Leaving the Ivory Tower : waldorf

Showing posts with label waldorf. Show all posts

Saturday, February 13, 2016

How to Make a Daisy Chain

Spring is here (or near) and the daisies are blooming!

Nothing says "childhood" like an inviting patch of green clovers, and delicate white flowers.

The next time you come across these sweet signs of spring, try this simple craft.

First, pick a batch of flowers, trying to select the ones with long stems.

For the next step, I used a pocket knife, but your fingernail can work just as well.

Cut a small slit in the end of one of the stems. Be careful that it doesn't go all the way to the edge.

Next, thread the end of another flower through the hole you've just created. This should feel like threading a needle.

Then, gently pull one stem through the other, until the flower itself stops it from going any farther.

How to make a flower necklace

After that, repeat the process over again, making a hole in the stem of the most recently added flower. Continue to do this until you have reached your desired length.

Soon you should have a chain of flowers!

Loop it around your neck, and tie a loose knot in the back.

Enjoy!

These can be made into crowns, bracelets, necklaces and more!

Also, after making these sweet chains, you may want to enjoy the classic book Daisy-Head Mayzie
By Dr Seuss

Daisy Head Mayzie

Thanks for stopping by, and happy crafting!

Linking up to these fun blogs:

http://strangersandpilgrimsonearth.blogspot.com

http://www.skiptomylou.org/made-by-you-monday-276/

http://madincrafts.com/mad-skills-party-298/

http://diyshowoff.com/2016/02/14/that-diy-party-80/

http://titicrafty.com/2016/02/bewitchin-projects-block-party-136/

http://www.sewcando.com/2016/02/valentines-craftastic-monday-link-party.html

http://www.raegunramblings.com/2016/02/scrumptious-dessert-recipes.html

http://www.flourmewithlove.com/2016/02/mix-it-up-monday-blog-party-without.html

http://www.thecasualcraftlete.com/2016/02/14/the-creative-gallery-167/

http://www.funkypolkadotgiraffe.net/2016/02/too-cute-tuesday-linky-par-tay-272.html

http://myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/inspire-me-monday-99/

http://www.tipjunkie.com/post/tip-me-tuesday-happy-crafters-share-2-16/

http://cornerstoneconfessions.com/2016/02/titus-2-tuesday-194.html

http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/2016/02/show-and-tell-link-party-time-46.html

http://thecraftyblogstalker.com/create-link-inspire-linky-party-116/

http://www.carolynshomework.com/2016/02/the-inspiration-board-creative-party_16.html

http://ladybug-blessings.com/?p=6465

http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/2016/02/wow-me-wednesday-244.html

http://www.mygirlishwhims.com

http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/2016/02/wow-us-wednesdays-261.html

Hayley Brentmar

Hello! My name is Hayley Brentmar. Thank you for visiting my blog! I am an: artist, designer, mother, literature nerd, daughter, sister, homemaker, wife, traveler, and teacher turned homeschooler. I am a sucker for packaging, and I suck at playing sports. Aesthetics are crucial. Please visit my professional webpage: https://hayleybrentmar.com Let's be friends on GoodReads! Find my profile with this URL: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1452367-hayley-brentmar Also, please visit my first website at this URL: https://sites.google.com/site/hayleydeeenestbio/ Professional and Educational experience: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayleybrentmar123/

Monday, January 25, 2016

How to Clean Block Crayons

I love using Waldorf inspired art supplies. One thing that is commonly found in a Waldorf classroom is a set of lovely block crayons.

The most commonly used brand is Stockmar Beeswax Block Crayons. These delightful crayons really are the best available! You can purchase them easily here:

Occasionally with use, and when stored next to each other these crayons can get a little messy. When they bump into each other they'll pick up the pigment from another color.

Before

Recently I was lucky enough to purchase an entire bag full of them secondhand. However, these block crayons needed to be cleaned desperately!

Luckily there is an easy way to clean block crayons. All you need is some coconut oil and a rag. I found that an old terrycloth rag worked the best.
This is a much-loved brand of coconut oil:

Just cover the crayon in a generous amount of coconut oil and firmly rub off all of the extra pigment.

How to clean block crayons

This process does take a while, so be patient and keep at it!
Soon your crayons will begin to look like new.

Before long I had a shiny "new" stash of clean block crayons!

If you don't happen to have any coconut oil on hand, you can also use olive oil, or even GooGone works.

I can't speak to the toxicity of this stuff, but I can say it is a miracle worker!

Then, once they were clean I need a way to store them so that they weren't side-by-side anymore. I found this sweet crayon holder on Etsy.

Hopefully someday I'll be able to fill in the missing spots by purchasing individual Stockmar stick crayons . But for now, this roll-up holder works great!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy coloring!

