SouleMama

SouleMama Sponsor ~ Grasshopper ~

Today, I bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, Grasshopper. In their words:

"Grasshopper is a whimsical and thoughtful store with a refined selection of toys clothes books and shoes. We want kids to think dream hope and play...." 

Follow us on our blog. Or visit our sister store, Tumbleweed, a women's boutique. And finally, Kara-Line is the line of clothing that I design, made in Portland, Oregon.

SouleMama: How long have you been in business? 

Grasshopper: 8 years.

 SouleMama: Tell us about your background. What path led you to the work you do today?

Grasshopper: I loved sewing with my nana and making doll clothes. I started making clothes for myself and people would always ask me where I got my clothes. ..so started having dress sales in my yard and going to boutiques with a suitcase full of dresses. And one thing lead to another. I got so busy I hired a sewer  3 years ago and she still works with me, I opened up my women’s boutique, Tumbleweed (http:/www.tumbleweedboutique.com) , 12 years ago with 2 racks of dresses...I kept it very simple. My sewing machine was on had to make changes for people or make more items in my down time...I saw the need for a children’s shop that sold toys, clothes, and books – a place where kids could feel welcome and inspired.

SouleMama: What inspired you to start your business?

Grasshopper: To create an environment that makes you feel comfortable and to make the world a better place. 

SouleMama: How are your children incorporated into your business?  

Grasshopper: Children are very much a part they play in the shop...I listen to requests and end up bring things into the shop that I never would have thought of before (rubber snakes, fake mustaches etc). 
We love to give away pinwheels and stickers, it makes their day...the other day I heard a little boy shout...”mom, this just must be my lucky day”  

SouleMama:  What's an art/craft skill you'd like to learn more about?  

Grasshopper: I would love to learn fabric design so I could have my own line of fabrics for the children’s clothing line (Wild Carrots) and women’s clothing line (Kara-line Http://www.kara-line.com) I produce.  And knitting...all of my friends knit and they always make me such beautiful presents...it seems like such a calm craft.

For today's giveaway, Grasshopper is generously offering the following to TWO winners: 

a Djeco fashion workshop kit that focuses on designing patterns.
( The artwork for it is really beautiful, and it comes with stencils and a set of lovely felt marker brushes.  There are some ideas and instructions, but really there is enough freedom for your child to make whatever they want. )

a kit from Seedling called “Good Things for Boys”
(It has a little bit of everything, from glider planes, to juggling balls, to a deck of cards.  We think boys AND girls would have a ton of fun with this kit.)

(Grasshopper, who generally ships to the US only, asks that international winners be willing to pay shipping costs.)

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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8am EST on Monday, and announce the winner(s), chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after.  Comments closed! The winners are.....

The Djeco Fashion Workshop:

Great giveaway for these rainy days we have been experiencing!!!
Posted by: beth

Gorgeous - and we LOVE Djeco here!
Posted by: Julia

Good Things for Boys: 

My boys would love this!
Posted by: Dorieke

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Thank you, Grasshopper! 

{this moment}

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{this moment} 

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

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heading out

A little bit tired from all we've done, but even more inspired by all we've seen and heard, we wrap up this year's Common Ground fair. Now this morning, we embark on another journey deep into the woods for rest, play, and more adventure. Away from power lines and any kind of reception, I'll be away from this space for just a few days, back to join you here on Friday for {this moment}.

I wish you all a most lovely week!

from the fair

It's been such a wonderful Common Ground Country Fair for our family, and for Taproot. So very different than our usual time here, and yet so wonderful at the same time. It's been a pleasure to share the booth for moments with our wandering-by contributors Jennifer Judd-McGee, Meredith Winn, Shannon Hayes, Rachael Miller and Steve Soule. And just as special to share it with readers and friends new and old as well. Though I believe it in my heart always, I am grateful for the reminder in the faces of folks we meet here that there is far more that connects us all as people than divides. On common ground we stand, indeed.

(We're here for one more day! If you happen to be coming by on Sunday, please say hi - we're just outside the social and political action tent.)

{this moment}

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{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see

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harbingers

We had our first frost last night, which meant that yesterday afternoon was a scramble of harvesting, bringing in, and preserving as much as we could. The pantry shelves are filling.

There are leaves falling everywhere, calling to be raked up and kept for garden mulch.

The empty woodshed that we fretted about all summer long - trying to get to filling it up - somehow, magically (one tree, one swing of the axe at a time, I suppose) is beginning  to resemble something close to 'ready' for the season that lies ahead.

And everywhere we look, the harbingers of autumn appear in front of us. The air is crisp. The wool is all around us!  And this very weekend, our family's official marking of the season will be done with our annual and always-anticipated trip to the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association Common Ground Country Fair (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, oh my!). Except this time, with a Taproot booth for Mama to tend, we will be there for many days, with a bit of a work retreat and family vacation of sorts to follow. We're all very excited. 

Should you find yourself at The Fair this week (oh, you really should come if it's close enough to you - it's such a special place), please come by and say hello. Jason and I, and some combination of our spouses, children, and contributors will be there all weekend long. We'll be in the Media area, in between the MOFGA merchandise tent, and all that delicious food, beside the Social and Political Action tent. 

And for those of you not so close, stay tuned. I'm hopeful that my plans to bring the fair to you here in this space will come to fruition. 

Wishing you all much joy as you greet your favorite harbingers of the season that lies ahead!

SoulePapa Blogs ~ late summer ~

“Can we go for a swim?”  gasped Ezra, “I’m SO hot.”

“Maybe later bud, we have some work to get done around here first.”

“ARRRRRRRRRRGGHHH!!!…..it’s hooooot”, came his exasperated reply.

The sweat poured and the oppressive heat smothered our every movement as the kids waited with child-sized patience which continued to wane.

