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140408 Gisela's handmade Easter Egg floral carousel decoration full tree square cropped

Gisela’s homemade Spring Easter decoration.

Warm Tuesday morning in spring. April 8, 2014.

Today craft group gathered to make crafts for Easter. Christine Newell showed us how to make lace eggs and wet-felted eggs. I was not able to participate because my two boys were not in school today and I took them swimming in this hot spring weather. However I managed to steal a little fun by coming in for a short while to chit chat and take pictures.

 Making Lace Eggs

Christine Newell’s sugar lace egg for Easter with golden chocolate candy inside.

140408 Christine Newell's sugar lace egg for Easter with golden chocolate candy inside

Christine inserted 2 tiny gold-foil wrapped chocolate egg candy pieces into an unblown balloon. She then blew up the balloon and tied it up in double knots, trapping the candy inside.

Meanwhile, she made syrup from 2 parts sugar and 1 part boiling water to ensure the sugar is completely dissolved.

Pure sugar.

140408 Pure Sugar with CastleofCostaMesa logo

She uses 4 yards of colorful No. 5 (thick) crochet string for this project. She looped the string and let it sit in the syrup. Then she wrapped the balloon until she achieved a lacey look with no big gaps.

Adding syrup soaked crochet yarn to balloon.

140408 Josephine adding syrup soaked crochet yarn to balloon

Next, the balloon was hung overnight to dry. This will drip!

Kathy’s sugar lace egg with balloon hanging on tree and drying.

140408 Kathy's sugar lace egg with balloon hanging on tree and drying

More lace eggs drying on our cherimoya tree.

140408 3 sugar lace egg with balloon hanging on tree and drying

The next day, the balloon is popped and retrieved from its lace cage.

If you want to keep your local ants on a sugar-free diet, you may use 1:1 glue: water or, liquid starch. You can buy liquid starch by the gallon from the laundry section  in the grocery store.

Next, Let’s Admire Gisela’s Handwork

Gisela made these handmade Easter decorations at home.

140408 Gisela's handmade Easter Egg floral carousel decoration

All together now: “OOOOOOooooohhhh!!!

Oh! The glorious things Gisela makes!

140408 Gisela's handmade Easter Egg floral carousel decoration full tree

Here is another one of Gisela’s beautiful homemade Easter egg decoration!

140408 Gisela's homemade rustic colorful Easter egg on tree decoration

Additionally, recently our talented and passionate Gisela, her husband and son just performed a fairy tale puppet show for her grand-daughter’s birthday. She made these backdrops for the show. Here is a partial view of it…

140408 Gisela puppet show backdrop with castle, town and paths

Detail of Gisela’s puppet show backdrop: Grandma’s cottage…

140408 Gisela puppet show backdrop woods and grandma's cottage

Speaking of puppet show, my children and I just performed Laibao’s Quest for A Bride, a traditional Chinese Fairy Tale Puppet show at The Maple Village Waldorf School in Long Beach on April 10, 2014.

My daughter Nunu (nickname) and her friend Anička helped perform our Chinese Fairy Tale puppet show at The Maple Village Waldorf School this past Thursday. Here are the girls (9 year olds) with one of the scenes from the show. I am so proud of them, they played many piano music pieces, manipulated the puppets, helped with speaking parts and answered many of the audience’s questions! Bravo, my girls!

140410 Nunu and Anichka by Spring at the hill top swing scene

This page contains a zillion and one photos of this Chinese puppet show, when it was first performed on my daughter’s 8th birthday.

Now, I really digressed. Here’ s more of this day’s craft…

Wet-Felted Easter Eggs

Kathy wet-felting a large egg using large plastic Easter egg as resist. The felted egg will be cut and resist will be removed. The resultant egg will hide a baby chick (or other goodies inside).

140408 Kathy wet-felting large easter egg

 Jo Ann wet-felting an colorful wool Easter egg

140408 Jo Ann wet-felting an easter egg

Christine holding her 16″ waldorf mermaid doll from her mermaid workshop.

140408 Christine Newell holding her 16 inch waldorf handmade mermaid doll.

Heather made this beautiful handmade doll for her daughter.

140408 Heather and her handmade Waldorf 16 inch blonde girl doll for her daughter

Heather also needle-felted this wool picture for her daughter for Christmas last year.

140408 Heather Sebring's handmade wool needle-felted fairy table picture tapestry wall hanging for her daughter with pink angel in landscape.

Thank you Christine for yet another wonderful craft day!

140408 craft group making lace eggs and wet-felted eggs

We are having 2 weeks break due to Spring Break. After that, I think Christine will be showing us how to dye shibori silk scarves, weave baskets and more.

