the glory of the earth at rest

 

I wish I had taken a picture of the tree when all the leaves were still clinging to the branches.  Blanketing the ground, though, they're just as glorious.

We give thanks to the Earth and to Opa: Master Gardener Extraordinaire.

daily verses

Since Naiya started in Parent/Child classes at her Waldorf school, we've been collecting all manner of fingerplays and verses.  Sometimes I share those I find in various collections with her and sometimes she brings home those she hears and sings in her classes each day to share with me.  (If you're interested in this sort of thing, you can view those we've gathered in the Verses and Fingerplays tabs above.)  Today she brought this one home.  It was accompanied by a sweet little tune that I'm not able to offer here, but I thought some of you home-schoolers (or those who live in a constant winter battle with mud and debris) would appreciate for content nonetheless.

When I come in from outside play

I take my shoes off right away

I put them in my cubby so

This is where they always go...

This is where they rest just so.

festivals of winter

It's Mid-Winter!  Today marks the half-way point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox and is celebrated around the world as Imbolc, Candlemas, St. Brigid's Day and Groundhog Day.  (It's also Auntie Erika's and Kate's birthday.  Happy birthday girls!)
I've talked in past years about this day and our celebrations here and here, so I'll not say much this time around except to share this lovely piece of writing from the book series I'm currently reading...

May all enjoy and embrace the returning of the light.

The Winter Feast by Hendrik van the Elder Balen

"Winterfest is as much a celebration of the darkest part of the year as a festival of the returning light.  For the first three days of Winterfest, we pay homage to the darkness.  The tales told and puppet shows presented are those that tell of resting times and happy endings.  The foods are salt fish and smoked flesh, harvested roots and fruit from last summer.  Then, on the midday of the festival, there is a hunt.  New blood is shed to celebrate the breaking point of the year, and new meat is brought fresh to the table, to be eaten with grain harvested from the year before.  The next three days are days that look toward the coming summer.  The looms are threaded with gayer thread, and the weavers take over an end of the Great Hall to vie among themselves for the brightest patterns and lightest weave.  The tales told are ones that tell of beginnings of things, and of how things came to be..."
                              
                                                                    from Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

snow

We hadn't made it up to the snow before Christmas or even during our holiday break so, since the fluffy stuff seems to be holding back from falling in our fair city this winter, we took a trip up to the mountain last weekend.  Lots of shade (bad light, terrible photographs) and a surprisingly warm day.  Naiya wasn't so much interested in the sledding we had planned but she did enjoy digging a number of holes and sitting in them.  Ah, the pleasures of childhood. 

We told her as we walked down, down, down hill on the trail to Trillium Lake (which we didn't reach) that we weren't going to carry her back up.  That was fine with her, she replied, as she raced ahead of us pulling our little sled loaded with jackets we had shed in the warmth of the afternoon.  Of course, we did end up hauling her back up hill in the sled.  (Read bad parenting.)  Both Ryan and I agreed, however, that this was, by far, the easiest way we have ever had to transport her on a hike she didn't wish to finish. 

transparency silhouettes

   Back when I had just finished up with our school's Advent crafting festival, I mentioned that I would do a little how-to post on the transparency silhouettes that were such a hit there.

   I've since discovered that directions for these can be found in the popular Waldorf calendar of celebrations book All Year Round and it's likely that instructions appear elsewhere online as well.  I'll go ahead and offer up how I put them together anyhow (because, you know, I already started).  Also, if you're looking for some images for inspiration, you can check out a collection I've gathered from crafty folks the world over on my Pinterest page.

   To make these sweet seasonal and story-telling pieces of window art you'll need card stock, a pencil, tissue in various colors, small scissors or a craft knife, a glue stick, a steady hand and a lot of patience.  The product is lovely and the principles are simple but the cutting of the image can be quite fiddly and time consuming.  (Let it not be said I gave no warning.)

   Drawing the desired scene directly onto the wrong side of the card stock is the easiest way to begin.


One can harvest images from favorite picture books or, of course, simply forge them directly from one's own imagination.

I have a hard time free-handing drawings, so I borrow those I like by pasting them onto a Pages document on my computer and then tracing the image onto a piece of paper.





Unfortunately, the heavier card stock desired for the finished product is thicker than can be easily seen through in this way so I've traced like this, cut out a pattern and then re-traced the pattern onto heavy card stock.  (This is extremely time consuming and I only did it because I needed patterns for others to use at the crafting gathering anyway.  I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing all that cutting twice!)  

So...  Working on the back side of the heavy paper, draw the chosen silhouette remembering to leave at least a 1" margin around the perimeter and to attach all figures to some edge.

