Tuesday 30 November 2010

luxury natural bedding for warm winter nights!

Your chance to win a <a href=”http://blog.gaiam.com/blog/win-a-luxurious-organic-bedding-package-from-gaiam”>Free Luxurious Organic Cotton Bedding Package</a> from Gaiam.com.

Wednesday 17 November 2010

Your Children ...

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
and though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love, but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward, nor tarries with yesterday.
--Kahlil Gibran

My beautiful fairy Morgana, age 5

Tuesday 9 November 2010

Lantern making

http://ourhomeschooljourney.co.za/wordpress/142/how-to-make-a-lantern-for-waldorf-festivals-or-waldorf-inspired-gifts/

the below post was taken from this website

How to make a Lantern for Waldorf Festivals or Waldorf-Inspired Gifts

On Saturday afternoon we made a lantern each. I couldn’t face the paper ones this year. I saw what happened to them last year. They just got crumpled and ended up in a toy box. So we went with glass. Another reason being we live in a seriously windy area and the candle will continue to burn, if it is protected within a glass jar. These lanterns can be made for any festival, just change the colour of the tissue paper and stick different things on the side.
We’ll be making them again for advent in red, green and white. But then we’ll be gluing
beads, and glittery goodies on the outside.
Here’s a pic of the Martinmas lanterns in the light of day…
Lanterns in the Light of Day
I’d like to share with you how we made them. They make beautiful Waldorf-Inspired gifts as well, not only for the Festival of Martinmas.
For the Lantern You’ll need:
A clean,dry glass jar per person.
Cold Glue/Wood/craft glue
Glue/paint brush
3 different colours of Tissue paper (we use yellow,gold and light gold (not metallic) )
For the handle you’ll need:
Baling or Florists wire
(we use baling as we’ve always got it lying around for fences and stuff)
Wool (we use a cream colour)
I used a square jam jar (250ml) for mine, and 2 Mayonnaise jars (750ml) for Jules and Sin. I then mixed decoupage glue, being 1/2 cold glue (that white wood glue) and 1/2 water.
Then you’re ready to go. Start tearing small pieces of tissue paper off. I tore them about
2cm x 2 cm. You can cut them but then the lanterns take on a bit of a Picasso Cubism look, which doesn’t appeal to me.
Paint the jar little bit, little bit and stick your tissue paper on. If the tissue paper stands up, just paint over it, it them sticks back down. Don’t forget to mix all the different colours as you go, and to overlay them.
When the entire jar is covered with paper, then give the whole outside of the jar a light
paint with the glue. Then allow it to dry.
I left ours overnight and then John put the handles on for us. You just take a piece of
wire, tie it around the rim, really tight. Tie it off using pliers. Then make a handle, a
semi-circle with a hook at each end. Hook the hooks under the wire attached around the rim. And again tie off with the pliers.
Then you wrap the entire wire handle and around the rim with wool.
Place a small piece of tic-tac/prestik at the bottom of the jar on the inside, Push a
tea-light candle onto the tic-tac and you’re good to go!
Here’s a pic of the lanterns in the dark last night. They stood up to the high wind, and a
lantern walk. We came back with the candles still burning.
Our Lanterns at night
There is a beautiful story on Melisa’s blog, which I told the kids as we made our lanterns, it’s all about Brother Sun and how he gives you a tiny golden spark to keep safe inside your lantern.
Enjoy making them, they become treasures that will always remind you of a beautiful day.
Blessings to you as you craft,
Sue.xx

Sunday 7 November 2010

Glimmer Lantern Glimmer!

Lantern festival time!
I love this time of the year, when the light slowly fades and the afternoons get darker, the evening sparkly lights ...the shops, the street lights...the stars...when you can see them!
Blackheath- the Heath and church ( All Saints) at night.

The fireworks were amazing on sat 6th November...a good display for bonfire night...sooooo many people!