Autumn provides free mini stuff.

I love september because free mini items are falling from the trees  and my garden too is willing to provide me with lots of free stuff.

Here is my harvest for today, picked up on my trip to the grocery store.  You may think plain old acorn caps and beech nuts husks.........but think again.

Take a close  look at these little baskets in my Gnomie "s shop .................. Yes they are all acorn caps. Different types from different trees that grow around the village. i pick them up whenever I go for a walk or whatever.

If you are worried about bugs, rinse them in water with a little bleach and let them dry well.

. Handles can be made out of tons  of things. You can glue on little handles made out of rope ( bottom right) Use a piece of wire  ( bottom middle and left). You can even drill a little hole and fasten the wire to the basket if you like.  I have been known to use cherry stems because they remain very flexible even when dried out. ( the big basket with yellow seeds in it )

Baskets can be decorated to look completely different  by adding some moss, lichen,or little leaves to the rim and outside of the basket.

Filling the baskets is a lot of fun too. Use moss, seeds and seed pots, stuff from your spice cabinet like peppercorns , flowers work well too as do little berries.

Eric wanted to try a beechnut husk as a hat.  I think it is adorable on him ,Must make him an outfit to go with it.

Last year I cut some of these into  parts and used them as roof tiles . Looked very nice. 

Must try some new idea with them now that they are all over the place again.

Go out and gather those free mini's now.