Imbolc Crafts: Metal flakes

Brighid is the Goddess of many things, including blacksmithing. Now this is an impractical, downright dodgy thing to try if you’ve got Littleuns so I was thinking how can I combine metal and kids safely. I came up with using tinfoil. I was going to get him to roll some into shapes and make things but whilst I was getting it all ready he sat there with a pencil and started to draw on the foil. So our plans changed a bit. Instead we’ve made metal snowflakes.

It’s quite simple really, you will need:
Tin/aluminium foil
Pencil or similar
Some scissors
Ribbon
Soft area to work

Cut out circles of the foil in different sizes.
Drawn on one side patterns to look like snowflakes, this will leave an embossed area once you turn it over. Pinch the points where you want to give“sharpness” to the look.
Pearce a hole in a point and thread the ribbon. Then hang in the window, off the ceiling, the banisters, in fact if you are like Littleun, anywhere!

Another type of “Metal” snowflake we have done is with glitter and glue guns. A bit tricky for the Littleun to use the gun so I did that part but the rest was messy fun so he did that!

You will need:
Glue gun
Plastic cutting board/ flexible if you have one
Silver glitter
Ribbon

On your board use the gun to “draw” out a snowflake shape. You need to be quick so it doesn’t cool down too fast. As soon as you have, get the Littleuns to cover the shape with the glitter. Attach the ribbon with a bit more glue. Leave until hard and set then peel off board (that's why a flexible one is slightly easier) and hang in windows etc.

Imbolc Crafts: Brighid’s Cross

The first of the Imbolc crafts that we are trying (other than the Ice candle) is a cross. Littleun is a bit young so I thought he might find this fiddly but in fact the calm repetitive method seemed to appeal to him and after a few attempts was soon well away. We did a crazy amount of these so will be giving some to friends who hopefully will like them! Again I have used about.com for the following information, so many thanks to them.

The cross has long been a symbol of Brighid, the Irish goddess who presides over hearth and home. In some legends, the girl who became St. Bridget wove the first of these crosses as she explained Christianity to her father, a Pictish chieftain. In other stories, the cross is not a cross at all, but a wheel of fire, which explains why it's a bit off-centre in appearance. In parts of Ireland, Brighid is known as a goddess of the crossroads, and this symbol represents the place where two worlds meet, and the year is at a crossroads between light and dark.

A Brighid's Cross can be purchased in many Irish craft shops or at festivals, but it's actually pretty easy to make your own. You can incorporate the creation of your Brighid's Cross into your Imbolc rituals, use it as a meditative exercise, or just put one together with your kids as a fun craft activity.

To make your Brighid's Cross, you'll need straw, reeds, or construction paper -- if you're using plant material like straw or reeds, you'll want to soak it overnight so it's pliable when you go to make your Cross. Your end result will be about the length of one piece of your material -- in other words, a bundle of 12" reeds will yield a Brighid's Cross just slightly longer than 12".
** Note: for a super-easy, kid-friendly edition of this project, use pipe cleaners.

To begin, you'll form a base for your Cross by bending two pieces of straw in their middles to create a pair of loops -- in fact, you'll do this with each piece as you make your Cross. Link the two pieces together at their centres, as shown in Figure 1.

Next, turn these two pieces so they lie flat, and at a right angle to one another, as shown in Figure 2. This basic two-piece unit is the base for the rest of the Cross, and it's the only time you'll have two pieces hooked together in the middles like this.

Next, bend a third piece of straw in half, and loop it over one of your two base pieces, as indicated in Figure 3. Both legs of the loop in the new piece will pass over both legs of the base piece. Pull this third piece tight to hold it in place.

Take a fourth piece, and bend it in half as you've done with the others. Loop this one over the legs of the piece you added in Step 3. You should now have four pieces, each pointing in a different direction, as shown in Figure 4.

Finally, you'll continue looping pieces over one another (see Figure 5) as you did in the last step, until your cross reaches the size you want. Each piece loops over the previous one. When you're all done, use a piece of string, ribbon, or even another bit of straw to secure the four ends. Trim off excess pieces.

EDIT: I've just posted this and then gone on to read other folks blogs, Pagan Dad has also posted about the crosses today, that'll teach me to read others before blogging mine, lol!

Celtic Gods and Goddesses; Brighid

If like me you are still learning and therefore may be a little confused about the relations between the Gods and Goddesses, you may find the "timeless myths" link for the Gods and Goddesses trees useful.

With Imbolc around the corner I’ve centred my current studies on Brighid, There is an abundance of information on this Goddesses and it’s difficult to pick a point at which to start! She is the daughter of Dagda and sister to others, including Midhir, who I’ve briefly mentioned previously. She is thought to have two others sisters, also called Brighid and as such is a triple Goddess and finally mother to Ruadán. She is the goddess of all things perceived to be of relatively high dimensions such as high-rising flames, highlands, hill-forts and upland areas; and of activities and states conceived as psychologically lofty and elevated, such as wisdom, excellence, perfection, high intelligence, poetic eloquence, craftsmanship (especially blacksmithing), healing ability, druidic knowledge and skill in warfare. Over the next few posts I hope to be able to share Imbolc related crafts which you can do with your Littleuns and place, if you’d like to, on your Altar.

Imbolc Crafts: Ice Candles

Imbolc is fast advancing and with this everlasting snow we seem to be getting, I for one can’t wait. I normally love winter, its clean cold crispness which eventually moves away to reveal new life with buds of snowdrops peaking through the ground is a lovely sight. But to be fair, I have had enough this year. I’m a wimp I know and I’ve been done in by it all. The walking constantly last week saw me end up with a horrible cough and cold, fast on the heels of the one I’d just got rid of, and a wrenched knee. Now swollen and stiff making life a little tricky in a house which is 3 levels! So I have been searching for fun things to do in the warm with Littleun. I came across this candle idea and we have given it a try, not as warm in the preparations as you’d have thought but a good afternoon anyway. Just be warned it can get a little messy.

Ice candles are a lot of fun and easy to make during the winter months. Since February is traditionally a snow-filled time, at least in the northern hemisphere, why not make some ice candles to celebrate Imbolc, which is a day of candles and light?
You'll need the following:
· Ice
· Paraffin wax
· Colour and scent (optional)
· A taper candle
· A cardboard container, like a milk carton
· A double boiler, or two pans

Melt the paraffin wax in the double boiler. Make sure that the wax is never placed directly over the heat, or you could end up with a fire. While the wax is melting, you can prepare your candle mould. If you want to add colour or scent to your candle, this is the time to add it to the melted wax.

Place the taper candle into the centre of the cardboard carton. Fill the carton with ice, packing them loosely in around the taper candle. Use small chunks of ice - if they're too large, your candle will be nothing but big holes.

Once the wax has melted completely, pour it into the container carefully, making sure that it goes around the ice evenly. As the hot wax pours in, it will melt the ice, leaving small holes in the candle. Allow the candle to cool, and then poke a hole in the bottom of the cardboard carton so the melted water can drain out (it's a good idea to do this over a sink). Let the candle sit overnight so the wax can harden completely, and in the morning, peel back the entire cardboard container. You'll have a complete ice candle, which you can use in ritual or for decoration.

Patti Wigington, About.com Guide