“My mommy made this!” Monte announced with pride.
Monday morning. November 10, 2014.
Today, our Waldorf School of Orange County craft group gathered in the lovely garden outside of The Company of Angels store. The Waldorf School of Orange County handwork teacher, Christine Newell showed the craft group how to make dry felted Christmas Trees. These trees adorned with pompoms or when displayed as bring festivity to the home for the winter holidays. The trees also make excellent accessories to felted playscapes, dolls/gnomes play and props for table top puppet shows. You can skip to this part to see the step-by-step picture tutorial. The supplies fee for today was…um…how much was it, Christine?
Miss Catherine’s Pre-Kindy class moms gathered to make mason jar lanterns for lantern walk this week.
Erica at the front office is continuing to collect Knit-A-Square for charity for Knit-A-Purlooza. So turn your knitting in!
I am presently giving away several of my “Wild Swans Fairy Tale” needle-felted wool pictures. If you are interested, click here.
I would like to feature a member of our community each week at the bottom of this page. This way, we can can be the support for one another! Please E-mail me if you want me to feature you. My e-mail is: [email protected].
We will be needle-felting wool roving angels next week. It is a popular craft, so don’t miss it! Click here to see FUTURE craft group schedule plus a gallery of our PAST craft group projects.
– Jzin
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!
Click here to jump back to the top of the page. Whee!
Crafting in a Garden, Among Friends
November 10, 2014. Christine Newell showed the craft group how to make Dry felted Christmas Trees today. These trees adorned with pompoms or when displayed as bring festivity to the home for the winter holidays. The trees also make excellent accessories to felted playscapes, dolls/gnomes play and props for table top puppet shows.
I want to share with you the most beautiful of such trees by my friend Lee. You can purchase her lively trees, gnomes and wool locks on her Etsy store, FeltingFarmerLady. If you like her work, be sure to click the heart so it turns red on her Etsy store!
Support my Texan farmer friend Lee’s handwork on Etsy here.
Corinna considering the notion that handmade Christmas trees reflects the inner desires and leanings of their creators.
Children playing along side crafting mothers…
Julie made several trees. One of which was with snow white wensleydale wool locks! How magical!
Serena’s tree has a snowy top.
Speaking of snow, here’s one of my recent needle-felted pictures: Gnomes in the Snow.
Gnomes in the Snow available on Etsy.
Here is my very own tutorial for a different kind of tree on Etsy. These trees are easy to make, you can craft it with your child. It allows for the changes in leaves during the four seasons of the year:
Jzin’s version of felt tree tutorial on Etsy.
Tiffany and her finished work from this morning.
Click here to jump back to the top of the page. Whee!
Step-by-Step Picture Tutorial: Needle-felting Christmas Trees
Christine’s felted Christmas Tree examples.
Christine prepared all the supplies raw wool, washed, dyed wools, strings, pompoms, felting needles and pads, etc. She dyed wensleydale wool locks with food coloring.
Roll up your raw wool tightly. (Non-craft related topic: See Helena’s work at Inner Rhythms)
Wind and tie up your column with cotton string to prevent your core from unravelling.
Next, we see Sophie needle-felting dyed wool locks as leaves for the tree. She started from the bottom and worked upwards.
JoAnn adding the last of the leaves to the top of her tree.
Adding green foliage. Rachel modelling Christine Newell couture.
Pompoms make everything more festive!
Rachel’s festive Christmas trees sitting on the mosaic bench she made and donated to our school. If you need any mosaic work done, you can contact Rachel at Smashingmosaics.com here.
At the end of the morning, Christmas trees were in various stages of completion.
Thank you Christine Newell for yet another week of fun crafting! – Jzin
Sophie finished knitting her little piggy for her boys. Visit this page to view our craft group working on their knit projects a few weeks ago.
Click here to jump back to the top of the page. Whee!
Miss Catherine’s Pre-Kindergarten Class mothers making lanterns for lantern walk.
Moms gathering to make lanterns for siblings and families who will be attending lantern walk on Friday.
Mitzi’ mason jar lanterns.
Here are some of the beautiful lanterns I was able to photograph, handmade this morning and drying in the gentle sun.
Click here to jump back to the top of the page. Whee!
1000 Knitted Squares For African Children by January 23, 2015
The Waldorf School of Orange County Parent Association organized its first annual knitting for charity program. This year our squares will be donated to the nonprofit organization, Knit-A-Square, who assembles squares into blankets for African children in need. Our goal is 2000 knitted squares by January 23, 2015!
