Week One of Advent-The Mineral Kingdom

The first week of Advent is all related to the element of earth. It is about being solid, and complete.


An advent table might host a few simple things- perhaps a barn (the physical structure of the barn might mirror the physical structure of the human, in that "our body is the home for our soul"), crystal gems, granite or even sandstone blocks.

This week, the first candle that we light represents HOPE. We can continue to hope that the future will continue to bring us great joy, and, remain hopeful that the birth of a new baby indicates the universe's continuing trust in the human race.  Perhaps, we pnder, this little child will help to make the world good and right?

Every time a baby is born, that is our hopeful wish- is it not?

A typical advent wreath has four candles that sit, evenly spaced, around the perimeter of the circle, and oftentimes, there is one large candle placed in the centre of the wreath to light on Christmas Day. The wreath itself is usually made from local vines, which symbolizes new life and growth. The circle of the wreath represents 'eternity'- no beginning and no end- a similar meaning can be found in the wearing of a wedding band.  In the northern hemisphere, the lighting of the candles each week symbolizes an increasing fullness of light at a time when the darkness threatens to take over. For us here in the Southern hemisphere, we can look at the light as a symbol of the light inside us growing ever outward towards the community-this light streaming out towards the world reflects our grace to others.

Three of the four main candles are often purple (not white) as a symbol of the royalty (the child) that will soon come. The fourth one may be pink- representing joy and the close of the anticipatory time- leading us to celebration. But many families use white candles, sometimes decorated by the children with wax images.

Advent in the Southern hemisphere, along with all the major festivals in fact, calls upon us to use our thinking ability and heart to find truth in how we relate to, and present, these festivals which are so deeply rooted in the times of cold winters of the Northern hemisphere. But all of us are called to 're-new' (to make new) the festivals year after year, to stop them "dying" of tradition.

It is an immense challenge- one I love. Kindergarten teachers face this year in, year out and must find ways to 'renew' the tasks of their daily rhythm. Or else suffocate from boredom! (This is where the work of being 'conscious' with the children really begins!!)

The lighting of each new candle reminds us that 'something is happening'. It is the gift of anticipation. Sadly, anticipation is not something every child gets to experience these days. If we can help a child experience this great wonder, perhaps through a festival or ceremony like Advent, we have "done good" in the world.

How to make an Advent Wreath

This year, my Advent Wreath is made from felt. 
Firstly, I cut strips of green felt (about 8 or 9 of them) 1.5cm wide.  I then wrapped them closely together all the way around the metal ring.  I found this metal ring in the local craft shop for under $3.  This one is about 30cm in diameter.  It is a good size to fit 4 small candles and one big one.

Each time I finished wrapping one strip, I added a dob of craft glue to secure it before beginning the next strip.

This advent wreath is full of felt blossoms. 

Actually, just 5. But over the weeks ahead, I will make a few more so by the time Christmas rolls around, it will be a advent wreath in full bloom.

For the red flower, I cut 2 strips of red woollen felt about 3cm wide.

One was about 15 cm long (inner petal), the other about 20cm long. (outer petal)

I then cut a repeating pattern of U shape along one side.  This was done on both red strips.

Run a gathering stitch along the straight edge.  Pull the gather tight.  Do this with both strips.  Place the smaller petal on top of the larger petal.

Add a little scroll of yellow felt for a stamen.

Sew it all together and attach it to the green wire with a couple of small hidden stitches.

Here is my Week One Advent Wreath- handmade by me.

A flower laden Advent wreath

Nikki and Mia, from Silkwood Craft group, made this lovely advent wreath last week. 
Tomorrow, I will make mine.

I have some jasmine flowering at the moment- what an intoxicating smell- and a few franjipanis are blooming after all our rain and hot days of late.

I'll raid Chris's shed tomorrow and find myself a little bit of thick wire for my wreath circle.  Who knows what else I'll find in his treasure trove?

Are you planning on making an advent wreath? 

Advent Nature Table by Dionne

Are you inspired or what???
Dionne, one of my Moondew mums, has been making this Advent scene for a little while and it is almost complete.  She brought it to show, and inspire, all of us.

I am in awe of her creations.  What a job.  The kings were truly royal and the camel-oh the camel was divine!!

What a truly crafty soul mama!

How to make an Advent Nature Table- Part One

We are still days away from the beginnings of Advent, but we begin to prepare. 

Each year MUST be a renewal. I am not the same person I was last year, my children are not the same people they were last year, my family as a living entity is not the same as it was last year- and neither are you!

Altthough outwardly, things may look the same, or similar, it helps us to see just how different we are by looking at our 'tastes'.   How we now dress, what we like to eat, the music we like to listen to, our hobbies -all of these things document the changes we make.    Sometimes, we can't believe what we used to like in years previous .

