Waldorf Star Lantern

When I first started making Waldorf Star lanterns I had a hard time with some of the steps. The instructions were hard to make out in pictures. I really needed someone to 'show' me how it was done. I was unable to find any videos on how to make them. After much frustration I figured it out and since then many people have asked me how to make them. Last night my wonderful husband Bear helped me put together this video tutorial. It's a little rough around the edges; this was our first time using this video editor. We hope that it is clear enough, you enjoy it, and that you Have Fun!

Light and Color on a Rainy day

This weekend Bear and I woke up to more rain. The sky was dark as night and the rain came down in torrents.To fight back the darkness Bear and I snuggled up and lit many lanterns. These are a few of my favorites. Our home was now full of light, but we needed color as well.

I introduced Bear to wet on wet watercolor painting. Bear forgot to wet his paper a few times, but I loved seeing how much fun he was having. The colors swirled as the rain came down and so we just kept painting.And painting.... And painting...Soon every table and counter top was full of our paintings; so we made Waldorf Star lanterns out of them. Each one was a work of art. We put a candle inside each one and then put them to work keeping the darkness at bay. Soon our house was shining, full of color, warmth, and light. I would imagine that this is what living inside a rainbow would look like.

Sometime this week I will be posting direction on how to fold a Waldorf Star Lantern. Till then take care and Have Fun!

Natural Waldorf Math Gnomes

I love Math Gnomes. The first set I made over a decade ago for my nephew. They were finger puppet math gnomes made of felt and wool roving. I looked high and low for a photo but could not find one of them. I have been wanting to try staining with natural dyes as an alternative to paint, but I found it to be a bit intimidating. A couple of days ago I read a post by BendingBirches; she dyed play silks with turmeric and I was encouraged to take this first step. Please stop by her blog. She has such a sweet and gentle spirit that shows in her writing and in the beauty and warmth of her photos. Her blog is both peaceful and inspiring.

Staining the wood with Turmeric

Out of the Vat and Drying. I am so pleased with the colors.

Here are my old painted gnomes and my new stained gnomes; finished with natural non toxic oils. Their symbols have been burned on with a wood burner. Bear and I are pleased beyond belief with them and can't wait to make more. Using natural and non toxic stains as an alternative to paint can be rewarding. If you want to start small, try dyeing eggs, but most importantly Have fun!

Felt Crowns

Crowns, crowns, crowns and more crowns. I've been fast at work spinning these out. 26 crowns made and I sure hope to make my goal of 60 before the end of August. Wish me luck. I love felt crowns. They are perfect for children. They are playful, soft, colorful, and open wide the doors to imagination. I've given several crowns away and have joyfully witnessed a multitude of different characters surface. There are of course the princes and princesses and birthday girl/boy persona's that emerge when crowned. Then there are the wizards, fairies, mad hatters, gas station attendants, magicians, pirate king/queens, and superheros that I've also watched emerge. My newest favorite happened this past Saturday when I gifted my niece with a new crown and she promptly tried crowning a very old and very tolerant cat. I would love to get a hold of some play silks to have on hand. They make wonderful tools for the imagination and would pair well with these crowns. Does anyone know a place online where I can get a good deal on un-dyed play silks? I've seen wee ones running around using them for butterfly wings, capes, doll blankets, forts; not to mention using them for seasonal scaping on the nature table. Take care everyone and have fun!

Pointillism

I've been fascinated with pointillism ever since my sister brought home a pointillism clown face drawing she made in elementary school. She carefully explained that if I looked closely the entire picture was made up of itty bitty dots and not "drawn" in the traditional sense (at that age I think 'Traditional' meant bright orange color crayons). This past weekend I worked on this portrait for a little girl we sponsor. I hope she likes it. I've done portraits as far back as I can remember but have only recently been branching out to do portraits in pointillism. I like the feel of it, but am still a bit shaky. One of the drawbacks of using Ink was that I could not erase when I went to far up her cheek so she looks a little like she has the mumps, but I hope she will like it anyway. Her name is Kalkidan and she is the second child we have had the honor and joy to sponsor. We sponsor her through World Vision. SO, it's a bit rough around the edges, but do you think she will like it? Take care and wherever you are Have Fun!

Recycled Crayons

Yesterday with the help of three fabulous helpers, we made recycled crayons. Fun new shapes can be easy on little hands and less fragile. I used flexible silicon ice cube trays to make the long crayons, and chocolate molds to make the zoo animal faces pictured.

First sort your colors out, like colors with like colors.

Next peel off all of the paper and chop them up using a knife. My helpers also smashed them in a plastic bag with a hammer. That worked very well. The smaller the pieces the faster the crayons will melt.

There are many ways to melt crayons. I use the double boiler method because the crayons are less likely to burn or ignite. Crayons melt between 128-147 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the chopped/smashed color crayon pieces in a soup can and put it on the stove (I put it on high) in a pan of water.

Stir the pieces as they melt (I used old chopsticks). You can see some bumps in the yellow where the crayons are not completely melted yet. We poured the yellow crayons this way. There were bumps in the finished crayons, but I kind of like them that way. The other colors we waited till the wax was smooth like milk before pouring into the molds.

Next pour your wax into the molds. Careful, it is very hot. The crayons will harden quickly so you have to work a little fast.

Beautiful colors Thank you helpers, this was a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy your new crayons.
Have fun!

Leather Collar Artist

Hello, I have to share an amazing artist with you today. Geralyn of Design a Collar.com on Etsy makes the most amazing collars for your four legged friends. They are beautifully stamped and painted, yet rugged and fairly priced. Geralyn will work with you to make sure you get exactly what you are looking for. The green I requested was a tricky one. We wanted this collar to be a light feminine color because Muse is always being called Marley, Sport, or Buddy when we go out. This is the collar she made for Muse's birthday. The stamping, playfulness of the colors, and letter type she used are all beautiful. She sent us three collars in all to make sure that the collar was exactly what we wanted. The two that we don't want will be donated to the Humane Society. Another thing to note is that Muse played with her friend Mickey out in the yard with the hose yesterday. The colors did not run or stain her fur and the collar retained it's shape very well. It did not stretch or shrink even though it had a water hose typhoon blasted on it. Muse loves her new collar. It is more rugged than her cloth one yet it is also lighter. In just one day I've noticed that she has not been scratching around her new collar. Her old collar made her neck itch. Maybe using natural leather instead of the synthetic cloth is helping her. I don't know, but I do know that she seems to be more comfortable.
Thank you Geralyn for your beautiful work, attention to detail, open communication, and incredible patience.

If you want to spoil your pup or have an extra special one of a kind collar Please check out her store. Take care, get outside and Have Fun!