SouleMama

the (handmade) holiday goods

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, our holiday making this year wasn't focused on a singular project, but rather a whole lot of different little things. It worked best for this year - for where everyone is at at the moment, for the time we had, and for the interests we all have. Not to mention, the varied gift list. The two weeks leading up to Christmas giving were busy days for making, with a factory in nearly every room, and - thank goodness - at least three (sometimes five) busy bees happily working on their tasks. Truly, I was amazed at how the energy flowed in those tasks amongst the kidst. Sibling peace and harmony in a family with five children is not something that's always present, to state the obvious. But united in the task of making something for someone, with a deadline to boot, these kids of mine rallied big time, and it was a delight to be a part of. 

I tried to remember to stop when I could to take a photo here and there, but failed in many regards. My hands were often too busy or full or just plain messy to pick up that camera. But when I did, as you'll see below, there was no time for clearing a table to take a pretty picture. I kind of love the snippets of our busy days that are creeping into all four corners of each photo. They tell the story of this year's making! 

And so...onto some of the gifts we made to share with friends and family....

Inspired greatly by our friend Lupine (and using her recipe), we decided to make play dough for all of the cousins. Given the quantity of the dough we were making (42 jars!), the knowledge that all the recipients were old enough to know not to eat the dough, and with a desire for lots of color, we skipped the natural dye and went straight for the treat of a large set of Chefmaster food dye gel. I wish I had taken a better photograph of the jars - and the colors - as each was labeled with the name the kids gave it. Cotton Candy was pink with geranium essential oil, Oh Christmas Tree had sage oil, and Sweet Dreams was lavender with lavender oil, and on and on. My favorite perhaps being Harper's Blood & Guts (when he got a little carried away with the red food coloring). We also purchased a few of these softdough sets, added some extra rolling pins, and divided all of that up to put in the bags as well. I loved this project most of all because it really was entirely child-driven. They needed my help with ordering materials, of course, and with printing the labels. But the rest was all them, and they did it beautifully.

 

Meanwhile, in my studio, for the very same cousins, I was busy making Moon Pants. A whole LOT of moon pants. I think I made a few of these in my sleep, though I'm not certain. Pulling quite a bit from my stash, it was fun dreaming up which print belonged with which child. And though these were a ton of fun to make and simple enough too, I wouldn't mind if I don't make another pair for a very long time. Yawn.

The same might be said for big needles and cowls in particular. I will be quite alright if my hands do not hold a size 15 needle for many months to come (maybe this is the moment I embrace sock knitting?). That said, I really did enjoy knitting each and every one of these, with great help from a few good audio books and some decent TV watching on my laptop (The Time In Between - a Spanish drama - for one, and also how did I miss that there was a Season 4 of Call the Midwives? Yeah. Three full seasons of those consumed while knitting these cowls! Indulgence!). Oh, and the cowls, themselves. They are the Drop Stitch Cowl and a few Spiral Cowls thrown in for good measure, both by SpiderWomanKnits. I knit them mostly in Malagrigo Rios, but there is also some Cascade Magnum and Brown Sheep Burly Spun in there. The Rios is my favorite, though it makes for a shorter (and more expensive, eek!) cowl.  All lovely, though, and I think well received. Who doesn't need one more squishy cowl? Exactly.

And there was some more knitting. Hats for those nieces and nephews deemed too old for Moon Pants. These were made without a pattern, just whipped up in bulky and super bulky yarn. And I think I got the best prize of the year in handmade giving with that blue one up there. I was hesitant to add a pom-pom for my nephew - an eight year old boy, new to the family no less. But I had a hunch that he was a pom pom kinda guy. And his delight at opening that with its silly pom pom, and then wearing it all day long without taking his hands off the top of the hat? That's all a knitting gift maker needs, really. Just that one thing all season, and how lucky that I got it from that little guy! (Thank you, Keagan! Hats for you always, kid!)

There were some dryer ball sets sent out into the world this holiday season too! With a few decorated balls (thanks, Adelaide) and a few plain, directions on using them, and a tiny jar of lavender essential oil all bundled in a muslin bag. To my delight, the recipients actually knew what they were and were thrilled! Hooray! 

Phew! I'm getting tired now. Are you? We're almost done here, hang in there. I had hopes of many rope baskets being made, but in the end, it was just one person who received them. My Mama, who has been not so subtly hinting about them since I first made them last spring. I'm glad she waited though, because I think she ended up getting the one I love most of all. Something about this shape is so pleasing to me, and I loved incorporating little pieces of fabric into it for the first time. There will be plenty more of that to come (and now I'm getting really excited about teaching how to make these at our Into The Woods retreat next month!). 

And last but not least, the work of Papa and Harper. Sets of birch bark candle holders, bundled up with twine and greens and a golden acorn (because gold spray paint is just too much fun). I managed to squirrel a few more of these away for myself and I'm so glad I did. They're sweet and bright and I love them so.

And that, my friends, was some of the making we've been up to these past few weeks. I hope there is some inspiration for your future gift giving in there, or perhaps some ideas for snowy winter January days. Ah! Snowy, quiet January days - they're here! Whatever will we make next......


 

lingering

Ah....Exhale. Followed by cough, sniffle, cough. As it seems we're all in the thick of the classic post-holiday colds and fevers. I suppose that's only to be expected when you throw a whole lot of little cousins together (a whole lot!), add a lot of treats no one is used to eating in such quantities, and then take away sleep. A recipe for the post-holiday cold. And while sniffly noses are a bummer, honestly it isn't that terrible. Nothing that can't be cured with a bit of Mama's elderberry elixir, a whole lot of smoothies, extra rest, and mellow time with new games and toys in front of the fire. Yes, we'll recover just fine. 