(Note that silhouette figures not attached to an edge could be directly glued onto the tissue backing in later steps as seen in some of the collected inspiring examples.)

With a craft or exacto knife or small scissors (I prefer the latter), cut the design from the paper and trim the outside edges as desired.

(Remember to leave that 1" exterior frame to have something to attach your tissue to!)



(If you'd prefer to create a free standing display that can be placed in front of a candle or other light source, leave 3-4" of the card stock on each side of the image.  This excess can to be folded (on the dotted line) to a 70° - 90° angle to help the piece stand on its own instead of being taped or propped against a window.)

When the cutting is complete, prepare a piece of the lightest color tissue (in this case the lightest blue) to be placed over the entire back side of the image.  Cover the back side of the frame (and perhaps some of the larger figures) with glue stick or craft glue and gently press on that first layer of tissue.

Continue adding progressively darker tissue colors and variously shaped highlights and layers as desired to make the color effects you choose.  (Layering from lightest to darkest seems to work best.)
The subsequent layers can be kept to the edges or be carefully glued directly onto the first layer of tissue.

Even one color of tissue layered many times can create an interesting effect.  Combining colors as seen through light is an art of its own I think.

Once complete, turn the silhouette right side up and display it in a brightly lit window or in front of a protected candle.

   If the tissue outline can be seen because of strong back light (as shown above) or if your finished product is too floppy, the whole project can be "cleaned-up" and reinforced by adding an additional card stock frame piece on top of the tissue on the back side.

   I can see us producing a library of these to have for each season or even creating scenes to gift to our friends with images from their favorite stories.

joseph wood hill park at dusk

Another find only 20 minutes from our house, Joseph Wood Hill Park is at the top of Rocky Butte in NE Portland.  Ryan and I found this one while looking for a letterbox about a month ago but wanted to take Naiya for a visit ('cause it looks like a castle!)  The night creeps up on us so quickly now we didn't realize it would be dark by the time we got there.  It was still a magical place and we got to look down at the lights of the city as the fog rolled in.

 

merry christmas to all

Why do the bells of Christmas ring?
Why do the little children sing?
Once a lovely shining star
Seen by shepherds from afar
Gently moved until its light
Made a manger's cradle bright.
There a little baby lay
Pillowed soft upon the hay
And its mother sang and smiled
This is Christ, the holy child.
Therefore bells of Christmas ring
Therefore little children sing.
                                                                         -E. Field

winter solstice gift from the fairie queen

This morning the Fairie Queen left a little Solstice gift for Naiya on the back step.  The fey are gone in Winter but the Queen visits occasionally on full moons and holidays to leave a little something reminding us she's still around and will return to live in the garden sometime in Spring.

We forgot she was coming so the little box she and Naiya often exchange presents in was sitting on the kitchen counter.  Instead of using the box then, our pixie friend put the little snowman in a woolie bowl that Naiya has decided will be the perfect rabbit hole on our Winter Nature Table.

clothespin snowflakes - another advent craft

Back in Summer we were making suns and stars out of clothespins and all the while I was thinking they'd make much better snowflakes come winter.  So, basically, I'm re-posting those instructions and throwing a little cool colored glitter on in place of the warm tones we used before.


All that's needed are a bunch of clothespins and glue (and some glitter, if you're into that).  I've made them with both quick drying craft glue and a glue gun.  Actually, I'd say the glue gun works better.  Wood glue would probably work better than the craft glue as well.  (A few of our craft-glued creations fell apart a few weeks after making.)












Begin by taking all the clothespins apart.

(Depending on the specific size and shape of the pins used, the number needed for a complete circle will vary from about 22 to 30.)














 Glue the two separated pieces back together back to back.


(I have no idea what to do with the discarded metal springs.  If you think up a good use for them, let me know.)

(Wait! Note added Dec. 2013: I just found a great use for those leftover metal bits!  Check it out here.)





  

After they had dried, I glued the smaller ends together to form the snowflake shape.


To make an even, smooth inside edge, it helped to use a form to push the pins against.  For this circle, I found the perfect sized lid as a kind of mold.

They can be decorated with paint and/or glitter  or, of course, left in their natural state.



Since the sun is coming back (hurray!), perhaps we'll use one on our Nature Table to celebrate the return of the light as well.

the third week of advent

Advent Advent a candle glows

Advent Advent a candle glows

First one then two then three then four

Then stands the Child of Light at the door

The third week of Advent

Is the light of beasts

Who all await the coming

In the greatest and the least

As I mentioned last week, I was frantically making an animal a night to fill Naiya's Advent treasure bag in the mornings for this, the week of animals. We aren't able to place the animals on our Advent wreath for fear that some actual animal (read crazy savage cats) will rip the critters to shreds.  Instead they make their way to the manger on our mantel and await the arrival of the shepherds, wise men and holy family.