(Did I really listen to Norah Jones repeatedly?  Did I really only wear pink?  Did I really dress like that?  Was my hair really that colour?  Did I really like my house full of those garish Christmas decorations????)

We are fluid and flexible.  To stagnate is to be out of step with the world. 

This year, I am going back to super simple.  SUPER simple! 

A pale blue silk cloth to symbolise the evening sky.  One long royal blue ribbon with gold sticker stars to symbolise the journey towards the birth of the royal baby, and one angel travelling down the star path, leading us closer to Christmas. 

Later, there will be a small knitted family.  It is very cute. 

One thing to ponder- I believe the birth of the baby at Christmas time is something to marvel at- as a reminder that every child who is born, no matter what religion, what creed, what colour, what nation, is a royal gift.  The birth of any and every child is a way for the universe to say, here is another opportunity to get it right.   The young child leads the way for us to live in harmony.

 The birth of a child is a moment of potential to change the world for the better.

I know that for certain people, the whole 'religious' nature of the Mary/Joseph story is difficult and challenging, for many reasons. If you are one to struggle with the whole Christian story of Christmas, perhaps the idea above can help to 'tone down' or remove 'religious' connotations and make this time of year accessible to you as well- as a time of family, sharing, indulgence, celebration and human potential.
 

How to make an Angel using fleece sliver

Here is how to make one.

You'll need:

One sliver of white fleece, 10cm long

One scrap of white fleece, 6 cm long

1 safety pin

1 length of a nice thread of some kind (about 50cm). We use shiny silvery thread from Spotlight. (it is not cotton or natural, but sometimes we need shiny things!)

1 thick ribbon (at least 2cm wide or wider) in royal blue. This is your night sky.

Firstly, with the long fleece, tie a knot half way along.

Be careful to only PULL the fleece to tighten the knot when you have your fingers very close to the knot itself.  Otherwise, you risk the fleece strand pulling apart.

Pull the knot as tight as you can, as this will form the head.

Fold the fleece in half and hold it with your thumb at the base of the knot (eg the neck)

Carefully pull a strand of the fleece free from sliver. Wrap this around the base of the knot to 'tie off' the neck.(If this is difficult, use a small bit of cotton embroidery thread instead.)

 As much as possible, when working with fleece, it is good to keep it simple and use the fleece itself as a 'thread'.  It also eliminates the need for scissors and thread, which makes any work with fleece a bit more versatile and portable.

Now, look carefully at the 'head'.  You will notice one side looks more like a face.  The knot forms what looks like a 'hair do' or a 'bun' on the top of the head.  The fibres on the 'face' will run vertically.

Open up the two lengths that hang below the knot head and place your fingers between them.

Now, replace your fingers with your scrap of fleece so that the fleece runs horizontally across, underneath the head.

This will be your wings and arms.

Push this piece up as close to the knot as possible and secure it there by holding it with your thumb.

Take your length of thread and place it over the neck of the angel, as though you were placing a scarf around her neck.

Take the left hand piece of thread.  Run it across the front of the body, diagonally. 

Take it underneath the 'wing' and diagonally across the back, so the thread ends up back where it started. Then repeat the first step only.  The thread will now sit at the back, at the waist.

Repeat this whole sequence with the right hand piece of thread.

When both threads are at the back at the waist, cross them over. Take them around the front (following the waist line) and around to the back again. Tie off the thread with a bow.

Slip your safety pin in through the back of the threads.  This is how you will hang your angel on your blue ribbon.

To make the arms, pull forward a small strand of fleece from the middle of the wings.  One on each side.

Bend this piece of fleece in half and send the loose end back into the wing.  The bend of the fleece becomes the 'hand'.  I like to twist it a little to give it a hand shape.  Use a little moisture to help this. (eg a damp cloth, or moistened fingers, to twist the fleece)

Picture: Fleece doubled over to make the arm.

You can also tie off the wrists in matching silver thread, if you want to add a little definition to the arm/hand shape.

Here is your completed angel.

These angels are lovely as little gift tags, or birthday presents. 

A larger one (a THICK piece of fleece- or use two slivers together to create fullness- about 50cm- 60cm long) is a delightful angel on top of a Winter (or Christmas) tree.  All you need to do is separate her 'skirt' in half to position and secure her to the branches.

As one door closes, another one opens

365: Day 20 - Open Doors, originally uploaded by criggchef.

I trust life. I really do.
There is good happening all around, if we just stay open to it.

Something came in the post today. A wonderful piece of paper giving our family a little boost, and a new adventure.
Let's open the door and see where the pathway leads....

Mama Moontime Club 2010. Enrolments now open!

The MamaMoontime Creativity Club will commence on Wednesday 3rd February 2010 for a new 'ABC' term.  This is a 9 week course (due to Easter's early arrival).