Just this morning, I emptied my camera card onto the desktop for the first time since just before Solstice. That task usually happens daily, but of course this past week has been a busy one, a flurry of Christmas activity and fun, and so much making too. I nearly had to shovel a path to my studio chair this morning just to find a spot to sit, for all the remnants of making still remain where there were left - in a hurry of fun last minute, elving goodness (I'll show you what we made later this week). The photos I found on that camera card are full of the things this week has come to mean for us - fun with cousins and siblings, tradition and celebration, merriment and joy. But right in this moment, I am drawn to the first images from just over a week ago now, as we celebrated our small Solstice gathering at home, just the eight of us. Forgive me for overusing the word, but for a few hours of that day, it is nothing but magic for me. Magic. As, throughout the day, we wrap our written intentions or hopes for the coming year into burlap, with bits of lavender or sage, twine and greens. Carrying those outside in daylight, we light our fire and remain there until dark. The intentions are placed in the fire and we sit for a while before coming back inside - lit only by candlelight, the youngest leading the way this year. Inside, our candlelit feast begins, and gifts are exchanged. For those few hours, the rest of the world feels so far away, and time, feels as though it pauses for us. 

In the midst of a busy life, in a busy year, or during this busy season, I appreciate those pausing moments so very much. Time when our connection to one another is strong, when we are all so fully present, and where my heart quite fills with the peace of that. I suppose, that's a bit what this week right now is about too - this 'week in between' - and why I've come to also love it (snuffly noses or not), and why we've chosen this year to stay at home mostly, and why we've taken a step away from some larger gatherings, for right now at least. It is a quiet pause of time, one in which we can reflect fondly on the merriment and joy that we've been a part of this week, and full of so moments in which to just be still...with each other and ourselves. We're lingering there right now, you could say, in lengthening days, in the warmth of home and each other, as the snow begins to fall. 

Wishing you much of the same these days!

Fudge, this Christmas

 

I've decided to make Meme's fudge this holiday season. She's been gone for six years in January, though dementia took her from us many years before that. Still, not a Christmas has gone by in all of my life when someone hasn't made this fudge. It's tradition, and it's important. And it just isn't Christmas without a square of this in my hands.

For as long as she was in her home, and as long as I had been alive, we travelled the few hours to Meme and Grampie's house where we'd have "Christmas Eve" and "Christmas morning" - usually, on a chosen day that wasn't actually the 24th and the 25th, but rather one that allowed for all the cousins and aunts and uncles to gather while still having our own Christmas at home. But the truth - that I don't think any of us would argue with - was that Christmas at Meme and Grampie's was the real Christmas. With a precious closet in her old farmhouse (I know how rare those closets are) stuffed to brim with christmas decorations, she'd spend all of October, November and December decorating her house. Every square inch of her house, I kid you not, the woman had calloused fingers from all the thumbtacks so that she could barely use her hands (important for a hairdresser, no?) by the time Christmas arrived. It was magical as a child, driving over the country hills that always had more snow than we did in the Southern part of the state, all of my sisters and I leaning forward and out the windows so eager to be the first to say, "I see the house!" first, and then spilling out of the car and into her house - and her arms - just as fast as we could. 

The party that ensued shortly after our arrival was nothing short of grand. Lit up with decorations, good food and music, in the middle of the woods of Western Maine, the house slowly started to fill. Cousins, aunts, uncles, great uncles and aunts, cousins first and second removed and those that we always needed reminding on just how it was that we were related. Or were we? Were they just a part of the merry band of people my grandmother loved, adored, and took into her warm heart and home? There were so many of those - it was a full house. The evening party was a fancy one, a dress that we'd have chosen months earlier would be worn, with ruffle tights and patent leather shoes (and even, somehow, in the years of a shaved head with a few extra piercings and clothing that she said nothing about but that I knew she very much disliked, I'd manage to contrast it with something satin and shiny, with proper nylons of course, because bare legs would just not be proper. Just for Meme.). A fan of theatre and theatrics, and certainly a lover of a good party and show, my grandmother would gather all the children she could rope into it (which was everyone, a gentle and sneaky persuader she was) and hand out the nativity costumes she had on hand that year - sometimes blue velvet tablecloths with a whole lot of safety pins, and sometimes "real" costumes that she had borrowed from the church. She would ask all of her guests to sit as she lit the advent candles, and read from the book of Matthew. We marched into our assigned and rehearsed places in front of the tree and around the manger, where the youngest baby would be placed (or a cabbage patch doll, in a pinch). The whole thing was equally ridiculous....and beautiful. Later, with no new babies to place in the manger, and all the teenaged cousins tiring and getting just a bit embarrassed of playing Mary and Joseph in the tablecloths, she adapted the show and invited us all to play an instrument or sing, or read passages and light the candles ourselves. And so we did, squeaking out whatever carol or hymn we had learned on our new instrument, she beaming all the while. The party would resume with more merriment to follow - Aunt Cyndi playing the piano, cousins Douglas and Leanne singing beautiful and reaching all those notes that I could only dream of, but certainly tried to - right at their side - because it just felt so good to be there. 

The crowd slowly left that evening, with just the immediate gaggle of cousins and aunts and uncles staying behind for our fake (but real) Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. So many traditions and memories exist from those nights and mornings. So many formative and hugely important moments that taught me everything I believe so deeply about family, love, and celebration. But I fear I'm wandering down a long rambling path this morning that might just bore you to tears (and I have wrapping to do today, and surely you do too!), so let me bring it back to the fudge. Each year, Meme made fudge - her special fudge - that appeared in everyone's stockings the following morning. She'd hide it right up until the very last second, with all of us searching for it until that moment. And then, there were threats of stealing the fudge, deals and trades made, and a whole lot of chatter about this fudge. Here's a funny thing about all of that. Meme, bless her, magical woman that she was, was no cook. Ah! But it's true, and I have to believe she'd be the first to admit it too. And that fudge - I don't even remember really liking it all that much. There! I said it. But did I fight for it and talk about it just as much as the rest? Of course. It was tradition, and oh we all loved her so (and who doesn't mind a big bite of sugar, anyway?).