Our craft group’s shibori silk scarf project, will be repeated after spring break. Click on picture below to see what we did in January 2014 …

140114 Oohs and Aahs as we unveiled Rachel's handmade arashi shibori tie dyed silk chiffon scarf

You may also want to check out my Canadian friend, Sandra Mil’s Etsy store, La Lutine here…

Note on 4/12/14: La Lutine is giving 10% discount for last minute Easter shopping – HAPPYEASTER14 will give you 10% on your check-out Valid this weekend only!

140408 Sandra Mil's Etsy Store La Lutine felted easter eggs

Jzin’s Etsy Store, Castle of Costa Mesa

My spring Apple Blossom Upside Down Surprise Flower Fairy on Etsy. Give it as a bouquet to your child on their next concert/birthday/event. It will surprise your child as she transforms into a flower fairy, when turned upside down! Unlike cut flowers, this handmade wool felted flower will not wilt and will blossom forever in the heart and imagination of your child! My Etsy store...

140327 Little Apple Blossom Flower Fairy with wild blonde golden hair  mini bouquet nosegay diptych

Planning to give a bouquet of flowers to your child for a recital, ballet concert, birthday or event? Why not give her this one-of-a-kind, memorable “Rose” to commemorate the occasion? When facing one way, it is a beautiful pink rose, when turned upside down, it stands as a doll! This handmade flower of natural wool fibers will not wilt. It will blossom always in your child’s heart and imagination! This flower fairy is made with much love.

140327 Woodland Rose Upside Down Surprise Spring Flower Fairy by CastleofCostaMesa

Castle of Costa Mesa on Etsy

Little gnome burrows into a hole on the hill top. This hole leads him to his safe, cozy home underground. Jzin’s Etsy store, Castle of Costa Mesa140405 Finger Gnome in his home gradient sunny background

Castle of Costa Mesa store on Etsy

 

My New Art Website: JzinTeng.com

I am working on my new website of my paintings and other artwork. It is still incomplete. By next week, I hope to add more to it.

http://www.jzinteng.com/

140131 Detail of face profile. Yoni the Jew with scimitar. Life model academic nude at FMA studio, Costa Mesa no logo

Please “Like” my painting facebook page, so you will see my upcoming works.

Gallery of Past Projects from The Waldorf School of Orange County Craft Group

Click on the image below to view our Waldorf School of Orange County weekly craft group projects.

121202 Vintage Life photo show girls crafting inside trailer at war times. Post button for Wednesday Morning Craft Group

Be in the know for upcoming handmade giveaways: Like CastleofCostaMesa.Com on Facebook

130530 Square Giveaway 6 Waldorf Flower Fairies at Tanager Park

I give away my lovingly handmade dolls and crafts every season. If you “Like” my Castle of Costa Mesa Facebook page, you will be notified of upcoming giveaways. Click here to view the list of my past giveaways. Perhaps the next winner could be YOU?

Like Us on Facebook black and white. Fairy Tale Dolls, Handmade With Love. I want you to love learning mandarin chinese!CastleofCostaMesa.Com

Spring Break Camps 2014

Dear Los Angeles and Orange County friends, check out Nicole Ichtertz‘s April 21-26 Spring Break Camp in Long Beach for children.

You may also want to check out Nicole’s beautiful illustrations here.

Nicole Amanda Ichertz Waldorf 2014 Summer Long Beach Camp Poster flyer 1

Nicole Amanda Ichertz Waldorf 2014 Summer Long Beach Camp Poster flyer 2.

 

Support Our Local Waldorf Community/ Place a Free Ad

Check out our own Lisa and her man’s new restaurant Taco Surf and Skate. It’s located at the new Vans skate park in Huntington Beach, California. 7491 Center Ave. Official website…http://www.tacosurf.com/index.php

140408 Taco surf and Skate, Huntington Beach

http://www.tacosurf.com/index.php

Don’t forget to check out Rachel Skelly’s new Smashing Mosaics website!

140318 Rachel sweeping tiger mosaic ad 2

If you are interested in placing an ad on “Support Our Southern California Waldorf Community” (free if you are a member of Southern California Waldorf community) please e-mail me a good picture and a link.

Also check out our local Astrophysicist crafter, Maraia’s Etsy page!

140321 Maraia Hoffman CosmicBling by Marsgrl Ad by Jzin

Meanwhile, please support our local peeps! Thanks! – Jzin

Comments

  • Armida

    Again, I am inspired and nourished by your blog! Thank you for sharing!

    April 17, 2014
    reply
  • so enchanting to visit this page

    November 14, 2014
    reply

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