Woolen Angels Tutorial

 

In honor of the 26 souls lost on December 14, 2012 our family decided to make 26 woolen angels in their memory (here is our original post ). They are beautiful, full of light, and for whatever reason bring us great peace when we see them. We've asked anyone who feels called to participate to make some along with us. We will be traveling to Newtown, Conn. after Christmas to spend some time. Please contact me at rhythmicsilenceblog@gmail.com should you want to send one our way.

 

Here is how we made our angels, you will need::

 

Wool roving

thread

tapestry needle

pipe cleaner

colored Magic Wool

 

 

First, pull off about 12-16 inches of wool roving, about 2 inches wide. Don't cut it or the ends will be too clean and it will give the end result an unnatural finish.

 

 

Tie a knot in the center, choose an end and separate it into two parts.

 

 

Fold those two parts over the knot and fan around the knot to create the head of the angel. Take a piece of thread and tie it around the knot as seen above. Leave a long tail and create a loop, Thread it through the top of the head so it will hang nicely.

 

 

Take your pipe cleaner and cut it in half. With thin wisps of wool, wrap them around the pipe cleaner. fold the end over to form the hands and wrap again with a thin piece of wool roving. Bend into a "U" shape. Split the body of your angel into 2 pieces, horizontally, and place the arms in between the pieces.

 

 

Flip your angel over and pull a small section off of the back piece of roving (these will be your wings). Fold them up over the head and tie off the body, below the arms, with some thread.

 

, 

Separately, with a smaller pieces of wool, wrap some Magic Wool around it to create the image of a swaddled baby. Place the swaddling in the arms of the angel and then gently form the wing pieces. It takes a little finessing, but it will come together.

 

To wonder at beauty,

Stand guard above truth,

Revere what is noble,

Resolve on the good.

This leadeth man truly

To purpose in living,

To justice in dealing,

To peace in his feeling,

To light in his thinking;

And teaches him trust

In the ruling of God,

In all the exists,

In the widths of the world,

In the depths of the soul.

 

~ Rudolf Steiner

It's a Simple Valentine's

Paper, wool felt, and needle felt heart. This heart was a shared effort!

Valentine's Day. We love Valentine's Day! It's a day where we celebrate our love as a family and all that we share together. This year we've been mindful enough to begin preparing ahead of time, instead of waiting until the night before when we need 20+ Valentine's for school mates, each other, and deciding on a special treat. Instead of making paper Valentine's like we have in the past, my daughter Bella has decided she'd like to bring a sweet treat to her classmates; we will make our special 'Keepsake Brownies' with a heart cut out of the center which will then be filled with our homemade marshmallow! YUM!!! I love her creativity and spunk! (we'll post those amazing brownies in time for the big day in case you'd like to try your hand at them).

To adorn our barren tree of our seasonal table we added an array of Valentine hearts; felted, needle felted, paper, watercolor, and all mixed up. They're all unique and beautiful!

Bella's beautiful needle felted heart



Here she is hard at work

Here is a lovely fingerplay verse from Canticles by Candlelight

I shall fold a bit of paper (hands together)
And take my scissors sharp (make cutting scissors with fingers)
I shall cut a pointed C (make a C shape with hand)
Which unfolds to make a heart (make a C shape with other hand to make a heart)
I shall sprinkle it with glitter, (shake like shaking glitter)
A bit of lace or two (put up 2 finger)
I shall add a hug and kiss (hug shoulders and blow a kiss)
And give it then to you (pretend to hand to other person)

our little crocheted hearts

It will be a lovely weekend full of creating and expressing our deepest gratitude and love for one another. How will you prepare your hearts and home for Valentine's Day?







A new beginning

This week we will celebrate Candlemas (February 2); this day that is half way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. This day where we celebrate the light that will share itself, the lengthening of days, the budding of Spring, and the birth of new life all around us. It is a time to celebrate the newness in everyday. It is a time to awaken the parts in yourself that have been in a deep slumber through the cold winter, parts of you that have hibernated away from the blustery and cold depths of the dark nights and flurry of holidays past. Candlemas is the perfect time to reemerge from our dark, cozy nests and see what lies ahead; to take one last peek at our shadows and honor our past and move to be ever present for the now and whatever lies ahead.

from stylemepretty.com via Pinterest

In preparation of what lies ahead our posts this week will focus on how we can prepare our homes and hearts to celebrate and allow the Light in. We will focus on and offer suggestions for a good spring cleaning, lantern making, candle making, art projects, planting seeds/sprouts, and recipes that will help make this Candlemas a week long preparation and celebration! So to start......let's get cleaning!

