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JennGM
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Epiphany comes next week. I would like to make crowns for the kings (children) and a small crown for Baby Jesus.
I'd love to see different suggestions for making crowns.
And any quick kingly cloak suggestions?
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Jennifer G. Miller
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nissag
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Oh Jenn, I was just thinking about you... And a little angel whispered in my ear about this very topic last night! There is always construction paper in a pinch. Christmas crackers always have those adorable tissue paper crowns in them...
I bought - for the first time in my career as a mother - craft foam sheets! I was thinking I could fashion crowns from those... But my all-time ultimate crown would be made out of wool felt, embroidered and decorated and saved from one year to the next. I was inspired by this. And I found a great source for beautiful wool felt here!
A girl can dream!
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JennGM
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nissag wrote:
Oh Jenn, I was just thinking about you... And a little angel whispered in my ear about this very topic last night! There is always construction paper in a pinch. Christmas crackers always have those adorable tissue paper crowns in them...
I bought - for the first time in my career as a mother - craft foam sheets! I was thinking I could fashion crowns from those... But my all-time ultimate crown would be made out of wool felt, embroidered and decorated and saved from one year to the next. I was inspired by this. And I found a great source for beautiful wool felt here! |
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Aw, shucks, thank you, Nissa.
I've never bought the foam before, either. I always talk myself out of it. I think it's merely my snobbery that I feel like it's not a natural craft. I need to get over it. 
I am thinking of a crown that will be used again and again...but nothing else comes to mind other than cardboard. My crafty brain cells are somewhat killed off this season.
That link is a beautiful crown. Do you think that's wool felt? Would you have to stitch the edges to keep from fraying in felt? Would wool felt be stiff enough?
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Elizabeth
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Oh, Nissa, that crown is scrumptious! And the wool begs for just such a project. Filing for next year; I'm certain the wool wouldn't arrive on time. And eek! It's pretty costly...
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Mary G
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JennGM wrote:
I am thinking of a crown that will be used again and again...but nothing else comes to mind other than cardboard. My crafty brain cells are somewhat killed off this season. |
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Could you try using a hard plastic headband or plastic canvas cut to size?
JennGM wrote:
That link is a beautiful crown. Do you think that's wool felt? Would you have to stitch the edges to keep from fraying in felt? Would wool felt be stiff enough?
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Wool felt shouldn't "fray" so you wouldn't necessarily have to stitch it ... wool felt would definitlely be stiff enough (especially if you doubled it) but to be on the safe side, I'd definitely put plastic or cardboard inside.
I do like this idea for next year -- no time to do it this year -- but that's good as I like to do only one or two new traditions each year and I've got the Advent Blocks this year ....
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JennGM
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Elizabeth wrote:
| Oh, Nissa, that crown is scrumptious! And the wool begs for just such a project. Filing for next year; I'm certain the wool wouldn't arrive on time. And eek! It's pretty costly... |
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Locally, I'm wondering if G Street Fabrics might have a good option for wool felt? I'll have to call. If you go to their website there is a coupon to print and use, too.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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nissag
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Yes, that crown was wool felt. She made it from two layers, I believe, and it looks plenty stiff. You could always sandwich some fusible interfacing between layers. The beauty of felt is that you don't have to worry about fraying. It begs to be cut with decorative scissors.
I'm a card-carrying fibersnob, which is why it took me so long to buy that foamy stuff. I caved under pressure from my kids to try some - kinda like when they HAVE to try a twinkie. Blehk! We'll see how it goes.
That lovely felt is pretty pricey, Elizabeth, but I suspect that, with careful storage, it would last generations. I think I'll file away for next Epiphany, too!
This year, I think we'll stick with construction paper, crayons, glitter, glue and kids...lots of kids!
Now where did I put that stack of clean washcloths??
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Mary G
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Elizabeth wrote:
| Oh, Nissa, that crown is scrumptious! And the wool begs for just such a project. Filing for next year; I'm certain the wool wouldn't arrive on time. And eek! It's pretty costly... |
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Elizabeth, if you google "waldorf crafts" or "wool felt" you should pull up lots of places that carry this variety of felt ... one really great resource is A Child's Dream Come True or Willow Tree Toys. These have so many cool crafts (and yes, JennGM, they're all natural  ) that I can never decide what to buy!
