SouleMama

PotionKit {a soulemama sponsor}

Greetings from PotionKit!

Made for kids who love mixing up magic, PotionKit collects beautiful potion making supplies and ingredients together into secret-compartment book boxes. Spices, oils and minerals are transformed into cosmically and mythological inspired magical potions, all bundled together as an unforgettable gift.

It all started with a Christmas gift for our daughter Io. Our criteria for the “perfect toy” is long: Something homemade. Unusual. Imaginative. Something played with for hours. Authentic. Beautiful. We knew she loved mixing things from the kitchen and garden. We are always washing out her latest “concoction” in the sink. What if she had something just for her love of potions? Something magical and surprising? Something she would remember in 20 years from now?

We started with a beautiful book box with a secret hidden compartment. Then we filled it with little bottles, spices, herbs, incense and flowers. Then tools of all types: mortar & pestle, tweezers, pipettes. Anything she would need to start bringing any spell to life. Her opening that book was such a delight. It stole the show for Christmas. First for hours, then for days and then weeks later - she mixed, mashed, stirred and bottled. Her older brother joined in, learning how to use carbon dioxide to pop cork stoppers out of their bottles. She and he collected new things from the garden, made teas and tinctures, and wrote down their own recipes. The magic grew far beyond that Christmas morning.

So, we decided this was too much fun and we had to make more. Now we are making the kits in small batches and to order. It’s been amazing seeing more kids playing for hours on their own, making discoveries with all their senses and keeping the magic alive for just one more year.

PotionKit is on Instagram and Facebook.

This weekend, PotionKit is generously offering the following gift to TWO lucky SouleMama readers:

The Alchemist Book Box is perfect for the earnest student of classical potion making. This is the mysterious book found in the corner of Grandma's attic. Looking like it travelled straight from the 1700's, the book box is covered in medieval scrolling embossed onto leatherette. The velour lined box is then filled with all the materials and tools for concocting a variety of essential potions. 

In addition, PotionKit is offering free priority shipping for any order over $80 for SouleMama readers with the code MAGICALSHIPPING through May 31. Potion Kit will be doing another giveaway May 5th on their Facebook and Instagram accounts - follow or like to enter again.

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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 winners are...

Magical! My wee ones would be enthralled!
Posted by: Brook

My daughter is turning 8 in a couple weeks and would absolutely love this! Thanks for the offer :)
Posted by: basil lou

4.27.17

It's still too wet to play in the garden, and it's been pouring all week anyway. (April showers and all that. I'm expecting flowers next week!) But we did get a little bit of work done in small pockets this week...namely tidying up - the garden shed, some beds I hadn't properly cleaned  in the fall, things like that. It feels nice, really, in that I don't think I'm adding any garden beds (I know I'm going to change my mind on that though), and our basic garden infrastructure is in place. So I found myself earlier this week digging into the side of a small hill to make a more smooth entrance to the garden. It has been a bit steep there, and therefore not terribly comfortable, for walking up or down with a large wheelbarrow full, for example. I'd often find myself holding on tightly so as not to tip it all over or run into the fence. It's such a little thing, but something I hadn't ever been able to get around to doing much about before. This week, I did. No more tipsy wagon loads. It feels so nice to focus on things like that now, and I look forward to so many more in the months and years to come as the garden further establishes itself right where it is, and I can work on making what exists even better.

Harper has decided he'd like to start a firewood business (there are lots of summer camps near us on the lakes), and has been cutting and bundling like wild, using hay bale ties to do so (bless that resourcefulness!). I'm guessing the interest might pass when other summer activities lure him away from chopping wood, but maybe not! So far, he's exclusively using wood from trees we've cut down for the sheep to enjoy (they'll happily eat the bark as a vitamin source, meaning that the wood dries quicker too!). It makes for some pretty wood, actually, so maybe he's onto something. Artisanal flock-chewed firewood! 

I'd love to open up the garden series again here on the blog this summer. It was such a delight last year - I learned so much and so enjoyed the variety of gardens people shared! Shall we have another round? Dash me a note if you're interested and I'll get in touch with the details as we transition into garden season (though I know that in most other places, you're already deep in it, you lucky ducks!).