Thankfully, Meme wrote down her fudge recipe, and someone has been making it every year since she stopped doing so. It's a simple one, the recipe, yet I haven't given it a try yet myself. This year, I asked my sister to send it to me. I wasn't expecting what came through by text, but there was Meme's handwriting on a piece of paper (scanned and digitally sent, of course). Handwriting. Just like the slight hint of Chanel No. 5 (or Old Spice for my Grampie), the sight of her handwritten words brought her right to me. It's amazing what that can do, isn't it? Something so evocative of someone who is no longer with us, but then suddenly is for a moment. What a gift. It helped make me feel as though she was there with me, in my kitchen for a few moments, as I wrapped her apron around my waist. The recipe is written in the same style as my mother texts (but it's true, Mom). This is not to blame on Meme's dementia, as this was written before all of that. It is simply how she wrote it. Key steps are missing. There's an extra ingredient that you're never told what to do with. And her measurements are those that only would apply to her kitchen and her own pots and pans. It was a bit of a mystery and now I see why everyone who has tried it since she passed has ended up with very different results. But I've done enough baking and cooking on my own that I was able to piece it together without too much trouble (though it required a run to the store for more sugar, because four cups of sugar in one recipe might just break a record, goodness!). We've sampled it, and I think it's pretty good. Currently, it's in the fridge, but later today I'll take it out, cut it up and wrap them into pieces for this weekend - one piece for every one of Meme's people.

You might not be surprised to know that for a few years now, I've taken over the hosting duties for this family party, the one Meme used to host. It isn't quite as grand as it used to be, and it isn't a sleepover anymore. But there will be little cousins wearing their Christmas finest in an old crooked farmhouse in Western Maine. There will be stockings, and Aunt Cyndi will play the piano as we will all do our best to reach those highest notes. There will be mimosas, just as Meme would have had. And, of course, there will be fudge. 

(1979 or so. Just how I remember it - lots of running around, advent candles, patent leather, and a whole lot of love from her.)

. . . . . . . . .

Friends, I wish you the merriest of moments in the days to come - full of all the sweetness and joy that comes from gathering with those you love!

 

 

in the thick of it

Forgive me for being extra quiet here in this space as I dove under and fully into the flurry of right now. It is a flurry, isn't it? Well, not a flurry in the form of snowflakes (which is what ALL of my children are so eager for, but likely to be disappointed by - there's none in the forecast! Maybe we got it all last winter?). But it's definitely a flurry right now in the sense of all the parties, errands, wrapping, hosting, decorating, and making. Oh, the making! I suppose that's a result of my late start, but it's non-stop, round the clock, everywhere in the house making right now, and honestly, it's SO much fun this way. Everyone is in on it, and there are projects in each room happening - many I know nothing about until the sewing machine is required or a word needs to be spelled or they're stuck and need some grown-up help. It's marvelous, all this recipe testing, paper packaging, and handmade goodness by one and all. 

I have to tell you though, that a few nights ago I was feeling frustrated by all the interruptions as I was trying to make progress on all the pants and dresses I had hoped to make for my nieces and nephews (that would be ten of them, yup, ten). Late at night, way past everyone's bedtime (that's another theme these days), with another book in her hands that she was writing for one of her cousins. She needed my help with typing and printing, and ordering of all the pages. I knew it would take a good half an hour or more to finish the job with her (and likely there would be another book to follow an hour later). I felt the frustration (and sleepiness) creep in as I looked at the pile of fabric that I just couldn't seem to get to. So close I was to saying no, or snapping about my own projects, but thank goodness I caught myself. Surely it was her eager expression with a handmade book tucked under her folded arms, so excited she was to show me what she had just made. Oh, I know that feeling. A deep breath, and a "yes, of course I can help you" came out of my mouth, albeit a tiny bit forced. And so we worked on her book - this one a sweet tale of a boy who discovers he has magical powers and an ability to know when people are lost and need him to help them find the way. Well good gracious. Yeah. Quickly that knocked a little bit of sense back my way, and we settled into the easy flow of working on a project together until it was done. Grateful now for the time together, grateful for the lessons I always learning from them, and grateful for the interruption. Because I know without a doubt that not only are those little cousins of hers going to love that book far more than they would a pair of handmade pants, but that her act of making that book (and the many, many before and after) is far more important than any little thing I might have had going on in that moment. And so is the recipe testing for the perfect play dough to give that her little brother and sister are doing. And so is the woodworking that her older brothers are up to. All needing our help just a little bit every so often(which is sometimes a lot).

We all need those reminders here and there, don't we? And they always provide such a lovely 'restart' to everything. Slower breathing, a calmer presence and a clearer awareness of what's happening right now all around us.....and just how wonderful that is. And important too. What they're seeing and hearing from us right now matters so very much. Especially this time of year, especially in the thick of it, and in the flurry of everything - these are the times when it is so essential that we see - for them and for us - the magic, the wonder, the merriment that comes with the making, whether that be making books or pants, cookies or pies, or making merry....and sharing it. 

On this Solstice Day, I wishing you much warmth, peace and joy with those you love!

making merry

Alright, there may be no snow yet, nor does it appear to be coming anytime soon. BUT, I'm feeling it now. Maybe it was the date downtown with my girlie to take a ride on the horse drawn wagon through the holiday-lit Old Port. Maybe it was the Winter Holiday music concert at Calvin's school. Maybe it's the arrival of holiday cards in the mail each day from friends near and far, and beginning to write our own. Maybe it's many late nights in a row spent happily knitting gifts. And maybe - just maybe - these kids of mine have convinced me that we really are deep into December right now. I'm catching up, though still moving slowly. It seems there's really no hurry. All this fun, decorating, baking, and making can linger through the rest of the year and beyond, yes? I think so.

Today, I think every door in the house might get its own evergreen swag. I will hang those stockings. And I have a feeling that village (angora roving makes the best snow of all!) might get some more love too. Oh, and these cookies might need to be made as well. Yes! Cheers to the merry making in your home and mine!

the skirt that almost wasn't

A new skirt for Annabel! Or should I say, a really really old skirt that was to be a dress for Adelaide. Ahem. Oh, these knitting projects! Sometimes they go in fits and starts, don't they? And sometimes, those 'fits' are more than a few years long. I believe I cast on for this for Adelaide before we even moved here. My intention was to make it a jumper - starting from the bottom up (the yarn is Aquarella by Malabrigo). I was writing the pattern for it as I went along, but for one reason or another, it moved to the basket of abandoned projects. At one point, cleaning those out, it got moved once more down the line to the 'frog it and use the yarn for something else' suitcase, and there it's been for a very long while now. This weekend I was looking for whatever super bulky yarn I had in my stash (because it's December, so, yay super bulky yarn!), and came across it again. I realized that all it would take is an elastic waistband and it could be a skirt that fit Annabel now. All other projects put aside for a moment, I cast off, folded the band over to create a casing and inserted some elastic. Voila. I do love it when that happens - finishing always feels so satisfying, but finishing something that was previously just taking up space, and not being enjoyed at all - well, that's a really fun kind of finishing.  

