten all the acorns…thankfully, there were no dead squirrels in her yard from the spray paint, but I’m keeping my eye out for some mutated ones in the neighborhood over the next couple years. :)
YoungHouseLove says
I can’t believe that!!!
xo
s
Kristy says
I love acorns and definitely love to get crafty with them. Totally saw where this was going when you said you put them in the freezer, though. I typically bring them in and just lay them out to dry for several days before doing anything with them. Or, I put them in the oven to dry out any residual moisture. I do have a craft-gone-moldy adventure for you, though. My first year in college I decided to carve my first-ever all-by-myself pumpkin. I worked really hard on it and was so proud to put it in the window. I went to bed and when I woke up the next morning, it had completely collapsed on itself and was laying in a mushy pile of goo on my windowsill. I pulled the top off and it was FULL of mold…overnight. Craziness. So sad.
Vicki says
Last year I roasted mine in the oven before spray painting them silver. I too put mine in a jar– and then popped them in a plastic bag at the end of the season.. they came out for an encore again this year still perfect!
YoungHouseLove says
So lucky!
xo
s
Christie says
I live in a very dry climate, so that must be why my acorns didn’t mold.
I just blogged yesterday about the adorable, marbled acorns that my kindergartner made. I thought he would just paint each one a different color. Instead, he dipped each acorn in paint puddles and swirled them around. They are amazing.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome!
xo
s
Jessica says
The same thing happened to me last year, but with buckeyes. Next year, I will try drying them in the oven.
Derrelyn says
L.O.L! I have some amazingly crazy friends who recently created a blog called Pinstrosity and they just featured the exact same thing a few weeks ago! I knew it was destined to fail!
Here is the post they did:
http://pinstrosity.blogspot.com/2012/10/holiday-crafts-all-warm-and-fuzzy.html
Good luck with your next fall (and hopefully not so fuzzy) project!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, hilarious!
xo
s
ShellySinAZ says
When I moved to WI I thought it would be fun to send some “fall” to my sister who was in AZ where there is no such thing as autumn. I packaged up a baggie of acorns and fall leaves. She was nice enough to send me a thank you note for the worms, bugs, and rotten, stinky acorns! Eww! She reminds me every fall of my fun little care package.
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahaha! No way! That’s too funny.
xo
s
Sarah says
This happened to me too! I was doing the decorations for my little sister’s wedding and we were putting lemons in vases with sprigs of greenery and sticks out of the top. Everything looked great Friday night when I set it up. Saturday night after the wedding as I was walking around starting to take it all down I found two totally moldy lemons. I don’t know if the guests noticed- they didn’t say anything. I’ve never told my sister.
Nora Vassar says
When I was a little girl in NC my friend Janet and I would make acorn people. The top would be their chapeau and we would attach toothpicks by making small holes with a fork and some Elmer’s glue for their arms and legs. We would then paint faces or clothes on them. Ah the sweetness of youth. I’m sure our parents thought we were completely nuts but it kept us out of their hair and outside most fall days.
Rosanne says
Yippee! Just got my mail and guess what was there? Grabbing a cup of coffee and going on to the patio to check it out. So excited!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hope you love it Rosanne!
xo
s
Maria @ Redecorate Blog says
Awww, bummer! They were so cute while they lasted. ;-)
Kathryn says
They still had moisture in them from the freezing and thawing and then you enclosed them in a nice, warm enclosed glass environment.
Susie says
I bought some that were packed in a bag at the grocery last year, froze them for a few weeks, then packed them up with the fall decorations. Pulled them out this morning and put together a Pinterest-inspired Williams Sonoma-like candle/hurricane mantel display. Now will watch for signs of mold…or gross little bugs from 2011 that hibernated.
Bec says
I collected a bunch of acorns to put around a candle in a trifle bowl. They’ve been in there for over a month and no mold, but then there isn’t a lid on it to trap in any moisture :)
Andrea S says
I tried something similar with conkers last year, glossy brown and shiny I thought they would look the business in a hurricane lamp – fast forward a week and the glossiness was gone to be replaced with mould. I wasn’t so chuffed (I’m British and it’s so cute when I read blogs and see ‘English’ words creeping in)! P.S I have your book on my Christmas list – can’t wait for Father Christmas XXX
Ethne @ Wom-Mom says
I soaked my for-a-craft acorns in bleach and dawn dish soap water (all mixed together) for a while, then rinsed and let them air dry for a few days. Upon inspection, only one worm was found, and that acorn was clearly tossed! I felt fairly certain that the acorns were bug free and dry. I’ll go check tonite tho, since the craft is finished and now in a sealed ziploc bag…
angel p says
As luck would have it I just decided to be all Fall-ish on Sunday and I picked up tons of acorns (we have tons in Houston too) and I put them in a glass container. They look fine 3 days later but after reading all the comments about bugs/worms/mold I just threw those babies in the trash. I think we will just skip the Fall decor this year. Thanks for posting this before something came out of the jar that I don’t want. :)
Sara says
I can stop laughing at the pretzel holsters…that about made my day.
