Post by Lady Motevia on Apr 20, 2012 18:01:53 GMT -5
Please note- this was taken directly from voices.yahoo.com/5-fun-easy-beltane-crafts-kids-5799436.html?cat=34and I hold no claim over this content.
Green Man Mask
Wear this on the Beltane holiday to your sabbat rite, or hang it as a symbol of the Green Man and use it for your ritual focus. An excellent Pagan craft for all ages!
You Will Need
Mask form (or craft foam, paper plate, cardboard, etc.)
Tack glue or hot glue gun
Silk leaves, variety
Get a full or half-face blank mask form from any costume supply shop, or make a simple one by cutting eye-holes in a paper plate, or cut a half-mask with eyes out of cardboard or craft foam. Punch holes in the sides and thread ribbon through to tie it around your head.
Arrange the silk leaves on the mask, starting with the larger leaves going around the outer edges. Glue them on, slightly overlapping. Have the edges of the leaves hang slightly off the edge of the mask.
After completing the perimiter, move inward an inch and put another circular layer of leaves. Stagger them so they don't match up perfectly with the first set of leaves. Glue them all the way around. Continue doing this until you cover the mask, avoiding the eye holes.
Finish by arranging and gluing some smaller leaves around the eye holes, being careful not to obscure the vision.
If you like, arrange leaves to resemble a mustache or beard if desired. This Pagan Craft can be quite spiritual as masks have been used for millennia in rites and rituals.
Braided Goddess Headband
Wear this to the Sabbat, or make it as a special Wiccan craft gift for a friend.
You Will Need
9 ribbons, ½ to 1/4 inch width, 3 to 6 feet in length
Beads (Make sure the holes are large enough to thread the ribbon through it)
Choose the colors for your Beltane craft ribbons carefully. You might wish to use the colors of the triple Goddess: black (Crone), red (Mother), and white (Maiden). You might use the colors for the triple God: black (God of the Underworld), green (God of the forests), and yellow/gold: (God of the sun). You may wish to use 3 red and 6 white ribbons (the colors of Beltane). Or, you simply may choose colors associated with your own God, Goddess, Path, to represent what is important to you this season, or colors that you simply like.
The length of the ribbon will depend on how far you want it to hang down, and how tall the wearer will be. A tall woman can go as much as 9 or 10 feet of ribbon if she wants them to hang down past her knees; for a toddler you may wish to use only 2 feet so she won't trip on it or get it caught and tangled as she moves around.
Lay the 9 lengths of ribbon together, ends meeting. About 1/3 of the way from one end, tie them around and make a knot. Thread a large bead from the longer end, pushing it up to the knot.
Separate the strands into 3 sets of three. Begin to braid them. Any kind of You might wish to have someone hold the tied end, Every two inches or so, slip a single bead onto one of the ribbon strands. Continue doing this until you've worked your way down 1/3 of the strands. Thread on a final large bead and tie it off. Remember that braiding or weaving in a Beltane craft can be part of ritual, as a key meaning of Beltane is the entwining of separate things to become one.
If you like, you can decorate the ends of the loose ribbon strands with more beads. Use a dab of hot glue or a small colored rubber band to help hold them in place so they don't slide up and down.
Put on your headband by wrapping the braided part around your head, over your brow. You can tie it off at the temple and have all the strands and beads come down the side, or you can tie it off at the back to have them cascade down your back. If you have very long hair, you might consider twisting or braiding the remaining strands with your hair.
Goddess Topiary
If you are really ambitious, you could make a wire frame and real vines; this, however, is a simply version made of silk foliage and flowers for your Beltane holiday decor.
You Will Need
9 inch florist foam or styrofoam sphere
4 inch florist foam or styrofoam sphere
Two 3 inch florist foam or styrofoam sphere
rectangular block of florist foam or styrofoam
Bread knife
16 gauge wire (about 6 feet)
Wire snippers
Pliers
Flower pot
Spanish moss
Silk leaves, flowers, vines, etc.