I had rented a splitter to rip through the last of the firewood needed for the winter ahead.  By way of bad luck and worse planning the day we picked was now pushing past 90 degrees with the humidity nearing 100%.  The machine growled and screeched and broke heavy chunks of ash and maple with ease as the hydraulic arm was forced against its iron wedge.  The work is a dirty mix of sweat and wood chips and exhaust fumes.  Ants scurry from their homes carrying tiny white eggs as logs, which have sat in place for months, are now disrupted.  I wrestle a big round piece of trunk onto the cradle and hold it steady as it creaks, strains, and then pops apart - one half falling away from me onto the pile and then rolling back underneath to find my bare shin and tear back the flesh.  Now I’m pissed at myself and the pace quickens.  As I work, all of the other factors drift away and I get lost in the effort of good hard labor.  I notice that the kids have disappeared from their stacking duties but I don’t care.  Who could blame them, it.  is.  hot.  I think to myself as I muckle on to more tree. 

When the pile gets high I kick it to the sides and keep rolling in rhythmic repetition. 

The late summer sun flames at the back of my neck and the sweat burns my eyes but I don’t stop.  I am hopeful that all of this heat will be returned to us as we huddle around the woodstove on a distant and frigid January morning.  I try to remember what it is like to feel that kind of cold and I cannot.  I do not stop. 

“This wood ain’t gonna split itself”, says the voice in my head, complete with the bad grammar.

I don’t stop until, eventually, Adelaide approaches with a clear glass full of ice and water. 

“Thank you sweetie”, I say over the tumult.  I smile at her shining six year-old eyes.

“You’re welcome, Papa!” she yells.

The glass is wet and the dirt from my hands runs with the drips and I guzzle every last drop and realize how thirsty I had become. 

“Can I have a sip?!”  I hand her the glass and holding it carefully with two little hands she manages to steal one of my ice cubes.

“Hey!” 

“Thank you!” she slurps and trots off in a satisfied sort of way.

I coax out an ice cube for myself and return to work before the mojo starts to fade and my resolve softens.  The Sun does not let up as it rolls high across the summer sky, reddening exposed skin under its fiery wrath.  I stop only to refuel the splitter, as time wears on into the afternoon, and slowly the pile is diminished.

When it’s over I click off the motor, which served admirably as my swinging axe all day.  I remove my earplugs and find a ringing still inside my head.  I look up to see my entire family standing near the van, swimsuits on, staring at me like I must have gone mad.  The look in Amanda’s eyes tells me that asking the kids to help me stack wood for an hour would probably not be met with any kind of enthusiasm.

“So.  Are we going for a swim or what?”  I say to much rejoicing and loading of bodies into the family traveler.

The kids explode from the doors as they open, each naming what they plan to do first as their legs churn toward the sandy beach. 

Amanda takes the baby from me, “go cool off honey, you worked hard today…and well, you’re pretty smelly.”

I love this woman.  

The water feels perfectly cool, almost surreal against my skin as I walk straight up to my waist and plunge.  Immersed.  The relief is instant.  I can feel my body temperature drop, if that’s possible.  I stay there, below the surface, as long as my lungs allow.  Suspended from reality for just a few moments I think of absolutely nothing but how good it feels.  The sweaty grime of my workday washes away and the drone of motors seeps out through my pours as I slowly let that breath go…  then break back up through the surface to the sounds of my laughing children. 

“Papa!  Papa!  Watch this!!”  I am treated to Harper dunking his head for the first time, which is more like dipping the front of his hair and leaving the rest dry.  I giggle with him as he proudly rubs the trickling water from his eyes with tiny balled up fists.     

I slide up next to him in the water and he climbs onto my back and gives me instructions on which way to go. 

I sit on a rock and dip Annabel’s toes into the water as Mama gets her own relief from the day. 

The big kids plunge and swim and dare each other and smile.

We watch as the evening Sun drops out of sight and leaves us staring into a painted sky of soft summer hues.  The lake, completely calm from the rippling waves of its day, reflects it all back and we are in between this world and the next. 

Soon the kids will need us to mediate some sort of dispute.  Soon we will pack up and then unpack and shuttle kids in and out of the bathroom to their beds and our life will resume with all of its messy, noisy, wonderful ebb and flow. 

But, for right now, this spot along the shore of our hometown lake is all I will ever need. 

collaborating on a feather

You might have noticed that I've been making some tweaks to the blog design in the past week. Here and there, in little bursts of time late at night, it's getting closer to where I want it to be. Web design, clearly, is not what I do, and despite my best DIY intentions, it may be that I need to pull in some expert help to fix what's still broken (I'm hearing the font isn't always loading as it should. Drats.) and to pull off the last extra special part I have planned for you (you're going to love it, just wait!). But for right now, this will do. The change feels good, especially as I approach the eight year mark in this space of ours. Eight! 

Adelaide is the artist behind the feather in the new banner. And because the 'honor' of being the art at the top of Mama's blog means very little to them in any tangible kind of way, I've been cooking up another way to say thank you (while being mindful of setting a precedent, as I'm hoping to switch it out from time to time with more of this lovely art I find discarded all over my home). Fabric was the answer, with Spoonflower aiding my plan. (The birds we made many years back have been such a favorite!)

She was over the moon when two yards of her fabric arrived in the mail last week. She waited patiently while I was busy with other things, and then while I washed it (such an important sewing lesson, I tried to tell her, though she found that whole matter rather silly). Finally, yesterday, she joined me in my studio and we made a little something with her fabric. With a little tracing, measuring and guessing, I based it all on a top of hers that I noticed she reaches for more than anything else in her closet. It's easy, loose, flowy and comfortable...and I knew that replicated, it would be a wardrobe win.

