Webbcrafts

The Magic Tooth Saver

The shock of wobbly teeth

It can be a trying time for five or six year olds when they suddenly find that they have wobbling teeth. It happens just when they are experiencing the change from playing in nursery to being serious about learning, or perhaps even leaving their nursery and joining the big school.

Softening the blow

How can that blow be softened just a little? With stories of course, and there isn’t a  better story at this time than the Tooth Fairy whose promise is a coin or a gift.

Searching for the elusive tooth

Finding a milk tooth from underneath a pillow can be very difficult, especially if your child is lying right on it, and so a tooth saver is a pretty way of making life easier for yourself.

Crochet, beads and needle felting

Tooth Saver showing all pieces

I crocheted this one, and then stiffened it with beads and added a needle felted fairy as a handle. You do however, have to be ready with a story, especially if this is the first lost tooth.

Searching for stories

After searching the information on the origins of the Tooth Fairy myth, and finding that no-one is really sure how it came about, and knowing that I would surely need to explain to a very inquisitive little lady why she would benefit from putting  her tooth into the little nest for collection, I wrote this story:

The Best Tooth Fairy in the World

The Best Tooth Fairy in the World

Serafina is the world’s best tooth fairy, which means that she is allowed to collect the teeth from her favourite children. You Freya are honoured to be chosen by Serafina because you are a kind little girl who loves animals and flowers, especially toadstools, which as you know are where fairies make their homes.

Keeping the world safe

By giving Seraphina your tooth you are helping her to keep all the beautiful flowers safe from harm, and so make the world a wonderful place for all the children who are not quite as old as you. Children like younger sisters and brothers, who don’t yet understand how important it is that Seraphina is allowed to do her job properly, but they will when it’s their turn.

You see, your lost tooth holds magic.

It is the magic that holds everything together, it’s like a special kind of glue, that only little children can make. It is that special smile that lights up a dull world, it is your infectious laugh that makes all the old ones laugh too, it is your big hugs that bring such pleasure to everyone who cares for you, and it is your dreams that hold your future in your hands, and Seraphina collects it all from your tooth.

Making Seraphina happy

We all owe her our gratitude, and if we can hold her in our thoughts once in a while she will be happy too, because even fairies get old, and Seraphina is at least two hundred and ten. Now I know that this is hard to believe, but it is true, and she gets a little tired from flying such great distances every night.

A gift for every girl and boy

Because children never stop losing their teeth, and we are all so pleased with them for doing it that Seraphina leaves a little gift for each boy or girl that believes in her and leaves a tooth. Her gift also holds magic, and you can use the magic straight away.

Keeping your magic

You can take your coin and choose something from a shop that would please you, or put your present in your treasure box to keep and remember your first lost tooth, and know that you were especially chosen by the best tooth fairy, and send her your love.

Remembering why

As you lose more teeth you can put them in your pink tooth nest and wait for their collection, happy to know that all the effort of pulling your tooth that last little bit, which sometimes stings, will be all worthwhile.

The Pink Tooth Nest

Little Maid Decorated Eggs

Egg Time

If you have been filling your nest with eggs it should be full by now because it’s Easter Sunday tomorrow and the children will be expecting their eggs.

Boiled Eggs

If you haven’t made the chocolate ones and you haven’t made the needle felted ones, you still have time to boil an egg.

I chose two double yolk organic eggs from a local farmer’s market and boiled them for 7 minuets, then plunged them into cold water so that a black line wouldn’t develop inside, and left them over night.

Two Little Maids

Braided brown wool tied with red shiny parcel tie provided their hair and acrylic paint their faces. I hope that the children won’t mind breaking them open to provide a healthy lunch!

The Hand Made Card

Card framed and hanging on wall

What usually happens to even the most precious birthday card? It is thrown away, and if I was going to spend an afternoon hand crafting a birthday card I didn’t want that to happen.