Hot glue gun
Pins
Take a medium to large flower pot and set the rectangular piece of florist foam inside. If it is too big, trim the foam with a bread knife. If it is too small, you can crumble newspaper and stuff it around the foam to stabilize. If you are using a lightweight plastic pot, you might want to put some rocks on the bottom to give it a little more stability with the weight. You don't want it falling over on your Beltane holiday altar.
Cut a length of wire approximately 18 inches tall and straighten it out. Push it into the foam in the very center of the pot, about 5 inches deep into the foam. Push the 9 inch sphere onto it, dead-center, and push it through until the sphere rests on the rectangle.
A few inches of the wire should still be sticking out of the top. Center and push the 3 inch ball onto it, down to the 9 inch sphere. Cap it off with the 4 inch sphere, dead-center. If you want to secure it so that it won't pop off, you can put hot glue on the wire before pushing it in.
Consider the large sphere the body, the smallest the neck, and the top sphere the head.
Cut the other 3 inch sphere in half exactly. These will be the breasts of the Goddess. Cut 3 inch lengths of wire. Use your pliers to bend the tip of one side (about 1/4 inch from the end) on each one. Hold the flat sides of the breasts to the upper part of the body, just below the neck and head. Push the wire "pins" you made into them, right in the center, to attach them to the body. The little bent edges will help hold them securely.
Take the remaining wire and cut it in half. Bend each piece in the center into a hairpin shape. The rounded edge will be the "hands" so if you like you can use the pliers to arrange them to have a point on one side (like the 4 fingers coming together) and a smaller point on the other side (like a thumb). If you don't feel comfortable shaping wire, you can leave it and just use your choice of foliage to get the shape you want.
Stick the ends of the "hairpins" into the sides of the body to make the Goddess's arms raised up above Her head.
Begin to decorate your topiary. You can wrap silk leafy vines around it, slipping in a few blossoms here and there, or you can hot glue individual leaves and flowers all over it. Just make sure you fully cover the frame. You don't want to be able to see any wire or foam spheres- make the foliage full and bushy. Being a Wiccan craft, or a Pagan craft in general, you may wish to add some real elements, such as twigs and branches, dried flowers and leaves, or seeds.
Cover the Styrofoam and newspaper in the top of the flower pot by gluing on some Spanish moss. If you like, you can paint and decorate the pot with acrylic paints.
Sun Catchers
Brighten your Beltane holiday with these cheerful, colorful decorations. This is a perfect Beltane craft for kids!
You Will Need
Newspaper
Wax paper
Templates or cookie cutters
Permanent markerOld crayons
Old cheese grater
Iron
Scissors
Hole puncher
Ribbon
Lay some newspaper out on your work space. Cut a 12 inch or so piece of waxed paper and lay it down on the work space.
Trace your shapes with a template, stencil or cookie cutter onto the wax paper using a permanent marker. Make them about an inch apart from each other. Use simple shapes that can represent Beltane- stars, sun shapes, flowers, leaves, candles with a flame atop them, birds, butterflies or dragonflies.
Peel the paper off your crayons. Grate them with the cheese grater. You can grate them directly over the wax paper for a random pattern, or you can grate the different colors into separate bowls or piles and sprinkle them onto the shapes with your fingers to have more control over the colors.
Carefully cover the shavings with another sheet of waxed paper. Cover that with newspaper.
Pre-heat an iron to medium low and press it firmly to the newspaper, one spot at a time, for about 10 seconds each time. Don't iron back and forth like you're ironing a shirt. Keep doing this until all of the crayon shavings have melted underneath the wax paper (peek every now and then under the newspaper to check). I've actually done this May day craft outdoors on a picnic table, and instead of an iron I used a small cast iron pan that I would set on the barbecue grill for a few minutes.
