Mothers Day Crafting

I like to give mothers day gifts that are genuine and from the heart. Something hand crafted or often a pretty flowering plant or a pot of herbs.

This year I've made a pair of fabric covered A5 notebooks (one each for my mum and MIL) following this great tutorial on Craft Blog. The fabric I used is Ginger Blossom by Sandi Henderson for Michael Miller, which I got on special for $11 per meter at Peppermint Stitches. Can you believe it?? I want to go back and buy all they have left!

I couldn't resist posting a picture of this gorgeous little note card set I picked up at the newsagents this morning when purchasing the blank notepads. That sweet little tin it comes in is going to be perfect for storing craft bits and pieces.

Brother Love

From the big one, to the little one, on his first birthday.

The song is one big brother made up and has sung to his little brother (with actions) since he was a teeny baby. Eight is such a precious age, I wish I could bottle him now and keep him 8 forever!

Felt pens on canvas.

Happy Samhain 2009

Tonight is Samhain for us in the southern hemisphere. Samhain is a powerful night on the pagan calendar, when the veil that separates the world of the living from the spirit world is said to be thinnest (the same is true at Beltane, on the opposite side of the calendar).

Tonight we will light old pumpkin head (or Mr Soon-to-be-pumpkin-pie), to light the way for any lost souls that may be roaming the streets.

Although not considered a true pagan tradition, the bright orange glow of the menacing face and the flickering shadows of the candle light are perfect for this time of darkness. Umm... I think ours looks more comical than menacing...

Here is one interesting rendition of the Jack-o-lantern legend, from About.com:

Originating from Irish folklore, the Jack-o-lantern was used as a light for the lost soul of Jack, a notorious trickster, stuck between worlds. Jack is said to have tricked the devil into a truck of a tree and by carving an image of a cross in the tree's trunk, he trapped the devil there. His pranks denied him access to Heaven, and having angered the devil also to Hell, so Jack was a lost soul, trapped between worlds. As a consolation, the devil gave him a sole ember to light his way through the darkness between worlds.

Originally in Ireland turnips were carved out and candles placed inside as lanterns lit to help guide Jack’s lost spirit back home. Hence the term: Jack-o-lanterns. Later, when immigrants came to the new world, pumpkins were more readily available, and so the carved pumpkins carrying a lit candle served the same function.

Happy Samhain to all!

Easter Cards - Done!

Finished up this year's Easter cards, and posted them out already! I am not usually this efficient.

Went for post-card style this year, cut out coloured egg, glitter glue stripes, texta drawn bunny, little cutouts for its paws. Easy as can be. All up I spent about $3 on materials and made 10 cards. You couldn't even get one store bought Easter card for $3 I don't think.

I make Easter cards each year and it seems people really appreciate getting something cheery in the mail at this time of year, as it's still not that common to send Easter cards here.

I do find it hard to get into the spirit of celebrating Easter given that it's essentially a spring celebration and we are heading in to autumn. So we do a little of the expected Easter celebrating but at the same time prepare for Samhain, the pagan celebration of summers end. It does get a little confusing!! It would be nice to live somewhere where the seasons and celebrations are in sync.

Take care

Easter Peeps

Each year, on Easter Sunday morning, as soon as we wake up we head out into the dew drenched lawn to hunt for Easter Eggs. Unfortunately, DS 7 doesn't actually like chocolate, so we end up with waaaay more eggs than we could possibly eat.

This year in order to avoid all that excess and waste (not to mention the ethical issues that go along with eating non-Fairtrade chocolate) I have crocheted these cute little peeps which we will hunt for on Easter morning. All materials were from my stash. The pattern is from Nicki Trench's Super Cute Crochet.

That lil' minty green chicken is my favourite :)

Mabon 2009

Last night I performed a candle boat ritual in celebration of Mabon. We lit the boats at dusk, in a wheelbarrow filled with water in the back yard. It was so tranquil sitting in the dark gazing at the little flames gliding over the water. They were mesmerizing. A perfect opportunity to reflect on what I have reaped in my life this year, and what I would like to sow for the following year.

One thought that did come to me as I was watching the flames, is that I don't have enough darkness in my life and that I should seek out the dark. I am taking this in a literal sense for now. It is true that it is hard to find darkness in modern life. Our homes are brightly lit from the moment we wake until the moment we switch out the lights to go to sleep. The light allows us to stay busy and distracts us from the sometimes uncomfortable experience of being idle and left alone with our thoughts. To become comfortable with the dark is to become one with the void.

Day and night in perfect balance,

the Wheel turns again, the seasons pass,

and the years give way to the next,

May I never forget, every beginning has an ending

And every ending is a new beginning.

Happy Birthday to My Oldest Friend

Hope you enjoy them!

Mabon

The Autumn equinox falls on the 20th of March this year. Pagans celebrate this as Mabon or the second harvest festival. Although considered a lesser sabbat, the equinoxes are my favourite times of the year as they mark a time of transition, in this case a transition from the light summer months to the darker winter months. On the equinox the hours of light and darkness are in perfect balance. Following the autumn equinox, the balance tips in favour of night and we enter the dark half of the year. The day lit hours continue to wane and the night lengthens until the darkness reaches its peak on the winter solstice (around 21st June). For me the equinox is a time to farewell the dying light and welcome the darkness that is to come. One of my favourite Mabon rituals is the "viking funeral" in which a paper model boat is set alight as it drifts out over the water, symbolising the dying light. Image from http://www.mobygames.com/game/amiga/lost-vikings/screenshots/gameShotId,73530/