Make a Jacaranda Seedpod Gnome

It’s the time of the year where the Jacaranda tree is starting to get its summer blossoms here in the Southern Hemisphere and the seedpods are starting to fall. The Jacaranda Tree is a beautiful subtropical tree with gorgeous purple flowers that bloom two times in a year, in early spring before the leaves return, and then again in summer after the leaves have grown.

The seedpods are perfect to craft with and create cute little gnome ornaments. They are perfect for the Nature Table, Christmas tree, or just as a playful ornament around the house. Here’s a brief tutorial for a craft you can do together with your kids.

Items needed: jacaranda tree seedpods (remove the seeds if the pod is opened up) that have some of the stem still attached, wooden beads (14/15mm), felt, thread/embroidery floss, needle, scissors, craft knife and craft glue.

First, select a seedpod that you want to work with and check if the bead fits over the little stem. Shave some of the stem off with the craft knife in case that the joint is to think (be careful though!).

Cut a piece of felt in shape of a triangle that will be the gnome hat. We made a long pointy hat, but you can shape it as you want. Thread a needle with embroidery floss or a few strands of thread and sew the hat. We used the blanket stitch to do this.

Put some craft glue on the stem of the seed and slide the bead on it. Let it dry.

Take another piece of thread – this will be the loop from the head on which the gnome hangs – and thread the needle. From the inside of the hat, find the top and stick the needle through, pull the thread through and then stick the needle back into the top of the hat again – a loop had formed on the top of the hat. Take the two ends on the ‘inside’ of the hat and knot them securely together a few times so that the knot is large enough to not slip through the top of the hat.