4.24.17

And, he's off! After I squeezed in that family photo - see his foot already halfway out the door? Calvin is fully settled now into Eastern France, though he'll spend much of his time in Switzerland, and travel to Italy as well. Yes, yes, we are all very jealous of his adventure! But so very glad for him. Just a few days in and he says he is understanding much....and speaking some. That will come, I'm sure of it. 

As for the rest of us? Just after we dropped him at the airport, two kids needed to be delivered to theater, and dinner made for the rest, and well, the ship keeps moving forward, you know?  And spring has arrived! Just barely, but she is here. The snow is all gone, and the ground is drying up. It's still a bit early for garden work, really, but yard work we are doing with a vengeance. And the clothes are drying once again on the clothesline, with ease (and not frozen fingers)! It's become a favorite moment of the day once again, hanging out the laundry. For inevitably, Annabel sees me hoisting that laundry basket up onto my hip, slipping my shoes on and heading out the back door while she's at the breakfast table. When I arrive at the clothesline and start pinning clothes, she has somehow managed to beat me there, knowing she has a captive audience to her story (whatever it may be in that moment) for at least a solid twenty minutes or more. Usually more, because her tales are always quite captivating and I find it terribly hard to leave. And there, hanging laundry in the spring sunshine, listening to her tales, I am reminded of so many moments just like that with her older brother who is now across the Atlantic. And the difference is that this time, the memory comes with a deeper understanding about just how fleeting it all really is. And so, I linger just a little bit longer once the clothes are hung, to hear her story - longer perhaps that I did a dozen years ago. 

Oh the lessons they keep teaching us - in their presence and in their absence too! What a gift that is. 

Jane & William HOME {a soulemama sponsor}

Greetings from Jane & William HOME!

We’re an artisan made home goods shop, based in a small town in upstate New York. We specialize in kitchen goods made ethically and sustainably. Each piece is carefully designed to be both useful and beautiful. It’s the kind of stuff that you might enjoy displaying AND using on a regular basis.  

We promote our social mission to empower women around the globe by using our profits to fund micro loans through Kiva.org.

If you’d like to stay in touch with our evolving product line and the work that goes into each of our pieces, you can find us on Facebook and Instagram.  

Please tell us about the beginnings of your business and how you’ve come to be where you are now?

We are a couple of friends and mothers who grew up together in a teeny little town in upstate New York. Jasmine is a potter by trade and has been working and teaching her craft for about 17 years. She has two young children and lives on her husband’s family farm. Alyssa is a teacher by trade and has spent the past decade or so teaching herself marketing and photography while helping various family members with their small business ventures (including the Aurora Shoe Co. which has really found a home in this space). She has three young children and her husband is the exacting woodworker who makes all of our cutting boards. We have a couple of friends who work with us to make our naturally dyed indigo napkins, tea towels, and linen aprons. We also have a few other local makers and products coming soon, and are focused on sharing well made, practical and useful home goods with people who appreciate and value the real artistry and craft that goes into making them.  

What inspires you?

Our company name and our focus on the kitchen and home, were inspired by Alyssa’s maternal grandmother (Jane) and paternal grandfather (William). Jane was a mother of 6 and a teacher for decades. She worked and volunteered through World War II all the while championing women’s equality and leading  by example. She was an amazing baker and cook with a very determined spirit - constantly baking with and for her family. William was a father of 9 and learned to cook while serving in World War II. He cooked for his large family for the rest of his life and was best known for his pies. He was a doer and a dreamer, always having a plan for what to do, a story to share, or a joke to fill the silence.   

Both Jane and William were the kind of people who led very full lives full of good food, vibrant family, and a lot of healthy community involvement. They’re a daily inspiration and a great reminder to put the time and effort in where it has the biggest impact - the people and the causes closest to home. So, that’s what we’re doing with all of this. We’re working hard and inviting our crafty and skilled neighbors to join us in offering up pieces that put the focus and the emphasis on the daily rituals of home.


This weekend, Jane & William HOME is generously offering the following gifts to TWO lucky SouleMama readers:

Winner #1: A set of two mugs. Our mugs are dishwasher safe and come in two glazes - your choice of white or wheat. 

Winner #2: An apron. The linen blend apron is our own cross-back design and was created for comfort and constant use with double stitched seams and fabric that gets softer with each wash.    

