Fairy Tale Woodland Felting Workshop. June 26 – 30, 2023

Fairy Tale Woodland Felting Workshop.
June 26 – 30, 2023

Friday 6/30/23. Fairy Tale Puppet Show Performance

I must apologize for the atrocious quality of the video below. I took this video for learning about how to technically improve upon the puppet show, not so much for the focus of smooth recording of puppet show story. Please do not get frustrated with the poor videography! If you have any good photos or videos, please share with me so I could share with the class. You get to see behind the scenes and audience footage in the 19″ long choppy video below: – Jzin

This video is unlisted on YouTube

Here is the Kedroff balalaika version that I LOVE: “Joke Waltz” by composer Dimitri Shostakovich.

Another video of the opening music. Thank you Stephanie Williams for the below video:

Puppeteers behind the scenes.

Beginning of the Puppet Show. Video below by Stephanie Williams.

Thank you to Ms Jessica Haddy’s strings summer camp students for performing music for the traffic jam scene:

Videos below by Stephanie Williams.

Raya played a Bach piece on the piano to send our audience home with joy in their hearts.

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Fairy Tale Characters and Their Crafters

This was a 5 day class, Mon – Fri 9am – 1pm. The imaginative students were focused, enthusiastic and driven. They did such beautiful work!

The Good Fairy (Night) made by Lavender (Green good witch)
Rich Man. Prince made by Jzin. Puppeteer: Raya. Voice: Sabiha
Rich Man’s Wife made by Angelica and Jzin. Puppeteer: Daytona
Poor Man made by Ever. Puppeteer: Daytona
Poor Man’s Wife made by Lake. Puppeteer: Juniper
The Good Fairy (daytime) made by Sofia (Yellow Flower Fairy), riding a swan by Jzin
Pumpkins were made by all students on Day 1
Rich Man’s Horse made by Jzin. Puppeteer Raya
Nature Journalist studying mushrooms – concept and creation by Raya
Queen of the Fairies (in yellow dress) in her flower throne made by Sabiha
Bonfire, gnomes roasting marshmallows
- Gnome 1 – Juniper
- Gnome 2 – Sophia
- Elfin Girl Fern – Daytona
The snail, Lord Lightning, crafted by Jzin. Puppeteer Raya
Traffic Jam Scene. Cello and Violin by Ms. Jessica Haddy’s Summer String Camp
- Cinderella, pumpkin and mouse made by Jzin
- Bennett the Gnome by Sophia, riding a snail crafted by Jzin
- Elfin girl Fern crafted by and voice by Daytona
- Nature journalist holding baby wolf, riding a wolf, concept and creation by Raya
- Juniper’s green doll Daisy with brown braid riding a brown bunny
- Toadstool car made with cardboard and felt by Jzin
- The Good Fairy made by Sofia (Yellow Flower Fairy), riding a swan by Jzin
- Daytona’s warrior Elf Anastasia riding on Corgi
- Bunny army by all students in class. Idea was Daytona’s

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Credits

Workshop Instructors, Jzin Teng and Elena Roussanova of Castle of Costa Mesa
Fairy Tale “The Two Gifts” by The Brothers Grimm. Adapted by Jzin Teng (to fit the Needle-felting needs of the workshop)
Musical Direction, Elena Roussanova
Narrator, Sabiha Ersoylu
Sound Effects, Lake Witham
Lighting, Lake Witham
Opening Music, “Joke Waltz” by Dimitri Shostakovich. Performed by Rhys Buchele and Elena Roussanova, violin duet
“Fairy’s Good Wishes” performed by Sabiha Ersoylu and Lake Witham on lyre. Lyre was handmade by Elena Roussanova
Celebration in the Garden scene, “French Folk Song “, WSOC 6/26/23 Strings Summer Camp violinists, Ms. Jessica Hady on violin, Ms. Lim on piano
Journey music, Daytona Jones on trumpet, Lake on coconuts. Thank you Stephanie Williams for the coconuts.
Bunny Battle Scene, “Dark and Scary Chords” by Elena Roussanova, piano
Queen of the Fairies entrance, Lake Witham on Guitar
“Three Bad Wishes”, Lake Witham on guitar
Traffic Jam scene. Norah on cello, Ms. Jessica Haddy on violin
Closing Music, “Bach piece”, Raya Buchele, piano

After the performance.

Photo below by Stephanie Williams

All good things come to an end. The room that momes ago was teaming with fervent creativity, was now cleared and cleaned up at the end of the epic puppet show. What a splendid day!

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The Original Fairy Tale, before our adaptation

I share it here, in case you want to use the original Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale: The Fairy’s Two Gifts. We adapted it to suit our crafting class and needs.

Adapted version, “Two Gifts From the Good Fairy” by Jzin. Click here for script
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Thu 6/29/23. Rehearsal for Puppet Show

Hurray! Raya’s dad had agreed to perform a violin duet for our Fairy Tale opening piece tomorrow!

Thursday 9am. Raya’s dad Rhys met Elena and they practiced Dimitri Shostakovich’s “Joke Waltz”. Together for the first time. You could see the room was buzzing with exciting creativity.

In the wee hours of the morn, I quickly made a cottage out of cardboard.

9am in class Thursday.

What an enthusiastic, focused, skillful and imaginative class of students!

Juniper cutting roof pieces out of cardboard.

The little cottage was receiving tiles on the roof.

I just finished writing the scrip last night. The students started to rehearse the play.

Scene from the traffic jam in the woods/

Slowly the cottage roof was tiled.

The scenes were set up and covered with colorful silks.

