Winter Break : Things to Do & Make

And don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter.
It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous.  - Rumi


Here's a bit o' crafty goodness to try over winter break!  I will now be going into winter hibernation, researching new ideas for MGA Summer and working on my own creations!  I'll be back and soon we will kick off Springtime at Maker Faire NoVA 2016!!!  Until we meet again, wishing you and yours peace, comfort & joy in the coming year!

Made so & rooted by love,

Wendy

Make your own Antler Ornaments with clay...

"I'm putting up antlers
like taproots into the sky
to draw down the power
of heaven"

- Robert Moss

Download the lovely freebies from on of my favorite illustrators, Penelope Dullaghan

Enter the Gelli Arts Ginormous Holiday Giveaway!
 

Yarn bomb some twigs and fill your vase with something wooly and wintry...

 

Photo by Aesthetic Outburst

Try this charming napkin fold... 



and make yourself some tree cookies...

Tree Cookies from BH&G

I made mine with chocolate dough!

Make a snow globe!  Add an LED lid for a wintry nightlight.

Anthro knock-offs I made with my son.

 

Make wool snowballs. for indoor snowball fights!  I made these for my son when he was a toddler.  Just wrap wool roving around a wiffle golf ball then use the same method that you use when making your felted soaps. Unlike the soap, these can be thrown in the dryer before cutting them from the stocking!

Make paper snowflakes

Force bulbs for Springtime in Winter...

and enjoy the season!

Announcement : Mighty Girl Art at Maker Faire 2016!!!

"Let the beauty that you love be what you do" - Rumi

Mighty Girl Art™ is pleased to announce that our proposal was accepted and we will be presenting a Monoprinting make & take at the 2016 NoVA Mini Maker Faire in March!!!  Stay tuned for more information. 

Maker Faire is an event organized by the well know DIY magazine "Make Magazine". Maker Faire has been dubbed the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement. It’s a place where people show what they are making, and share what they are learning.

* Also this is an open call for 4 Mighty Girl Volunteers.  Mighty Makers will learn the behind the scenes workings of creative presentation from set-up to clean-up: presenting themselves as makers and teaching their craft to community, organization, teamwork, and networking with their kindred makers. If your daughter is interested in this exciting and fun opportunity please message me asap. 

Week 4 : Wild and Sweet, Merry and Bright

"It is the way of all things
that the night ends
& the light returns.
The light always returns."  - Brian Andreas

I awoke under a starry sky reminding me of the glass glitter that the Mighty Girls are so fond of. Today is our last session in our Wintry Workshop series.  "How did our 4 weeks fly by so quickly",  I asked myself while awaiting their arrival.

We began the day with hot cocoa and catching up since we last saw each other before the holiday.  Our first project of the day was monoprint holiday cards using the fabulous Gelli plate by Gelli Arts!  Gelli plates are a must-have for Mighty Girls because they are versatile, fun, and enable us to create monoprints without a press!










































































Our second project of the morning was pillar candles to add warmth and light during the cold and the dark of winter.  We always make some form of lantern or candle in the wintry workshop, but this particular project which utilizes transfer prints is a Mighty Girl fave.












































































































The girls wanted to light them right away.  They made a circle with their candles representing each girl in the group.






















Before we went on our nature walk, we decided to launch our wishes into the air with Flying Wish Paper!

Then off we ran into the woods for a bit of fresh air.

When we returned, we had a feast of s'mores!



Dear Girls,
It's been so wonderful spending a month of Saturdays with you!  You were a lot of fun, a lot of laughter, and you made so many lovely things.

Thank you, Mighty Girls, for the gift of your presence!  May you have a beautiful holiday season and share the gift of your creativity by making gifts for those you love!

Made so & rooted by love,
Wendy

Week Three : My Soul Reflected

I see my soul reflected in Nature - Whitman

Today was a beautiful brisk day!  A few of our girls could not attend the workshop today so we were a small group, but no less lively and ready for a creative adventure.  Looking forward to having our whole group together again next class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first project of the morning was snow globe lanterns.  These little wintry scenes are fashioned with a solar panel and an led light.

At night they light up and it looks as though there's moonlight on freshly fallen snow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Afterward we took a quick hike for some fresh air.

Refreshed from our walk, we began our second project, hand painted mugs.  The girls painted wintry designs on their cups with ceramic paint pens. 

The mugs will be fired later today then returned to the girls at our next session in two weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

We ended our day with a round of s'mores!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a happy holiday, Girls!  And don't forget that we don't have class next week...our last class is in two week! 

Made so & rooted by love,
Wendy

 

Week Two : Peace of WIld Things

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

- Wendell Berry (The Peace of Wild Things )

I didn't sleep well as the horrific events in Paris last night triggered memories of my own experience on 9/11 and I was concerned for the safety of a dear friend.  I received word early in the morning that she was safe, but was awaiting word from her friends who live in that part of the city.  With the relief of knowing that she was unharmed, I made myself a cup of mint tea, lit a fire, and awaited the arrival of the Mighty Girls.

When they arrived, we sipped hot cocoa and talked about our week.  We were delighted to be joined today by long time Mighty Girl, M.

Our first project of the morning was hand stamped wooden spoons, for moms and grands.  The girls stamped messages onto the spoons, then inked them in before polishing the wood with natural beeswax.

It was a beautiful day and we needed to move our bodies, so we took a walk in the forest where we saw two deer.  We made our way across the fallen tree, then scrambled up some craggy boulders before looping back to the studio.

Refreshed from our hike, we began our second project of the morning - wish seed necklaces, tiny glass vials filled with dandelion seeds that I harvested over the summer.

We celebrated our hard work with S'mores!

Made so & rooted by love,
Wendy

Dedicated to my dear friend "Fanchon" and her people.  You are in our hearts and prayers.