catbird – Page 11 – Wineberry Wood Press

29Oct 2023 by catbird 2 Comments

Take a Winter Walk

Hiking in the winter is often more fun than the summer in my opinion. There is no poison ivy, you don't need to worry about snakes and there is a quietness that you don't get in the spring or summer. Look for birds and lichen in the bare branches, they'll be much easier to spot. Cracking ice is always a good time, and we love searching for tracks in the snow or mud. See if you can find buds on the trees, that is nature's way of telling you that while it's cold and dark, spring is coming. birds are easier to spot in bare branches tracks! racing log boats cracking ice in a shallow pond bark rubbed off trees by deer antlers foggy days find them in teh mud…

29Oct 2023 by catbird 5 Comments

Solstice Simmer Pots & a Gift Idea

Craft Project, Folklore, Winter, Winter Solstice

One of the easiest things to do around the winter holidays is to make a simmer pot. A simmer pot is basically a homemade air freshener made by simmering fragrant pieces of fruits, herbs, and other spices in water. You throw some nice smelling things into a pot and let it just simmer on the stove all day. It makes the house smell amazing and cozy and like the holidays. There are three other important facets to this tradition beyond the lovely scent for me: 1) I use up discarded things like orange peels and fallen evergreen branches. It kills me when I see recipes that tell you to cut up 3 fresh oranges or apples. There is no reason. Eat the food. Lots of people don't have enough food and…

29Oct 2023 by catbird 5 Comments

Spice Mosaic Ornaments

Craft Project, Nature Art, Play, Winter, Winter Solstice

This easy project was meant for kids, although it’s fun for grownups too! The finished ornaments are deceptively elegant and smell amazing. They’d be beautiful as a tree decoration or make a lovely gift. You can use any spice you like, but choose plenty that have a nice smell. You can easily cut cinnamon sticks into little curlicues with scissors after they’ve been soaking in water for a few hours– throw some into a simmer pot on the stove for a few hours for double duty. Younger friends can experiment with spices and playdough if the ornament is too much for them. Materials: Assorted whole spices (star anise, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, hawthorn berries, cardamom seeds, mustard seed, coriander, multi color peppercorns) Air dry clay (white and/or terra cotta) Cookie cutters…

29Oct 2023 by catbird 3 Comments

Winter Walk Gingerbread Cookies

Foraging, Recipes, Winter, Winter Solstice

Replace the spices in your favorite gingerbread recipe with the following herbal blend for a spicy and woodsy take on a traditional winter sweet. Decorate the cookies with royal icing, rose petals, juniper berries*, poppy seeds, rosemary sugar and rose sugar. Ingredients: 2 tsp cinnamon 1 ½ tsp ginger 1 ½ tsp cardamom 1 tsp ground rosemary ¾ tsp ground juniper berry To decorate: Rose sugar Rosemary sugar Whole juniper berries* Whole poppy seeds Small dried rosebuds Dried rose petals To make the sugars: Mix ground rose and sugar until you reach desired color and flavor. Mix ground rosemary and sugar until you reach desired color and flavor. To make royal icing: Method: Mix and bake your cookies according to the recipe instructions. Allow them to cool and then…

29Oct 2023 by catbird 5 Comments

Winter Solstice Craftbrunch

Craft Project, Nature Art, Nature Collection, Play, Recipes, Winter, Winter Solstice

The winter holidays often feel like a blur, one minute it’s Halloween and then suddenly it’s January and while every moment has felt busy, you aren’t quite sure what you even accomplished. I started hosting “craftbrunches” years ago to slow down and connect with friends and family. The premise is simple, everyone brings a simple dish and works on a seasonal craft together while laughing and gossiping. It’s a daytime event which feels easier to schedule when every evening is packed with holiday parties and pageants. Including a simple kids craft keeps the littles occupied while the moms catch up. A Winter Solstice craftbrunch is a perfect respite from the chaos of the season, connecting us with nature and with friends. The Winter Solstice is the day that the earth…