How to clean crayons :)

Linking up to:

http://www.skiptomylou.org/made-by-you-monday-275/

http://www.thegirlcreative.com/be-inspired-link-party-no-81/

http://diyshowoff.com/2016/02/07/that-diy-party-79/

http://madincrafts.com/mad-skills-party-297/

http://www.sewcando.com/2016/02/craftastic-monday-link-party.html

http://www.raegunramblings.com/2016/02/diy-valentines-day-decor-ideas.html

http://www.thecasualcraftlete.com/2016/02/07/the-creative-gallery-166/

http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/2016/02/wow-me-wednesday-243.html#more

http://www.mygirlishwhims.com/2016/02/your-whims-wednesday-248-and-features.html

http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/2016/02/wow-us-wednesdays-260.html

http://www.thelifeofjenniferdawn.com/2016/02/simple-and-sweet-gift-ideas-for.html

http://thenymelrosefamily.com/2016/02/whimsy-wednesdays-206.html/2

http://thediydreamer.com/from-dream-to-reality/show-off-your-creations-204/

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Hayley Brentmar

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Boy's Lazure Room

You may have seen my previous post about creating my daughter's rainbow room, using a painting method called "lazure". In our new house I decided to try my hand at lazure again, this time in my boys' new room.

When we bought this house, this room was decorated in a very feminine style, complete with 80’s mauve curtains and accents. It wasn’t what I had in mind for my twin boys’ bedroom. The "before" photo is how it looked (with the seller’s furniture) when we bought the house.

Before

After we moved in, with two toddler’s in the mix, the room didn’t look much better!

During

It saw some hard days and a lot of playtime. As you can see even the walls were "decorated"! Eventually, I went to work and transformed the room into a Waldorf inspired space for my boys.

After

Wall Color

The method I used for painting the walls is further detailed in my Lazure Tutorial post. But, here is a quick summary:

The first step in creating lazure walls is to start with a bright white base. I like to use off the shelf "ultra pure white" paint.

I'm also careful to use a matte white. This creates the perfect surface for applying the transparent layers of color on the walls.

You will need:

-Water

-Paint brush (standard good quality wall paint brush)

-Bowl

-A soft cloth rag

-Liquid water color paint (I used Stockmar brand)

-In this room, I also used some acrylic paint.

Or you could even try using powdered pigment:

-A pigment binder like this (be sure you use matte):

-Large sponge

White acrylic paint

Mix Your Paint

You want a very thin mixture of color. It should still feel watery, and not thick like regular paint. I didn't measure very precisely. But here is the rough recipe:

-2-3 cups of water

-1/4 cup of polymer binder

-1-2 teaspoons of a single water color paint (you will need to mix up a new batch for each color)

-1 tablespoon of white acrylic paint

Mix well, I used the paint brush for mixing.

The next step is to begin applying the mixture to your walls. It is VERY drippy, so apply only a small amount at a time. I started at the top of the wall, and worked my way down to the floor, so that any drips could be easily wiped up with the rag.

Apply with the brush, using a swirling circular motion. Because I had textured walls I really had to "scrub" the color onto the walls. Then follow up with the sponge, using the same arm motions.

As I moved around the room, I changed the colors, fading one into the next.

Furniture

Then, it was time to add "big boy beds". I knew I wanted beds that could also become bunk beds once the boys were older. But it was difficult to find convertible beds that were identical in size and shape when separated. Luckily, Amazon came to the rescue!

Eventually I will add wall hangings, art and photos in the big empty wall spaces. But that will have to wait until the boys are a little older. Right now they'd just pull anything that they could reach down! So stay tuned for an update in the future :)

Then it was time to add details!

I pulled the colors and theme of the room from this fabric. My mom made the curtains years ago for our first nursery.

We attached several wooden crates to the wall for storage.

Then I filled the crates with animal themed nicknacks, and other colorful things that matched the walls.

As the boys get older we will be able to add more items.

I surrounded the top of the walls with these alphabet wall cards:

They are primarily shades of blue and green, so they match the walls perfectly. The animal theme is also carried through with them.

Again, someday when the boys are older I will add more decor to the wall below them.

For now the decor has to remain pretty sparse, and very kid-friendly.

I found the wooden animals at The Goodwill, and used acrylic paint to make the turquoise. The Waldorf doll is from Etsy. He does have more clothes... somewhere!

Floor

For the floor I collected old sheets from thrift stores and used them to crochet a rag rug.

To create this rug, I used a combination of this tutorial, and lessons from a friend. It was a time consuming project. But it was nice because it was cost effective, and I was able to chose my own color pallet.