SouleMama

SouleMama Sponsor ~ BAMBOLETTA DOLLS ~

Today's SouleMama Sponsor is Bamboletta Dolls  - maker of "natural companions for your little ones." At Bamboletta you can order your own custom-made doll, or 'adopt' a doll from the selection of already-made dolls and doll accessories. Follow along on the Bamboletta blog (where she's hosting a giveaway of her own this week!).

From Bamboletta Dolls:
"The giveaway is for "Blossom", the 15" doll photographed above. Blossom is lovingly handcrafted and built to become a companion for your child for many years. She is made with cotton interlock and then stuffed with clean, carded, Canadian wool. Wool is a fantastic material for children as it is antibacterial, it warms to the touch, is snuggly and absorbs the smells of home making Blossom a comfort doll on many levels.  Her dress is made with cotton, she has underpants on, wool felt shoes, and a wool sweater knit by my Nonna. Her hair is made with mohair, alpaca and wool lopi. She has brown eyes."

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To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment in this post! I'll close comments and announce the winner by Sunday 12pm EST.

Bamboletta Dolls is also offering a 10% off coupon to SouleMama readers. Use code "SOULE10" at checkout.

Thank you, Bamboletta! And good luck, everyone!

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Comments closed! The winner is...

Darling doll! My bug would adore that sweet girl.
Posted by: dig this chick

Thanks to all for playing along, and thank you to Bamboletta Dolls!

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this season

 

Pictures of our spring season would be incomplete without a little bit of our baseball season. This year, we've entered the busy world of baseball and T-ball, and coaching to boot. And a fourth just willing herself to be four - the age at which she can play on her own team.

Oh, baseball. I never thought it would become such a part of my life. But it has (oh, the things these little ones teach us)...and I love it. I love watching them huddle around the radio at night for a Red Sox game. I love watching one of them so amped up and excited to play his Little League game that he can hardly sleep the night before a game. I love watching the others tap dance of excitement on first base, second base and every base and position on the field. I love watching my son wrestle with a ridiculous amount of over-sized gear to play his favorite position behind home plate. I love watching my children interact and play on a team with kids they've never met before. I love watching their sister chant (loudly) their names from the stands. And I love watching their Papa coach - in a game he's always loved so much.

Though I must admit -my favorite games? They're still the ones in the backyard before dinner, in which they all dress up in long johns ("baseball pants", of course), use cardboard boxes for the bases, keep score with chalk on the side of the swing set, and cheer each other on. Yup, those are the best games of my season.

 

crafting for Nellie

Nellie says thank you for all the sweet welcome wishes. And we do too. It's been two and three years since we said goodbye to our doggies Luka and Mow, and we've missed them - and having a dog in the house - every day since. We're thrilled to have Nellie around. Even if it means a few sleepless nights in the process. Oh, we are indeed sleepy...

Banjo, too, thanks you for your concern. He's doing just fine - holding his own against the new one quite well, and lodged permanently and snugly in Adelaide's 'best pet' status. The kids are all loving Nellie right up (besides watching her sleep, the second favorite activity is making Nellie obstacle courses in the yard). And for now, and at least until Nellie learns some family manners - Harper and Nellie are enjoying each other from a safe distance.

So the top-secret full-family crafting project(s) I mentioned earlier this week? For Nellie, of course! In the anticipation leading up to her arrival, there was a lot of preparing for Nellie. Talking, planning, cleaning, and crafting too. A bed was first.

After much debate about what Nellie's favorite color would be (they each lobbied for their own favorite) I hauled out a bin of fabric scraps and told them to pick out some favorites. Handing them to me at the sewing machine one after another in quite a flurry, we came up with the first log cabin square. Amazingly, it sorta/kinda/maybe had a color theme going on. So from there, the bed grew. It's a quilted cover of sorts, with about 25 snaps on the bottom (oh yes- that snap press was used to all it's glory) to make it easy to remove and wash. The insert is a cushion I made out of an almost vinyl-like material. I wanted something tight that I could wash with a cloth without getting all the stuffing wet.