 

slow tree

Learning to slow it all down has been one of the greatest lessons to enter my life in recent years. I'm still working on it, of course, and always and forever will be. It's about knowing how much time our family needs together at home, and saying no to things that prevent us from that important time. Or for me personally, it's about being in a crowded airport, not knowing where to go or what to do, and realizing that I don't need to run at the same pace as everyone around me - on my own time, slowing it down, brings me more peace and calm, and I'll get there just the same. And when a weekend finds us with only pockets of time in which all eight of us are in the house together, well....we don't rush through getting something done quickly and all at once, but rather we fit it into those pockets of time. Spread out, thoughtfully, and slowly. That's how this year's tree decorating is shaping up, at least, and it feels delightful. After choosing a tree, it came into the house and sat bare for a day. The lights were added the following morning, ornaments later that night. Today, we'll make popcorn and cranberries, after dinner when we're all together in the living room again. It feels delightful, this pace this year, just what we need. In those slower moments, I'm able to see around me with so much more clarity, and notice the things I fear that I otherwise might just miss in a flurry of activity, a mind full of lists. The way that this year, my oldest is the tallest in the house and able to reach the angel on the tree, though he bends down to help his siblings do it. The capable and confident hands of my newly-minted seven year old as he threads the needle and makes his own ornament, little sister looking on with great interest. The wonder in her eyes as she looks at the magical tree in her house ("It's a tree in the house mom, isn't that SO COOL?"), as I remember every other one of them doing at the same age of four. The way, in all of these pockets of time there is holiday music playing in the background, a guitar or ukulele picked up here or there, singing from a few, the inevitable wrestling and pillows that end up always off the couch, the predictable teasing that happens amongst each other combined with a deep understanding of each other (hence the ability to tease so easily), a great amount of play, and a whole lot of laughter. This is our family right now, this holiday season. This is what I want to notice, hold onto, and make certain we have time for. The tree in the middle of our room, and the way it came to be, can now help serve as a reminder to me for the weeks to come, for this is what I want and need to hear: Slow it down. There is so much goodness right here, right now. Don't miss it. 

Wishing you all a wonderful start to your week. May it be a slow one, in the best of ways.

Sweet Jane Studio {a soulemama sponsor}

Greetings from Sweet Jane Studio! 

Hi there! My name is Crystal Tracy and I run a small business called Sweet Jane Studio where I design and make unique, colourful clothing for all the special little people in your life. I work out of my home studio in northern parries of Canada in Edmonton, Alberta.

Sweet Jane Studio products are well made but not precious or fussy and can be worn for any occasion -  to a birthday party or to the playground! Many Sweet Jane Studio clothes are appliquéd with images of animals that kids like but that are not too cutesy or cliché so parents can enjoy them too. Customers are absolutely thrilled with the quality, attention to detail and originality of the clothing they buy from SJS. Kids love to wear the designs and because they look so cute and whimsical on, parents have to stop themselves from buying everything in the collection. When you buy handmade clothing from Sweet Jane Studio your little one will feel confident and comfortable, look adorable, and you'll feel satisfied knowing they're wearing unique clothing that is easy to care for and stands up to play.

Visit Sweet Jane Studio and find the perfect gift that will instantly become their favourite thing to wear.

Follow all the latest Sweet Jane Studio happenings here.

SouleMama: Welcome to sponsorship on SouleMama! Please tell us about the beginnings of your business, and how you've come to be where you are now?

Crystal: I started Sweet Jane Studio five and a half years ago by selling a few dresses I'd made at a local craft show. I was so scared that no one would buy anything from me that I barely slept the night before the show. But, people liked what I made and bought the dresses and I loved the whole experience so much I kept going with it! I have 3 kids who were and are a great inspiration for me. Without them I might not have the burning NEED to get time to myself and do something creative. They're also great sports and let me try stuff on them when figuring out new patterns and they reluctantly agree to be my models for website photos! I still sell at local craft shows but also have my own online store as well. It makes me SO HAPPY when I hear that one of my dresses is a little girl's favourite and she wears it every day  - even to bed! Or that one of my t-shirts is the first thing a little boy will choose when getting dressed in the morning. I'd love to get my clothes on as many little people as possible so I can hear more stories like this from my customers.

This weekend, Sweet Jane Studio is generously offering the following gift to TWO lucky SouleMama readers: 

An adorable onesie OR t-shirt of your choice

In addition, Sweet Jane Studio is pleased to offer all SouleMama readers 10% off your next online purchase when you sign up here.

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To enter today's giveaway, leave a comment below (one entry per person, please). Comments will close by 9 am EST on Monday. Winners will be chosen by Random Number Generator and announced in this post shortly after. Comments closed. The winners are...

Amazing! How have I not found this shop before??
Posted by: Kate

The clothes you make are really adorable! I would totally want a t-shirt for myself if you made it that size. And is it "Sweet Jane" as in "Jack is in his coats and Jane is in her vest. And me I'm in a rock'n'roll band - ha!" ? Totally love it, your small business.
Posted by: Sophia

Blue Platypus {a soulemama sponsor}

 

Greetings from Blue Platypus! 

Heidi and Scooter, the fashioneers behind Blue Platypus, have made it their mission to have a comprehensive knowledge of production as well as design, and enjoy finding new processes, trying out new silhouettes and fabrics, and constantly evolving. What is the point of making another t-shirt with a one color plastisol print on a factory blank? This lovely made in USA clothing features original graphics and silhouettes, custom dye colors, and soft fabrics knit right here in this country. Blue Platypus is proud of its relationships with its contractors, many of whom are like family at this point, and its relentless devotion to quality. Whether inspired by vintage, nature, nautical, animals, there's never a dull collection! 