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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 winners are...

I love the warmth of the Jane & William HOME products.
Posted by: Orla

Love everything about this post! Makes me feel like I want to drink coffee out of those mugs and eat fresh berries.
Posted by: Chris

4.21.17

Well, those pictures pretty much sum up what we've been up to this week. In between trips to the bank to exchange currency, errands out for 'just one more pair of skate shoes, it IS three months, Mom' (because this boy loves his shoes and apparently there are no skate shoes in France? I don't believe this for a second, and yet I indulge him), and to the notary more than once for this form or that one that I forgot.......in between all of that, we've been filling the house with people who love Calvin. I have to say it's what we do well - filling a house - and we've certainly done it this week. Everyone has been by for a meal, or a party, or a quick goodbye hug. You'd think he was moving to the other side of the world forever, the way we've carried on. But I'm not going to feel shy about all of that. He is loved by many, and showering each other in that celebration can never be a bad thing, can it? 

Calvin is more than ready to go this trip has been so long in the making. And he's a capable kid, ready for this kind of independence (and hopefully ready for that much French!). He's amazingly only a little nervous. There's no need to talk about my nerves. You know. But I'm (going to try) saving that little cry for later, tonight, back at home when I reach for just six plates in the cupboard for dinner. Then it'll hit.

But for now, there is one more notary stop to make (seriously), a last lunch to have with our boy, and then to the airport it is for this grand adventure for baby who has grown into a young man. I have no advice left to dole out, no more packing lists to check off....only a heartfelt, excited, and joyful 'Je t'aime et au revoir!' to whisper in his ear. 

4.19.17

I gave her the blanket. We all knew I would. It happened this morning when she tiptoed - scratch that - came stomping into our bedroom at a very early hour complaining of being cold. Of course, she was wearing a summer sundress. Because even if the weather hasn't officially made the full-time switch to spring, my children have certainly made the full-time wardrobe switch. And so I gave her the rainbow blanket, and she was thrilled. So pleased that she's been dragging it around with her from breakfast table to morning games with Harper. It already has some yogurt on it, as I anticipated and strangely kind of love.

And yes, their Monopoly game is still strong! Over the top - their love for it, I don't understand. (I stopped playing it with them this winter, declaring that I found nothing fun about it and would only play if I could pretend to be Bernie Sanders. But they refuse to let anyone break the rules.) You'd think we have no other games, which is so far from the case. Take a peek at the game cabinet here - that photo is years ago, mind you, so it's grown even more since then (the cabinet and the baby girl). I will say though, that the second biggest game in rotation with my crew these days is Wildcraft! -  a cooperative 'herbal adventure' game, and one that they reach for just as much as Monopoly. Those two games could not be a more drastic extreme from one another, actually. But oh, I suppose balance is good. It really is.

4.17.17

I can't remember how many years its been now since we've gathered at our friends farm for Eastover, as it's called, with an always-growing crowd - of friends, friends that are more like family, and always so many bright new faces too. I'm fairly certain I've been there pregnant, or with a newish baby - so it's been a little while, at least. At any rate, over those years, it is the tradition that has evolved for my little family, and the Easter memories and rituals that my children all associate with the day and the season. We've been there on cold, windy, rainy days - when we huddle around fires or gather in the barn with heaters on, adding another layer of wool, snuggling into one another to keep the chill off. And more often than not - as luck has often been - I remember getting a little pink on the cheeks on this day, for the long day in the warm sun, but so early in the season that we aren't quite ready for it with sunscreen and sun hats at the ready. This year was that and then some - a record eighty degree day in Southern Maine and it was everything I love about this particular celebration of the changing season and of community, and all the elements of rebirth and life that come with it. Our kids, Steve and I keep observing, are more and more independent all the time and these kinds of gatherings only get easier, quieter, and slower in a way, as the not-so-little ones are off on their own, with their own people, needing less of us. And the littlest, the most independent of all, tags along so happily, or entertains herself, or finds another adult that she's excited to fill with her stories. They pop in from time to time, sit a spell on a lap, but mostly - they're doing just the very same thing we are. Stretching their arms and legs, spreading out into the warm spring air, and connecting with people they love, friends they don't see as often as they'd like, and sometimes (always) meeting new ones too.