And then, onto collars and leashes! This one has that oh-so-sweet red riding hood ribbon from Rosa.

The leashes have become such a great, successful kid project around here - simple webbing and ribbon, a few straight lines of sewing, and they're done.

Just how many collars and leashes does one pup need? Hmnn... With everyone wanting to make at least one of their own, I think she's plenty well supplied.

And they have plans for lots more.

{Some details: The bed, collars and leashes I made without a pattern, for better or worse. But I've since remembered there's a pattern for a dog collar in Amy Karol's Bend-the-Rules Sewing, and a pattern for a doggie bed in Anna Maria Horner's Seams to Me. The "hardware" for the collars and leashes can be found on Etsy - search for "dog collar hardware" or "swivel snap" in the supply category. Most of my embroidered ribbon comes from Les' Bon Ribbon.}

Nellie!

 

Meet Nellie!

Our 7 week old lab/great dane/who-knows-what-else rescue pup. She's been here for just a few days, but it already feels like she's been a part of our family forever.  She is adored, doted on, and only slightly smothered in love.

We're so glad she's here!

what I'm enjoying, right now

:: Calvin's woodchuck "trap". Hey - it could work.

:: This very exciting full-family craft project (to be revealed oh-so-soon!)

:: eating dinner outside each night

:: the arrival of this fabric (princess and the pea!!!) from the far, far away line



:: waking up with lilacs at my bedside



:: watching Harper giggle through the sibling puppet/dance/song/music shows



:: the smell of apple blossoms



:: rhubarb pie, rhubarb soda, rhubarb tartlets and rhubarb crisp



:: Putting something new into the ground each day



:: dandelion wishes



:: Did I mention the rhubarb pie?

saturday market

Early, early this morning at the Saturday Farmer's Market - one of my favorite ways to start a summer weekend.

I'll be back on Tuesday. Have a lovely weekend!

SoulePapa Blogs :: A Fortress in Time

This fort runs thick with the vibe of crumbling memories from an era which I stretch to fathom.  A time of insecurity and struggle which lead the people of this place, which is our home, to build shelter in the hillside and watch for the enemy. 

My children walk across this history with steps light and eyes alive.
 


Thrilled by the mystery of a tunnel through which they can travel back into the dark recesses and explore its' damp path.  I try and explain the why and how and when but much of the story rings hollow with generalities and loose ends which I struggle to tie.  I can't seem to connect myself to the humans that roamed across this landscape from a past that seems distant...but isn't.  I answer the childrens' questions to the limit of my knowledge.   
Finally, I crouch with my back against an abundantly cracked wall, being consumed by vegetation.  The wall is slowly, slowly being devoured by the hillside.  This seems natural enough but suggests an urgency for me to decipher this code of disconnection before it disappears all together.
I think of the late Utah Phillips and his assertion that "the past didn't go anywhere".  That we are standing among it all the time.  I feel this. 
As I lean against that wall and watch the children explore I am reminded of the present.  Reminded of those places where eyes are still watching for the enemy.  Where children still need to take cover. 

I talk with my kids about when they are not feeling safe. 

This, they understand.

One day they will contemplate the riddles of the past.  The injustices of the present.  The threads that bind the two together.  I see that my ancestors that built this fort had both a past to contemplate and a future to shape.  They were farmers and fishermen and artists and teachers.  Not just fighters. Through the distance of time I think that, like me, they would be happy to see children playing on this hillside.

colors at the cove

Sometimes Ezra will see something and excitedly say, "That's a color I see in my head!"

When I'm at the ocean, I know just what he's talking about.

handwritten

Our house is littered with notes. Pieces of paper of all sizes taped and tacked and tucked everywhere. Things they want to remember. Projects they've begun. Lists. Stats. Names. Half-finished letters. Declarations.