Naomi says
It was a good idea even though the mold showed up :)
? Naomi {Starry Eyes + Coffee Cups}
Teresa olander says
Microwave!!! Some may crack but that’s no loss. It kills and desicates.
Amanda says
Perhaps you could bake them on low in the oven? I bet that would dry them out and kill any bugs.
Ash says
I gathered up a bunch of fresh-fallen chestnuts and a few pinecones a few weeks ago walking home from work. They air-dried several days on my dining table and then I tucked them into a vase with some faux fall leaves and a teeny vase inside holding old dried roses. Looks cute so far, and I don’t THINK there’s anything growing in there… although I should probably check when I get home tonight ;) Here in Seattle, EVERYTHING molds if it sits still long enough. I have made cupcakes that, if left on the counter for more than a day, will turn blueish-green with mold. GACK!
kelly taylor says
my acorn project from a few years ago produced maggots a few days later, so yeah i don’t do acorn projects either.
Tabbitha @ Turnip Tootsie says
Even though the acorns did not turn out, they are still super cute. I got such a kick out of the part when you talked about your “trusty assistants” not being so trusty, that I had to read that part out loud to my husband!
Jackie says
They have moisture in them as they fall from the tree – why else would squirrels want to eat them. If there were totally dried out, the squirrels wouldn’t touch them. All seeds have a bit of moisture in them, to help then germinate. Basic biology.
BrerMatt says
Just a thought – I wonder if (in addition to the baking suggestions) instead of using craft paint, you use something else. Maybe Kilz, or other house paints, which usually have anti-mold agents in them. Or maybe antifungal nail polish.
Maybe you need a clear coat to seal them from the air, and then add your color.
I’m reminded of salt dough Christmas ornaments – we always preserved ours with acrylic varnish.
YoungHouseLove says
So many ideas! You guys are crafty!
xo
s
Karen says
From now on I’m always going to serve green olives on a platter full of flat pretzels.
YoungHouseLove says
Hhahaha!
xo
s
Amanda - Small Home Big Start says
You should have dried them in the oven! I did a tutorial earlier this fall and mine turned out great.
http://smallhomebigstart.blogspot.com/2012/09/how-to-dry-acorns-for-fall-crafts.html
YoungHouseLove says
You are an acorn samurai!
xo
s
Becky says
I will admit I secretly cheered just a little when I saw what happened to your acorns. Last year my little girl and I collected acorns and baked them before putting them in a cute little jar…and about three days later…moldy acorns. I have no clue how to keep cute little acorns.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw man, so funny how some folks say baking them works and other still end up with mold! Acorns are delicate creatures!
xo
s
April says
I have some gourds in glass vase with a top. They are over there brewing their own little ecosystem and I’m pretending not to see it. My husband was sweet enough to wash and dry them recently so I’m hoping to make it a few more weeks without them getting up and walking away on their own!
Cassie says
I saw on pinstrosity.com where someone had done this. Apparently you have to bake these for hours, let them set, and to a rain dance or something to make them not mold. :(
Lisa says
I have baked acorn caps, seed pods, and pine cones all in the oven for 1 hr. at 225. In addition to being bug free, the pine cones open up a bit, and the sap melts slightly and makes they shiny and lovely.
Jeanna Walton says
OMG, I am soooo glad I’m not the only one having issues with acorns! I’m not too crafty, but last year I decided to try Martha Stewarts pretty acorn wreath. I live in the country, and acorns were plentiful on the street. I talked my son into helping me collect lots and lots of acorns. While I was picking them up, I was finding a number of them with little holes in the sides, so we were very careful to only get the perfect ones, ha ha. I brought them home, and very carefully made my beautiful wreath. I used beautiful ribbon, and was so proud. Thank goodness I hung that sucker outside. Two days later (after many positive comments about how pretty it was) that darn wreath started getting wormy. Yep, wormy :( I had no idea you needed to freeze acorns first, lol! This year I’m just gonna buy hazel nuts from the grocer!!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw man, that stinks!
xo
s
Sarah says
Oh no! I did decorate with acorns this year. My first problem came when I noticed maggot like worms crawling out of them. I still wanted to use them (I live in San Diego and the closest place to get them is an hour drive to the mountains), so I washed them with some dish soap and bleach. Then I heard about mold so I baked them for about 20 min. No more bugs and no mold. So far so good. *fingers crossed*
YoungHouseLove says
SO glad!
xo
s
Lindsay B says
Oh man! They looked so cute, too! I looked at my autumny gourds sitting on my mantle the other day, and I realized they had gotten SO moldy! Like, so moldy to the point that I was actually embarrassed that I didn’t realize it earlier. So gross.