Visit Blue Platypus on Instagram and Twitter.

SouleMama: Welcome to sponsorship on SouleMama! Please tell us about the beginnings of your business, and how you've come to be where you are now?

Heidi: Blue Platypus began about 10 years ago when we decided we wanted to produce something locally that was unique and colorful. There was so much black and grey clothing in Los Angeles, and we wanted to change that! We initially did a 12 animal Chinese Zodiac line on factory blanks, then decided we wanted the shirts to fit real people and to be more unique, so we paired with local knitting mills and small contractors who could do custom cut & sew as well as dye houses and screen printers who are among the best in the world. It was scary at first, but now it's normal for us to order fabric in 1,000-yard increments!  

 

This weekend, Blue Platypus is generously offering the following gifts to ONE lucky SouleMama reader: 

Navy Knitting Long Sleeve Tee and 2 mystery items!

 

In addition, Blue Platypus is pleased to offer all SouleMama readers free shipping, site-wide, through December using code FREESHIP. And FIVEGOLDRINGS gets you $5 off in FESTIVE FUN section through December.

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To enter today's giveaway, leave a comment below (one entry per person, please). Comments will close by 9 am EST on Sunday. Winners will be chosen by Random Number Generator and announced in this post shortly after. Comments closed. The winner is...

Love the shirt! What fun it will be to wear. Thank you for the give away!
Posted by: Jane 

this handmade holiday

I think it's the lack of snow around these parts, or maybe it's our absence from the Nutcracker this year - swinging us into the holiday season in September as it does. I'm not certain the reason, but it's hard for me to believe that it's December 11th! And I may be foolish for saying so, but I don't have a bit of stress about the holidays or all the making I'd like to do, given the date that the calendar tells me it actually is. Usually by now, something has emerged as our one 'thing' that we gift to friends and family for the year - some of my favorites have been the Bird Calendar, or the Soule Family Soap Sampler, or those sweet mugs and hair pieces for nieces and nephews. Instead though, this year, my holiday making is all over the map. There's a little bit of this going on and a little bit of that, and not a whole lot of details nailed down. I took a trip to town yesterday to both the local yarn store (Knitwit) and my fabric store (Z Fabrics) - buying supplies as though there were all the time in the world to make all the many things I want to make. Arriving home, a package was on my doorstep from Mountain Rose Herbs full of all the ingredients I need to make a great many more things I have planned. And then there is the pile of clothesline, waiting to be turned into vessels for nearly everyone on my list, and the roving being made into balls again and again. It's a mystery to me why I'm being especially leisurely about it all this year - perhaps because I've chosen simple projects that are realistic, fun and enjoyable for me to create in multiples (Moon Pants and Drop Stitch Cowl, I'm looking at you!). Or maybe it's because I have SO many helpers who have been busy making a whole slew of things on their own, for everyone on their list and mine, that I could do nothing between now and the end of the year, and I'm certain everyone we know would have a gift from my littles. Or maybe it's because I feel extra intentional this year about enjoying it all and about slowing it all down to a crawl - or at least, a cozy fireside making session with the ones I love, some good food and a bit of music. Yes, that would be just right. 

A tree is on the agenda for the weekend, and decorating it. Though, the kids already did that too. Fed up with Steve and I for not getting one right after Thanksgiving (they didn't believe us when we told them it would have dried out by Solstice), they took matters into their own hands and cut down small 'trees' for each of their bedrooms weeks ago now. And all the making they've been doing - secretly behind closed doors - gets rushed to Gram's room, where there's a full wrapping operation in progress at all times. Fancy ribbons and bows and lots of excitement.

So we'll get the tree, and I'll write a list and maybe get serious about some of that making this weekend. But hopefully not too serious. Hopefully just serious enough to make some yummy food, put on some holiday music, sit down in front of the fire, and pick up that big bulky yarn for easy knitting alongside the kids while they keep on making too, whatever it is they dream up this weekend to make. That's precisely the spirit I'd like to carry with me right on through to the end of this year, amidst all the parties and gatherings and making and doing. And friends, I wish you the same in your coming days....merry making.

Grits (or Polenta?) for Lunch

I know. Ridiculous, right? What's this born and raised Mainer doing talking about grits? I may be overstepping my geographical bounds by doing so, but I can't help it. They've hit our lunch table in a big way and I thought I'd share on the chance that it might be a hit for you and yours too. Though Calvin's at school now, it's still a whole lot of people that we're feeding three times a day. Eight for breakfast and dinner and seven for lunch on most days. We've got our regular breakfast routine down pretty well (that's Papa's territory), and I'm in a good dinner groove, with some help from the kiddos here and there. But sometimes lunch is tricky. Tricky in that I don't want to spend the whole entire day in the kitchen and would love to put something easy together that sustains us through the rest of the day. Popcorn, of course, is the obvious answer. Popcorn, kale chips and hard boiled eggs is the lunch of summer. Add some bread and cheese and my kids are over the top excited, day in and day out, with no complaints. I've found that our best lunch rhythm is that of the 'snack plate' variety - a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Or, a make-your-own something or other. Meals that have a solid base but then can be varied depending on tastes and - most importantly - what's in the pantry or in the refrigerator. Planning dinners ahead is enjoyable and helpful to me, but planning lunches and ingredients ahead too? I don't love that. (Leftovers, you say? You eat leftovers for lunch? I don't know what that is anymore. Despite feeling as though I make massive amounts of food for dinner, there never seem to be any leftovers to be had. I blame the growing teenage boys in my house who make it mysteriously disappear while I'm sleeping.) 

Back to grits. They are, happily, one of those quick lunches I can make that has a choose your own adventure vibe to it that everyone here loves. I can make a quick pot of grits and while they're cooking, pull out this and that from the fridge, saute up some garlic, onions and kale, and fry some eggs and bacon. Easy peasy. And everyone is happy with what they put on their own bowl, which makes it a total win in my book.

