December 6, 2014. Saturday 1pm-5:30pm
Winter Festival is a heart-warming annual community celebration hosted by The Waldorf School of Orange County in Costa Mesa, California, USA. The Elves Workshop is a booth within this festival where children exclusively can shop for handmade gifts for their loved ones.
This year, our craft group elves handmade about 600 little treasures for The Elves Workshop. Our handwork teacher, Christine Newell assisted by the 7th graders offered this beautiful experience for the little ones where big people were not allowed inside. I managed to take a peek inside. I am sharing it the sights (click here to skip ahead to see), so you too, can get to experience some of the magic and wonder that our little ones got to enjoy each year.
In the spirit of this festive season, I am offering a Handmade Giveaway on my Castle of Costa Mesa Etsy store. It is open World Wide. You may win my handwork (Fairy Tale Dolls, playscapes, needle-felted pictures and more)! 3 winners will be selected. Click here to enter Castle of Costa Mesa GIVEAWAY.
Each week I feature someone from our Waldorf community at the bottom of this page. This week, I feature our school store, The Company of Angels. Clicking here will take you to The Company of Angels, the lovely little gift shop at our own Waldorf School of Orange County in Costa Mesa. It’s the best kept secret in shopping in Southern California!
For our next craft group meeting (8:40am Monday 15, December 2014), we are having an end of 2014 potluck party AND crocheting broomstick lace. Click here to see FUTURE craft group schedule plus a picture gallery of our PAST craft group projects.
– Jzin, your crafting-fiend friend
Monday Morning Craft Group at The Waldorf School of Orange County.
You can “like” and follow our weekly craft group projects on facebook here.
Please think also of craft group projects you will like to make or see offered, as our craft group donations for our 2015 Waldorf School of Orange County annual gala fundraiser. It’s still early for May 2015, but it’s good to give ourselves plenty of time. E-mail me, if you have ideas: [email protected]. You know if it’s up to me, it will be another playscape set or puppet show set!
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The Great, Big Winter 2014 Giveaway on Castle of Costa Mesa Etsy Store
Happy Holidays! Welcome to the Great, Big, Winter 2014 Handmade Giveaway by CastleofCostaMesa.Com!!!
- There shall be 3 winners.
- Opens Worldwide.
- Ends Tuesday December 16 , 2014 12am Pacific Standard Time.
- ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE. GOOD LUCK!
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The Children and Their Treasures from The Elves Workshop
A beeline of the littlest shoppers was already forming at 11:30am for the Elves Workshop whose scheduled opening time was 1pm.
A harpist provided the magical ambience for the Elves Workshop shoppers.
Each child was allowed to shop, unaccompanied by parents or adults, with a maximum of 12 tickets ($1 per ticket).
Elves workshop is that magical place where a child can go in to select handmade toys and gifts for themeselves and their loved ones.
I am so happy that our lovely harpist picked my handmade mini wool tapestry!
“I got the whole army!” cried this one trimphantly.
Logan happy with his selections.
He also selected 3 needle-felted wool pictures besides this little father Christmas peg doll.
7th Grader elves.
A little one and her hand picked treasures…
This one selected a guardian angel wool picture, among other gifts.
This one discovered a treasured gnome.
… cuddling the Elves Workshop guarded treasures that were handmade with much love.
This generous little one gave little gifts to her mother and grandmother who, as big people, were forbidden in the magical Elves Worshop. Joy for everyone!
By 3pm, all 600 handmade treasures were sold, to the disappointment of late comers. Next year, the elves may need to start crafting earlier into the year, perhaps in October or so, to amply stock the shelves.
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Peeking Inside the Elves Workshop
Big people (teenagers and adults) were off-limits at the Elves workshop. Well, except for our handwork teacher, Miss Christine Newell. If you want something from there, be sure you have a little one who wants to shop for you and gift that to you!
Thank you Christine (and countless elves, you know who you are) for making this possible!
