Block sanding

We had a playdate yesterday with Rowan's best friend. At one point, I offered the kids some sanding paper and they worked at sanding a few unfinished wooden blocks I had found at a yardsale last May. They really enjoyed smoothing them and left small piles of fine wood dust to sweep up. Maybe at a future playdate we can get out the beeswax polish and finish them so that they are really smooth.

Here's Rowan working on a large, thin block. What I like most about these blocks is that they are scraps from a woodworker, and thus all odd shapes and are more conducive to play than our regular unit blocks. Also, I would love to make some tree-blocks in the near future. 

Wonder Book--Candlemas

Still inspired by Candlemas, I told the children a bedtime story about an old woman who lives alone, her only friends her chickens, her cow, and her bees. She collects honey and wax from the bees, and then she dips candles to last her through the dark winter. Though the sun is returning come Candlemas, she still needs her candles to lead her to bed and to help her in the early mornings.

Before we turned off the light, Emma and Rowan set their Wonder Book out for the Rhyme-elves (we have been reading the Seven-Year-Old Wonder Book). Last night the Rhyme-elves came and made a new poem about the old woman and her candles. The first picture is the woman dipping candles. The others are of a beehive and (you can't see this) of a candle lit in front of a starry window. I wonder how the Rhyme-elves come up with these poems?

A late Candlemas

We meet almost every Wednesday afternoon with friends for a Homeschool Waldorf Playgroup. It's nice to be able to talk to other moms who have similar parenting/schooling philosophies to myself. But best of all, the kids get to play with their friends and immerse themselves in imaginative play.

Today, playgroup was in my home. Since Candlemas was only yesterday (a sunny day, but where we live a long winter is always expected), we had decided to have a mini-celebration today on our regular playgroup day. I supplied the Stockmar decorating beeswax and everyone came with their own candles. Our guests had all brought beautiful and sweet-smelling beeswax candles. My old beeswax pillar was, unfortunately, burnt very low and previously decorated. I gave my own children regular emergency candles to decorate and they worked just as well. And the next time there is a power failure, we'll be able to remember how much fun we had today! Here is Rowan decorating his candle.

And here is the candle being decorated by some of our friends.

Next year, I think we might try making our own candles, either by dipping or pouring the candles in a mould. This year I was worried that most of the children were still too young, and we mothers with babies had our hands full! Give it another year and it will be a more manageable craft.

Waiting to needle felt again

I've put an order through to one of my favourite Canadian Waldorf suppliers, Bear Dance Crafts. I've asked for a few posters by artist Eva-Maria Ott-Heidmann and I managed to buy their last copy of Elsa Beskow's Pelle's New Suit for Ben's birthday. But, mostly, I bought a lot of crafting supplies. In particular, I'm stocking up on their very reasonably priced wool roving.

One wonderful way to use wool roving is to give small amounts to children to play with. It is the perfect natural toy. They can fashion into small treasures of their own, or use as is for pretend food or animals on a playscape. My children have used small tufts of white, for example, on a green playsilk to make sheep. Mostly, the wool gets stuffed into a pot and 'cooked' for supper!

The wool in the basket above is nearly the last of my fairy-wool that I bought years ago. This time, though, I bought regular corriedale in specific shades, as well as a pound of white roving for the base work and toy stuffing.

Here are some items I've crafted in the past few years. First, my 'mother and baby.' This red and blue doll represents me holding Ben. When I made it, he was about this small (in relation to the mother doll). It's hard to imagine, now...

The doll in green is what I've made in anticipation of Spring. It is Candlemas today, but the sun is shining so it looks like my doll won't be visiting the nature table for quite some time.

In the meantime, my snowman will have to stay out. He was easy to make from three balls of wool felted on top of each other. The eyes and buttons are teensy tufts of dark brown wool; the nose is carefully made with a whisp of orange. I think I need to scavenge some tiny twigs for arms.


I've been scouring the internet for ideas on how to use my new roving. Here is a site I found today that is full of wonderful ideas. I would love to make a playscape for my children's wee fairy folk (I'll have to do a post on these sometime soon). Here's another website that gives a tutorial on how to make a playscape. 

Where to put it all: Part 1

I wanted to share one of the central design elements within our home: the tops of our bookshelves. When five people share a small apartment, and especially when several of these people are the tiny, grabby sort, the placement of collectibles or other treasured possessions sometimes has to be rethought. So, when storage space is limited, go vertical! (Within safety limits, of course).

Here's the top of one of our tall bookshelves. Don't worry, it's been checked for stability. I think you might notice that one of our collections is old books. I bought the old clock today at a nearby antiquities shop called "50 Hats." Rob thinks he might be able to get it going again.

And another bookshelf top:

Inside the jars are memorabilia from places we used to live or treasures from vacations, complete with the sealed air from that time. One jar holds a dried four-leaf clover. The tins hold collections of crystals and buttons. Again, Rob's old books reach up like Rapunzel's tower. But the shelf is very safe, really. It not about to fall on little people (or me).

Rob had originally left this bookshelf top nearly empty, leaving it uncluttered and highlighting the mirror. But I decided it looked odd next to the other bookshelves in the room. Anyway, I like the way the books on top offer a contrast to the mirror. It's no longer the central focus. I'm not too keen on the magazine holders, but decor is generally a work in progress. They can (should) be moved.

What you're not seeing are the bottom shelves, which are similarly loaded with books. With the first two bookshelves, these are mostly kids books. We also have two other bookshelves in bedrooms, but I wasn't so happy with how the tops of these are being used and didn't want to share!

How are the tops of your bookshelves being used? Maybe we're not the only ones with strange storage options...

Woodland Elf Hat

I found a cute pattern in a book I have out from the library: Bend-the-Rules Sewing. It's a woodland elf cap! For the material I used a green wool sweater I bought at my local thrift shop. I felted it in the washer/dryer, and then followed the relatively easy cutting and sewing instructions.

And finally, here is the finished project, modelled on Rowan's head. The hat was meant for Ben, but he's very particular about which hats he wears, so he just kept pulling it off.

Sad, happy day

Yesterday was a sad, happy day. My father picked Ben and me up and drove us to my grandparents' old apartment. They've both moved into a nursing home, so they had to say goodbye to many of their belongings. I was the happy recipient of many of these items, many of which are absolutely beautiful.

This is one of my favourite things I was given. It's a soup tureen. It's almost hideous, really. But I still love it! It reminds me of hobbits. When I see it, I think earthy flavours such as a mushroom bisque or potato and onion soup.

I couldn't even begin to list everything I was given--and for the record, most of my grandparents possessions are immediately lovely. I have a brand new sewing kit, many craft books, more knitting needles, a beautiful Native American box loaded with embroidery floss. It's very sad that my grandmother cannot use these anymore, but at least they'll be used well and appreciated (by me). And they're so full of memories. My grandmother was a very careful person; every needle, every measuring tape, everything is put away so carefully. I'm not by nature so fastidious, but I will try to treat all her cherished things with the care she would have given them.