I step on paper, every table is cluttered with paper, and I look in the mirror and see paper. But just as I begn to shout, "Please stop taping your name to the bathroom mirror!" I (try to) remember:

Soon her "E's" will have just three legs. Soon every "S" will be turned the right way. Soon his cursive will look like that of an adult. Soon "fancy letters" will become more rare. Soon all that fabulous phonetic spelling will be changed.

And suddenly, these things that threatened to clutter my house and my head just moments earlier, have transformed into precious artifacts and sweet reminders from these days.

photographing a skirt

My Yard Sale Skirt from Heather Ross' Weekend Sewing. I added one more panel than recommended in the book (I made a size small, so seven panels total - Heather's page has all the errata here). I think if I were to make it again, I might even add one more panel. The way it is now is fine, I just need to wear it fairly high up on my waist to fit comfortably. And, I've been wearing a slip with it - I'm not so into flashing.

I love it though - it was easy to sew up, and my goodness, I do love french seams. The fabric is Amy Butler from a few seasons ago. It was the only piece I had big enough in my stash to make the skirt with. I never, ever buy this much yardage normally (I think I had 5 yards of it), so it must have been for something specific. I'm hoping I'm not too bummed when I eventually remember what that something was. Hmn. Did I tell you what I was going to do with it? Maybe I blogged it.

Adelaide came in while I was taking the first photo and asked, "but is it twirly?"  Well, of course it's twirly. What's the point of a skirt otherwise?

I finished this skirt in late March, but hadn't managed to take a picture of it yet. That is, until a little bit of Manfrotto made it's way into my life on Mother's Day, courtesy of my sweet husband and babes. (And "Manfrotto" by the way, is the new favorite family word. Say it - don't forget to roll you "r's" - and tell me that wasn't fun. Pretend you're onstage in an Italian opera and it's even more fun.) Anyway, I am quite happy to now have my dream little tripod.

You might think these kids have enough of the camera in their lives. Between photographing for two books, this blog, their portfolios (I use photography to document our homeschooling), and everyday snapshots - the camera is around quite a bit. It doesn't feel intrusive, I don't think, but surely a constant. One that no one seems to mind or even pay all that much attention to, usually.

But there's nothing like the beacon that goes off when Mama is standing with remote in hand and camera on tripod. Clearly trying to get a shot without them in it. From near and far they run...and a party ensues. And for every shot like the one at the top of this post, I have a dozen like below. (I love them.)

Hmn....I wonder who they really got that tripod for...

in the ground

A trip to the farmers market this weekend yielded so very much: early morning visits with friends and neighbors; the gathering of Maine's early treats - rhubarb and fiddleheads; and some extra seedlings and words of wisdom from the farmers sharing them.

At home, the last soil preparations were made, the markers were crafted, and just a few more raised beds - of all (child-made) shapes and sizes - were added to the growing collection of boxes we call our humble garden. And then, we planted. With hands in soil, we worked and talked - of plants and farms and food and the future dreams of our little family.

As a new season of growth begins for us in the garden, I feel the growth of my children too.  I'm reminded through this seasonal rhythm we celebrate and treasure - these yearly markers of time passing. One tells me ever-so-gently that I'm putting the potatoes in the ground incorrectly. He knows how to do this better than I (and he really does - with his memory and his body that has gardened his whole life. I still look in books). One explains to his sister in great detail and with accuracy just how it is that all that worm poop is good for her peas. She, old enough now to write, makes markers for each crop with an enormous amount of pride. And this year, I feel the kicks of a happy, vibrant boy on my back - the one who was still just a dream himself at planting time last year.

And thus, another season of growing begins.

SouleMama Sponsor ~ Damestar Baby ~

Today's SouleMama Sponsor is Damestar Baby - the creative endeavor of two stay-at-home mamas. They make unique, rad, funky, handmade children's clothing, many based on their own watercolor paintings. You can follow along on their blog for all the behind-the-scenes action.

They've offered a giveaway prize today of three shirts in one package! Photographed above, you'll receive an Owl, Jewel Beetle, and Guitar Tank. The winner can choose from sizes 2T to 6T.

