What better remedy after a long morning trying to locate records for the tax man than to run to the craft store for supplies to open our own wizard's mint? Budza's BFF, the Divine Miss M., came over around one o'clock, and after I came back from our wonderful art supply store, Play Time Crafts, in Arlington Center, laden with Fimo, glitter, spell bottles with corks, phoenix feathers and lengths of wooden dowel for wands, they started rolling out metallic Fimo clay and making their own currency. There was a yard of sparkling green felt and some gold curtain rope to make money bags, and some parchment paper for making their own spellbooks. Miss M. is very good at writing Viking runes, and she says it's because she's already memorized the Hebrew aleph-bet.
We had a good time finding projects in The Book of Wizard's Craft, by Janice Eaton Kilby (Lark Books 2001), "in which the Apprentice Finds Spells, Potions, Fantastic Tales, and 50 Enchanting Things to Make." We can't wait to make the shrunken mandrake heads, but need to locate some alum first. Miss M. finally went home with a spell jar full of fairy wings and phoenix feathers, an emerald green felt reticle full of newly minted Queen M. money, a book of spells, a sparkly wand, and a feathered owl mask (feathers from our feather duster, quite a nice effect). What is great about Kilby's book is that it's the rare kids' craft book of things you can make (low cost, things you might actually have on hand) that you also WANT to make. My husband got apples and alum from the store, so tomorrow we might make the Mandrake Shrunken Heads.
Some great sites to check out for your own crafty wizard day:
Foe Viking runes, check out The Runic Journey, at http://www.tarahill.com/runes/index.html
T.H. White's The Book of Beasts, online at the University of Wisconsin. Good text for Magical Creatures 101.
Online exhibit at the University of Illinois website of alchemy books from 1500-1964, with lots of great woodcuts that would look way cool printed on some fake parchment paper.
Huge Alchemy web portal here.
There was a Merlin Festival in Wales in 2007, but I've been unable to find details for a 2008 festival. If I do, I'll post it.
Ooooohh.. These resources are fantastic. Thank you -- I am much inspired.
ReplyDeleteAnd funny enough, I also have "The Book of Wizard Craft!" I've never made any crafts from it (and have no children yet), but I do love to pick it up and daydream. It's just, well, magically fun!
It does hit the sweet spot, doesn't it? So many craft books are either full of things that are too expensive or difficult or fiddly to make or else things not worth the bother and kind of instant clutter when you're done. The Fimo money one was especially fun.
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