Allow the wax paper to cool. Cut out the shapes around the permanent marker line you had made. Punch a hole in the top, thread a ribbon through them, and hang them in a sunny window, from your porch or on a tree near your Beltane holiday festivities.
Green Man Mask
Wear this on the Beltane holiday to your sabbat rite, or hang it as a symbol of the Green Man and use it for your ritual focus. An excellent Pagan craft for all ages!
You Will Need
Mask form (or craft foam, paper plate, cardboard, etc.)
Tack glue or hot glue gun
Silk leaves, variety
Get a full or half-face blank mask form from any costume supply shop, or make a simple one by cutting eye-holes in a paper plate, or cut a half-mask with eyes out of cardboard or craft foam. Punch holes in the sides and thread ribbon through to tie it around your head.
Arrange the silk leaves on the mask, starting with the larger leaves going around the outer edges. Glue them on, slightly overlapping. Have the edges of the leaves hang slightly off the edge of the mask.
After completing the perimiter, move inward an inch and put another circular layer of leaves. Stagger them so they don't match up perfectly with the first set of leaves. Glue them all the way around. Continue doing this until you cover the mask, avoiding the eye holes.
Finish by arranging and gluing some smaller leaves around the eye holes, being careful not to obscure the vision.
If you like, arrange leaves to resemble a mustache or beard if desired. This Pagan Craft can be quite spiritual as masks have been used for millennia in rites and rituals.
Braided Goddess Headband
Wear this to the Sabbat, or make it as a special Wiccan craft gift for a friend.
You Will Need
9 ribbons, ½ to 1/4 inch width, 3 to 6 feet in length
Beads (Make sure the holes are large enough to thread the ribbon through it)
Choose the colors for your Beltane craft ribbons carefully. You might wish to use the colors of the triple Goddess: black (Crone), red (Mother), and white (Maiden). You might use the colors for the triple God: black (God of the Underworld), green (God of the forests), and yellow/gold: (God of the sun). You may wish to use 3 red and 6 white ribbons (the colors of Beltane). Or, you simply may choose colors associated with your own God, Goddess, Path, to represent what is important to you this season, or colors that you simply like.
The length of the ribbon will depend on how far you want it to hang down, and how tall the wearer will be. A tall woman can go as much as 9 or 10 feet of ribbon if she wants them to hang down past her knees; for a toddler you may wish to use only 2 feet so she won't trip on it or get it caught and tangled as she moves around.
Lay the 9 lengths of ribbon together, ends meeting. About 1/3 of the way from one end, tie them around and make a knot. Thread a large bead from the longer end, pushing it up to the knot.
Separate the strands into 3 sets of three. Begin to braid them. Any kind of You might wish to have someone hold the tied end, Every two inches or so, slip a single bead onto one of the ribbon strands. Continue doing this until you've worked your way down 1/3 of the strands. Thread on a final large bead and tie it off. Remember that braiding or weaving in a Beltane craft can be part of ritual, as a key meaning of Beltane is the entwining of separate things to become one.
If you like, you can decorate the ends of the loose ribbon strands with more beads. Use a dab of hot glue or a small colored rubber band to help hold them in place so they don't slide up and down.
Put on your headband by wrapping the braided part around your head, over your brow. You can tie it off at the temple and have all the strands and beads come down the side, or you can tie it off at the back to have them cascade down your back. If you have very long hair, you might consider twisting or braiding the remaining strands with your hair.
Goddess Topiary
If you are really ambitious, you could make a wire frame and real vines; this, however, is a simply version made of silk foliage and flowers for your Beltane holiday decor.
You Will Need
9 inch florist foam or styrofoam sphere
4 inch florist foam or styrofoam sphere
Two 3 inch florist foam or styrofoam sphere
rectangular block of florist foam or styrofoam
Bread knife
16 gauge wire (about 6 feet)
Wire snippers
Pliers
Flower pot
Spanish moss
Silk leaves, flowers, vines, etc.