Today, we'll talk about how to prepare our homes. There are many ideas/books/websites out there that offer suggestions and ways to organize and clean ones home. These ideas range from 10 day projects, 15 minutes per room in one day, deep cleaning, or just surface organization. For me, living in a space with less than 1100 sq. feet, with 2 dogs, 3 cats, and 6 people, friends coming and going everyday, constant cooking and baking, laundry, and being completely exhausted by days end I find that 'things piling up' is my biggest issue. Folks come and go and drop their things while in motion. Our home is lacking quality storage solutions so I need to be really creative in how I set up a room. For example, our family room is our play room, our mudroom, our reading room, and the office. This room is roughly 12'x12'. However, with careful planning we've managed to keep our coats hung on the door side wall and we keep the smaller things organized with baskets (hats and gloves,shoes and slippers). Toys are located on a book shelf and are kept organized by random baskets and boxes. Our crafting supplies are kept on another shelf (the tall skinny kind) and our books take up one whole wall using two book shelves. We have DVDs that we watch on occasion that we have taken out of the plastic boxes and then put the DVDs themselves in a round basket. That way, we've consolidated the space the disks would otherwise take up. We are a bit of a minimalist family.......we always think we have too much so constant purging is one thing we do often. If only to afford ourselves the comfort of feeling like things are neat and tidy. If I could suggest one thing on how to keep your most used room as a family organized I would say (and this is only from my own personal experience) that less is more. Keep coats in a closet or on hooks. Use baskets to catch all the little things (gloves, hats, keys, toys, movies). Shelving is a must! Adding shelving to any room will make a wall more accessible and functional. Jars, baskets, flower pots, whatever you have on hand can be used to hold items that otherwise might be rolling around on your kitchen counters or coffee tables.

To give your home a nice and quick sweep give yourself a block of time to go through each room, quickly, with two boxes (one for donating and one for trash). Don't spend time looking deeply, just grab what you can see as you glance around the room. This shouldn't take too long, maybe an hour at most! Next, start from the most used room and go through again and do your regular clean sweep. Dust, organize, wipe the windows and sills, mop and vacuum floors. I would suggest finding things you already own to help in the organizational part but if you're lacking receptacles to hold things head to a thrift shop and see what you can find first. This doesn't need to be an expensive clean sweep and really should only take a morning or an afternoon to complete.

from desiretoinspire.net via Pinterest

Even though it's cold now (where I live anyway) I like to crack the window a bit to allow some clean, crisp air to come through the room. I also like to burn a candle and some sage as a way to purify the space. If you're home is quite disorganized this might not be a one day project. I've been there. A book that inspired me not to long ago was Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider. This is a 10 day home makeover, a bit more thorough than what I described above but follows the same principles. It's worth every bit of time and effort to make your home a haven, a place where everyone feels relaxed and at peace, in every room. If you're stressed out in a space in your home then it's time for a change. The one place we should all feel calm is in our home. Make it your haven, your safe place to retreat to at the end of the day. Make your home a place that when you wake up you're not looking around and seeing your 'to do' list in physical form. A very special gift you can give yourself and your family is to wake up or come home and just be in your space with no worries or concerns for the stuff lying around. No cleaning, no feelings of 'ugh......piles'. Just pure and simple bliss. Just breathing and being.

from desiretoinspire.net via Pinterest

So on these days leading up to Candlemas, shed the heavy stuff that takes over your space, throw open the curtains and let the Light in. Freshen up, spring clean! Turn your home into that place where you can just relax and be together with your family. If the debris in your home is taking up all your time.......now is definitely the moment to motivate and make your home the space you dream about.

What ideas and suggestions do you have to help make your Spring cleaning more tolerable and manageable? What are your favorite cleaning solution recipes/products? What ideas to you have for celebrating the Light in your home? Like our Facebook page and share your ideas with us here and tomorrow we will randomly select someone to receive a gift basket of Mrs. Meyers cleaning supplies! Candlemas is coming......prepare for the coming of the Light!

Making Magnets

Today has been a wonderfully creative day. Early morning rise, tea time, and then.......we made magnets. The other day to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. we made a salt dough to make decorations to adorn our Peace Tree with. If you'd like more information on that project, go ahead and click here.

We had extra salt dough left over and was trying to think of a unique way to use it up, other than just to play with! So we made magnets.....lovely, fun, creative, inspired and simple. Have fun!