29Oct 2023 by catbird No Comments

Pokeberry Anthotype

Autumn, Craft Project, Folklore, Foraging, Nature Art, Nature Art Materials, Samhain

Pokeberry (Phytolacca americana L.) otherwise known as; pokeweed; poke, poke salit, pigeonberry; inkberry; redweed or red ink plant, is the plant that I am most drawn to at Samhain. I am not usually one to say that I am drawn to plants, but pokeberry always calls to me in the fall. It’s deep purple, almost black, berries ripen in September and October. All parts of the plant are poisonous, yet the berries appear lucious and inviting. It’s a North American plant and has no direct connection to the Celtic traditions of Samhain. (Although, I celebrate Samhain in a secular nature based way so I am not worried about that.) It was, however, traditionally used by the Iroquois for bewitchment. It’s dark and mysterious and the perfect metaphor for this season.…

27Oct 2023 by catbird 2 Comments

Winter Solstice Countdown Calendar

Craft Project, Play, Winter, Winter Solstice

My kids loooove countdown calendars. They have a Lego countdown calendar every year, individual countdown calendars for their respective birthdays and this one to countdown to winter solstice. It starts with all of the sections folded in-- dark like the longest night. As you open each section the sun is slowly revealed symbolizing the return of the light the days slowly getting longer after the solstice. Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year with the most hours of darkness. Every night after the Winter Solstice is just a little less dark. Ancient people believed it was the rebirth of the sun, so much of the symbolism around this holiday involves the sun and light. They wanted to encourage it to come back! Solstice Countdown Calendar This calendar is…

10Oct 2023 by catbird 1 Comment

Decomposer Hike

Autumn, Hike Ideas, Learning, Samhain

One of our favorite activities any time of year, but especially Fall, is turning over logs to look for decomposers. Decomposers are an organism, especially a soil bacterium, fungus, or invertebrate, that decomposes (breaks down) organic material. They play a critical role in the flow of energy through an ecosystem. They break apart dead organisms into simpler inorganic materials, making nutrients available to primary producers (like plants!.) Maybe that doesn't sound exciting, but decomposers are an incredibly important part of life-- without them, dead leaves, dead insects, and animals would just pile up everywhere. Imagine what the world would look like! You can do this in your backyard or on a hike in the woods, once you start looking decomposers are everywhere and it's fun to see what different types you can find and identify with…

10Oct 2023 by catbird 2 Comments

Pokeberry Ink

Autumn, Craft Project, Nature Art, Nature Art Materials, Samhain

While pokeberry is a native plant in North America it is generally considered a weed. It spreads readily from birds eating the berries and can often be found clustered under fences and trees where the birds were enjoying (and expelling) their meal. Phytolacca americana comes from the Greek word phyton which means “plant” and lacca which means “crimson lake.” Crimson lake is a traditional red pigment. It was a common source of ink in early America (hence the name inkberry) and during the Civil War particularly, it was the most common way for soldiers to write home and journal. The Kiowa people used the dried berries for jewelry and the Mahuna made dyes and inks. The Pawnee people made a red paint that they decorated horses and clothes with. Early…

10Oct 2023 by catbird 3 Comments

Falling Leaves Intentions

Autumn, Falling Leaves Moon, Folklore, Play, Samhain

I love the idea of using falling leaves to transfer your intentions into the world-- they will fall and decompose and take your message to the soil and the roots. We wrote right on leaves still on the tree and check back every few days to see if they’ve fallen yet. I always struggled to connect with Samhain. Even as a kid I never liked spooky stories and scary decorations. As I’ve gotten older several important people in my life have passed away this time of year and I always seem to find myself feeling down in late October. The place where I finally did connect with ideas of death and rebirth was through composting as a seasonal metaphor. You collect all of the spent dead things and through their…

Author: catbird