Paint a Walnut Strawberry For The Tree

       The first time I ever saw these walnut strawberries was in a magazine article about Victorian Christmas ornaments. Then, years later I found them again in a craft book about Mexican ornament making. So, I have no idea who thought of them first. 

Supply List: 

• cleaned walnuts (preferably from the store)
• red acrylic or red poster paint
• two colors of green scrap felt for the leafs green cap
• string to match the felt
• a black permanent ink, felt tip pen 
• a soft camel hair paint brush
•  a shallow dish of water or a clean jar of water for cleaning the brush 
• tacky white glue 
• scissors 
• a large embroidery needle 

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Paint the entire surface of the walnut a pleasing red and set the nut aside to dry. 
2. After the walnut is completely dry, draw dots or short slashes with the permanent ink marker to mimic strawberry seeds. 
3. Download and print out our template for strawberry leaves. 
4. Size these in a Word document before printing. 
5. Place the pattern on top of the darker green felt scrap and cut out the bottom leaf, following the black outlined pattern. 
6. Place the pattern again on top of the lighter green felt scarp and cut out the top leaf, following the white outlined pattern. 
7. String both felt leaves together and tie also a large hoop for hanging.  
8. Now glue the entire felt top to the top of the walnut using a tacky white glue. 
9. Apply a little pressure to the top while the glue is drying. 
10. The walnut "strawberry" may be painted a bit more elaborately by mixing a bit of white or orange to the the red paint as you apply it towards the top of the nut.

template for strawberry caps