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Nissa, thanks for linking to that crown! I have been enjoying Soule Mama's blog - lots of wonderful crafts and ideas there.  I just loooove wool felt. I'm always looking for craft projects that call for it. 
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JennGM wrote:
Elizabeth wrote:
| Oh, Nissa, that crown is scrumptious! And the wool begs for just such a project. Filing for next year; I'm certain the wool wouldn't arrive on time. And eek! It's pretty costly... |
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Locally, I'm wondering if G Street Fabrics might have a good option for wool felt? I'll have to call. If you go to their website there is a coupon to print and use, too. |
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Jenn,
I am quite certain that G Street sells wool felt. They do not sell it by the sheet and the colors are probably limited. I think I saw wool felt at JoAnne's in early December. That crown is absolutely gorgeous, I will have to look through my scraps of felt to see if I have enough to make it.
I am pretty sure Magic Cabin sells wool felt.
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I've heard you can felt your own wool with sweaters from the thrift store, although they may not be hand dyed or natural dyes, you can get some pretty great brands especially at this time of year. Throw them in the washer on hot and dry them. You may have to repeat.
We felted some wool in 4H the last 2 years. It isn't too hard. There is also a kool-aid dying process that I talked with the wool lady about but we didn't try. I'm sure it can be "googled."
I'm still thinking about other crowns to wear Jenn, but how about decorating some gingerbread "crowns" to eat?
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I pick up wool sweaters at Salvation Army and St. VdeP to make all sorts of things. Wash them in hot water - the more your machine agitates, the better the felting will go i.e. the tighter the felt will be.
Which leads me to another hobby on my radar - needlefelting. Check out this site. I'm on another list with Pat, the artist.
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Cloak pattern here, Jenn
The kids have been asking for them forever.... hopefully this is the year.
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Sorry for the lateness of this post - but I did manage to put up a picture of our homemade crown. It's made from flannel backed plastic like would be used for tableclothes. This style is shiny metalic - great for crowns.
And do I have to admit to being a "tacky crafter" because we do have fun foam here as a craft staple?
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Mary,
That came out great! Clever to use a metallic tablecloth fabric - never would have occured to me. Boy you could get a bunch of those crowns out of it too!
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I truly love all the ideas here!
This may sound a bit silly, but it works extremely well in a pinch: Swing by your local Burger King, and get a couple of paper crowns. Spray paint in gold (a very good method), and let the kids add jewels.
We have also made one dimensional crowns out of felt or tissue. Then again, there is always Sculpey when in doubt.
[Disclaimer: I think the Burger King thing suggested above was my idea, but I have a horrible feeling that someone else may have come up with this a few years ago. If so, please forgive me, and let me know. I hope this isn't a George Harrison "My Sweet Lord" moment.]
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alicegunther wrote:
| This may sound a bit silly, but it works extremely well in a pinch: Swing by your local Burger King, and get a couple of paper crowns. Spray paint in gold (a very good method), and let the kids add jewels. |
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I don't think it's silly - I think it's brilliant! And I can get fries while I'm there. 
For those of you who sew here's an idea from my friend Linda Fitzgerald:
quilted dress up crown
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JennGM
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alicegunther wrote:
| This may sound a bit silly, but it works extremely well in a pinch: Swing by your local Burger King, and get a couple of paper crowns. Spray paint in gold (a very good method), and let the kids add jewels. |
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Not silly, Alice. It's been done here! We've also been known to not even decorate them when we're really pressed for time!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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MaryM wrote:
Sorry for the lateness of this post - but I did manage to put up a picture of our homemade crown. It's made from flannel backed plastic like would be used for tableclothes. This style is shiny metalic - great for crowns.
And do I have to admit to being a "tacky crafter" because we do have fun foam here as a craft staple? |
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Oh, it's great. I don't think I've seen tablecloths like that. Hints for stores would be helpful!
Now, did I used the word "tacky"? If I did, I'm sorry. Nothing you do is every "tacky" Mary!
I'm just newer to the world of children's crafting materials...and have to get over myself!
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JennGM
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GORGEOUS!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Topic: King and Crown Crafts
