Natural Materials Onaments Highlight Museum Holiday

by Carol Kagan, Master Gardener

Looking out from the second floor landing to the Brandywine River.

A side trip from our Longwood Gardens visit to the Brandywine River Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, PA was a wonderful holiday destination.

The art galleries are a delight with N.C.Wyeth's Old Kris setting the stage for a holiday visit.


Old Kris by N.C. Wyeth (Courtesy: Brandywine Museum)

My favorite part, however, were the CRITTERS, ornaments handmade from natural materials, their big fundraiser. Each year in March, the "glue-gun gang" of 120 volunteers begins crafting these delightful ornaments from natural materials. By the opening of A Brandywine Christmas, they will have made nearly 9,000 critters-both for display and for sale.

I see a late autumn workshop in the making for Master Gardeners.

Most of the best ornaments were gone by our late December visit but I got a cute one. Also thinking a 4-H Garden Club craft project, too.

Mouse nestled in a milkweed pod

Here are a few others that were on the trees.

Teasel Teddy with bean paws, seed eyes and strawflower, too.

Bleached lunaria petals with a strawflower center.

Another feature for the holidays was a train display, complete with a drive-in movie playing Despicable Me2 (movie screen was a computer tablet!).

Definitely worth the visit and a good combo with a Longwood Gardens visit anytime of the year.