Adelaide made French Mint Macarons for her contribution to the gathering, which was an ambitious project I was a little bit wary of. But she did it - she totally rocked it. A few rounds of practice in the week prior, and then she nailed the ruffled edges and the careful weighing of flour and sugar (something her Mama is not very inclined to do - what a different baker she is than I!). She is always excited to talk baking techniques to a knowing adult, and she certainly had her chance and did so comfortably - with maturity, I might say - at this gathering of farm and food lovers. But then, just as smoothly, I'd see her run off, skipping with her best friend, playing in the woods like the children they still are. 

They're growing up, these babies of ours. And on days like yesterday, standing in the cold water catching up with friends, and feeling oh-so-alive and present in the spring's first sunshine, I felt so full of gratitude for the traditions and rituals we share together, and the moment of pause and reflection they provide us with through all the stages of our lives. 

And oh....welcome, Spring! 

4.13.17

The rainbow blanket is complete! It's for Annabel, though she doesn't know that yet. I just snuck it on her bed while she was outside for the photos, as I really hope to save it for her sixth birthday next month. (Six, holy moly.) But I'm pretty much terrible at waiting to give surprises like that, so I'm guessing it'll be a few more days before I can't stand it any longer and decide to surprise her with it in a moment she could use a little extra love. She loves rainbows. No longer does she request to be called Necklace Rainbow Candy Magic, but she'll certainly answer to it if someone calls her that. It's a whole lot of color, this blanket. In a room that's already full of colorful chaos, but oh that suits this girl of mine, and she's going to love it, I know. (The pattern is Granny Stripe Blanket by Attic 24, with the suggested edging, minus the last round because with the ordering of the colors I chose it just looked best to stop there.) It's all stash yarn, worsted weight (and of course I've forgotten how many I chained to start the thing), and I'm amazed I even had such a rainbow in my stash of scraps! I was a bit short on orange and purple, though. (The orange because I don't often love it, and the purple because Harper has hoarded it all.)

I thought for a minute that it needed a matching rainbow pillow, and I got right to work on making this Blooming Flower Cushion with the scraps from the scrap blanket. Quickly though, I got off track thanks to the audio book that I was listening to (even if it's a book I've read four times, I still love A Handmaid's Tale and wanted to read it right before the Hulu adaptation comes out - oh please let it be good!). The increases were off just enough that it was starting to look more like a hat shape rather than a pillow, and that pause gave me enough time to consider the whole project a bit over the top anyway (no offense to the pattern or the lovely writer, just to the combination of blanket plus pillow) and scrap the whole thing. She found it the next morning, abandoned by the fireplace, and we tried it on as a silly hat for a moment before declaring it best suited for a flower on a tree in the woods (since there aren't any real ones yet). 

Sometimes, knitting feels entirely practical, utilitarian and filling of a need. Other times, it's just silly and fun. I like both.

4.11.17

It's happening! Oh my goodness, it's happening. Spring, my friends, is here. It's here!!! Early though it may be still, surrounded in snow though it certainly is....without a doubt she has arrived. It is evidenced by the fact that our sheep shearer showed up to shear the ladies. And that my children are running around outside with bare feet (in places where I highly recommend NOT running around with bare feet, hence the daily bath rule that's been seasonally instated). And by front porch sits for knitting. And open windows! Open windows! By the way in which my children found a tiny patch in which there was no snow and decided it was just right for a badminton game. And by the wild and fabulous (and wonderful) way in which when I ring the dinner bell - later than usual, for the late sunset changes everything, including my sense of when to start making our evening meal - the kids come running from literally every corner of this here thirty acres, so happy they are to spread their arms wide open and have some space in which to move freely (albeit, in mud). 

There's no containing my excitement about the fact, and I'm not hesitant in saying that spring. Spring is finally here. I mean, in my heart of hearts, I knew that it would eventually come. But it actually did. (It's the same kind of seeming miracle each and every year.) Hallelujah!

4.10.17

. . . . . . . . 