On a side note, I am totally cracking up at your “although I did think to myself ‘self, doesn’t it get that cold outside?'”
Hehe! Self. You crack me up, $herdog.
Rachel says
I’m going to be honest, as pretty as they look, this is a sign that you have waaaaayyyy too much time on your hands! ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahah! Which is funny considering we’re juggling the book tour, a surprise kidney infection, regular old blog stuff, Clara stuff, and a few secret projects that we can’t wait to unveil in the next few months! Sometimes momma just needs some crafting time…
xo
s
Ellen Kaak says
I teach school and we did a fun “acorn” art project last week. We put black construction paper in a tray. We then dropped our acorns in white paint and covered them. Then we let the kids spoon out the acorns and drop them into the tray onto the paper. They rolled the acorns around until all the paint was used. It made a nice spider web so we put little plastic spider on it. :) It was a perfect art project for this time of the year!
YoungHouseLove says
Fun!!
xo
s
Asten says
Ahaha, this makes me feel a LOT BETTER! Congrats on getting through this post without using the term ‘epic fail’. I love you for that. Also, the use of ‘nutmeat’ in the comments. OMG.
heyruthie says
a pox on acord crafts! last year, my 4 yo and 2 yo daughters and i made some–and YES!!!! several days later they were CRAWLING with little disgusting grubs/worms. gross!!! I realized that tiny little “holes” in the acorns had been bored by the bugs, and later hatched. i can’t look at them this year!
YoungHouseLove says
Attack of the killer acorn grubs!!!
xo
s
pam in illinois says
I was just reading about this on another blog. She didn’t have a lid on hers and they still got moldy. Yuck
She says you have to put them in the oven, pam
http://pinstrosity.blogspot.com/2012/10/holiday-crafts-all-warm-and-fuzzy.html
carissa says
I feel your pain! That seems to be the result to all of my projects, heartache and disappointment. Can we skip fall and go straight to Christmas decor?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! I’m so excited for Christmas stuff!
xo
s
Audrey says
Super sad $herdog! All that ingenuity (the pretzels were a stroke of genius) and creativity (yellow acorn hats!) to still end in a yucky disaster… Bummer.
You’ll come up with something way better for fall decoration, even if it takes until next fall (since this one’s on its way out!).
Kate says
That stinks after they came outkind of cute. As an alternative, you could try hazelnuts. I used them as a vase filler for Thanksgiving one year, and due to some extreme laziness on my part, I can confirm that they hang out for more than a year without any side effects like mold.
Mary says
Oops! We all have these little faux-paus :) I learned my lesson with mold about two weeks ago. I put a mixture of fresh gourds in an apothecary jar…and there you have it. A nice jar of moldy gourds ;)
Charlotte says
I mean this in the most affectionate way, but you’ve got to be a little mental to have the patience to dip every acorn so daintily in the paint! (I should be honest and mention that I have taken the baking at low heat under advisement and will be looking for acorns on my next walk… and I might have some acrylic paint on hand. Just sayin’.)
J Harrell says
Maybe its just me (and living here in the Buckeye state), but when I was just scrolling through looking at the pictures before reading the post, I honestly thought those painted acorns were buckeye candies (the yellow being the peanut butter parts and the acorn color being chocolate).
Beth says
I made two acorn wreaths last fall, and (surprisingly) they’re still going strong! I baked my acorns at about 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, hot glued them on my wreath, and then sprayed them with a clear top coat. The wreaths were also outside on our doors for a few months in northern winter temperatures, so I suppose that would have taken care of anything else that may have been still lurking in the acorns. I stored them indoors all summer and haven’t had any mold problems with them yet! Good luck on your next acorn adventure!
Eva says
When I saw the first picture with them in the jar I was certain that “what went wrong” was that someone tried to eat one. They definitely look like candies in a jar from a far… I’m sure my dad would try to eat one.
theaxx says
fricking cute and quite ingenius!!! love the freezing and the pretsels, you’ve definitely got that thinking cap on :)
thea.
(spoonfulzine)
Brie says
Heehee. I TOTALLY had a similar experience. I painstakingly picked up acorns from off my back deck, along with all the little tops. Then I heated up the hot glue gun, matched the suckers up and put them in a vase. Awesome. A week later I had tree sprouts coming out of half of the acorns. I tried again and this time baked them on a low temp for a long while, then glued. They are lasting. I think the key is to get it hot enough to kill anything inside and dry it out at the same time.