Here is a true sign of having a little one around the home again...We wrote this blog post months ago and never published it! Although it is well past Advent, the ring may be purchased at any time of the year and is beautiful for birthdays and more.
Instead of the traditional four tall candles around a circle, this year we purchased a beautiful, round, wood candle ring for Advent. Each Sunday, we light a candle and add a little something extra. The candle in the middle was given to us by our midwife when Linden was born. We lit it and sang happy birthday after her blissful home waterbirth. We have been saving the candle for something special and decided to use it for the middle of the Advent ring. Crystals and stones from homeschooling projects. Dried sage from our CSA box from the local organic farm. Ricky made the yellow ceramic candle holder in the middle.
Advent ring by Joshua Rutherford of Honoring Fallen Trees (he does custom orders, too!). Organic candles by Oakmoss. Wood wolf by Halushka. All shops on Etsy. Third week...crystals, plants, beasts....
It has been a crafty summer here at Syrendell!
We spent an inspired weekend at the Griffin Dyeworks Dye and Fiber Retreat in Castaic, CA. Camping, spinning, teaching Tunisian crochet, weaving, dyeing, coppersmithing and so much more! Truly a treat for all people interested in learning more about fiber arts in a relaxed setting.
Next, we spent 4 weeks teaching, leading and assisting at the Davis Waldorf School Summergarden camp. Week 1: Knitting, crochet, lucet; Week 2: Spinning, weaving, kumihimo; Week 3: Plant-dyeing, wetfelting, needlefelting; Week 4: Papercrafting and sewing. Children also participated in gardening and wholesome food preparation.
Now, we are enjoying crafting at home. Joey is spinning yarn to earn $ for her upcoming 8th grade trip. Her yarns are available at www.syrendell.etsy.com and by custom order (email: info@syrendell.com). Ricky has been helping get our craft/music room reorganized (a thrilling and scary task!).
Wilson and Mommy created a calendar with gnomes. This was inspired by one that we had seen made by Mama Roots a while back, one of our favorite Etsy shops. First, we ordered a wood ring from Joshua Rutherford of Honoring Fallen Trees. He makes them out of beautiful hardwoods in different colors. We chose maple. Next, we selected 12 special little wood people. We talked about the 12 months of the year, the 4 seasons, and the colors and symbols that represent the seasons.
Next, Wilson chose colored pieces of felt for each month and matching embroidery threads. With some embroidery assistance from Mommy and sister Joey, little gnome hats were sewn.
Wilson painted the gnomes the color of each season and then sealed them with beeswax polish as they dried. Hats were glued onto the gnomes. Now, we will play games, tell stories, create math problems, and talk about the months of the year in Spanish and English with our beautiful gnome calendar!