I used a combination of the regular cotton (for the body of the top) and the heavier cotton poplin (for the yoke and straps), which has a tiny bit of a pink background t it (which just about maxed out my Photoshop skills in the making of it). She made a fabulous choice in buttons, I think, with the sassafrass wooden buttons from Wooly Moss Roots. 

(My girl is growing so much these days. And so are those sheep!)

She's delighted with her new top. But bringing even more delight is what's in her arms now - the fabric that remains. Her fabric. It's headed to her studio, and I can't wait to see what comes of that. 

:: right now ::

Right now, I am....

:: rising from under the down comforter for the first time this season, as autumnal weather is upon us at night.

:: riding the wave of goodness that comes after any time at Squam Art Workshops, even if only for a day (the Art Fair was wonderful - and it was such a treat to meet so many of you - thank you for saying hello!).

:: hearing Harper proudly ride his bicycle without training wheels (a new weekend discovery) up and down the drive, shouting at the top of his lungs, "I wish that I had Jessie's Girl!" his favorite song of the moment.

:: smelling oatmeal and applesauce wafting from the kitchen where Papa is cooking first round breakfast for the late risers (third round for the early birds).

:: wanting to go apple picking this week.

:: squeezing the last bits of summer out of the garden as tomatoes, basil and cucumbers still happily roll in.

:: freezing, canning, and freezing and canning some more.

:: brewing up some 'kraut in my new birthday gift of a crock, from my people who decidedly do not like cabbage, but must love me very much.

:: loving the flurry of activity that's happening these days in her studio.

:: feeling grateful for being on the upswing from The Cough.

:: listening to a lot of Sun, Cat Power's new album (and really, really liking it).

:: making lists for me, lists for the farm, lists for work, and lists for the kids in preparation for our upcoming work/play vacation - our very first since moving to the farm exactly two years ago.

:: counting the days until we're all at the fair.

:: diving into this, our second week in our new fall rhythm, with much hope and intention for peace, grace, and gentleness as we go about it all.

:: wishing you the same, and a most lovely day!

SouleMama Sponsor ~ Woolen Moss Farm and Studio ~

Today, I bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, Woolen Moss Farm and Studio. In shopkeeper and maker Kate's words:

"My Etsy shop is dedicated to quality handmade clothing made from all natural, low impact dyed,  and organic materials. All designs reflect my ideals of wearing clothing that is both good for your body and good for your earth. Every body is beautiful and unique and should move freely and with ease."

SouleMama: What inspires you?

Kate: I have always been a maker. I've called myself an artist, a seamstress, a sculptor, a painter, a builder and more. But what it all comes down to, is that I'm a maker. I have a need to create things. I love what I'm doing right now. I get to work with wonderful natural materials, I get to develop personal relationships with some of my customers, and I get to work from my home that I love. But I also know that if I wasn't making clothing, I would be making something else. Because that's what I am, a maker.

 SouleMama: What artists/crafters/teachers have inspired your life?

Kate: I find Etsy to be an amazing marketplace. Any given day I can go to the featured seller article, and generally read an inspiring tale of one craftsperson's life. It makes me feel like I am in good company. That I am not the only one who has wandered a meandering path to get to where I am today. And on my days that are filled with doubt, I can read about someone else who has had those same days and come out the other side, stronger for it. I am inspired by anyone who is doing what they love.

SouleMama: Do you have a favorite inspirational quote?

Kate: I have said this before and I will say it again because it continues to ring true for me:

It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection.
-The Bhagavad Gita

SouleMama: What's the product or offering you're most excited about right now? Tell us about it. 

Kate: I've recently began offering all my garments from three different collections: the Raw Edge Collection, the Embroidered Hem Collection and the Ruffled Edge Collection. This allows each customer to get the style they want in the price range they are comfortable in. I'm hoping that this versatility will encourage a wide range of customers to feel at home in my shop. And soon to come will be several new pieces of Limited Edition Garments, for those of you that want that accent piece that no one else has. For that there's an order of new sweater wools headed my way now. I can't wait to share them with you!

For today's giveaway, Woolen Moss is generously offering the following to TWO winners: 

1 pair of felted merino wool leg warmers! 

(These leg warmers are more like a pair of leggings without the top, or maybe like wool sweaters for your legs. What ever you call them, they're tight and stretchy and made of my pre-washed Organic Merino Wool that keeps you cozy on chilly days or warm on cold nights. They measure 23" tall featuring horizontal ribbed seams.)

 In addition, Woolen Moss is offering SouleMama readers 15% off your orders for the duration of 2012. Use coupon code SOULE12.  

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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 9am EST on Monday, and announce the winner(s), chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after.  Comments closed! The winners are...

They look so toasty warm.... Thanks for the chance...
Posted by: Charlene Miller

Sounds like a great alternative to tights!
Posted by: Casey

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SouleMama Sponsor ~ Bramble Berry Soapmaking Supplies ~

Today, I bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, Bramble Berry Soapmaking Supplies. In their words:

"Bramble Berry sells ingredients to make soaps and toiletries from scratch. Everything from natural herbs for color to pure essential oils, fixed oils, soap molds and more. We also have starter kits for almost every bodycare project imaginable.

SoapQueen.com is my blog and Soap Queen TV is our YouTube channel with over 50 free instructional videos."

SouleMama: What inspires you?

Anne-Marie: My family, first and foremost, inspires me every day. In addition to a supportive entrepreneur husband, I have an adorable little bundle of baby boy energy at home who keeps me on my toes and always keeps me creating new and better products that I know he can use with no fear of allergies or skin irritants. I love formulating products using the best ingredients out there and the fact that I get to teach people how to make those products is a big thrill. Our customers inspire me. Our Facebok page (facebook.com/brambleberry) gets at least 5 to 10 photo submissions from customers daily that are making amazing products and supporting themselves and their families selling handcrafted goods. I’m also a bit of an information hound. I have over 30 magazine subscriptions and see a lot of color palette ideas, trends, and crafty projects that often spark fun SoapQueen.com tutorials. 