Making Magnets

You will need:

1 cup of salt

2 cups of flour

1 cup of water
extra flour for kneading and rolling out
rolling pin
acrylic paints
glitter, beads, feathers, string, etc. for decorating

Preheat your over to 250 degrees

Begin by whisking together the salt and the flour.

Slowly add the water and stir until a dough forms.

Knead the dough until it becomes smooth.

Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness on your lightly floured surface.

Cut them out using whatever shapes you choose

Bake your shapes at 250 degrees for about 2 hours. Flip to the other side after the first hour

After your shapes have cooled, paint them and decorate them as you wish.

Once the paint has dried, apply your magnets to the back of the shape with some krazy glue

or with a hot glue gun

Lastly, you can feel free to spray the front of your magnet with a clear gloss to help preserve the color and the magnet itself. The gloss also adds a nice sheen, adding some sparkle when the light hits them just right.

Let them dry for a few minutes, then.......hang them on the refrigerator or other space that you might have which could us a fun and festive magnet. This is such a sweet way to not only hang a piece of artwork for all to see but, the magnet itself, is a personalized piece of artwork!!

Most importantly........have fun, be creative and let your children guide you! Wishing you all a lovely Wednesday!

First blessing of 2012

Our little girl, Charlotte, has just turned 4 years old. She seems older some how. I haven't quite put my finger on how, but maybe it's in her face, or just in her eyes. She shines more clarity and understanding with the world around her. She looks more deeply into our faces, she plays more intently, she's demonstrating more tolerance and patience. Now, I'm not suggesting that this has been an overnight flip of a switch, this has been a gradual process leading up to her birthday. It seems these are appropriately streamlined with where she is in her development. It seems as though we have a most angelic being on our hands (as one might feel about any of their children :) )!

We started the morning off with lots of snuggles and discussion on the days events. It was a weekend day so Daddy was home, which made the day that much better! We slowly climbed out of bed and found Charlotte's older sister Bella waiting for her with open arms for 'birthday' hugs. Together they made Charlotte's favorite breakfast, pancakes, and just to make it that much more special, Bella put a candle on her pancakes and shared a secret singing of "Happy Birthday". I came in at the last minute and was able to catch a snapshot......it was a very sweet stolen moment for the two girls.

I have always wanted to make my children crowns for their special days. I had one for the big kids when they were younger but I didn't make it.  I was working full time and hadn't the time or the confidence to make one. Well, years have passed since I walked out of our home to leave for a full time job, so, I've had the luxury of being able to study  and practice the art of handiwork. So, I took the leap this year (a New Year affirmation or one of my 20 wishes to do more handiwork with and for the children). It was a labor of love, just like my Charlotte. I spent 3 hours doing the hand sewing on the front and then left for my parents to get help from my Mother who uses a sewing machine. She helped attach the backing, the binding and the elastic strip in the back. All in all, it was about 5 hours of time, probably won't take this much time for the next one, the first one is all about learning! Both, my Mother and I, felt this crown was perfectly Charlotte; 4 star buttons for each year ( I will add another one for each year forth coming), a beautiful star shaped flower in the middle, purples and dark pinks as these are her favorite colors. Additionally, the Queen for the day wore her beautifully handmade 'birthday' cape that her Auntie Pfeffa gave her last year! She was definitely our royalty for the day!

Charlotte has such a lovely imagination when it comes to her ideas for cakes. Her first birthday cake was a banana cake (by the time she was one year old her favorite food was bananas!). Her second cake was the same thing, just in cupcake form (not much had changed except these had peanut butter chocolate frosting on them!). Her third cake was strawberry cupcakes with strawberry frosting (her new favorite fruit). But this year, she dreamed of a chocolate strawberry cake with sprinkles.......so for fun, I made an ice cream cake. It was super easy and fun to make (a spring form pan is what makes it easy!); seeing as I love ice cream and could sneak bites after each layer. It took about 3 hours for each layer (you spread a layer and then freeze for an hour in between). Then before her party began, I made some whipped cream and frosted the cake with it and stuck it back in the freezer until we were ready for it! Oh, and did I mention I made some of the cookie, crunchy, fudgy goodness that sits between the vanilla and chocolate layer! Yum! Yum! Yum! This cake was a divine success!

We had a simple day filled with family. No big, over the top gifts.......crayons, paper, play dough, a doll, a book. It was a sweet day full of sweet intentions for our little girl.

