A Den of One's Own

A den, a hideaway, a grotto, a shady secret spot.  Isn't that what every child needs?

Autumn Window Trees; the reprise

Just a year ago (was that all it was?!), we created our window trees - see their first Autumnal incarnation here.  My goodness, I look back at this and it seems me and the Boo had all the time in the world, now we snatch babe's naptimes as our together time, and to be truthful, mostly we are are outside hunting for spiders and worms rather than creating anything much.  But the trees have been taken to heart as tradition so on they must go!

My current motto for living 'keep it simple' was applied to the trees this season and we simply did some wax leaf rubbings, cut them out and stuck them onto the window.  I say 'we' but Boo only did a couple, leaving me to ensure the trees didnt look completely bereft.  Boo enjoyed applying some of them floating down and on the ground. 

We are loving Autumn right now, with it's bright days (for now at least!), plentiful spidery wonders to be found, funghi sprouting everywhere, leaves fluttering and bulbs to be planted. 

Summer Windows

We are a little behind the traditional calendar beginning of Summer here, but then the weather in Vancouver hasn't exactly been convincing us of the shift in seasons recently.  Finally we have converted our window paintings from spring blossoms and bulbs to bird and butterfly infested green goddesses.  

 
 
Not entirely sure what birds we have here, though one may be vaguely based on the local blue beauty 'Stellars Jay'.  Boo called one of the others a 'crow', but its magenta, so I'm not entirely sure myself. 

 
 
 Boo had the splendid idea of making some green grass at the bottom using some green ribbons/wool from her beloved 'ribbon box' (this girl was a jackdaw in a previous life). 

 
 
The butterflies became a little oversized but who wouldnt love them to be really that big?!

We have done a full cycle now: Autumn; Winter; Spring; Summer and I have to say the appeal has been enduring for Boo, who was shown great enthusiasm for each change.  Will we keep them for another year?  Undecided yet. But for now we will enjoy the fluttering and twittering by our dining table!

Spring Table

 
We might have had April showers back in the UK, but here in North Van its chucking it down all day and all night right now.  Nevertheless, spring is springing and the nature table has taken shape, buoyed up by a couple of new additions bought at the Waldorf School Spring Market yesterday (tulip and daffodil flower children).

 
There are some needlefelted eggs which I made for Boo's easter basket last year...

 
and some bears (of course),which seems only fitting when there is a Bear Sighting Sign at the end of our road! 

 
 

Jewels in the Rain

Turned persistently wet around here.  But we are out there, playing and walking, looking for mushrooms and slugs, until it just gets too heavy and we retreat.  Despite the insistent dampness, I love the Autumn/Fall - mycological treasure hunts, misty mountains and creeks, the glorious colours of the (somewhat soggy) leaves underfoot.  There is just so much to find and wonder at with a small one.

And Fall always means spiders; in the garden, in the house, webs strung between trees.  Noted these little jewels in our wet outside play yesterday.

If I only had a camera which could do these little jewels justice.... maybe soon :)

Happy treaure hunting!
  
 
 

Autumn Tree Window Painting

We left Collage Collage the other day inspired not only by a great book and workshop, but also by their window decoration: printed white tree silhouettes with leaves collaged onto the inside.  Window painting, thought I!

Our house has a lot of windows so we are spoilt for choice but I chose the sunny double sliding balcony doors at the front of the house.  We stocked up on 'Posterman' pens at the art shop; great for glass, mirrors, and blackboards, as I remembered from my days of painting shop windows and pub signs for a bit of extra cash.  They clean off pretty easily too so no worries on that front.  Don't seem to come out of clothes so well though, so be warned when the little hands get hold of them. 

 I 

I drew the tree silhouettes and some mushrooms onto the window, and the little hands got stuck in and added their own creations.

Then we hit the studio, and painted some pieces of dampened newsprint with diluted Stockmar watercolours in Autumnal tones.  And yes, that's my girl painting in a tutu  - I can barely get it off her since we picked it up at the Sally Army last week.

When the papers were dry, I cut them into leaf shapes and we stuck them onto the trees.

They look great with the afternoon late Summer sun flooding in, and as Autumn progresses, I think we may allow the leaves to gradually flutter down off the trees to the ground below where the mushrooms are growing in the dampness.

The shift to Autumn always seems to inspire enthusiasm for seasonal crafting around here; check out last year's leaf monoprinting and leaf collage.

A page is turning for our family too, as Boo today had her first day at preschool at the Vancouver Waldorf School.  I'm so happy that she can spend some of her time in such a nurturing and creative environment, and I anticipate being continually inspired myself as a parent and 'maker of stuff'.

So proud.

  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  

Boards for Boo

It's hard not to feel nostalgic about blackboards in this age of interactive whiteboards and digital projectors.  There is something about the matt surface, the bright chalked lines and the endless dust that feels so warm and homely.  I'm sure it reminds most of us of a certain age, of being young and carefree in our school days.  Have you ever seen the Iranian film Blackboards wherein Kurdish teachers trek up into the hills to find students to teach, large blackboards strapped to their backs?  I like to see pictures of Waldorf classrooms where they still use blackboards and the teachers evidently spend much time writing and illustrating the lessons using their board.

So a while ago I found a couple of old MDF boards in my stash and, as there aint a great deal of oil painting going around here right now (my former use for these boards), I thought blackboard, I thought noticeboard.

Well that was some time ago before the sickness set in and lethargy reined.  Then Grandaddy Boo arrived and all manner of practical projects which involve wielding a drill or screwdriver can be easily achieved.  So here we have Boo's blackboard, a simple MDF board painted with blackboard paint, complete with its own dinky little chalk tray constructed by Grandad.

Here too, on the other side of Boo's play area, is a new noticeboard, constructed from an MDF base, covered with cork tiles and with some fabric stretched over it. 

 Can you spot the wee one just around the corner in this pic?
 
  

Hearts 'n' Stars

Many months ago, Boo and I made some salt dough shapes using heart and start-shaped cutters.  In a recent attempt to clear my closet of unfinished projects, I finally painted them and strung them onto a piece of bamboo with ribbon, to make a hanging for Boo's room.  Not sure how it ended up being quite so girly with the pink and purple, but she likes it.

 
  

This year we have mostly been...

...expressing our thanks

 

...catching up on some zzs

...doing a spot of making

 

this is the first yarn doll I've made, using the very simple instructions found on wikihow.  Some other instructions involve making felt heads/clothing, but I wanted to keep it simple.  I'll make some more and perhaps explore this, however.

...admiring the cutest granny-knitted hat and gloves

 

...dishing up some dinners for our feathered friends

 

...surveying the garden in the respite between days of rain 

 

 

... and hosting walnut tea parties

 

 My main focus for this new year is to establish more of a rhythm to our days and weeks, as both Boo and I have found it hard to come back to a life with little structure after our busy England trip.  And I have become frustrated of late, seemingly never having time to work on my children's book writing/illustration, which is what I keep saying I want to do.  So herewith you will find me getting organised and disciplined with my precious time.