And here's where I really push my geographical boundaries by telling you exactly how I make those grits....up here in Maine....so close to Canada I can almost see it (do you eat grits in Canada?)....

Bring 2 cups of milk and 2 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 cup coarse cornmeal, 1 tsp salt while stirring. Lower heat and cover for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn't stick. Once it's creamy and 'done,' add 2 TBSP of butter, stir until melted. Remove from heat and add 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. 

And then, the fun part. Toppings! Some of the things that have made their way onto our grits: 

eggs, for certain - poached and fried
fermented tomatoes
kimchi
roasted beets
carmelized onions
sauteed greens and garlic
more cheese
bacon, of course
definitely hot sauce

And now, I will stop talking about grits and listen instead. Tell me, how do you eat yours?

edited to add: Well, then! It appears that I do have no right talking about grits after all, as it seems I've been making polenta, or maybe even cornmeal mush, and calling it grits.(Here's a pretty good article on the difference.) Ah! What an interesting thing food and geography is together! Thanks to all of you who so kindly pointed me in the right direction. I do stand by the fact that whatever it is I'm making (recipe above) is yummy and a happy lunchtime meal for us all. ;) 

Marple, in Mustard

Just off the needles and straight onto the girl, the Marple Dress. I had so much fun knitting this little tunic for Annabel (I went a little bit shorter than suggested so as to make it more suitable for all the yoga/dancing/jumping she does, as you can see). The pattern was just right - the perfect blend of something interesting, but not so complicated that I couldn't knit it in all the moments of my days. Do you know what I mean? An easy to remember pattern that was a delight to knit. And the yarn. Oh, that yarn! It's from Fern Fiber (whose yarn we featured in our Taproot Pop-Up shop, but which quickly sold out, no wonder!), and was a birthday gift from my dear Ashley English who knows me so well as to pick out just the right color - my favorite, really. Dyed with onion skins (I think, but I've misplaced the yarn band that tells me exactly), it's reminiscent of so many of my favorite summer things - tansy, marigold and so much more. When the yarn arrived, I knew I wanted to do something special with it. And I've been thinking about the fleeting 'baby' knits in my life, at least for my own little ones. I can't quite imagine there are many more knit dresses that I can squeeze onto my children - this one feels like it might just be the last. And so, it seemed a perfect place for the yarn to land - on that littlest girl of mine (if you call her a 'baby' she will bark at you. Literally. She is NOT a baby anymore, she is a BIG KID thank you very much). And well, of all of my children she just might be the one for whom this color fits perfectly. She is not afraid to be the center of attention and actually prefers that spot most of all. And if you ask her to stand still so you can just snap one quick photo in the not-so-great light without it being too blurry? Well you get a whole lot of this:

And that up there is not "I'm A Little Teapot" being acted out as you might think, but rather the motions to YMCA, which is where she is requesting to go today (and everyday) to go swimming. After all the dancing and yoga she must do first. Oh, she's a busy one this little girl of mine. And I'm always amazed at how quickly she can go from all of that (above) to this (below). The (very loud) center of everyone's attention one minute, and as quiet as a little church mouse (as she says) in a corner reading a book to herself the very next minute. Oh, I do so love four year olds!

 

that moment

I know. There is a whole Monday that needs to happen. There is a teenager that needs to be driven to school right away. There is a dentist appointment. There is a dress rehearsal tonight and nordic ski practice and fiddle lessons too. There is laundry and there are dishes and a few meals or so to prepare and serve and then clean up from, and a whole lot of animals to be fed. And surely there will also be many moments of joy and peace and fun too.  But can I just linger for a minute in the weekend? In this very moment, please? The one in which we had all spent the morning outside - playing soccer, feeding the animals and building a fire in the fire pit, on a rare and relatively warm early December day. And when I walked into the house after many hours out, I found these three just like this, only a few minutes ahead of me. Warming by the fire and reading a book. Yes, yes, yes. I said nothing, but grabbed my camera long enough for this quick snap, then quickly grabbed my knitting and sat beside them. And that is the very moment I'd like to hang onto if I could, as we start this Monday. That little moment is the one I'd very much like to hang onto through the whole week ahead, and the kind of moment I'd like to be certain that I look for in each day that follows.

Wishing you a beautiful start to your own week! 

urban baby bonnets {a soulemama sponsor}

  

 

Greetings from urban baby bonnets! 

modern little sun hats for all the lovely littles in your life! perfectly hip fabrics and a totally updated design make our sun hats perfect for today's parent! no more slathered chemical sunscreens that inevitably get eaten… just pure, classic, gorgeous shading from the sun. our hats feature big brims that can be folded back if necessary… but when they’re out, you get sun protection that cannot be beat and a look that’s guaranteed (really!) to turn heads. invest in life-long skin health & cancer prevention— go UB2 this winter!

we're on Facebook, google+, instagram and twitter! share your photos with us in one of those places or via email at [email protected]. We post everything we receive... but if we choose to use your photo on our website or in promo materials, we will give you a gift certificate for $25! keep the submissions coming!

 

SouleMama: Since the last time you were featured on SouleMama, in what ways has your business grown or changed? Tell us about it.

Colette: we have ear hats!!! available now, these are hands-down the CUTEST winter hats... since... like...  EVER! with teeny tiny mouse ears and great big fox ears and everything in between, your little one will be super-excited to wear this hat! (imagine, no more fighting to get that winter hat on.... this is a hat kids WANT to wear!)

we're so excited to have these available just in time for holiday gift-giving. they've been SO much fun to design... and we have them for grown-ups, too. really! SO much fun, especially on the slopes.

 

This weekend, urban baby bonnets is generously offering the following gift to ONE lucky SouleMama reader:

 

a wildThings ear hat in Unbridled... winner's choice of size. 

 

In addition, urban baby bonnets is pleased to offer all SouleMama readers free shipping with the code souleholiday until 1.1.16.  Or save 10% off all ear hats--  before 12/18/15 with the code SAVE10.

 

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To enter today's giveaway, leave a comment below (one entry per person, please). Comments will close by 9am EST on Monday. Winners will be chosen by Random Number Generator and announced in this post shortly after. Comments closed. The winner is...