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment in this post. I'll close comments and announce the winner by Sunday 9am EST.

Damestar Baby is also offering a 15% discount on the goods in their shop to SouleMama readers. To get that, enter "soulemama" in your Notes to Seller at checkout.

Good luck, everyone! And thanks, Damestar Baby!!

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Comments closed! The winner is...

OH! I love their store! I was looking at them not too long ago... Love the owl shirt!
Posted by : jfork

Thanks to all for playing along! The Damestar Baby discount is good through the end of of May, so check them out!

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the latest and greatest

I think I'm onto something here - the latest and greatest in baby gear (or at least for those born of crafty Mamas).

Harper has a new-found complete and utter adoration for the swift. Laying underneath it, he stares as it spins - mesmerized. He giggles hysterically with arms and legs all flapping, like it's the funniest thing he's ever seen. He stops to look up at me - just to be sure I see it too. And that I get the joke. Which I do, of course. I really do.

Sometimes I do wonder about the kinds of memories my kids will have from their childhood. Odd - perhaps.  But hopefully good.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

here & there

Your weekly dose of beach photos!

The water's still downright COLD (the kids - with their differently-wired internal thermometer - are the only ones swimming yet), and often a trip the beach requires a sweater. But that's not stopping us - we're out there loving it every day that we can.

On that note, the seasonal flow of vacationers into my email inbox has started, so I wanted to direct you to the post I wrote last year for AlphaMom - 50 Things to Do With Your Kids in Portland, Maine. I'm a little biased, but I do think it's a pretty great place. Anytime of year. But summer? Summer's special around here.

One little jaunt "away" that we're getting excited about is the upcoming Squam Arts Workshop, June 3-7th in the nearby White Mountains of New Hampshire. Elizabeth just sent over this video which is getting me all pumped up about the event. There's a whole slew of amazing teachers and classes (and I think there's still a bit of room for registering if you're just deciding now). I'll be speaking on Friday night. If you're local and unable to attend the workshop, there's also a Squam Revelry - Ravelry Party & Marketplace on Saturday night that's open to all. 

Did any of you attend last year? Or are any of you planning on coming this year? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!

Art, beautiful people and a New England lake in early summer? Oh yes, I'll leave my beaches (for just a little while) for that...

from where we often are

For all the cluttered, busy, colorful bits through the rest of our house, I try hard to keep our bedroom as sparse as I possibly can. It's the only room in our house in which there are not one - but sometimes four (gasp!) blank walls. It feels different than the rest of our space, I think,  and I really love that about it. It feels peaceful, even - dare I say - calm (relatively speaking, of course, with often a bed full of little people).

Recently though, after spending a whole lot of time in there awake - many times a day, every day for the past six months, to be precise - that same blank wall that I usually love has been calling out to me for something. All that nursing baby time - staring at the same wall with nothing on it - just wasn't doing it for me anymore. 

So on just one wall - the one wall I always seem to be staring at (trying not to fall asleep myself), now holds a cluster of some of my favorite things to look at. Full of mismatched frames, contrasting styles, varied textures, and many colors - it's a hodge-podge, to be sure. But each and every thing I see there feels good to me. I'm loving it.

Mostly though, there's a whole lot of staring at this - these toes, those chubby fingers, that baby hair fuzz, those little ears. My fourth sweet babe, and I tell you, the amazing-ness, the sweetness and the beauty of these quiet little moments we have together hasn't gotten a wee bit less lovely than it was eight years ago with my first, or six months ago when Harper was first born. Except that, maybe, I have a little bit more understanding about just how fast time is moving. And so I hold him a little bit closer. And I gaze just a little bit longer...

knitting trials and tribulations

 Don't mistake my recent lack of talking about knitting for a lack of knitting activity. Oh no. There's been a whole bunch of that. It's just that they've all - in mostly dramatic and comical ways - landed themselves firmly in this basket, my current Basket of Duds:

In here, we have no less than: one diaper cover, one shawl, one dress for Ada, one sweater for Harper, one vest for Ezra, and one oh-so-nearly-finished (I even bought the buttons) sweater for Mama. Every single one of them? Duds! Somehow - some way - each and every project has gone awry until this basket was full and my working basket was all but empty. I mean, they're not total failures. The beautiful yarns (it's not their fault) will be resurrected and given another go, and made into something else eventually. (We just need a little time and space from each other first.)