 SouleMama: What's your favorite part of your job? The most challenging?

Anne-Marie: The favorite part of my job is definitely the people involved. Our customers are the most interesting, most kind and most driven group of entrepreneurs in America. It is awe-inspiring to hear of their business successes and delightful to see the positive outcomes from their hard work. I also love working with home crafters that have no desire to start a business but are just looking for a creative outlet or to create products that are more customized than the mass market stuff on the shelves of the supermarket. The hours can be challenging. I have a 16 month old at home and it’s difficult to be away from him and try to juggle being a good wife and partner, being an active and engaged mother and steer the creative direction for our company. But, it’s all worth it. Knowing that our team has a hand in helping families all across the United States is always enough motivation to push through even the toughest of challenges.

SouleMama: How do you avoid burnout and keep yourself motivated?

Anne-Marie: I believe that business is a marathon, not a sprint. I treat my body like an athlete. I eat the right foods. I work out daily. I schedule in time with friends 3-4 times per month. I’m a bit militaristic about making sure that those areas get taken care of so that I do have the stamina to keep going and be self-employed. At work, I surround myself with people that are better and smarter than me. And, then I trust them to do their jobs. Delegation is key to surviving those long months when everyone is working extremely hard and firing on all cylinders. If there is one piece of advice I could ever give to entrepreneurs, it’s to treat your body well. Stay fit. Stay active. Fuel it right. You’ve got to have the energy to do the tough work that comes with being an entrepreneur.

For today's giveaway, Bramble Berry is generously offering the following to ONE winner: 

 Infused Lip Balm Kit

(With this kit, you can quickly and easily infuse Sweet Almond oil with Calendula petals. Then use this nourishing oil in a simple, from-scratch lip balm recipe featuring Shea Butter and Natural Beeswax. There’s an instructional video that you can watch that guides you step by step through the process.)

 In addition, Bramble Berry is offering SouleMama readers $5 off any order of $40 or more (not including shipping). Offer expires September 30, 2012. Use coupon code SOULEMAMA5 at checkout.

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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8am EST on Sunday, and announce the winner(s), chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after. Comments closed! The winner is....

Thanks for the chance to win!
Posted by: Liz Horton

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{this moment}

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{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . .

Squambound, with Taproot

 

{Taproot at the spring Squam Art Fair. Photos by Christine Chitnis.}

Just a quick note today to let you know about some good things coming up as we're about to embark upon a little fall flurry of fairs. (Next weekend: Common Ground! More about that later.)

This Saturday, Taproot will be at the one-night-only Squam Art Fair. You can find us (Jason Miller and I) there from 7:30 to 10pm at the Rockywold Deephaven Camps in New Hampshire. It's truly an amazing fair - with every single booth overflowing with such creative goodness, a room full of energetic folk, and free beer too. Fancy that! (More details on the Squam website.)

If you're nearby, please do stop by. We'd love to say hello!

her studio

Our sweet Adelaide turned seven yesterday.

 

I wrote that sentence nearly half an hour ago and here I still sit. At a loss for words, and wandering in my mind, once again, to these years that seem to be whizzing by before my very eyes. It really was just yesterday that she joined us, wasn't it? Yesterday and seven years ago. Here she stands before us, a sassy and loud (to us), quiet and shy (to others), funny, creative, strong, and thoughtful seven year old.

Yesterday was full of her favorite things and people - her bestest friend and closest cousin, her sheep and chickens, and apple cake. By evening, she was wandering the tidepools and running on the paths at the shore, giggling with the ones she loves. It was just right.

On her birthday eve, by the softest light we could manage so as to not wake her, Steve and I did our late night birthday elving in her bedroom. Rearranging all but the bed she was sleeping in (okay, we moved it just a few inches), we moved out a few old and not-quite-right-anymore things and in one new table.

I've been watching over the past months as her creativity has exploded - both figuratively and literally. It was time, we decided, for her to have her very own work space. A place where she can leave an art project in progress all day or all week without worry of little (or big) brothers disturbing it, a sewing machine she can have access to whenever she'd like (without Mama hovering and worrying about the 'fancy' machine). 

We decided to dedicate one of the family sewing machines (it's this one) to her use (the boys have another one in their 'barn recording studio' that they use. All good hip-hop artists and breakdancers make their own clothes, you know?) A search at a local flea market turned up this great retro kitchen table, just right for her room, I thought. A few more thrifted and gathered bits and bobs, some fresh new supplies (scissors! sewing is all about the sharp scissors, I say), a Mamamade pincushion (tutorial here)...and my little girl got herself a bedroom studio overnight.

She was a very surprised and very happy seven year old girl upon waking. She got right to work making things for all the people she would see on her birthday. Late last night, she and Ezra sat on the other side of the table from each other working on the comic book they've been creating together. This morning, she poked her head into my studio, with an "I need some elastic for my studio!". And right now, as I write these words, I can hear the gentle hum of the machine above me. Keep going, girl....

sweet bliss

Honey harvest, 2012.

the september shuffle

Though things are unrolling throughout the coming weeks, there is no doubt, in our little home anyway, that the new "fall schedule" begins today. The delicate dance of the September Shuffle, I am beginning to think of it as. For as these babes of mine get older (middle school age....really? Pray tell, how did that happen?), and their interest in the world beyond our doors increases, we find ourselves (the adults, anyway) looking at the calendar each night, dissecting it and devising a plan of attack for the day that follows. Dance classes (so many more of them than ever before), horseback riding, homeschool coop, singing, Spanish, gymnastics, and the list goes on and on.....with a farm to manage and a magazine to create and a website to run and have fun with...and oh my. My head spins at the beginning of it all, as we attempt to find our groove and our rhythm and our peace with all that our days hold as a family of seven curious, creative, and active people in the world. You're feeling it too, I have no doubt. Back to school, back to work, back to it all - that's the September Shuffle.