These are fabulous.
Posted by: Alita

Imagine Childhood {a soulemama sponsor}

 
  
Greetings from Imagine Childhood! 

Imagine Childhood is a family owned and operated company specializing in earth-friendly goods, craft and activity tutorials and educational supplies that support and nurture the magic of childhood. Our carefully curated collection focuses on products that inspire children to create, imagine, and explore. With an emphasis on quality materials, our toys and tools are made for real kids and real adventures.  

Browse our 2015-2016 Lookbook for 200 pages of inspiring and thoughtful gifts, our largest collection yet! We’ve spent the last eight years combing the globe for unique heirloom quality toys, tools, games, and craft projects, many of which are $25 or less. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

In addition to our shop we also share free crafts, activities and recipes on our blog here and our recent book, IMAGINE CHILDHOOD: Exploring the World Through Nature, Imagination, and Play- 25 Projects that spark curiosity and adventure, can be found here

SouleMama: Since the last time you were featured on SouleMama, in what ways has your business grown or changed? Tell us about it.

Sarah: It's been a busy few months over at Imagine Childhood. We just recently finished upgrading our entire website and we are so excited about the results! Not only is the browsing easier and more intuitive, now our shop works like a charm on phones and tablets too. Plus, there's so much more room to develop projects and programs that will make your experience at Imagine Childhood all the more full and inspiring. Come check it out and let us know what you think!

 

This weekend, Imagine Childhood is generously offering the following gifts to ONE lucky SouleMama reader: 

a $100 gift certificate to the Imagine Childhood shop, a signed copy of our book, and a handmade Christmas Rose Fairy!

 

In addition, Imagine Childhood is pleased to offer all SouleMama readers 10% off all orders placed between now and December 9th, as well as free shipping for orders over $100. Use code "soulemama" at checkout. Discount expires 12/9/15.

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To enter today's giveaway, leave a comment below (one entry per person, please). Comments will close by 9am EST on Sunday. Winners will be chosen by Random Number Generator and announced in this post shortly after. Comments closed. The winner is...

Wow, so many good things!!!
Posted by: bridget

ten things on Friday

One.
This little corner has been so many things since we moved in five years ago, trying to sort out just the best use of it - it's been a desk, a dry bar, and a play kitchen nook. A little kitchen rearranging this week has made it into a sorta-kinda pantry shelf, with my most used pantry items. About four feet away from the butcher block where I do all of my cooking, instead of on the other side of the kitchen, far from reach. It's a simple little thing, really, but so much more efficient and that makes me incredibly happy.

Two.
I'm reading, and really loving, Gloria Steinem's new book (her first in twenty years!) My Life on the Road. I so enjoy her writing and particularly these stories about what "home" has meant to her in her life, and her thoughts on travel. So much to think about. And the audio book (so that I can keep knitting, of course) narrated by Debra Winger is a bonus.

Three.
(The Mouse King and the Nutcracker battle while a frightened Clara looks on.) Rehearsals are in progress for The Nutcracker around here. This is the first year in many that my boys are not dancing in the ballet on stage, as they both take a year off to do other things. I miss it - the magic and our friends there - but am pleasantly satisfied with the rehearsals happening in the library. It seems that show is a part of our holiday season, whether we are acting on stage or in our house. Even these little three know all the musical cues for what happens when. I do so love that. And it eases some of the missing of the big show that I have!

Four.
Are you on Instagram? If you're a knitter or fiber fan, you've got to check out FiberDestash, a space in which folks can offer up their unneeded stash items for sale or trade. Love!

Five. 
I don't know why, but we're on a bit of a muffin kick. Something warm and mildly sweet in the morning seems just right these days. More often than not, it's our Leftover Oatmeal Muffins that hit the table.

Six.
The holiday music has begun! Officially. I'm most enjoying this season our friend Elizabeth Mitchell's The Sounding Joy: Christmas Songs in and out of the Ruth Crawford Seeger Songbook. It's just beautiful, and the perfect balance to Elvis and The Temptations singing Rudolph that my littles love too. What's on your holiday playlist?

Seven.
The Taproot Holiday Pop-Up Shop opened yesterday. I had so much fun putting this together with the team, selecting the items and the makers that we'd feature. Each one of them inspires me in their work and creativity. Even if you're not interested in shopping, I encourage you to check out their stories, highlighted on each product page. 

Eight.
Do you listen to Woolful? It's lovely podcast that I really enjoy, and the most recent episode - with the magical Tiff (Dottie Angel) - is a really special one. 

Nine.
I am happy that hunting season (well, all but musket) is over. If only for the very petty fact that we aren't wearing orange all the time around the house. Ahem.

Ten.
Gingerbread cookies today. That's the plan, and there are a gaggle of children at my studio door, hungry from their rigorous Nutcracker rehearsal, ready to get going! And off we go....

. . . . . . . .

Have a most lovely December weekend, friends!
 

Moon Pants

(Not posed, the love between these two is mighty. Of course, so is the screaming at each other. As it goes. Annabel's shirt, by the way is Zebulon by Citronille that I made for Harper many years ago, and Adelaide is wearing one of her brother's old dance costumes. As we do.)

I have to confess where the inspiration for this flurry of sewing came from. On Monday, Cyber Monday as they say, my phone was off the hook with text conversations from my sisters and mother about this or that sale happening and what size is whom this year and on and on. And I know your email inbox was as cluttered as mine with all kinds of crazy deals from every shop you've ever visited and most that you never even have seen before. I answered those texts and I clicked on a few of those emails. And there were more than a few shopping carts that I 'filled' on Monday. I am not exempt from all of that temptation, as is very well evidenced on this here blog with the things I buy for myself, my home, and my family. Certainly, I am from this culture of shopping and 'deals' and it's the very way in which, in a family of all girls, we connected and bonded as sisters, and mother and daughters (and still do, though I've worked so hard to find alternatives for us). But something stopped me on Monday - maybe it was just having watched The True Cost again, this time with my boys, who are most certainly deep in an age of consumer wantiness. (I highly recommend that film, by the way, if you haven't seen it yet. I put off doing so for so long thinking that I knew what it was all about and it would just be depressing. Not true on either account. I finished it actually feeling quite hopeful, and definitely even more informed.) Or maybe it was all the work I've been doing on getting the Taproot Pop-Up shop launched (today, ironically), and editing the stories of all the many makers and small business people working so hard to live their dream while creating in a sustainable and thoughtful way, in competition with big companies who are doing anything but working sustainably or thoughtfully. Or maybe...it was a single glance behind me from the computer screen to the fabric shelves so overflowing that I can barely close the closet door. Likely it was all of those things combined that stopped me from sending any of those full 'shopping carts' to the checkout on Monday. I can't always claim that feat, but on this day, I did.