As I am sure the Mama's who are doing the course now will tell you, it is fabulous fun!  In fact, in a few weeks, and with their permission, I will publish some of their comments here. 

Term ABC (followed by Term DEF, GHI.....) is the orientation course into Creativity.  In this course, you will learn to:


• Understand the process of creativity

• Experiment with play materials to begin the creative process for yourself

• Learn the rules of creative interaction and how to refuel

• Fight your creative demons that stop you from creating

• Ignite your senses in your quest for creative inspiration

• Journal your findings in your own book

• Make felt by hand (using a template) to create a delicious cover for your journey book

• Find your own creative ‘trademark’

• Be courageous and up your creative output

• Locate your ‘orientation point’ in life

• Plot your life dreams and ways to meet them

• Beautify and embellish all the areas of your life in simple, creative ways

• Make felt hairclips and freezer paper stencils

• Embroider with lots of different stitches on your own ‘sampler’

• Create verses that help you to remember and recall different stitches

• Feel what it is like to find ‘your perfect fit’ in life and where you belong

• Hand carve your own stamps!

• Apply rhythm to life to find time for creative moments

• Honour your creativity as the key to being ‘whole’

• Love flowers- fleece ones, felt ones, paper ones, box ones

• Say ‘thank you’ and acknowledge those in life who have helped your creative journey by making cards, envelopes and decorated cookies

• Make piping bags and learn the art of cake decoration

• The art of gift wrapping

• How to celebrate festivals with meaning

• How to LOVE living a creative life!

Not only all that, but if you absolutely don't love it, or find true inspiration or new ways of looking at the world, I will REFUND your money in full. 
 
The Club is $25 per session or $200 for the 9 weeks.  I recommend the whole course, as it is designed to help you discover and scaffold your creative insights.
 
Email me at amber.greene@hotmail.com to go onto my MamaMoontime Club waitlist or pay now to secure your place!
 
Can't wait to see you there!

Advent Time- a celebration of the Four Kingdoms of Life

Advent begins today.  My, the year does truly fly!

What is Advent?

Many of us know Advent by those little cheap cardboard calendars they sell in all the supermarkets come this time of year.  You know the ones- covered in Dora the Explorer, Winnie the Pooh, Ben 10, Spiderman motifs and filled with a little chocolate- one for each day- to mark the coming of Christmas.

Just what I (and all the teachers in the world) want for our children.  Chocolate before school.  Not so fabulous.

But Advent is so much deeper than that.

Advent means (from the latin word- advenir) “to arrive”.   Advent then, is a time of preparation and anticipation for the arrival of the baby Jesus.  Yes, there are Christian overtones, but more importantly, it is about the coming of an "important one" (a royal one), which was a familiar theme in many pre-Christian cultures.  It is also about the coming of the 'light'.  Northern hemisphere friends find Christmas situated right in the middle of their dark winter, and the birth of the new baby is a gift of light for the world.  A reminder that light always follows darkness, and that we can turn inward to keep this light alive during fallow times.

It is a bit more challenging in the Southern hemisphere, where we live.  This time of year is delightful and full of the most delicious lemon yellow light.  We are pulled outside, and out of ourselves, into water sports, sun, parties and end of school activities.  It is not at all an inward looking time so there presents an extra challenge to stay motivated and somehow striving to recognise and participate in this inner contemplation. 

For us, a celebration of the Four Kingdoms is one way we can tangibly do this without too much stress.

As the month unfolds, we are able to acknowledge the journey of the human and the unfolding picture of the journey of Mary and Joseph.

Each Sunday, we meet something new, and are reminded that there is 'something happening'.  It can be as simple as adding something to a nature table, or lighting another candle, or saying a verse that acknowledges the movement of the world at this time. 

The four kingdoms go like this.

Week One:  The Kingdom of the Mineral World.  Giving thanks to the foundations that stand underneath us and support our human journey.

Week Two:  The Kingdom of the Plant World.  Giving thanks for the life force that imbues the plant world, that provides food and oxygen for us. 

Week Three:  The Kingdom of the Animal World.  Giving thanks for the creatures that mirror us, our movement and our relationships. 

Week Four:  The Kingdom of the Human Being.  Giving thanks for our creative faculties, that allow us to create and through our creative ability, to meet, understand and love the world we live in.

I love symbolism and meanings of things in life, and Advent is one of those festivals that can be imbued with something so much deeper than just a pretty display or a lip service action.

Advent too, is a wonderful opportunity to leave the materialistic world (of mass consumerism and greed) behind and share simple joys with our family and friends.  In past years, I have been lucky enough to participate in community events for each week, with a simple craft, nourishing food and song.  Just getting together for those four events, and blocking them onto the calendar as important not-to-be-missed evenings, was an act of loving devotion to the simple things in life. 