Hot glue gun
Pins
Take a medium to large flower pot and set the rectangular piece of florist foam inside. If it is too big, trim the foam with a bread knife. If it is too small, you can crumble newspaper and stuff it around the foam to stabilize. If you are using a lightweight plastic pot, you might want to put some rocks on the bottom to give it a little more stability with the weight. You don't want it falling over on your Beltane holiday altar.
Cut a length of wire approximately 18 inches tall and straighten it out. Push it into the foam in the very center of the pot, about 5 inches deep into the foam. Push the 9 inch sphere onto it, dead-center, and push it through until the sphere rests on the rectangle.
A few inches of the wire should still be sticking out of the top. Center and push the 3 inch ball onto it, down to the 9 inch sphere. Cap it off with the 4 inch sphere, dead-center. If you want to secure it so that it won't pop off, you can put hot glue on the wire before pushing it in.
Consider the large sphere the body, the smallest the neck, and the top sphere the head.
Cut the other 3 inch sphere in half exactly. These will be the breasts of the Goddess. Cut 3 inch lengths of wire. Use your pliers to bend the tip of one side (about 1/4 inch from the end) on each one. Hold the flat sides of the breasts to the upper part of the body, just below the neck and head. Push the wire "pins" you made into them, right in the center, to attach them to the body. The little bent edges will help hold them securely.
Take the remaining wire and cut it in half. Bend each piece in the center into a hairpin shape. The rounded edge will be the "hands" so if you like you can use the pliers to arrange them to have a point on one side (like the 4 fingers coming together) and a smaller point on the other side (like a thumb). If you don't feel comfortable shaping wire, you can leave it and just use your choice of foliage to get the shape you want.
Stick the ends of the "hairpins" into the sides of the body to make the Goddess's arms raised up above Her head.
Begin to decorate your topiary. You can wrap silk leafy vines around it, slipping in a few blossoms here and there, or you can hot glue individual leaves and flowers all over it. Just make sure you fully cover the frame. You don't want to be able to see any wire or foam spheres- make the foliage full and bushy. Being a Wiccan craft, or a Pagan craft in general, you may wish to add some real elements, such as twigs and branches, dried flowers and leaves, or seeds.
Cover the Styrofoam and newspaper in the top of the flower pot by gluing on some Spanish moss. If you like, you can paint and decorate the pot with acrylic paints.
Sun Catchers
Brighten your Beltane holiday with these cheerful, colorful decorations. This is a perfect Beltane craft for kids!
You Will Need
Newspaper
Wax paper
Templates or cookie cutters
Permanent markerOld crayons
Old cheese grater
Iron
Scissors
Hole puncher
Ribbon
Lay some newspaper out on your work space. Cut a 12 inch or so piece of waxed paper and lay it down on the work space.
Trace your shapes with a template, stencil or cookie cutter onto the wax paper using a permanent marker. Make them about an inch apart from each other. Use simple shapes that can represent Beltane- stars, sun shapes, flowers, leaves, candles with a flame atop them, birds, butterflies or dragonflies.
Peel the paper off your crayons. Grate them with the cheese grater. You can grate them directly over the wax paper for a random pattern, or you can grate the different colors into separate bowls or piles and sprinkle them onto the shapes with your fingers to have more control over the colors.
Carefully cover the shavings with another sheet of waxed paper. Cover that with newspaper.
Pre-heat an iron to medium low and press it firmly to the newspaper, one spot at a time, for about 10 seconds each time. Don't iron back and forth like you're ironing a shirt. Keep doing this until all of the crayon shavings have melted underneath the wax paper (peek every now and then under the newspaper to check). I've actually done this May day craft outdoors on a picnic table, and instead of an iron I used a small cast iron pan that I would set on the barbecue grill for a few minutes.
Allow the wax paper to cool. Cut out the shapes around the permanent marker line you had made. Punch a hole in the top, thread a ribbon through them, and hang them in a sunny window, from your porch or on a tree near your Beltane holiday festivities.