Knit-a-square for orphans in Africa. Your handwork will hug them with love!
You can help us knit 8″x8″ squares for a child in Africa. Pick up supplies and place your donationed handmade love in the front office basket. If you need help/want to learn to knit, come to craft group Monday mornings for assistance.
More information on how you can help: Liz Wenger Knit-A-Purlooza Flyer.
Click here to jump back to the top of the page. Whee!
Jzin’s Needle-Felting Pad
2 weeks ago, Christine loaned me a humongous foam insert from a recycled chair cushion. It was a great surface to make a large needle-felted picture. Here is my most recent wool picture:
To make it available to everyone, I am selling the print for $10. You can get this unframed 8 inches by 10 inches print on my Etsy store here. Buy one, buy a whole stack, they are great as economical gifts!
Schedule: Upcoming Monday Morning Craft Group Projects and Other Local Crafting Events
November 17, 2014. Christine will be showing us how to make pulled wool Roving Angels. These will be a little different from last year’s project. Parts of these are wet-felted. They will be great as mobiles for your child’s room.
We need your help to craft for WSOC Winter Festival’s Elves Workshop. Craft kits are now available in the front office. Thank you for your crafting help. Please return completed kits before December 3, 2014. Click here to see last year’s magical Elves Workshop.
Our very magical annual Elves Workshop at Winter Festival
You can “like” and follow our weekly craft group projects on facebook here.
Click here to jump back to the top of the page. Whee!
Announcements
Helena wants us to know that The Steiner Study Group meets every Tuesday 9-10:30am either outside The Company of Angels or in the daycare trailer.
“Please join us on Tuesday mornings if you are interested in studying the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Anthroposophy and the Waldorf School Movement. This is a great way to be introduced to this work. We will be studying ‘Anthroposophy in every day life’.”
If interested, please register at WSOC front office. If you have any questions, please ask office for the number of facilitator – Helena Gorka.
Truus reminds us to support the Lakota Waldorf School.
Dear friends, The Lakota Waldorf school is unique in that it is the only school that serves children from a Native American community. Please be a part of this transformation of this poorest of all reservations, the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Check out their master plan to build all classrooms in tipi form. Please help support and share the word. Thank you! – Jzin. http://www.gofundme.com/
Click here to jump back to the top of the page. Whee!
Jzin’s Etsy Store, Castle of Costa Mesa
Here is a “Miss Upside Down Southern Belle Rose Flower Fairy” I made last week: Hold her upside down, she is a rose, flip her up and she’s a flower fairy! This is a flower that will never wilt and will continue blooming in your child’s imagination! She is listed on my Etsy store here.
Thank you for supporting my crafting mania by shopping Castle of Costa Mesa on Etsy! Here is my latest needle-felting: Cinderella tending her pumpkin patch.
Il faut cultiver notre jardin. – Voltaire.
Cinderella’s step-mother forbade her to attend the ball at the palace. What can she do but to tend her own garden. Who knows what life holds when you simply focus on and do the best with the work in front of you?
October 5, 2014. The King’s dog ran into the cave and the King ran after it. He had never before seen a maiden more beautiful, and he said to her, “Where did you come from, beautiful child?” … The King lifted her onto his horse and rode away towards the palace. – The Wild Swans, Hans Christian Anderson. The Wild Swans Wool Picture, CastleofCostaMesa Etsy Store
Mother and Child of the Morning Stars by Castle of Costa Mesa.
Click here to jump back to the top of the page. Whee!
Be in the know for upcoming handmade giveaways: Like CastleofCostaMesa.Com on Facebook
I give away my lovingly handmade dolls and crafts seasonally. 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? 
Click here to jump back to the top of the page. Whee!
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
Click here to jump back to the top of the page. Whee!
This Week’s Feature
Dear friends, I am doing a Giveaway to share my work. Please support this! Thanks! – Jzin
… The King’s dog ran into the cave and the King ran after it. He had never before seen a maiden more beautiful, and he said to her, “Where did you come from, beautiful child?” … The King lifted her onto his horse and rode away towards the palace.
– The Wild Swans, Hans Christian Anderson.
Giveaway!!! Opens Worldwide! Please Share. Ends November 22, 2014. Enter here:
Click here to jump back to the top of the page. Whee!
Rosa Landrum
It All Looks AWESOME Beautiful!!! yet it looks hard to make. It also looks like it would be fun to try. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! for just being. 🙂
Pingback: How To Make Needle Felted Christmas Trees – Site Title