Why not try celebrating Advent yourselves this year?

Here is a few ideas for you.

1 Each week, share a story, poems and songs.  Enliven these with purpose- that is, the anticipation and building strength for the coming festive season. Try to keep these true to your local area and season.


2 Place a dark blue cloth above your nature table and each day, add one gold star to the wall.  The colour blue is symbolic of this time, especially with regard to the rhythmic changes of the day- dusk and dawn.

3 Make an advent wreath with local greenery. Add something from each of the kingdoms each week eg crystals or shells first week, dried flowers or oranges for second week, feathers or beeswax figurines for third week, and something made by human hands for the fourth.

4 Make the whole of advent special by using table coverings for this time.

5. Each week, hang a golden star (one for every member of the family) on a nominated tree in the garden. As the night sky fills with 'stars', you will know that soon the special day of Christmas will arrive.

6. Make an advent calendar by painting a picture with many ‘treats’ eg candles, apples, smiling faces etc. then placing a second painting over the top so that when the ‘windows’ on the top page are opened, the ‘treats’ are found. Number the windows 1-24 and open them one by one. The windows can be closed on the top painting with little ‘gold star’ stickers. The advent calendar keeps children involved in the entire season.

7.  Treat the month leading up to Christmas as a time of restraint before a big indulgence of the rich foods of the Christmas festivities.  This is anticipation at the most basic level. Your body will thank you!!!

What are your Advent ideas??    SHARE THEM HERE!!

Cotton Time Magazine, Japan

Cotton Time is a beautiful Japanese magazine, with delightful crafty ideas.   Here are some random photos of stuff I have seen lately that I am inspired by.  Cute, cute! 

Yesterday, my long awaited package from Japan finally arrived.  I have yet to sit and truly have a look but I am so excited to enjoy a cuppa and browse these magazines.   Perhaps tomorrow???

How to make a paper bauble

When I went to set up my MamaMoontime Club last week, someone had left these lovely Spring baubles behind.  I couldn't resist taking a picture.  They were so cute.

All you need is 4 strips of paper about 28 cm long and 2cm wide, two 'brads' (a fancy word for fasteners), something to decorate the top, and a piece of gold thread or embroidery cotton.

Starting with the base, begin by marking the half way point of each of the strips with a small pencil mark.

One by one, layer the four strips on the fastener.  First one way, then the second piece makes the cross. The third and fourth piece go on diagonally across  (left to right, and, right to left) to make an 8 pointed star.

Now gather each tip (one by one, in similar route as above) at the top and fasten together with a brad.

Add a festive embellishment (such as a flower or star). 

Thread a needle with your embroidery floss and run a stitch from under the brad towards the top, and then back again, leaving a hanging loop.  Tie off underneath the paper and ensure the knots are hidden.

Cousin love

Ned and his cousin Alice just love one another!  I don't know if I would be putting my hand in his mouth, though.  Those teeth do bite!

How to make a knot bird

Here is how to make a knot bird, as promised!

First, take a length of wool fleece, about 20cm long.
Tip:  Use your hands to separate the wool from the roll, rather than scissors to cut it.  Pull gently to separate the fibres.
This is commercially dyed flcece that has been professionally 'carded' (like brushing it with a comb to remove the bits of grit) to ensure all the fleece fibres run in the same direction and are smooth.

Tie a knot in the centre of the piece.  Keep your fingers close to the knot when you pull it tight otherwise the fleece will separate, and wont be long enough.  Oops!

Fold the fleece in half.  Hold it steady with your thumb.

Pull off, from one side, a small section of fleece which you will use as a 'thread' to tie off under the knot. This makes the birds face.

Wrap it around and around until the thread ends.

Open up the two sections.  Place another piece of fleece (contrasting colour, about 5cm long) under the head, so that it forms a cross with the original piece.

These are your wings.

Pull off another 'thread' of fleece and tie this section around, underneath the wings.

The section that is left at the bottom is the bird tail.

Twist the tale and form a peak.

Now, for the beak.

Take a small diamond of yellow/orange felt scrap.

 Thread a needle with a thread about 30cm long (use a similar colour to bird -I have orange).  Push the needle through the back of the head towards the place where you want to situate the beak.

Attach the diamond shaped felt, and tie a knot in the cotton as close as possible to the felt.

Push your needle back into the yellow felt and back out through the back of the head. Pull tight, like a gathering stitch.  This will pull the beak in.

(You might like to do this step twice to secure the beak)

Find the balance point on the bird's back and pull the thread out through this point.

The thread that is left will become the thread that hangs the bird up.

Attach this to a stick, a piece of dowel or a skewer with the sharp end cut off.

Happy flying!