As I embrace all the exciting new things ahead for all of us  this season, I gently remind myself that I needn't run at the apparent pace of the calendar. That in fact, my job as Mama is to do just the very opposite of that. To stay strong and steady, to breathe deeply, to walk slowly through these wild and full days. To be the anchor of home, as I can.

{Starting with number two, every other photography is by Ms. Adelaide.}

This weekend, we took a little trip to the shore. A last hoorah of summer before the calendar fills with 'everything else'. To celebrate a birthday (hello, 36, here we are!). To take a long, deep inhale before it all begins - to set the rhythm and the pace of the September Shuffle. For no matter how much there is going on, I do believe we can greet it all with calmness, gentleness, and grace. Or certainly try our very best, anyway. And when that fails (as sometimes it does), to get up the next day and try it again. That's what matters most of all.

Why, hello September. Shall we dance?

SouleMama Sponsor ~ gleena ~

Today, I bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, gleena. In Asya's words:

gleena.com carries the work of Asya Palatova plus the work of a few artists Asya admires. Asya’s work is functional porcelain ceramics. Other artists’ work ranges from metal type to hand-blown glass, to carved wood. 

You can follow Asya on her blog, My Mama's Table, as well.

SouleMama: Tell us about your background. What path led you to the work you do today?

Asya: I grew up in St. Petersburg, Russia, in a family that loved entertaining. My grandmother was famous for her cooking, and for putting together beautiful dinner parties served on gorgeous dishes. My family has a summer house outside St. Petersburg, and it was always full of family and friends while I was growing up there. These summer gatherings inspired me to create a line of porcelain tableware. My shapes are designed to feel great in the hand. I use silky satiny glazes, and sand the exposed porcelain to a skin-like softness. 

I started out as a graphic designer and worked in NYC for ten years for design companies and magazines. At the same time, I took ceramic classes, and eventually decided to attend graduate school at Rhode Island School of Design, with a ceramics concentration. The mold making, slip casting process I use today I learned in graduate school. I create my own shapes, and then make multiple molds from them to be able to produce duplicates in quantity. Because the molds are open at the top, the edge has to be finished by hand, giving each piece a unique personality. Even though they come out of the same mold, no two pieces are exactly the same.

 SouleMama: What do you love about your work?

Asya: I like how physical my job is. I mix my own porcelain slip, and that involves bags of raw materials weighing 50lbs. I don’t have an assistant, so I do everything. The molds are also on the heavy side, and I feel like I am lifting weights all day long, which makes for great arms, no gym needed. My favorite part of the process is opening the kiln, most times it’s like opening a present, with lots of many beautiful things. Sometimes things do go wrong, and then opening the kiln is not so much fun. But that’s all part of learning. The wonderful part about ceramics is that there is always always more to learn. One needs to be a chemist (for the glazes) and an electrician (for the electrical kilns) as well as an artist and craftsperson.

SouleMama: What's the product or offering you're most excited about in your shop right now?

Asya: I am excited about the wee tea cups in my shop. I just started making the animal line, and so far it’s going really well. I love the cups’ whimsy, but also love that they can be used as an educational tool for smaller kids. I get a lot of orders for the wee teas as presents for toddlers, either with an animal or the child’s name inscribed on the inside rim. The cups are also great for adult ice creams, and are in constant use at my house.

SouleMama: If you could spend a day with any artist, who would it be? 

Asya: Isamu Noguchi. He was a sculptor originally from Japan, but working in NYC. I love the peaceful organic quality of his work, and his choice of materials (wood, stone, metal). 

SouleMama: Do you have a favorite inspirational quote?

Asya: My favorite inspirational quote from Rumi is: Let the beauty we love be what we do, there are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

For today's giveaway, gleena is generously offering the following to THREE winners:

One winner will receive a E is for elephant wee tea cup

One willer will receive a O is for owl wee tea cup

And one winner will receive a set of four wee tea cups
(E is for elephant, O is for owl, L is for lion, and K is for kangaroo)

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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 9am EST on Monday, and announce the winner(s), chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after. 

Thank you to gleena! The winners are...

e is for elephant ~
have been swooning over these for quite some time ~ love love!
Posted by: kimpeck

o is for owl ~
These are so beautiful!
Posted by: Boostraps Mama

all four wee cups ~
a Delight!
Posted by: Erin Coffey 

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SouleMama Sponsor ~ Bliss Beyond Naptime ~

 

Today, I bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, Bliss Beyond Naptime. In Kathy's words:

The Simplicity Parenting Virtual Workshop Series deeply explores the four levels of simplification outlined in Kim John Payne's book Simplicity Parenting. The first module begins in October with Environment , Rhythm will be offered January, Scheduling in March and, Filtering in May. Each course is a month long, comprised of videos, worksheets and conference calls that walk you through the process of making the changes needed to bring your family life back in alignment with your values and ideals. The four modules are available for purchase separately or as a bundle with the Membership Pass. 

Along with being a certified Simplicity Parenting Leader I am a creative coach that helps mamas with feelings of overwhelm and crafting a more simplified and blissful mama experience. You can find more information about the Get Your Bliss Back, Mama! coaching package. 

 

SouleMama: Tell us about your background. What path led you to the work you do today?

Kathy: I use to pour my creative energy into two Etsy shops;  one selling handspun yarn and the other handmade clothing and sewing patterns. But after a few years I began feeling creatively burnt out. I wanted to hoard all that craftiness for my personal projects instead. I brainstormed, and then hired a career coach, to find a path that could connect me with other mamas wanting to embrace more creativity and self-expression in their busy days and share my passion for a more slowed down and simplified approach to parenting and childhood. That's when I decided to become trained as a Simplicity Parenting leader and get certified as a creativity coach. 