I have this theory - that I don't really want to believe - that my brain can only handle knitting or sewing at one time. Not both. Just one. But like I said, I'm not accepting that theory just yet (despite the basket full of evidence). Six duds in a row? Oh, I'm not giving up that easily. Nope, I'm a persistant crafter, I am.

So there's nothing to be done but keep on keeping on. And surround oneself in inspiration. What better form of inspiration exists than a browse through the rows of fiber to be found at Halcyon Yarns? Ah, yes.

Yes, yes, yes.

Some Mother's Day wandering, some fiber-fondling, and a few beautiful skeins of Malabrigo silky merino later, I've got myself a fresh start. Another shawl - this one a bit bigger than the other one I love so very much. With yarn in the color of the sea - for good luck.

I have a good feeling about this one, I really do. (Besides, it has to work out - the Dud Basket is too full to accept another...)

on Mama's Day

I'm still recovering from being slightly spoiled yesterday by these four cuties (and their amazing Papa). A day spent with them - breakfast in bed, homemade presents and hand drawn cards, a clean house and the ocean. What more could a Mama want? I can't think of a thing. I feel lucky.

I hope everyone's day was special and full of love - either as a mama, as a mama-to-be, or with the special mamas in your life. I sure wish the entire globe celebrated it on one same day. Can you imagine the collective power that could generate by honoring Mothers all at once? Hmn, might move the world, I tell you. 

A few Mother's Day thoughts still on my mind this morning:

• the original Mother's Day Proclamation by Julia Ward Howe. I'm reminded to read it each year, and always moved by doing so.

• You can never have too many mothers. On our evolutionary need for support as mothers.

• At My Place, Every Day is Mother's Day by Scott Simon, about his wife. It's sweet.

Have a beautiful day, friends!

SoulePapa Blogs :: (Note to Self)

Sometimes it moves pretty quick.  When you don't have time to think.  React.  Remember days when all you had was time.  Time to reflect.  Now.  Now is for living. 

Just live. 

Wake up, tie your boots on and get out in it.  Smell it, feel it.  Roll down the windows so you can hear it.  Listen.  Make some noise so you can be part of it.  Put your hands in it.  Deep.  Pick it up and toss it around.  Break it open against the ground.  Flip it over.  Drink it up.  Let it spill.  Touch. 

Take the time to do that.

Take the effort to throw it a mile high and kick it when it comes down.  Hug it and don't let it go.  Stare at it.  Clench your fists and yell it.  Raise your arms to celebrate it.   Hold it's hands and dance.  Close your eyes and take a chance.  Make it happen.

Crawl through it on your hands and knees.  Surrender.  Defy.  Rebel.  Let it break you down.  Get up with it.  Run with it until your legs give out and you can't breathe or move or shout.  Encircle it.  Let it in. Float in it.  Spin...  Smile.  Ride.  Stack it up into the sky.  Burn it down to feel the heat.  Chase it down a city street.

Tell it jokes until you cry.  Cry with it.  Cry with it until you smile.  Laugh with it for a while.

Make it pretty.  Give it away.  Cover it with mud.  Let it stay.

Race it to the edges of the Earth.  Jump with it.  Fly above.

Dream about it. 

Shower it with love.  Protect it.

Never.  Ever.  Forget it.

Don't forget.

(Note to Self)

This is it.

 

spring emerging

It's been a wet and rainy week around here, which looks to be continuing for a few more days to come. So our work and play has come back inside. With adventurous treks out in the rain, and quick dashes into the sun whenever the rain takes a little rest.

Calvin came in after one wet, soaky trip to the trees yesterday and remarked, "Every time I go out, it's like there's something new out there!"

