First, before you work on this project you will need an Australian Kurrajong tree. Hopefully there is one somewhere around your neighborhood. This is a good opportunity to get out there and take a walk early in the morning to see what your neighborhood has.

Kurrajong trees are called bottle trees in Arizona. The aborigines used the seeds as a food source. The seeds were taken out of their pods and cooled slowly over coals then eaten. I guess they are suppose to taste like peanuts.

I like the way they look. Don’t the seed pods look like little boats? It takes about 35-50 years for the trees to reach their full height; they really shade the yards well.

If you can’t find one of these trees out in your part of the planet then you might be able to find some online or Etsy. It is still fun getting outdoors and collecting little bits and bops of different items to create with. I do not know how many rocks I have come across out there that was shaped like a heart. The important thing is that you are not only being super creative looking at nature in an artistic way but you get a little exercise in the process and who knows, maybe you will meet a neighbor you don’t know and make a new friend.

Supplies needed:

Seed pods

Fabric glue

Fabric scraps

Twine

Twigs

Glue gun

Acrylic paint (optional)

First you will need to clean your pods. Wear garden gloves when doing this, the seedpods can cause itching.

After you have cleaned them and they have dried you can paint them if you like. I liked the natural color of the pods so I left them the way they were.

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When your seedpods are dry you can get out your fabric scraps and pick the colors you want. Draw a triangle on cardboard to use as a template to trace and cut out from the fabric scraps.

Once you have your pieces cut out glue twine around your triangles.

While your sails are drying, glue a twig in the center of your pod. This is where you will attach your sails.

Attach your sails by gluing and twisting the twine to the tops and bottoms of your twigs.

I used fabric glue that was also waterproof, which in the long run was not necessary because these sailboats should never get wet. You see they are for decoration only.

My husband was laughing when I put my little sailboat in water and it sunk “You need weights” he told me when he saw what I was doing.

Okay, first of all I am from the desert, we don’t have lakes or oceans in our desert. We have rocks, snakes, lizards and sharp things. I have never in my whole entire life been on a sailboat. Looks like I will have to add that to my bucket list.

So if you want your seedpods to actually sail, you will need to get a little more creative in the design process.

It is doable, just need to work a little extra harder on it. They make great decorations though and will keep the kids busy at least.

Happy crafting everyone…remember, include everyone, all ages and all levels.