 SouleMama: What does a typical day of work look like for you?

Kathy: I get to bed early so that when I hear our rooster, Gilgamesh, start to crow; five or six o'clock or so, I'm as fresh as a daisy and raring to great the day.  I immediately make myself a latte, enjoying the stillness of a still sleeping house, and sit down to check on email and explore my favorite blogs. When the latte's all gone I begin to shift my focus to more work-related tasks. At eight o'clock I go milk Daisy, our Dexter cow, and usually find the kids are at the table eating breakfast by the time I come in.

I only take on five coaching clients at a time and these calls occur in the early morning, the day the babysitter is scheduled to come by,  or a lunch hour or early evening when my husband Craig can mind the kids.

Other than that I get a bulk of my work done on Saturdays when Craig and the kids go out on some kind of daddy-flavoured adventure; rock climbing, exploring the nature park or taking the garbage to the dump. Sundays I try to stay away from this glowy screen altogether and play alongside Fun Dad!

SouleMama: What inspired you to start your business?

Kathy: As a first time mom I felt very protective of my sensitive crystal child and felt more comfortable staying close to home, keeping our surroundings uncluttered and protecting ourselves from vulgar noises and images (ie the television). Everything pushed upon us from society and media just felt like too much, too fast and too soon. So it was with great relief I read Simplicity Parenting and was able to read another person's beautifully worded, and researched, reasoning behind my intuitive hunches. 

Embracing these principles I observed how unscheduled time and open-ended toys births forth hours of deep play. And with the quiet humming of kids hard at work being imaginative and self-entertaining I relish in the side benefit of time for me to engage in personal creative pursuits; an important aspect of my self-care regimen.

I decided to become a Simplicity Parenting Leader to spread the these principles that can bring focus back on the sacredness of childhood and the importance of protecting it from societal pressures to speed up and consume more. There have been so many breakthroughs in my workshops ~ big ones like family's downsizing and moving into smaller homes; to small ones like a child finally sleeping more peacefully through the night.  It's powerful how such small changes can bring so much connection and richness to our lives and a peaceful, oasis quality to our homes. 

 

SouleMama: Is there a special place that inspires you?

Kathy: The town we live in is a special place that inspires me. We're nestled in a little valley so I wake up each morning with the sensation that I'm being hugged by tree-filled mountains. The beauty of these surroundings inspire me everyday to trust in the abundance of the Universe and in the power and beauty of raw simplicity.

For today's giveaway, Bliss Beyond Naptime is generously offering the following to ONE winner: 

~ a Crazy Blissed Out Super Simple Membership Pass to my Simplicity Parenting Virtual Workshop Series!  

(This premium pass offers you access to all four modules of the ecourse series, a copy of the book Simplicity Parenting mailed out to you, as well as a one hour coaching session with me.)

 

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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 9am EST on Sunday, and announce the winner(s), chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after. Comments closed!

Thank you to Bliss Beyond Naptime! The winner is...

What a lovely giveaway, thanks for the chance to win!
Posted by: ~ Yola

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{this moment}

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{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

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a (new) quilt for Ezra

I don't get very emotionally attached to the things I sew. Or rather, I get "emtionally attached" by way of association. Just a glimpse of a print of fabric can send me reeling down the memory lane of motherhood - back to the day that Calvin wore that green and white knit hat to the beach and said "ball" for the first time; back to the moment Adelaide took her first step, wearing that yellow gnome smock; or all the many moments late at night when I've removed a book - or two - from Ezra's sleeping still-gripping-the-book hands, and pulled that quilt up over his shoulders with a kiss. It isn't the hat, the smock, the quilt I care deeply about, of course, but sometimes just the sight of them remind me of wonderful moments with the very people I do care so deeply about. I make things with the hope that they be worn, loved, and assuredly made quite dirty. And like all pieces of clothing or bibs or whathaveyou, they are sometimes accidentally left behind in the places we go. I do not mourn their loss. Not terribly, anyway. 

With all of that said, I must confess that there was a little twinge of something deep in my belly when I got a call several months back now. I can't remember the circumstances, but I was running errands when Steve called to warn me before I arrived home and discovered it myself. There had been a bit of an accident, you could say, with Ezra's quilt. A sweet sibling of his had, in a moment of solitary activity (oh those quiet moments), found his way to Ezra's bed. And with permanent marker in hand, used it as a blank canvas. A little gift of art for his big brother. Ahem.

For a while after that, I looked with eyes half-closed when pulling that quilt up over his shoulders at night. His quilt! His "baby" quilt! I wanted that to snuggle him for a very long time. But slowly, as I began to lift my fingers from my eyelids, and as I began to realize that no magic solution was going to remove that marker, I mean art, it began to look more like a really wonderful opportunity. Because that quilt I made when my little boy was three? While it's still his (and always will be - Sharpie only further personalizing it and adding to the story), it really doesn't fit the funky, creative, awesome nine year old he is today. 

Ezra was thrilled with the prospect of a new quilt, and even more thrilled to have creative control as I welcomed him into my studio shelves, and for a little online fabric shopping, to choose the beginnings. And choose he did - pairing fabrics I never would have thought to put together. Ever. (My sweet boy who chose 'bandaid' as a wall paint color.) I kept all the "Wow!" "Really?" "Are you sure?" and "What about this..." comments to myself as I watched him make firm and clear decisions, answering my questions before I asked them. No, that orange can't go, Mom, it's the most important one. and Flowers are nice, I just don't want them on my quilt. 