Indeed! This is the time of year - everything is coming to life. And even more so with all this rain speeding up the growth process. The flurry of activity with the people seems to mimic that of the plants as well - so very much going on.

people::

 

 

 

plants::

 

 

 

 

SoulePapa is in tomorrow. And then I'll be back on Monday. I hope you all have a wonderful few days!

Keep Drawing!

I heard artist Mo Willems on NPR last night (Getting Adults to Draw). He observes that "people stop drawing when they decide they're not good at it...[but] Nobody stops playing basketball once they realize they're not going to be a professional."

Hear, Hear! Keep drawing!

He says, and I firmly believe, that in order for children to want to draw and to continue that into adulthood, they need to see the adults around them draw. They need adults to draw with them. No matter what our "skill-level" or whatever hang ups we may have about being - or not being - "an artist," if we want our children to draw/paint/knit/sew/make, we must be doing it too. And really - what a wonderful assignment for us as parents, you know? Of benefit to us all...

He talks about Family Draw, which mirrors a bit of what we do here with our Family Drawing Time (that I wrote about in The Creative Family). Though, Mo's version of Family Draw involves a big piece of paper (or chalkboard), and a theme on which everyone draws - adults and children alike.

Inspired by his words, we had a Family Draw last night in the time between dinner and bedtime. I rolled out our butcher block paper onto the dining table (These rolls are great for so many things. Mine's leftover from my mom's teaching days. I have seen the rolls available here, though I've never purchased from them.) We used the most basic and easy of supplies (it was the end of the day, after all) - just crayons, pencils, and colored pencils. And then we each took turns choosing a 'theme' for all to draw for five minutes or so:

Mama - Your favorite bird
Calvin - The back of your favorite baseball jersey
Ezra -Something that reminds you of Leonardo Da Vinci
Adelaide - Draw the sun
Papa - Rain on new leaves

...and round and round it went.

 

 A very good, loud, silly, fun, art-filled time was had by all. I know I've said it a million times before, but there is something truly magical that happens when a group of people - and especially a family - creates together.  On equal playing field, the essence of who each of us are truly shines, and a connection happens that is unlike any other.

And I dare say that after putting all the kids to bed, that table full of art was awfully tempting to both Steve and I....especially when compared with the alternative of end-of-day kitchen cleanup. Hmnn, which to choose?

sewing for summer

 

There's lots of sewing-for-summer happening here by all - pocketknife pouches, camping pillows, and all sorts of other gear is coming through the sewing machine at the hands of these boys. (And somehow...everything they make 'needs' a snap. Because who doesn't love using that snap press?!)

But their quick stops into the house to make/eat/get something are always followed by another immediate dash out of the house and into the woods/fort/bike. They move fast. Not exactly conducive to a little blog photo session with Mama. "No time for that!" they tell me. They've got things to do.

But skirts don't move. Nope. They're perfectly still, blowing in the wind of the clothesline and conducive to some photo taking with a babe on my back and another at my heels....

...asking for a skirt of her own. How could I resist just one matchy-match set? Just one. Elastic waist skirts are pretty much my uniform of summer. (I use my own pattern, traced from an old skirt I love. And the fabrics here are all vintage.) Adelaide's skirt is made using the wonderful (and free!) Lazy Days Skirt Pattern (found on the Oliver + S blog - in the sidebar). Simple, sweet and easy - just as it should be.

Ah, sweet summer sewing!

her weekend list

The (older) boys took to the woods this weekend, leaving Adelaide, Harper and I all alone. (I say as if I really wanted to sleep on the ground in May in Maine with an infant. And the black flies. Ahem. Really it's all about the black flies - I'll join them in a month. The infant is just my excuse. Shhhh.)

After the flurry of getting everyone out the door, I looked to Adelaide in the quiet of the house and said, "Well. It's you and me! What should we do?"

