| Ostara Crafts Some natural ways to do this traditional Ostara craft Eggs are one of the predominant symbols of Ostara (aka Spring Equinox), because they represent the life and rebirth that occurs in the Spring. A traditional past-time for Ostara is to color eggs, a craft seen these days around the Christian version of the holiday. But don't insult Mother Earth by dousing your eggs in chemicals and synthetic dyes, and you don't have to be a master herbologist either. You can use everyday items from your kitchen to create a whole rainbow of colors to decorate with. The Technique You create your natural dye with a mix of water, vinegar and foods or spices that give a strong color. To make 4 cups of dye, you'll need 4 cups of water, 2 tbs of white vinegar, and your dye material. Most spices only require a tablespoon or so, but if you are using chopped fruit or vegetable matter, you'll need a few cups. Experimentation is the key! Bring everything to a boil, then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool, then strain. Dip your hard boiled eggs into the dye for at least 15 minutes. Longer dying = darker color. The Colors Pink - beet juice, cranberries, raspberries, red cabbage Orange - onion skins, paprika Dark Yellow - tumeric Light Yellow - lemon peel, carrot shavings, cumin Light Green - spinach Blue - blueberries, grape juice Light Brown - coffee, tea Dark Brown - chili powder Get creative with mixing dyes, or usin rubber bands to 'tie-dye' your eggs. Use them to decorate your altar or have an old-fashioned egg hunt. Seed Eggs By Pat & family We poke a tiny hole in both ends of an egg & very gently blow out the "stuffings". We then decorate the egg with symbols or write our hopes, etc on them.( A listing of colors and their meanings can be found in "The Sabbats" by Edain McCoy if you wish to use it.) We make one of the holes a little bigger & into it we place herb seeds. Along with the seeds we place our intentions of what we would like to see grow in our lives. We then go outside, cast a circle, dig a hole & place our eggs into the hole. Hence we have planted the seeds of growth! Another brief little ceremony we have done in the past is to place a candle in each room & as a family go from room to room chanting "banish winter, welcome spring" & each family member takes a turn lighting a candle to welcome back the light of spring. Egg Candles Use the bottom half of egg shells to hold mini tapers or other small candles. To anchor the candles in the shell, drop hot wax into the bottom of shell and press candle into wax. Set these candles in and becasue they can get hot! A protective egg Charm Take an egg and, by poking small holes at each end of it, empty it out. Fill the egg with Cinquefoil leaf and Dogwood, then tape the holes shut. You can decorate the egg with Runes or symbols of protection, or you can leave it natural. Your home and property will be protected. Wheel of the Year ~ Michelle 2 pieces of heavy paper per child old magazines or catalogs glue, crayons, markers, glitter, any materials to decorate wheels Wing Backed push pins (one per child) To start introducing young children to the Wheel of the Year. Adult premake Cut out two circles (per child) of the same size ( about the size of a dinner plate) on heavy paper (I use manila paper) Fold one circle into 8 equal size pie pieces On the outer edge of each pie piece write each Sabbat name in order of occurrence (I started with Samhain on top). Second Circle, cut one pie piece shape out of the circle Child ready Give each child the circle with Sabbats written on it along with old magazines, and/or catalogs. Talk about what each holiday means, and let the children pick pictures out of the magazines/catalogs that they feel represent each Sabbat. Cut out the pictures and glue them underneath each Sabbat. Second circle allow the children to decorate it however they want. When children are done decorating and glue/paint ( or whatever you used to decorate with) is dry. Push winged back push pin through the center with holiday wheel in the back. Spin the wheel.. your all done now.. Enjoy :) My Notes We hung ours on the fridge, the children love to spin the wheels to display the next Sabbat. I have found that these wheels, often spark children to ask many questions. They talk about what there picture representation means and it gives them a chance to talk about the Sabbats. I do these once a year with my children, as they grow it's interesting to see how there interpretation of the Sabbats change each year. With my younger sons, we use this as a