Lake and Sabiha composing the proper sound effect for the Good Fairy’s Gift of Good wishes.

Rehearsal: First version of the scene when the Good Fairy gifted a nice cottage to the poor man. Daytona is full of lively ideas!

The Good Fairy Granted the Poor Man and his Wife a bountiful garden to share with animal and human friends.

The Rich Woman enquiring her neighbor, the Poor Man about the new cottage that appeared in the morning.

Gnomes roasting marshmallows upon a fire pit. The students were so creative with funny accents!

Elena directing the play.

We needle-felted sweet innocent bunnies today. The students came up with this scene: Rehearsal for The Army of Bunnies…

We needle-felted cupcakes today.

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Wed 6/28/23. Felted Bunnies, Introduce Script

We needle-felted bunnies in the morning. Some students worked on their independent projects.

Such beautiful and powerful voice and natural acting! We found our narrator for our play – Sabiha

Sabiha practicing the scrip with a lyre handmade by Elena in woodwork class years ago.

We started to set up the stage – an arc of tables for the journey of the Rich Man to Fairyland and back home.

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Monday 6/26/23. Pumpkins, Marshmallow Sticks, gnomes

Today we warmed up by making little pumpkins with colorful striations. Next, we honed our skills in wrapping doll hands by making marshmallows on skewers. Finally, we made little gnomes. What a busy and fruitful day! The students were so focused and capable!

Daytona with her little elfin girl, Fern and Pumpkin Edward.

Cora and her gnome, David

Sofia made Old Man Bennett

Juniper made a gnome who loves marshmallows.

We wished Pumpkin Edward a “Happy Birthday” because he was born today!

Raya made a nature journalist named Ivy. Such interesting persona!

Look at the wonderful details and design! Little ivy has a pretty little braid!

Sabiha and the gnome named “To Be Named”

Skye made a toadstool gnome and a pumpkin with face.

The workshop students are hard at work making characters and scenes for a freshly handmade Fairy Tale Puppet show on Friday! Freshly baked from the oven! Come one and all!

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First Email to Parents

Dear Students and Parents,

Sunday. June 24, 2023

Hello!

We are Jzin Teng (CastleofCostaMesa.com, mother) and Elena Roussanova (daughter, just graduated from WSOC 12th grade). We are so excited to meet you and create lovely Fairy Tale characters and scenes next week!

Dates: Monday 6/26/23 – Friday 6/30/23

Time: 9am – 1pm

Location: 3rd Grade Classroom

Address: The Waldorf School of Orange County in Costa Mesa, 2350 Canyon Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

On Friday, 6/30/23 12pm, we will be having an open house in 3rd Grade Classroom at The Waldorf School of Orange County, where you can invite your family, friends, neighbors and other guests to watch our table top puppet show by the students, showcasing what we made in the week.

No prior experience is necessary to take the workshop.

Please bring the following to class:

Water, lunch, snack
Small or fine scissors. For snipping off tiny pieces of wool.
Pencil, eraser or optional: color pencils
Sketch book for designing your creations.

I will be bringing a limited number of the below items. If you have your own at home, please bring them, so you do not need to wait in line for others to use. Mark your names on them so you do not loose them.

Small round-nose pliers, wire cutters (view example here) to cut pipe cleaners or bend and fold sculpting wires. Bring if you have it, otherwise use old scissors or wait in line to use what I have.
Needle and thread.
Hot glue gun with glue sticks
Heavy duty scissors or Exacto knife to cut cardboard.

We still have spaces open for our Week 3 summer camp. Invite your friends to sign up here:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=747665314027142&id=100063510399604&mibextid=qC1gEa

Questions? Text Jzin (949) 400-7082
Jzin Teng and Elena Roussanova

CastleofCostaMesa.com

Fairy Tale Dolls, Handmade with Love

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Useful Tools

These tools were provided in class. If you wish to buy them for use at home, here are the links:

Clover Needle-felting pens are so useful. You can needle-felt with 3 needles at once! You may purchase on Amazon.com by clicking on the picture below.

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Tentative Daily Schedule of Workshop

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Workshop Information

Instructors: Jzin Teng and Elena Roussanova of Castle of Costa Mesa

Dates: Monday – Friday, June 26 – 30, 2023 (5 days)

Time: 9am to 1pm

Classroom: 3rd Grade Classroom

Address: The Waldorf School of Orange County, 2350 Canyon Drive. Costa Mesa, CA 92627

Ages: Rising 5 – 12 Graders. Age 9+ students with calm and focused temperament, who are able to work safely with felting needle, can make special requests to instructor to register for the class.

Click here to register: Registration link

Workshop Description

In this week-long class, you will create fairy tale dolls, fairy tale land and tell stories with your creations! What characters would you like to design, needle-felt and direct in a play? A prince traveling incognito, a fairy, a chimera? You imagine, design and needle-felt. You will also make other beasts or elements of scenes to tell a fairy tale of your own imagination. Needle-felting, wet-felting, painting, sewing, multimedia crafting. On Friday 6/30/23 12pm-1pm, students can invite their family, friends or anyone to view our open house, student’s work for the week and their table-top puppet show with what they have created. Note: We will be using sharp, barbed felting needles for needle-felting

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Summer 2023 Felting Workshops

3 separate workshops. No experience necessary. As of 6/26/23, we still have spaces in Week 3 Summer Camp. Bring a friend. Click here to register: Registration link

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Flyer: Free Puppet Show on Friday by Workshop Students

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View Past Workshops Here

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Follow us on Instagram

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