Something really special was needed for my husband whose birthday was also the day which would see him retire from work. Sometimes this is a stressful time, and lack of status which employment brings needs some adjustment. A morale booster was in order!

Chinese Astrology

The Chinese Astrological system came to my rescue. It isn’t necessary to believe in any system to use the iconography, but in this case it worked for me!

The Rooster

People born in 1945, yes baby boomers, were born in the year of the Rooster which has the most brilliant colour scheme of reds, black, and purple with yellow highlights. I found an illustration and then interpreted it in needle felted wool.

Attributes of the Rooster

I used the features attributed to the Rooster to make a rhyme:

The Rooster

You are a Rooster capable and wise
With thoughts that sing a deep song
You do not sleep through a brilliant sunrise
And all your thoughts are brave and strong.

Framed

I cut card to fit a picture frame that I already had, and as soon as he received it he wanted it framed and up on the wall. I call that success.

My Husband the Poet

My efforts have inspired my husband to write more verses around the Chinese Astrological symbols, http://www.poetryweaver.com and of course I will make more needle felted pictures to go with them.

My basket of coloured Merino needle felting wool

Lamb Amongst Spring Flowers

Making An Easter Lamb

I saw some lambs with their mother’s playing in a field and couldn’t resist making one for my grand daughter.

Needle Felting Again

It’s good old reliable needle felting again, and once more my stash was raided.

Having ready washed and combed fleece means that sculpting can be done at a moments notice, as the mood or season takes me.

Have Your Wool Ready

I also have felting needles and foam pad ready for when I need them. This also means thinking ahead. You will be glad that you did.

All Wool and Needles Needed for Resting Lamb

Now is the time to start thinking about your fleece stash.

All woollen sculpture can be made with any fleece, but the best use of fleece that can’t be used for spinning is the basis of sculpture. This is always inexpensive and sometimes free.

My fleece comes from organic Kite’s Nest Farm in Worcestershire. They only have four sheep which means that their wool doesn’t have to go to the Wool Marketing Board. One of the sheep has such poor quality wool that it is better to use it in ways other than spinning. I always have too much for my own projects though, so should any reader require fleece, do get in touch, and I’m sure that I can provide some for you.

Make Your Basic Shape

When you have made your basic shape then you can apply colour or a different fleece to make a different texture for your sculpture. I buy coloured Merino tops for this purpose, and these too are inexpensive, as you get a lot for your money.

The picture below is of Kite’s Nest sheep when they were young, browsing on the roses.

Roses Good Enough to Eat..

Woolly Nest for Woolly Eggs

Warm and woolly nest

Yesterday I was contemplating the Easter season, which will soon be upon us, and decided to make the children felted eggs, and now perhaps some good chocolate ones too.

Easter resolutions

My resolution that I wouldn’t supply a surfeit of chocolate didn’t last long, but I will compromise with myself and my good intentions by making a selection of eggs.

An egg needs a nest

A clutch of eggs is in need of a good nest. I made this one today from the yards of French knitting that I wasn’t sure what to do with.

Coils and Macramé

The bottom is just a coil but the outer walls are macramé twist knotted for thickness and stability. All finished off with some ribbon from my craft stash.

Tomorrow I start on the eggs…

The First Snowdrops of Spring

First signs of Spring

The cold weather makes the first fragile heads of the Snowdrop even more precious.

I had been wondering what to produce for the next round of presents, and of course  these little gems reminded me that Easter isn’t that far away.

It’s very easy to rush and buy chocolate eggs for the children, but I don’t want to do that. They have so much chocolate that it overwhelms them and another egg is met with polite thanks, but no excitement.

What can I make that will be acceptable to a five year old?

Something that can be played with, will be soft to the touch but bright in colour and as the clump of snowdrops reminded me, looks like a nest.

Needle Felting

I think that the yards of French knitting will make a nest and combed wool will make very pretty eggs with which to fill it. A chicken would be something to aim for….we will see.