The elves at our home handmade wool pictures for this event. This picture shows one of the several panels of wool pictures needle-felted over Thanksgiving break. We lost count how many were made. You can purchase some of these on our Castle of Costa Mesa Etsy store here.
Click on this page to see the elves preparations before this day.
Oooooooooh! Renuka made the sweetest peg dolls below. Ooooh!
Knight peg gnomes
Mermaid petting her pet fish by Castle of Costa Mesa.
The sweetest little darlings… handmade by Renuka.
Lavendar in lace sachets, one elf ticket each.
Little pine cone elves.
Winter peg doll gnomes intricately embroidered with much love from the elves.
Oh! Jolly snowmen peg dolls dressed warmly for Winter, how delightful!
Magical decoupage treasure chests big enough for fairy dusts. Thank you Jenifer for these gifts.
Kathy’s handmade decoupage wooden bird Winter holiday decorations.
Lovingly hand-stitched felt gnomes.
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Other Sights at The Winter Festival
December 6, 2014. I managed to take only a few pictures of the other areas of this very beautiful event.
My little crafter and her classmate. These 4 graders served at the Twinkle Star Cafe, a cafe staffed by 4th graders, serving only children up to 3rd grade, without parental accompaniment. A live string orchestra played as the little dinners enjoyed their meals.
My little boy, Vi taking in the sights and sounds of Winter Festival.
A beautiful closing for a beautiful celebration. The 7th graders sang and led a candle-lit procession to send us all home at the end of the day.
Long is our winter
Dark is our night
Oh come set us free
O saving light
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Schedule: Upcoming Monday Morning Craft Group Projects and Other Local Crafting Events
December 15, 2014. Lets have a party the last week of the year !!! Bring treats. We will also crochet infinity cowl, scarf or beanie that day – get this: with a broom stick! How awesome is that? Yes! Broomstick lace crochet…. also known as jiffy lace and peacock eye crochet, is a historic crochet technique from the 19th century which is traditionally done using a broomstick. They make for lively party conversations and lovely handmade gifts
You can “like” and follow our weekly craft group projects on facebook here.
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Announcements
Rachel is hosting a party to benefit iSanctuary this Sunday. This international agency rescues victims of human trafficking in India and places them into safe environment. Please e-mail Rachel for directions: [email protected]
Support Our Local Waldorf Community/ Place a Free Ad
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. If you would like a free shout out for any special events or offer, let me know as well. Time permitting, I will toot your horn. Meanwhile, please support our local peeps! Thanks! – Jzin 
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The Great, Big Winter 2014 Giveaway on Castle of Costa Mesa Etsy Store
Happy Holidays! Welcome to the Great, Big, Winter 2014 Handmade Giveaway by CastleofCostaMesa.Com!!!
- There shall be 3 winners.
- Opens Worldwide.
- Ends Tuesday December 16 , 2014 12am Pacific Standard Time.
- ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE. GOOD LUCK!
Click here to jump back to the top of the page. Whee!
This Week’s Feature:
The Company of Angels Gift Shop: Waldorf School of Orange County School Store.
The Company of Angels store. The best kept secret in shopping for heart-warming, handmade, specially curated, one-of-a-kind gifts, in Southern California, USA.
This place brings awe and magic to our daily lives!
There is always hot chocolate, coffee, tea and homemade baked goods in the gift shop! 
Arts and Craft books, supplies and MORE. Doll making books, needle-felting supplies, natural wool yarn, hand-dyed felt to list a few.
The 100% natural yarn wall!
I have not even shown you the handpicked book selections, toys, home goods and other sections.
Come on by, treat yourself a visit and check it out yourself!
- Address: The Company of Angels, The Waldorf School of Orange County, 2350 Canyon Drive, Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Phone Number: (949) 574-7735
- Check out the store hours on The Company of Angels Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thecompanyofangelsWSOC
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