And true to her style - this fellow Virgo daughter of mine - she took a deep breath, put her hands on her hips and with a long drawn out "Weeeell...." began to rattle off her list. It went just like this, in her words:

1. Move furniture! (Is there any doubt she is my child?)

2. Paint our fingers and toes. (We like the ingredients in this stuff.)

3. Eat cookies. (Recipe courtesy of Maria.)

4. Find dead bugs for my collection! (We found a living toad. She was happy with that.)

5. Make something for Banjo-Kitty. (A new cushion for him to sleep on in her room.)

6. Play with Harpie-Pie. (He obliged by being her first mate.)

And there you have it. It was a fabulous list. And a great weekend.

I hope yours was too!

SouleMama Sponsor :: Americana

{top photo: welcome home, bottom photo: til tomorrow}

From Americana:
"A·mer·i·ca·na (-mr-kän, -kn, -kn) n. 1. (used with a sing. or pl. verb) Materials relating to American history, folklore, or geography or considered to be typical of American culture.

Jen started Americana as a way to keep track of the everyday people, places and things she saw all around her living in the Commonwealth state of Pennsylvania. What first started as a photo project has become so much more to her. Because americana is all around and she thinks it's amazing when you take the time to look. She thought it would be cool to have a little shop to be able to share those places with you. And justify spending money on rolls of film and vintage cameras, with a mother's salary. She hopes you will agree and take a gander."

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Today's giveaway from Americana is a package of three prints of the winners choice! There will be two lucky winners. To enter at your chance, leave a comment in today's post. I'll close comments and announce the two winners by 8am EST on Monday.

Americana is also offering a 15% discount for SouleMama readers - just enter the code "soulemama" at checkout.

Good luck, everyone!

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Comments closed! The winners are...

simply delightful...as always, thank you for your collective generosity. 
Posted by: qmama

so beautiful - and I love the titles of the photos!
Posted by: Ivalou

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SouleMama Sponsor :: Le Papier Studio

Today's featured SouleMama Sponsor is Le Papier Studio. Le Papier Studio specializes in custom silhouette creations - from artwork to stationary and invitations. Check out Vana's blog, where you can follow along as she shares her journey - and the journey of other artists - balancing motherhood and creative work. 

 

"Falling Leaves Silhouette Print - Print measures 8x10 and is printed on an archival 8.5x11" cardstock paper using archival inkjet inks. The print will make a great gift for Mother's Day or any other special occasion. Choose from our silhouette options (view options here) or email us your pictures for custom silhouettes."

"Custom Silhouette Pillow - Choose from our silhouette options or email us your pictures for a one of a kind custom silhouette. Will we add your family's custom silhouettes onto this adorable throw pillow for you to cherish for many years. Pillow measures 14x14", 250 thread count cotton blend, chocolate silhouette on white cover (or color of your choice) envelope closure, poly-fill insert (included)."

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Two lucky winners will receive one of each of the giveaway items above! To enter, just leave a comment in this post. I'll close comments and announce the winners by 8am EST on Sunday.

Le Papier Studio is also offering a 10% discount for all orders placed until May 15th. Use the coupon code "SOULEMAMA" at checkout. (To order in time for Mother's Day, orders need to be placed before May 3rd.)

Good luck, everyone!

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Comments closed! The winners are....

Beautiful! Thanks for the give away and happy weekend!
Posted by : Jennifer

Wow! How beautiful!
Posted by : Joy

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at week's end

loving :: those six silly, stinky, dirty springtime feet (and all the play that goes with them)

anticipating :: kicking off the season with my first day of farmer's market & rummage sales tomorrow

reading :: ali's wise words on breaking out of a creative rut

counting :: the days until Jeff & Conor are in town (we're on a first name basis, you see. and the count is at 76 days, if you're wondering)

appreciating :: your kind and fun comments to my posts this week - thank you!

welcoming :: May's newest SouleMama Sponsors - Americana, Damestar Baby and Le Papier Studio

looking :: forward to a springtime weekend, sure to be full of family, friends, good food and always - a bit of baseball

wishing :: you a Happy May Day!