I think I could use some instruction in animal anatomy.  (This is supposed to be a camel.  There were camels right?  "The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum....  The camel hummed a tune, pa rum pum pum pum...")

When I looked up ox on the internet I found a lot of pictures of something that looked a lot more like a buffalo than a cow.  I was going for the draft animals with the yokes.  You know, with the big shoulders and horns?  Hmm...

All these fellows are built with an armature of floral wire wrapped in many layers of wool roving.   They're needle felted into shape and were sculpted while I sat looking at a number of actual photographs of real animals. 

I have a lot of un-carded, un-dyed wool which worked really well to create realistic coloration, especially in the sheep (which are, you know, made from sheep).



Tomorrow the shepherds should arrive to watch over the flock...

the grotto's 25th annual christmas festival of lights

The Grotto: The National Sanctuary of our Sorrowful Mother

 Of all the light displays we visit during the holidays, this is my favorite.  This year marks The Grotto's 25th Annual Festival of Lights.

 We have gone to this festival for a number of years and somehow, the only pictures we ever seem to get of our family of three together are those taken on these exceedingly cold nights.

winter terrarium

One of our simplest Advent crafts this year was a new one we came up with after failed attempts to fill those round glass Christmas bulbs with different varieties of sparkly goodness.  (They just looked trashy and we never put them up.)  Instead, we found this cool hanging glass terrarium (with a much larger opening that small hands can reach into) on sale at our local craft store.  Whereas the bulbs were just filled with texture and color, in the terrarium, we were able to build a small world and Naiya loved it!

We filled the bottom with white sand mixed with a fair amount of glitter (the closest we could get to snow) then our dear daughter found mini ornaments we weren't using and some bits of natural-ness to brighten up the tiny winter world. 
It's hanging in front of a window and Ryan says it's his favorite craft of the season.  Perhaps we'll have to gather more miniature goodies and make a couple more...

(I took about 40 pictures in various kinds of light trying to minimize glare and maintain focus.  This, which doesn't do it justice, is the best pic I could get.  As you can see, I was none too successful. )

the second light of advent

Advent Advent a candle glows

Advent Advent a candle glows

First one then two then three then four

Then stands the Child of Light at my door

The second light of Advent 
Is the light of plants
Plants that reach up to the sun
And in the breezes dance

   We moved the stones to the wreath's perimeter and this week welcomed a eucalyptus branch and pods, star anise, a tillandsia from a local nursery, a sprig of lavender and some aralia from our yard, nutmeg nuts and a felted poinsettia flower...which Naiya wouldn't allow on the wreath because "it wasn't real".  The juniper berries and pine cones are permanently attached.
   I had hoped to felt little animals for next week and add them to last year's Nativity Scene of felted people.  I'm still working on the first sheep.  We shall see...

advent crafts

We're a pretty crafty house and, at this time of year, when the cold, wet weather keeps us from enjoying many of our outdoor activities, our craftiness bumps up a notch.  For this Advent season, we've got a fun list of crafts old and new.  We even made ourselves a handy little calendar.

It isn't actually a schedule.  The crafts have moved dates already at least four times.  We do whatever inspires us each day and then rearrange what's left over for the days still to come.

We rolled these from sheets of beeswax purchased from Ruhl Bee Supply and decorated them with decorating beeswax from Stockmar.  A few months ago we found some great mini cookie cutters that come in themes for each season.

Our gingerbread house was a store bought kit.  (This one came from Trader Joe's.)  One of these years we're going to have a go at making one from scratch.

We've made a few more felted trees since we started and Naiya's had fun changing the decorations as the little people celebrate with festive parties on her Nature Table.









Advent crafts still to come:

beeswax ornaments

felt wreaths

paper snowflakes

winter terrarium

transparency silhouettes

clothespin snowflakes

salt and watercolor paintings

pomander oranges

sparkly pine cones

What are your favorite natural winter and holiday crafts?  We'd love to add them to our list!

the christmas tree

Searching for the perfect tree...

Our tree was a little short this year so we'll have to wait until we take it down to cut this year's nubbin.

The Christmas tree, against the night
Beyond the window bars,
Stood bright with flames of candlelight
Before a sky of stars.
I stood and stared, till suddenly
It seemed to me that I
Saw stars alight upon the tree
And candles in the sky!
                          -Isabel Wyatt