Celebrating Candlemas

Yesterday we celebrated Candlemas for the first time.  This holiday has both Christian and Pagan roots, and it is the midpoint between winter solstice and spring equinox.

"If Candlemas Day be fair and bright

Winter will take another flight.

If Candlemas Day be cloud and rain

Winter is gone and will not come again"

                   --Festivals Family and Food

We took advantage of the good weather and spent time at the park in the morning and at the beach in the afternoon.  This good weather is apparently a sign of more winter to come, so we are outside every chance we get.

We visited a local honey farm and purchased some lovely blocks of beeswax.  We then melted the wax and poured it into molds to make ornaments, which we have hanging from our nature table tree.  (I used the instructions at The Magic Onions for how to make the wax ornaments.)

Dinner was eaten by candlelight, which was a special and memorable occasion for Little Man.

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Backyard Wildlife

Today we spent a nice quiet day at home, performing some spring cleaning and enjoying time together.  Every time we looked out the window we saw animals -- squirrels gathering leaves, birds flying overhead, and then two bucks travelling together.

Occasionally they would stop and lock horns for a minute or so, then separate and meander some more. 

 

 

 Such a beautiful sight to see without even leaving the house.

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Always More Projects

Yes, that is a stack of Christmas cards ready to mail.  Yes, I said I wasn't sending Christmas cards this year.

New projects always find me at Christmas.  I set goals well in advance:  what to make, what to cook, what to decorate, etc.  Then I start in on those tasks gradually in November, congratulating myself for getting such an early start.  Then I add projects.  Many projects.  Necessary projects.

This year the crafting bug bit me and I have lots of sewing projects on my list to give as gifts.  Some are fully complete (yay!), but lots are still on hold.  Because this year I needed to learn to make paper snowflakes.  And why have I never made a Christmas bunting before?  So that was another necessary project.  But I had decided not to do cards this year, so that gave me extra time for all these other things I am determined to make.  Right? 

Well, we were on track until I took the most perfect photos of Little Man yesterday.  Photos of him decorating his first Christmas tree.  They were taken in a darkened room, and his face is lit just from the glow of the tree lights.  He looks angelic as he contemplates the magic of the tree.  Obviously it would be wrong to withhold these treasured photos from family and close friends.

Could I attach those photos into a premade card template, print them and be done?  Of course not.  None of the store's templates conveyed the right sense of wonder to go with the photos.  And I didn't like the wording on those templates.  And, well... I needed another project.  So I dusted off my scrapbooking files and got to work creating a custom template last night.  Amazingly, I sent the order online to be printed just before midnight last night and received word that the order was ready today before 9am.  So I was able to spend this evening addressing envelopes, and completed this project in only two days. 

Tomorrow I can return to my regularly scheduled crafting, cooking, decorating and wrapping... unless a new project catches my eye.

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First Snow

What is more magical than the season's first snow?  The first snow that you ever remember.  We had snow last winter, but Little Man doesn't remember that now.  This morning we woke up to a light dusting and were able to see flakes falling.  (Yes, I think we might have caused it with all those snowflakes we made this weekend.)

We headed outside (with treasure bag in hand) and explored the magical white that covered parts of the garden.  Little Man's first evaluation was that it was cold, and that the snow was ice (he's pretty observant for being less than 2!).  His next thought was that it was some type of dust and he wanted me to go inside to bring him a duster.  Fortunately he settled for a broom.  I have no idea where he gets this cleaning obsession from, but I'm not going to discourage it!

It is so interesting to watch a toddler exploring something new.  As I watched him play I wondered what was going on in his mind.  Does he wonder why everything is suddenly white outside?  Does he think about it, or just accept that sometimes the yard is green and sometimes it is white?  We read books about seasons, so we have talked before about snow falling from the sky.  But if you didn't have a reference for all the different seasons and weather patterns would you wonder what else might fall from the sky?  Maybe he thinks tomorrow we will look out and everything will be red because fire trucks rained from the sky.  I love that everyday things can be wondrous for him.  Our day wasn't just a day of snow, it was a day of magic.

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Hanging Snowflake Garland

I have a secret confession.  I've never been able to make nice paper snowflakes.  Ever.  My snowflakes looked like a child's art project, cut out with round-tipped scissors.  Not only did mine always turn out chunky, but they were never really symmetrical.  This year I was determined to learn how to make delicate, airy snowflakes.

A tutorial at Martha Stewart showed starting with the square piece of paper, folding into a triangle, then into another triangle.... then -- wait a minute!!  This is where I usually start cutting out shapes.  But there's not one, but TWO extra steps before that!  There's a double-fold plus an extra cut.  I think I know why my snowflakes have never worked before...

Armed with this information I started cutting shapes in November, well before it was appropriate to decorate the windows.  By the time December rolled around I was getting pretty good at making nice delicate shapes.  And then I found maya*made.  Her snowflake tutorial showed the exact steps I had just learned to make great snowflakes (apparently I was the only one that was never taught how to properly make a snowflake).  But she went beyond that and created a lovely hanging display of her snowflakes.  She crafted her snowflakes out of newsprint -- a wise plan to turn something targeted for the recycle bin into such lovely art.  This material also adds an extra dimension in that the snowflakes are so delicate that the slightest air current sets the garland twirling.  It truly adds a touch of magic, and isn't that what we seek at this time of year?

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Christmas Tree Bunting

I saw a tutorial for making a tree bunting at Sadie and Lance and knew I had to make one.  Since I am just returning to sewing, I don't have a stash of fabric scraps on hand.  This can be a good thing sometimes! My local fabric store (which conveniently opened less than a month ago less than two blocks from my house) had these gorgeous batik fabrics that I had been eyeing.  I knew I had to make something with them and this looked like the perfect project.

I chose three different batiks and a matching flannel for the back.  I hung the bunting between two rooms, so the back is always visible.

This project was pretty quick once I had all the materials ready.  The hardest part was wearing out my hand from using the pinking shears for such a long time.  Are everyone's pinking shears this hard on the hand or are my ancient shears special?

The photos don't really do the trees justice -- it was hard to photograph in the location I chose to hang the bunting.  They are very cheery and welcoming and add a nice feeling to the space.  I will be sad to have to take them down when the holiday is over.  Perhaps a spring bunting is needed to replace them at that time.  There were some lovely yellow and pink batiks at the store...

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