Sometime last week, the girls realized that Valentines day was rapidly approaching. They had grand plans of making very elaborate valentines but were short of time (especially for mailing them). We needed something that was full of love and pretty to look at, but simple to make. The girls wanted it to be something that we had never made before but we had to keep in mind that it had to be something that all three children could work on together. We decided to make a bunting using the beeswax resist method, similar to other projects we have done in the past. Here's how we did it!
Waldorf Beeswax Resist Valentine Bunting
Supplies needed:
a good quality beeswax crayon in a light color (we love our stockmar crayons)
a pencil
watercolor paper
yarn, string or ribbon
a needle with an eye big enough to thread your yarn through
watercolor paint
a paintbrush
a painting board
water
optional:
heart shaped cookie cutter
hole puncher
First, use your pencil and cookie cutter to trace as many hearts as will fit onto your watercolor paper. Alternatively, you could draw the hearts freehand.
Next, write the letters for whatever phrase you wish to say on the hearts using your beeswax crayon. Yellow or any light color will work. The resist doesn't work as well with dark colors.
Now soak your watercolor paper in a sink full of water for a few minutes. You want the paper to be nice and wet but not so wet that it will tear or fall apart as your child paints on it. I usually soak mine about 5 minutes at the most. Place the paper on your painting board (or kitchen counter - whatever you may be using.) Wipe excess water off paper with clean, damp sponge. Make sure there are no puddles of water on the paper, and wipe away any air bubbles.
Now paint your entire paper using whatever colors you choose. In our case, Little L did red, C did pink and K made purple by layering red and blue on her paper.
Leave your painting to dry.
Note: You can view a nice Waldorf wet-on-wet watercolor painting tutorial here.
Once the paper has fully dried, cut out each of your hearts. Place the hearts, in the order you desire, on your table. Thread your needles with yarn (cut at a length long enough to fit your hearts with extra length to hang it up.) Starting at one end of your bunting, poke a hole with your needle and pull it through one side of your heart at the top and then push the needle back through at the other side of the heart. Continue in this manner until you have all the hearts threaded onto the yarn. Take your needle off of the yarn and you are done!
Doesn't this banner remind you of conversation hearts?
One thing we learned this time around with the resist is that darker paint shows the letters much better. K had a vision in her head of lavender, pink and red hearts. They came out really pretty but it's harder to see the letters on the pink and lavender ones.
Some other heartfelt crafts from the past that you might enjoy :
Heart acorn necklaces, pine needle hearts, beeswax hearts, tissue paper and beeswax flowers.
Okay, time for me to get back to my birthday knitting - I am falling behind!!
p.s. - There's still time to enter the Waldorf Homeschool Handbook giveaway here!
