A walk in the park opens your eyes to the beauty all around you. Now take that inspiration home with projects designed to bring out your best nature.

Eco Art

Solar Power- Nature often is the subject of art. here, an element of nature-sunlight-is also the medium. Sun-sensitive paper turns yard gatherings into personal masterpieces-each one like a bright blue film negative. Buy the Nature Print paper at art stores or educational stores. While indoors, place a piece of the paper on stiff cardboard. Lay your object on the paper, then top with plastic wrap or glass. Cover and take outside. Expose the paper to sunlight for 15 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on the density of your item. Cover and bring indoors. Soak paper in water for ! minute; dry flat.

Get digital- immerse yourself in the singular perfection of a flower, leaf, or pod by making it larger than life. For about $6 a square foot, copy centers can enlarge a digital image to poster-size. There are various ways to obtain a digital image: take  the picture yourself using a digital camera set on high resolution. To get an image of the flower only-with no background-photograph the flower outdoors against an all-white backdrop, such as foam core board. Hold the flower vertically and shoot away from the shadow. Download your image, then e-mail the image to the copy center. Or, take the camera to the copy center and download the image there. If you are using a film camera, ask the film developer to supply a photo CD with the prints. If you have a print, a copy center can scan the image to create a digital file.