Monday, November 29, 2010

the trouble with libraries

The summer before last, when I was at the Steiner Institute taking my felting class, I stumbled upon a book in their catalog that looked like a fun addition to our crafting library. I flipped through it, bought it, flew home with it and then...it disappeared. I assumed I set it on a shelf in our home library to save until December, but when December came, I couldn't find it anywhere. I looked every shelf of our library, search all the bedroom shelves, thinking one of the kids might have walked off with it. Nothing. I even began to doubt my sanity. Maybe I hadn't actually bought the book...maybe I just thought I bought it. About a month ago, I began searching again in earnest. No luck. Then last week, as I was helping Elizabeth look for this book (she's obsessed with the Pietà sculpture right now), it appeared...in one of the places I've looked many times before but pushed back a bit and out of view.

Needless to say, we've been pouring over the amazing crafts and dreaming about our favorites. I found several more patterns for window stars including this 8-pointed star with wide points. It just screamed winter to me in the dark blue and purple kite paper. There was also a 16-pointed star pattern. Wowzers, that's a lot of skinny folding!


Elizabeth was anxious to try the potato printing. So on one of her days off from school last week, she and Finn gave it a whirl.


They dug out a few cookie cutters that would fit on our potatoes and then we carved around the cookie cutters.


They stamped, washed their potatoes and stamped some more.


They even began using the cutouts from the potato to make negative space stamps.


What a fun time they had! They must have worked with these stamps for close to 2 hours.


Another afternoon when Finn was napping, Elizabeth and I decided to make a watercolor paper collage. We painted several pieces of cardstock with different watercolor paints, trying to keep them rather mottled looking.


Then we cut out the shapes to make the collage. You can see the collages in the book in the upper right corner of the picture below.


We ended up with a really cute little shepherd collage to stand over our nature table. I'm sure we'll have more projects to share from the book as we get further into advent!


9 comments:

  1. You have a very warm and nurturing home Joy, I love the things you are creating with your children. The last project of the watercolor collage is gorgeous, how lovely to take it out each year and remember when it was created!

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  2. oh my! busy bees. we are decorating for hanukkah & it's so overwhelming picking projects! but, we have 8 days to do them in, such a great way to explore & celebrate.

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  3. Wow - fabulous projects!
    I know what you mean about doubting your sanity. I just looked at my etsy "purchased" list and saw something bought for Z a few weeks before his birthday that I never gave him. I have no recollection of getting it in the mail... yet I left feedback. I asked Z about it and he says I never gave him the thing. So where is it? Did I really get it at all? Am I losing my mind?
    :)

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  4. The window star is gorgeous. I think my Elle would love the potato stamping! Thanks for sharing! Kerri

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  5. Love the potato stamping - definitely on the list for xmas holidays activities (my kiddos are off from next fri for 8 weeks of summer holidays...help!) xxxCate

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  6. Elizabeth's collage is gorgeous! We love potato stamps too and were thinking about making our Christmas cards with them. The star on the window is lovely!
    Luciana

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  7. What fun crafting! I agree, that collage is really beautiful! I've always wanted to make my own window stars... something to put on a crafting to-do list. That one is especially pretty.

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  8. I love the window star. I have that on my list of things to make.

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  9. That is amazing. You have a very crafty family indeed!

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