Happy with his color and fabric selections, he's turned the rest of the gathering and making over to me. I've had this amazing vintage quilt as a vision to work towards (it's wild! there's lots of color! it works!). I made one square (below) to give it a go. As I keep going, I'm a little stumped as to what fabric to add. More of the same prints? Something to ground all that color? Uh, to balance it? I can't take any of these fabrics away, but we can (and need to) add to it with a few more pieces (I'll need more fabric to complete it). If you have suggestions, I'm all ears.

I'm not certain of those details yet. But I am certain that this has already been a very fun project and I'm so excited to keep going on it. And I'm certain that this, this start anyway, fits my Ezra so very well. That I know for sure.

a quilt (top) for Annabel

Those occasional jaunts are lovely, but home is mostly where we all feel like being. The 100 Day Cough, they call it for a very good reason. It's a good thing we like being home just as much as we do. And it's a very good thing that there is so much to keep our hands and minds busy with here! The library and studio both have been seeing far more action than ever before for a late summer season. We've all been enjoying the closeness of the two rooms and the convenience of that (a gift that's sometimes hard to remember come February). Back and forth from art project and scrabble games and reading and puzzles to sewing and felting and spinning, oh my. 

And in those tiny moments of time when all appear to be engaged, and happy without a need for Mama, I've been stitching away at the machine. Somehow - one stitch at a time, I suppose - I've managed to finish this quilt top for Annabel (which yes, is in need of a bit of ironing).

The fabrics were chosen so that it would complement, but not 'match' Adelaide's quilt, anticipating that they will someday share a bedroom. There are just a few prints from Adelaide's quilt, a few old and meaningful treasures from some of Annabel's first year, and a bit of new goodness to keep it fresh and all her own (it's heavy on the Nani Iro, especially the brushed cotton. I love that fabric). 

Seeing as how she doesn't have a bed of her own yet, nor likely will she for a while longer now, the quilt top remains a 'top' only. It's folded up neatly and patiently waiting for that someday later - when inspiration to finish it strikes...or when she's ready to strike out on her own and in need of a big girl, big bed, Mama quilt. But I'm not rushing any of that....and there's plenty of 'necessary' sewing to keep me busy in the meantime. Quilts, even! (I'll show you one tomorrow if I can muster the courage. You'll see what I mean - it's a doozy. I might need your help.)

Are you sewing these days? What's at your machine? 

september shore

Our official quarantine has long been over, but it's only been a very little while since anyone has felt up for leaving home. That magical day happened last week...when all seven of us felt well enough for a journey at the same time. There wasn't much debate at all about where we'd all go. The vote was rather unanimous. In fact, did we even discuss it? I'm not sure we did. I think we just piled into the car, and a short while later, poured out of it with much happiness. Yes, that's just how it happened.

Wishing you all a beautiful day today, friends....and a most lovely start to your week.

SouleMama Sponsor ~ Barn Light Electric ~

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Today, I'm pleased to bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, Barn Light Electric. In their words:

Barn Light Electric is a retail and online lighting store offering an array of lighting products from rustic sconces and classic goosnecks to vintage pendants and porcelain enamel fixtures that we manufacture ourselves. We not only sell to homeowners looking to update their spaces but we also work with interior designers, architects, and commercial business owners. Our products have been featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the DIY network, Kitchen Crashers, and Blog Cabin.

For lighting ideas and informative advice visit our blog.

SouleMama: How long have you been in business?

BLE: We marked our 4th year in business back in February and we're celebrating all year long with new products including our own line of Made in the USA porcelain lights.

 SouleMama: Tell us about your background.

BLE: As with many businesses on Soule Mama, we started out at the dining room table with big dreams and a laptop combined with a love of vintage lighting styles. We quickly outgrew the dining room table and laptop but we've never lost our love of classic lighting. We continue to grow both in types of fixtures offered and satisfied customers.

SouleMama: What is your favorite part of your job?

BLE: One of our favorite parts of the job is working with such a variety of customers. Each has their own unique project that they need help with, and it's always cool to see the creative ways our customers design their spaces with our lights. Check out our Pinterest boards and our website's Photo Gallery to see how versatile our lights can be!

SouleMama: What's the product or offering you're most excited about in your shop right now?

BLE: We're really excited about our porcelain lighting. We have worked hard to revitalize the craft of American-made, hand-spun porcelain shades a manufacturing process that died 50 years ago. Each shade begins as a flat disc of commercial-grade steel, that is then hand spun by metal artisans into the classic barn light shape. The shades are then coated with two layers of porcelain enamel glass and baked in a 1600-degree porcelain oven to produce a high-gloss finish that never fades or corrodes.

 

For today's giveaway, Barn Light Electric is generously offering the following to ONE winner:

~ a Wheeler™ Wall Sconce of their choice!
*not to exceed $250, can not be combined with any discounts or sales

(Inspired by our line of porcelain pendants and goosenecks, our line of Wheeler™ Wall Sconces pack a lot of punch in a smaller size. These fixtures feature a porcelain enamel coating that comes in nine gorgeous finish colors. These classic lights are perfect for smaller spaces such as closets, hallways, or utility rooms while also working great as exterior entry lights, or even vanity lighting in a retro bathroom.)

In addition, Barn Light Electric would like you to b

e sure to take advantage of their Labor Day Sale starting August 30th through the September 3rd to receive a 15% discount on applicable items. Just enter the code HANDSPUN12. 

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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 9am EST on Monday, and announce the winner(s), chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after. Comments closed!

Thank you to Barn Light Electric! The winner is...

I often imagine owning one of these lights.....they are so beautiful. Thanks for the possibility!
Posted by: Tonya Lemos

SouleMama Sponsor ~ Wooly Moss Roots ~

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Today, I bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, Wooly Moss Roots. In the words of shopkeepers and makers Taryn and Jeff:

Wooly Moss Roots offers handmade wooden buttons, herbal goodness, and wooly delights. We love making high quality artisan buttons in a variety of reclaimed woods for knitters, sewers, crafters, and creative people of all kinds, to make your handmades, that you pour so much time and energy into, even more special. And we enjoy creating herbal goodness to nurture body and spirit, and wooly delights for wool lovers.