We're savoring these moments, as they slip away as fast as the time that pulls them. Thank goodness for the memories and the laughter that filled our home and our hearts; the smiles and appreciation from our little Charlotte with every gift she received; and when she received a "Happy Birthday" greeting she returned the sentiment with a smile and a "Happy Birthday to you" in return. So, in her eyes, it was every one's birthday. Everyone received a gift by sharing this day with her, just as we all are so lucky to receive when we share these special moments with any of our dear ones. To celebrate the joy that we all receive in one's life within our own.......what a blessing!

Hope Springs Eternal

The definition of a wish is: to have a desire for; to give form to; to want

I know that I have made wishes in the past, for example, I wished that when I was in labor that my child and I would safely make it through our journey, I wished the my mother would recover from the cancer she was diagnosed with, I wished that I would find and marry the man of my dreams. All things considered, they’ve all come to fruition. All of my children’s births were a success……..we both made it out with 10 fingers, 10 toes, and a joyful heart. My mother did survive her cancer, twice in fact! Last but not least, I did marry the man of my dreams. I am very blessed, in so many ways. It takes a lot to realize, especially when you think that your life is all wrong, or that nothing ever good happens to you, or “Why can’t I just get what I want once in a while???” Have you ever stopped and truly counted your blessings? Did you ever go back to those unspoken wishes and discover that they actually became a reality? Well, that is what’s been going on over here……….in order to realize the future, we need to let go of the past, and for me, I find that recognizing the wonderful things that have come to pass makes letting go of the more painful experiences easier. I have experienced things that were heartbreaking, scary, live altering. There have been situations where I had no control and have seen and heard things that I can’t believe I witnessed. At the end of the day, I recognize that if it weren’t for those moments I would be a totally different person. The heartache, the wonder, the impossibility of it all has created the woman that I am today……..and regardless of “wishing that never happened” well, it did, I can’t change that it happened, and because it did happen I’ve been graced with many beautiful gifts.



A wish is kind of like a gift you give yourself. It’s the ultimate in manifestation. Well, actually, it is manifestation in all its splendor. Some think that manifestation is only for those of divine quality……don’t you know that we all posses that divinity to make things happen in our lives? Our society breeds a species that is incapable of thinking for themselves, blaming everyone else but themselves for the way their life turned out, not realizing that they have the power to change everything but are strangled by their past or current calamities that they don’t believe for a second that they hold any power in their own life. Some think that life is just plain hard, it’s meant to be hard, and if it isn’t then you’re doing it all wrong; that as long as you’re suffering then you’re sacrificing and as long as you’re sacrificing then you’re entitled. There is a sense of righteousness that exists when you’ve reached a certain level of sacrifice, some actually keep track of all that they have done for others and then hold them to expectations that only set up the other for immediate failure; making others responsible for their happiness or misery. Thankfully, not all of our society functions in this extreme state of dysfunction, but I would bet most do. Even those that work to leave this life of trauma behind fall into this type of despair, it is only human after, the hope is that the lessons that show themselves to you during that time would be welcomed and received and gently released. It’s a state of being that requires a deep connection to self and a higher power. It requires a trust that all is well and life isn’t meant to cause endless years of suffering and unhappiness. Living the life that you create is up to you and what you choose to believe is possible. Life requires the hope that there is more.



I’ve given myself that task of making a book. Not one to be published to the masses but one solely for me; a book of wishes. I know! I know! It may seem silly and infantile but it’s my gift to myself to help with the process of manifestation that I’m about to embark on. In the past I have been able to manifest several changes in my life, here is a lovely account from my past:

“I was recently separated from my husband and was living in an apartment with my two children. It was just us and for the first time, we were happy. The life we had before that time had been difficult. No need to delve into the past but let’s just say even though life as a single mother, a full time job, and not enough money to pay the bills brought so much more joy to all of us then maintaining the painful and dysfunctional life we had before. One night while the children were asleep I was sitting and watching the Travel Channel. They were airing an episode on New Zealand. It was heavenly. The lush green landscape, the cities on the water, the sheep! I wanted to move there immediately. Along with the desire to be free from my born heritage I realized that what I was seeking was a new beginning. I had no intentions on remarrying, nor was I even interested in a relationship. I envisioned myself living the good life with my two amazing children and nothing more. To my dismay, deep in the recesses of my heart there was the subtle wish that maybe I would want another partner……..one very long day from that moment! I decided to make a list……..a list that would give all the qualities my new partner would posses; including ridiculous things like “This person would be a southern man and wear a cowboy hat and boots” “This person would love to dance and play an instrument” “This person would love my children as if they were their own” This person would love international cuisine” The list went on and on and on………I was expecting that I would not find this person, mostly because I wasn’t looking, but that I was darn near impossible for one person to possess all of those little nit-picky qualities I had listed, and I wasn’t willing to settle. No way! So to make a long and wonderful story shorter, this man basically landed right in my lap. He was a regular customer and our local farmstore and according to his side of the story the moment he saw me he said to his friend next to him “She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, I’d give anything to be with her.” From that moment on, we’ve been inseparable. We are married and even share two more children together, and yes! He posses all the qualities on my list……..right down to being from the south and wearing a cowboy hat and boots!!!”