What a weekend! One we certainly packed right full. We bid a very fond adieu to our French exchange, Lou. His three month stay with us flew by so fast! He arrived at the new year, days after a two-foot snowfall, and left just before the big thaw (this week!), hanging with us through that long stretch of winter that can challenge the best of us. I'm confident he got some great skiing in, a lot of art-making time by the fire, and maybe some understanding of what a big family is like, for better or worse! I will admit to being quite nervous before he arrived about welcoming another person into our home and family for such a stretch, but I needn't have been in this case - it was a wonderful, lucky, great match, and we are certain that we'll all meet again in the years to come. Visiting Maine in the summer, after all, is entirely different experience that one must have! We pretended a bit of that just before he left, with a lobster dinner. 

Lou's departure made even more real the impending departure of our own son for his three month stay in France. Just a week from now, Calvin leaves for his exchange! Thankfully, there is a big long packing list that needs my attention, which is just the distraction I might need to keep this week full until we deliver him to the airport. But oh the 'tell him before he leaves' list in my head grows by the hour, so much longer than the actual packing list. Forget whether or not he has enough socks, does he know how to navigate the airport - in a language he's only a little familiar with? And yes, he needs the right colored pencils for school, but does he have the right words for when he's at a party, in another country, with new friends, to ensure he's making safe decisions?

Oh! It is sure to be a wild week ahead as we pack and talk and pack and talk, and I can hear him in my mind saying, as he does "I know, Mom. I know." And you know? I think he does, mostly. He's a great kid. He's mature. He's thoughtful. He's ready for this.

And then...because lobster dinners and French farewells aren't enough to keep a weekend fabulously full for all and definitely emotional for Mama....Ezra went and turned 14. Fourteen! We hosted a crew of his here too in the mix of it all. (Teen boys plus lobster dinner - thank goodness we can open ALL the windows today!) I do really love this age of thirteen and fourteen - I think they're turning out to be among my favorite years. It's just past the most awkward and challenging of years physically and maybe emotionally, but before they're off and on their own and wanting a bit less to do with us (ha!). Truly straddling two worlds, I think, and doing it at this point, quite happily. I watched as this pile of kids who have known each other for years went back and forth between childhood goofy to an impressive maturity in one conversation. And as they ran into the woods, sure to come back soaked as they always did after such adventures (and they did), I had to laugh. It could have been six years ago and they could have been running into the woods for a game of make believe. But instead they told me they were 'location scouting' for a movie they were making together. 

That sweet boy of mine, my now fourteen year old Ezra, amazes me always. His confidence in who he is astounds me, and inspires me. Leaving his pack of homeschool buddies, Ezra will venture off to high school in the fall. Not to join his brother at his school, because of course Ezra forged his own path, found his own school - one that's just right for him. I'm excited to see him grow and learn in this new place and with new people. Fourteen! 

Oh, my heart. With each year that these kids stretch further out and away, I feel my heart stretching too. To let go (of so much), to love and know these people as they are becoming, and to leave room for who they will still yet be. This is the work of parenting these years, I think. It's hard, and it's wonderful. Really, really hard. And really, really wonderful.

Whole Family Rhythms {a soulemama sponsor}

 

Greetings from Whole Family Rhythms!

I’m Meagan, Mama to 4 beautiful souls: North, Indigo, Juniper and Sage and loving wife to Brad. After living ten years in Sydney, Australia we just recently took flight and put down new roots in the  Canadian countryside in Southern Ontario. 

I began researching play-based learning, natural parenting and early childhood education in 2008 after the birth of my first child and on that journey I stumbled across some Waldorf inspired blogs that resonated with me deeply (especially Soulemama!). From that moment on I spent countless hours reading about the importance of rhythm and developing, planning and animating our own daily rhythm. With each new year, new child and new stage & age our daily rhythms change and adapt to our needs, but the steady beat always supports us. 

My vision is to to connect and inspire mothers, carers and communities with each other so that they feel empowered to raise children who are wholly connected with themselves (head, heart and hands) and to the planet. I believe from the bottom of my heart that peace begins in the home. 

Since the last time you were featured on SouleMama, in what ways has your business grown or changed? Is there anything new you'd like to tell us about?

Meagan: Since my last visit to Soulemama, I have added a new eBook to the shop: Return to Rhythm: Everything you need to create a strong family rhythm that is aligned with your family values and vision. This new Guide features three main sections on Mealtimes, Sleeptimes and Playtimes and includes printable/editable planners and actionable steps worksheets to help you animate a strong family rhythm.