Our blog shares inspirations from our daily life on our small homestead in the coastal range of Oregon. You'll find simple joys, real food recipes, gardening, crafting, and flowing with the seasons, along with a celebration of gratitude every week for our Gratitude Sunday tradition. Our facebook page is another great way to stay in touch. (And we have a Pinterest board created especially for featuring Wooly Moss Roots Buttons on your creative projects!)

SouleMama: Tell us about your background. What path led you to the work you do today?

Taryn: When Jeff and I met, he had worked every job under the sun. And usually three at one time. (Yeah, he was a maniac.) We wanted to make a living doing something we loved, spend our days together, and have time for homesteading pursuits. We took a leap of faith and started our own business, with no money to invest in tools or supplies. We liked working with natural materials and had wood to work with, so woodworking started becoming the main focus. We started selling artwork at The Eugene Saturday Market and then we started our Mystic Orb shop, selling natural wooden jewelry and wood creations for the home and garden. When our son Bracken was born in October, 2010, it became even more important to us to spend our days together as a family. We began expanding our offerings to include herbal salves made with organic herbs from our garden, and handmade wooden buttons. Our buttons got incredible feedback and we decided to open a second shop, Wooly Moss Roots. We've been expanding our herb garden to grow more for our herbal products, making lots of lots of buttons, and playing with wool when we get the chance. 

 SouleMama: Tell us what you envision and dream for the future of your business?

Taryn: One of our dreams is having our wooden buttons in yarn shops throughout the world! So far we have our buttons in two lovely yarn shops (check out Stash Local if you're in Oregon and Stitch In Time if you're in Michigan!) To help our dream come true, we have an ongoing offer. Here's how it works: if you love our buttons and would like to see them in your favorite local yarn shop (or several), let them know you'd like to see Wooly Moss Roots buttons there, pass along our website and let them know we offer wholesale prices (50% off retail.) Then send me an e-mail with your name and the name of the yarn shop you contacted. If they place a wholesale order with us, then we will give you three sets of Wooly Moss Roots buttons of your choice! (And we're happy to make you custom sets for your projects.) It's a win win, everybody's happy!

SouleMama: Tell us about your customers.

Taryn: Most of our button customers are knitters, (who I personally think are some of the kindest people in the world.) Often times we get messages from our customers letting us know what they are planning on making with our buttons. It's so fun to hear about the special projects they are working on, especially when they send us a picture of the end result! Seeing all the creativity is so inspiring for us. Many customers have become friends over the years. Each and every sale helps our family immensely and we let them know how much we appreciate them!  

SouleMama: What's the product or offering you're most excited about in your shop right now?

Firstly, buttons! (Surprise surprise.) We're pretty crazy about buttons these days. We love our buttons in reclaimed sassafras wood, which I lovingly refer to as "hobbit buttons" (because they look like something a hobbit would wear.) Jeff just finished carving some gorgeous tree buttons that truly blow me away and he started offering carved heart buttons, which I think are so incredibly sweet. (You can see some here on the sweater our friend Ginny just finished for her daughter.) The herbal products we are using the most right now are our Magical Healing Salve, Blissful Baby Balm (Bracken's face is on the label, you can tell who inspired that one), and our Peppermint Tooth Powder. Salve always comes in handy around here and we love our tooth powder so much, we've happily said bye-bye to toothpaste. We've been excited about felting too. There's so many things we want to do and we want to do it all right now, but we remind ourselves that it's a blessing to be passionate about so many things and to take it one step at a time.

For today's giveaway, Wooly Moss Roots is generously offering the following to TWO winners: 

~ three sets of buttons, one Magical Healing Salve, and one Peppermint Tooth Powder! 

(One winner will get: one carved tree button in reclaimed birdseye maple burl wood, one set of 2 buttons in reclaimed black walnut wood, and one set of 6 buttons in reclaimed rosewood. Second winner will get: one carved tree button in wild hickory, set of 3 hearts in reclaimed maple, one set of 6 buttons in reclaimed rosewood.)

In addition, Wooly Moss Roots is offering SouleMama readers Free Shipping Worldwide by using the code SOULEMAMAGIFT, as well as 10% off your order anytime when using the coupon code: SOULEMAMA10. (Only one coupon code can be used at one time. The Free Shipping offer is valid September 1-5, 2012. The 10% offer is always good!) 

Both coupon codes are good in both our 

Wooly Moss Roots Shop and our Mystic Orb Shop

. 

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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 9am EST on Sunday, and announce the winner(s), chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after. Comments closed!

Thank you to Wooly Moss Roots! The winners are....

Yes, please enter me! Love these buttons!
Posted by: Mooberry Farmwife

wow!!!!
Posted by: Christy 

september first

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Welcome, September! 

And a warm welcome (and welcome back!) to the newest September Sponsors here at SouleMama. 
Please check out their wonderful offerings in the days and weeks to come!

        

     

  

Eyes Open Creative Photography E-Course ~ an offering from photographer Erin Wallace of a love supreme photography

Whole Food Kitchen ~ an e-course offering from Heather Bruggeman of beauty that moves

Capturing Childhood ~ Creative eCourses for recording memories through pictures and film

Chelsea Yarns ~ online shopping for knitting and crochet supplies

Simplicity Parenting ~ a virtual workshop series from Kathy of Bliss Beyond Naptime

Artterro ~ eco-friendly arts and crafts kits

Ida Pearle ~ fine art for children

Rhythm of the Home ~ quarterly online magazine launching fall issue today 

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