Tired of the clutter of so many choices coming at me and the consequences of each, instead I went to the sewing machine. (And let me just pause and acknowledge that it's still muddy and convoluted and I'm fully aware of that. Because I did buy the pants pattern - when of course I have many, many pants patterns on my shelves and probably something that would have worked just fine - and I did buy this fabric - with its own expense. There was, indeed, some shopping that happened to make these simple little pants. Money spent and earthly resources consumed. Ah....it is never perfect!)

But putting all of that aside for just a moment, I settled into the joy of making. Simple, simple as can be, these pants. (The pattern is Moon Pants by Made for Rae and the fabric is Robert Kaufman Chambray in Burgundy. The red pair is a Cotton + Steel double gauze.) But joyfully and sincerely I made them for my girlies. I showed Harper the pattern and he didn't think he'd like them. But once he saw them on his sisters, he decided he might just love them too. So more are in the works - they're quick enough that I can almost whip them up in the moments between making dinner. Almost. But I also don't mind taking my time making them, using that opportunity to slow everything else down around me, focus on the making with intention, and pour a little bit of love into the product. And then, the best part of all, giving them to the people I love. 

 

 

Issue 16::SHELTER

Issue 16::SHELTER of Taproot has just hit the streets. It has left the printer and is winding its way to you now, if you're a subscriber, and headed to our stockists all over. It's also in the shop now, available for purchase. 

This issue, as you might imagine given the theme, is chock-full of inspiration in the housing department, whether that be a yurt, an old farmhouse, a tiny house, a tent, a root cellar (if you're a potato), a nest (if you're a bird, of course). On and on, in all the different ways we define "home," this issue explores that diversity of home, how we can nourish ourselves through tending the hearth, and what it all means to us, personally and globally. I love this issue, and not just for all of that exploration about a topic, home, that means everything to me, but for all the handwork and activity that it holds within the pages too. This time of year, as we do draw in, we are all eager for the projects to keep our hands busy and our hearts happy. There is plenty to find in the pages for that - a knit sweater (that I've already cast on for!), screenprinting at home, upcycling clothing, the comfort of casseroles, and my new favorite magazine feature - a suggested, thematic reading list. I do believe everything I need for entertainment for this season to come is in this issue. I've been enjoying it so, and I hope you all will too.

As an added little bonus, inside this issue is a tear out sheet with two paper house ornaments for you to decorate and make yourself. My kids have been having a blast doing just that - making little scenes over some branches on the nature shelf, and anxiously lining some houses up for the very moment the tree arrives in the door. (Psst...for those of you with eager kiddos who will use up your houses in no time at all, there's a download page on the website where you can print more for free!). 

Head on over to the Taproot website to see more about this issue, and check out the other good things we've stocked the shop with this time of year. (Oh! And Save the Date for Thursday when we launch the Holiday Pop-Up Shop! Sign up for our mailing list to be the first to know when it goes live.)

With this issue, SHELTER, we wrap up year four of Taproot! I can hardly believe that our next issue starts year number five. What an amazing experience this magazine-making has been - so much more rewarding, fulfilling and encouraging than I ever imagined it would be (also more work than I ever imagined, but that's another story!). Watching this community of readers - makers and doers like yourself - has been such a joy, and I'm eager to see what comes next in year five. Thank you, as always, for your continued support of our little independent publishing venture!

 

 

Welcome, December!

Hello December!

I'm so pleased to welcome the following new sponsor for December!

Mindful Clutter Clearing

If you are struggling with clutter in your home, but need more support than a book or article can give you, Mindful Clutter Clearing is for you! This four-week e-course is a powerful opportunity to make a change in your life for the better; gain space, time, and clarity in your home; and delve deeply into the emotional reasons behind the clutter you keep in a safe and supportive environment. Finally let go of the dead weight that has been holding you back, and unearth your treasures.

 

Gift yourself with a fresh start this new year - class begins January 15!

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .

I'm so pleased to have them joining us this month as a Sponsor, along with our ongoing Sponsors in the sidebar. The support of these fellow small businesses helps me to carve out the time I love to dedicate to this space, and I'm honored they choose to spend their resources here. All of the sponsors I feature are carefully-selected and businesses that I am proud to support, and in most cases, am a customer of myself! I encourage you to check out their offerings in the coming weeks and months, visit their websites to learn about the inspirational businesses they all are. And if you think Sponsorship is something you might be interested in for your own ventures, please be in touch! 

Hello December!

I'm so pleased to welcome the following new sponsor for December!

Mindful Clutter Clearing

If you are struggling with clutter in your home, but need more support than a book or article can give you, Mindful Clutter Clearing is for you! This four-week e-course is a powerful opportunity to make a change in your life for the better; gain space, time, and clarity in your home; and delve deeply into the emotional reasons behind the clutter you keep in a safe and supportive environment. Finally let go of the dead weight that has been holding you back, and unearth your treasures.

 

Gift yourself with a fresh start this new year - class begins January 15!

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .

I'm so pleased to have them joining us this month as a Sponsor, along with our ongoing Sponsors in the sidebar. The support of these fellow small businesses helps me to carve out the time I love to dedicate to this space, and I'm honored they choose to spend their resources here. All of the sponsors I feature are carefully-selected and businesses that I am proud to support, and in most cases, am a customer of myself! I encourage you to check out their offerings in the coming weeks and months, visit their websites to learn about the inspirational businesses they all are. And if you think Sponsorship is something you might be interested in for your own ventures, please be in touch!