03Nov 2023 by catbird 3 Comments
Scented Window Star Diffusers

Scented Window Star Diffusers

Craft Project, Play, Winter, Winter Solstice
Waldorf style window stars make a beautiful decoration this time of year, but I wanted something more. I decided to use them essentially a diffuser for holiday scents. They looks stunning and fill your home with gentle scent. To make these stars you will fold them the same way you would standard window stars, but you can’t use the traditional kite paper because it will repel the oil. (Kite paper is coated in wax.) Instead use regular tissue paper, which you can cut into squares yourself or you can find tissue paper for floats which conveniently comes in pre-cut 5.5 x 5x5” squares. (This is what I used) This is a great kid project and a fun way to involve littles in holiday preparations. Adding some paper snowflakes to the…
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30Oct 2023 by catbird No Comments
Cinnamon Birds

Cinnamon Birds

Craft Project, Winter, Winter Solstice
These are a classic holiday craft-- I remember making them as a kid and I now make them with my kids. I love the birds strung on a garland and paired with dried orange slices, they look and smell amazing. They are also super easy to make with kids and are basically play dough until you dry them. Use cheap bulk cinnamon for these not the nice stiff you use in baking. This is a rare case of quantity over quality. When I made these as a kid I always added glue, and I do think it makes them a little sturdier, but they work fine without it and leaving it out makes them compostable which is nice. You can paint or decorate these but I never do because I…
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29Oct 2023 by catbird 5 Comments
Solstice Simmer Pots & a Gift Idea

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…
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29Oct 2023 by catbird 6 Comments
Spice Mosaic Ornaments

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…
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29Oct 2023 by catbird 5 Comments
Winter Solstice Craftbrunch

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…
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29Oct 2023 by catbird No Comments
Pokeberry Anthotype

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.…
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27Oct 2023 by catbird 2 Comments
Winter Solstice Countdown Calendar

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…
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10Oct 2023 by catbird 2 Comments
Pokeberry Ink

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…
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09Oct 2023 by catbird 1 Comment
Turnip Lanterns

Turnip Lanterns

Autumn, Campfire, Craft Project, Folklore, Nature Art, Samhain
I have been meaning to make these forever--turnips actually are the original vegetable lantern. They gained popularity in the Middle Ages and continued to be made well into the 20th century. Pumpkins are actually relatively new to the scene even though a Halloween/ Samhain without them seems unthinkable now. The turnip lantern tradition began with the Celts, who believed that the veil between worlds was especially thin on this night halfway between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice. Because of this, people would light lanterns as extra insurance from wayward monsters and spirts. Metal lanterns were expensive at the time, so people in the British Isles began carving lanterns (and faces) from vegetables—particularly turnips, but in some cases potatoes, radishes and beets as well. They would place lit candles inside the cavities,…
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