Hand threaded Rosary

As with anything new, there comes interest and intrigue, and none more so than the little ones obsession with my Rosary Beads, brought out and cleaned off after a long time in my jewellery box.

I bought my Rosary Beads in my early twenties, made from Aquamarine and Crystal they are most beautiful shade of blue. I had used some plastic rosary beads prior which I had been given on my First Holy Communion so these were very special and the colour resonated with me so deeply. So pretty are the semi-precious beads I bought they are, as it turns out also irresistible to two year olds too, and yesterday my beads were broken due to the amount of loving interest they have received 🤍So away they have gone until I can get them fixed.

I thought it the perfect opportunity this morning to make some beads for the little one, where she can feel the same as mummy when I have mine. So whilst she sat playing quietly with play dough this morning I got out a darning needle, some wooden beads and set to work. A great exercise in counting, size ordering and fine motor skills and not just applicable to Rosary beads, you could make other prayer beads, or even strings of beads in units for different quantities if your little one is at the stage of maths and quantities.

Of course when the little one saw me threading she joined in enthusiastically, persevering for a long while. I accented and finished the beads with some felt balls threaded on the end with some tiny beads. Perfect items for play and imitation.

Now off to the park before finishing our spring window full of colourful birds this afternoon which I cannot wait to share with you (it’s looking amazing)

Has your little one recently become attached to anything? How do you keep them involved in a gentle way?

[Image Description. Handmade wooden rosary beads lie on a wooden table next to a small prayer card of the Virgin Mary and a wooden plate of loose wooden beads and blue felted balls]

Counting Caterpillars

I’ve enjoyed a good forty minutes of crafting this afternoon and after this mornings threading beads coupled with the little ones current love of counting and sorting sizes and of course the spring season well underway, I felt inspired.

So out come the beads (again) and some watercolour to make some lovely caterpillars for play! The great thing about these Caterpillars is that not only do they go perfect with the little ones most loved book #theveryhungrycaterpillar they also just as the book does provide the opportunity to count, not only 10 caterpillars but their beads which make their bodies too.

Of course being Waldorf it has to include felt leaves and no doubt some amazing caterpillar tale will come of it!

To make yours simply thread beads onto pipe cleaners (great for little ones too with no floppy thread) and dab a spot of glue both ends!

I hope you have all had a wonderful day today! Peace and love!

Kelly

Home, our sacred Spaces

🏡Home🏡

Our sacred spaces, spaces which offer a glimpse into our lives lived, our memories, our cultural background. The global obsession for interiors, for making the house a home is evident every time I open the Instagram app, beautiful interiors and beautiful spaces just longing to be lived in.

What makes a home though? Is it the frames on your wall or the memories within them? Is is the sofa and cushions or is it the comfort and warmth they give. Is it the kitchen and covetable dining space or the people that sit around the table and the conversation that flows.

We talk a lot today about making a home but less more so about the work that is home making. Rudolf Steiner in 1916 (Lectures from Karma of Vocation) said “Whatever the human being does he has the consciousness that Christ is behind him” He is talking here about as I grew up to understand it as a Catholic, the Domestic Church, about our homes becoming places of Holy Work. As priests of the home. Regardless your orientation to faith or religion the sentiment in his words can be applied to everyone’s homes.

The word sanctuary stems from the word Sanctus, which means ‘Holy’ it used to mean ‘a building set apart for Holy worship’ and when we take care of and invest our time in these spaces as a family they can be transformative to the lives of those who live there.

Our homes are the cultural centre of our lives what is seen and heard what is witnessed within its walls carries through the generations.

Through home making through love, sacrifice in our time and tender care we can breathe reverence and respect for the world through its spaces.

In our actions we can create comfort a space of nourishment, of order in a chaotic world, of hospitality a space filled with memories

In our thoughts and words in what we choose to surround our children and families with, books media etc.. we can cultivate a sacred space for Balance in a polarised world, for sharing experiences openly and honestly for discussing the world and all the issues and joys in it. A space where a deep love and respect for others lives and every day gets carried out the door forth into the world.

In a world focused on riches of the material kind, let us start to cultivate riches in our homes which come from our actions, from our thoughts and words. Riches of knowledge and spirit.