game wheel, spin the wheel, and what ever Sabbat it lands on, we read a story or poem about it, or just talk about it. There are tons of uses for this :)Enjoy Decorated Eggs Here are some ideas for decorating hollowed out eggs to bring out each year for Ostara… -Paint the eggs with any kind of paint (tempera, acrylic, watercolor, spray, or nail polish). -Coat eggs with glue and roll in glitter. -Cover egg with decoupage and apply small squares of multi-colored tissue paper. Cover with decoupage and let dry between each layer. With each layer come new color combinations and a stronger, more durable egg. -Make speckled eggs by dipping toothbrush in paint then running your fingers across bristles to spatter the paint on the eggs. Ostara Chicks Supplies: 2 Cotton Balls, Orange and Black Construction Paper Dry, Yellow tempera Paint, Glue, Empty, Clean Egg Shell. Put some of the paint in a Ziploc Bag, put in the 2 cotton balls and shake until they are yellow. Feet, eyes, and beaks can be cut from orange and black construction paper and glued on. Then you can glue the chick into half of the egg shell. Growing Ostara/Easter Baskets Supplies: Empty 1/2 gal. Milk Cartons Potting Soil Grass Seed (fast growing if you have it) Stuff to Decorate Carton Take empty milk cartons, cut down to 4-5" high. You can cover this with contact paper or construction paper and decorate. Fill 2/3 full with potting soil, the generously cover with grass seed. Have children water daily; grass should grow in about 4-7 days. With remaining carton, cut a handle to staple to the basket. Fill with decorated eggs. Egg-shaped Basket Balloons Liquid Starch (available in the laundry aisle) Yarn or heavy string in Spring colours This is a VERY messy project! It is a lot of fun, though. Make sure the area is easy to clean and is covered with newspaper. Blow up the balloon and tie it off. Pour some of the starch into a shallow bowl or pie pan and soak the yarn or string in it. Begin wrapping the balloon with the string until it is thoroughly covered. Allow it to dry, usually a few days. If the balloon has not shrunk, then pop it and then cut the now hardened string in half and decorate the ragged edge with lace and fill with your blown eggs, jelly beans, or other Ostara candy. Mar 18 2005, 02:03 PM From the current issue of C&B Garnet WindDancer Egg Tree -You will need: Pot or container, interesting tree branches, sizes depending on the size of your container, acrylic paint or spray paint, your choice of colors (match your colors to the colors of your potpourri if you wish), moss, newspaper, branch clippers or pruning shears, floral form brick (readily available at florists or most craft supply stores), knife for cutting floral foam Ribbon bows. Using your clippers or pruning shears, cut the ends of the branches at sharp angles. Paint each branch completely and allow to dry. Cut the floral foam to fit into your pot or container firmly. Insert the stem of your branch about 3 inches into the foam. You may want to apply a little bit of white glue to the tip of the branch before you insert, for added stability. Next, apply a little glue to the top of the foam, and lay the moss completely around the foam. Hang up your eggs, add bows or other decorative items. Egg Shell Mosaic - You will need: broken eggshells from dyed eggs (seperated into colors), heavy paper or thin cardboard to make your picture on, white glue, clear lacquer spray (if desired). Draw a picture or design on a piece of paper. You can draw anything you like, but the more detailed the picture, the more complicated your mosaic will be. Decide what colors you want in which areas of your drawing by placing them there first. Once you know what you want where, carefully remove the shell pieces and set them aside. Spread a thin layer of the glue over one section of your drawing at a time. Then place the colored shells carefully back into place. You can even sprinkle a little glitter over the area if you like. As each section dries, you can do another section until your picture is finished. If you want a shiny glaze on the completed project, use a clear spray lacquer to coat the entire mosaic. http://www.dreamcatcher.net/moonwise/crafts.html#anchor8787 Bunny Head Bands - Take a strip of paper. Wrap it around your child's head and forehead. Staple it into a circle that fits. Have them draw, color, and cut out bunny ears. Tape or staple them to the head band. Then they can hop around. http://www.dreamcatcher.net/moonwise/weepagans.html#anchor69652 |
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