29Oct 2023 by catbird 5 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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05Oct 2023 by catbird 1 Comment
Nature Spiders

Nature Spiders

Autumn, Craft Project, Nature Art, Nature Collection, Play, Samhain
This super easy project brought our nature table into fall. These nature spiders are made from sticks, and Osage orange fruits and a black walnut. The sticks are just jabbed into the fruit (do it outside because they leak juice) I hot glued the bent part of the leg, but you could easily skip that, have straight legs and not need any glue at all. The walnut is just set in front on the table. It’s a testament to the crazy way my mind works that I was inspired to make these by a one of those blow up yard decorations… our neighbor got one and my kids were entranced. So I started to think about making a giant spider out of sticks (which might still happen) and then we…
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24Sep 2023 by catbird 4 Comments
Harvest Moon Lanterns

Harvest Moon Lanterns

Autumn, Craft Project, Free Printable, Full Moon, Harvest Moon, Play
The Harvest Moon might just be my favorite full moon celebration, and its definetly the one we have been celebrating the longest. Its also an important celebration in many different cultures which is always something of interest to me. In Western Europe it was named the Harvest Moon because the light from the full moon helped farmers bring in the last of their crop well into the night. Many cultures believe that the Moon is at its brightest and fullest size at the Harvest Moon, coinciding with harvest time. At same time many American Indian tribes use full moon names referencing the harvest this time of year. (Read more here) In China and much of Southeast Asia there is the Mid-Autumn Festival. (In Japan its called: Tsukimi, Korea: Chuseok, and Vietnam:Tết Trung…
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