Now I’m not, for one second, intimating that I am an expert at making my wishes come true. I’m simply implying that I’ve had the good fortune to see it happen in my own life, and it’s because I took charge and willed it to happen, albeit unconsciously, but it happened nonetheless. I can only imagine what would happen if I was consciously choosing to will my wishes to reality......



Back to my wishes book, this is what I plan to do. My goal is to make a list of wishes, up to no more than 20. I’m hoping to decide on a number but I don’t want to make this an impossible goal for me (being a stay at home mom of four makes it a little difficult to carve out quality me time!) So, that will come later as I’m feeling my way around this task. I want to make this book a cherished treasure, a scrapbook or visionary that will lead me to my wish. I plan to decorate the book to inspire hope, change, and freedom! I will dedicate a single page (or two) to each desire; each page sprinkled with eye candy that will tantalize my manifestation senses.



Now, when I think of the wishes I will put on my list, my hope is that they will embody the practical and whimsical side of me. Being a Libra I’ll need a healthy balance of the two. Therefore, I plan to wish for things that as an adult, I might otherwise stray from, while honoring that side of me that needs some structure. To begin my list this is what I have:

1. Learn to horseback ride
2. Learn to speak French
3. Spend more quality alone time with each member of my family
4. Write a book
5. Be a more active community member (giving more to those around me)

To begin with, these are the things that have been on my mental wish list. These are the things that I secretly say to myself when I get a moment of peace and clarity. So, these are my first five wishes. Now it’s up to ME to make them happen. No one else can be responsible to make my wishes come true, just me! I have to do the leg work, the mental work, and the seeking. I have to discover within myself how to make this wishes come true.



The power of manifestation lies within me, and you! It is an endless well of magic just waiting to be tapped and used to create wonderful things in this world, for all of us! One secret that I have learned through simply living, is that to make a wish for yourself, most times it takes doing something for someone else that makes it all possible. So, if one of your wishes is to cultivate more happiness in your life, might I suggest doing something for someone else? Volunteer. Giving of yourself is so freeing. If you bring joy to someone else then naturally you will receive joy back! If your wish is to carve out more alone time, take note of the little moments that you are alone and make them count. Sometimes those moments come and go so fast that it’s hardly worth mentioning, but at the end of the day, they add up. Slow down, breathe, and focus yourself inward so that you can enjoy that 45 seconds of peace before the fray continues. It may not be exactly what you’re wishing for, but, you’ll notice more positive things happen in your life if you don’t discount the little things. Wishes have a strange way of giving up exactly what we need. Be flexible. Realize that if you wish to fall in love it may come about in a different way. Be open to all things. Try not to be so rigid in your wishes that you can’t be available to receive the unexpected gifts that come that ultimately lead you right to the door of your initial wish, just down a different path than you imagined.

Have no expectations. One thing is for certain…….Hope springs eternal! Join me, won’t you? On this journey towards making our dreams come true.

Play

For those of you with small children this is a great way to spend some quality time and one on one interaction with your wee one. Nature, the best place (in my opinion) to be with your kids and absorb all the gifts it has to offer.........peace, tranquility, joy, excitement, learning. I know, that when my kids start to get a little rammy I immediately send them outdoors. We all go out, the little ones run and scream and laugh, somehow knowing that being there is exactly what they needed! Me too, not just for them.......but for me too!

Attached is a link to the Columbia Land Conservancy website that has (FREE) activities scheduled for young ones ages 3-6, although, I have learned that when you register just ask if there is room enough for a 2 year old, should that be the age of your little one. This is a parent/child class so it's a perfect opportunity to share some time with your little lovie.

I hope to see you there!!! http://clctrust.org/events/environmental-education/knee-high-naturalists/