As these special days of gratitude approach, I want to take a moment to thank some people and business very important to me.
I am grateful for the wonderful Sponsors here on SouleMama for the inspiration they provide in the way of ethical businesses and people gently balancing work and family; I'm grateful for their goods and wares and creative tools and inspiration that fill my home and outgoing gift baskets; and I'm grateful for the way their financial commitment to this space allows me the time to continue this work of blogging that I love, all while creating more time of togetherness for my family.
I hope that you too, have enjoyed - and will continue to enjoy - their offerings. For playing 'matchmaker' is truly one of the greatest joys of this Sponsorship program for me.
Over the next two days, I'll be spotlighting our current sponsors. I encourage you to check out their businesses as the coming holiday gift giving and craft-making season approaches! Many of them have graciously offered special discounts for the coming weeks that you can read more about below.
in gratitude,
amanda & steve soule
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"From the elves in Maine to the doll-makers in Peru, and everyone here at Nova, our mission is brought to life by: Inspiring creativity! Sparking the imaginations of children and adults with materials that allow us to learn and grow together. Connecting communities! Bringing people together to play, create and explore in families, neighborhoods and across the globe. Practicing sustainability! Working with small businesses and artisans to supply families with heirloom quality, non-disposable toys that support healthy lifestyles in balance with the environment. Thanks for coming out to play!"
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"Stubby Pencil Studio offers eco friendly art materials for children, stationery, greeting cards, sketchbooks and journals. You'll also find unique gifts, non-toxic toys, classic games, educational books, craft kits, reusable bags and many other creative products that kids will love."
Enjoy 10% off your order through the end of 2010 by entering MAMASAVE10 at checkout!
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"Alewives Fabrics is both a brick-and-mortar shop and an online shop located in Midcoast Maine and owned by Barbara Neeson and her daughter Rhea Butler. We carry all different types of fabrics, including voiles, lawns, knits, home-dec, a huge selection of quilting weight cottons, and now, Alewives Fabrics is also carrying yarn! Stop by the shop (one way or another!) and see what you can find that inspires you!"
We would like to offer your readers 10% off their orders with the promotional code "Soulemama" entered at checkout (we will manually adjust the price of each order after it has been placed). The discount will begin on Thursday, November 26th and will be good through December 31st. This would be a great time to stock up on our lovely fabrics or our new shop feature: Amy Butler yarns. We carry the entire line, in both the aran and the dk weights. Enjoy the discount and thanks very much to Soulemama and her readers for a great year and a half of sponsorship!
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"The Aurora Shoe Company was founded on the idea that a good pair of shoes should be made well and fit comfortably. We use American made materials and make all of our shoes in house and by hand. Assembled organically, using simple cuts of leather and minimal stitching, our shoes mold to their owners’ feet the way that only natural materials and careful design can."
Between now and January 1st, we're happy to provide free shipping to all Soule Mama readers. We're also including a beautiful needle felted chickadee ornament in each order, handmade by a local fiber artist. Enter "soulemama" at check out to be included in this promotion. Visit our blog to learn about our unique hand printed leather gift certificates (a wonderful way to share the gift of handmade footwear) and feel free to contact us with any questions.
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Persisting Stars and the 'Art of living cheefully' is an online course which delivers a most fabulous helping of sunny side up happiness. This delightful course is designed to uplift your spirits with a weekly class of lighthearted play, videos and creative assignments to beckon gleeful spontaneity into your life as you delve into your own personal definition of happiness and joy.
SouleMama readers purchasing an "art of living cheerfully" course for January are welcome to a second course for $55 to give as a gift! Contact Madelyn to set that up.
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"Ottobre Design is a magazine specializing in children's and women's fashion. Each kids issue includes forty trendy and fun to sew designs and complete patterns and instructions for sewing. Each OTTOBRE womans issue includes 20 designs. The magazine is designed in Finland. Subscriptions are sold all over the world!"
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Belfast Cohousing & Ecovillage
"Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage is a self-developing community of 36 households creating an old-fashioned neighborhood of tightly clustered homes on 42 acres of farmland two miles from downtown Belfast, Maine. Homes are designed by certified Passive House Standards and will be highly energy efficient. Residents will own their own homes and share with their neighbors a barn, wood shop, and large common house. The common house accommodates overnight guests, children’s play space, community meals (optional), celebrations and organically-grown provisions. Our community’s mission is to be an environmentally sustainable, affordable, multi-generational cohousing community that includes land reserved for agricultural use and open space and is an innovative housing model for rural Maine."
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"This & That From Japan features Jpanese fabric, craft books, craft supplies, and clay molds direct from Japan. Japan has some of the greatest fabric and craft supplies. The fabric is high quality, detailed designs and very cute prints."
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"Rae Grant is a children's book designer and author of several family activities books. She writes children's books to encourage families to explore simple and classic childhood crafts and activities together."
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"Bella Luna Toys is proud to have been offering families the highest quality natural and wooden Waldorf toys since 2002. Owned and operated in midcoast Maine by Sarah Baldwin, an experienced Waldorf early childhood teacher, Bella Luna Toys offers personal customer service as well as a magical collection of natural toys, art supplies and craft kits to nourish a child's senses and engage the imagination."
Receive Free Standard Shipping in continental U.S. on orders over $50 through December 5th! Use code SMSHIP.
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"At Mamma4earth you will discover the most delightful handmade, eco friendly and Earth sustainable treasures. I am based in South Africa and my inspiration to create Waldorf inspired knitted animals, toys and patterns is fueled by our beautiful wildlife in our country and surroundings. The yarn that I use to knit my toys is all sourced locally from nearby farmers and the yarn that I hand paint and hand dye is dyed in a sun stove and no electricity is used. I am having a sale at the moment on some items in my shop."
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"Handmade for the love of family and earth, Satch & Sol partners with fair trade artists to offer an eco-friendly handmade collection. The slipper collection for children and adults is handmade in Mongolia using traditional wool felting skills. Satch & Sol also offers felted purses, animals ornaments, hairbands and more. Mom-owned and operated in Seattle, Satch & Sol began August 2008."
For Soule Mama readers, Satch & Sol is offering a code to save 15% in the online boutique on all items, excluding gift certificates, through December 5th. The savings code is: soule15
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"..imagine a field... imagine a forest... imagine a tree house..... imagine a castle.... imagine a kite... imagine a treasure map.... imagine a rainy day.... imagine a sunny afternoon... imagine childhood. At Imagine Childhood we believe that children should experience the world through their own eyes, ears, fingers, and toes. That direct interaction with nature is the best way to learn about the world, and that open-ended imaginative play is the best way to learn about what it could be. As a family owned and operated company we offer high quality environmentally conscious toys and activities that encourage exploration, creativity, and open-ended unstructured play."
Thank you Amanda and SouleMama readers for sharing this space with us these last 2 years! Receive a 10% discount on all orders between November 24th-30th with the discount code "SouleMama"
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Thank You!