This weekend, Whole Family Rhythms is generously offering the following gift to ONE lucky SouleMama reader:

The Whole Family Rhythm Spring Guide as well as a copy of the Return to Rhythm Guide.

The Spring Guide includes twelve weekly guides consisting of a weekly story, hiking theme, recipe, seasonal craft and themes for watercolour painting, drawing and beeswax modelling, an Ingredients and Supplies Master List, Seasonal Book Recommendations, Twelve Weekly Caregiver Meditations and Three Caregiver Handwork Projects. 

In addition, Whole Family Rhythms is offering 15% off the Northern Hemisphere Spring Guide and the Southern Hemisphere Autumn Guide thru 8/15/17 with coupon codesoulefamily.

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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...

This looks lovely and much needed!
Posted by: brie

4.5.17

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Or something like that! On another snowy day this week (there have been a few) facing another afternoon of sibling wrestling that turns to squabbling or an endless game of Monopoly (or both), I jumped up, remembering something I had stashed. That's it! I don't care if it's winter, I remember thinking. We need something fun and new. And that's how we found ourselves doing a craft - mostly inside but a bit on the front porch for ventilation - that really is best suited for out of doors. I mean, we've dyed with indigo a few times before, and it really is a messy affair. Without a doubt not made for children and old wooden floors and inside winter days. BUT! Desperate times and all that. We needed a distraction. 

Since the first time we dyed with Indigo I've made it a point to always have a kit handy for days when a project like this is needed (though I always pictured it outside!). But I remembered, too, that I had a giant box full of cloth napkins sitting around waiting for this very day. I had bought a bulk supply of them about this time last year, thinking we'd make sets of cloth napkins for holiday gifts. That never quite happened, or at least it didn't happen last year. But oh, we could sure use a fresh and large pile of new dinner napkins! Or more importantly, we could use the day dyeing them. 

Everyone lent a hand, tying elastics and knots and staying clear of the dye vat (only Mama is the foolish one who can't keep her bare hands out of it). A whole host of different shabori methods were used - some successful and some not so much, but all together the napkins, I think, look great together. My favorite look is the "moons" that we create with a mason jar lid as the resist (using clamps to hold it over the folded fabric).  

Always, when the dye is out, some 'extras' get tossed in too - Papa rounds up a tshirt, I find a skein or two of yarn, a dress that could use a fresh look. And somehow - by my elaborate method of plastic on the floor and the doors and windows open and trays on the porch to catch the drops - we managed to keep it all fairly tidy and contained. A small miracle! 

Thank heavens for stashes of treats like this. Where would we be without a little bit of crafty in our long winter days? Oh that's right, squabbling with one another and playing Monopoly again! (I jest. But only a little.) 

 

4.3.17

You may have heard, we got a little snow this weekend. A lot, actually. Well over a foot here was quite the April Fool's Joke! But, as Steve reminded us whenever he heard a groan from one of us about the winter that isn't ending, it is such a good thing for the drought levels this year. Last year was so very dry, and we saw the effects of it everywhere from the garden to the amount of hay we had to buy in for the sheep. It was disheartening, to say the least, and the thought that perhaps this year more grass will grow? Well that can help make an April snow storm much more palatable.

Of course, there's also the joy of knitting, or crochet in this case. I decided to combat all that gray and white out of doors with a full on color of rainbow indoors and on my needles, I mean hook (I can't quite get used to that). I dove into the Granny Stripe pattern, using up scraps of all colors with a rainbow repeat. It's such a fun and lovely project, and goodness, a cheerful one too. As such, this is precisely where you'll find me (by the fire) and what you'll find me doing when tomorrow's snow storm rolls in (that's not a joke either - there really is more coming). 

Here's to a bright and cheery start to the week, however we may find it! 

Silk Oak {a soulemama sponsor}

Greetings from Silk Oak!   

While new designs continue to emerge each season, it is the tried and true, beloved, vintage designs that keep customers coming back to get the same prints for their new babies that they remember loving when they were small. Truly my favorite part of Silk Oak!

The philosophy behind Silk Oak is a simple one- Have fun creating the best designs we can while growing a business that nurtures our families, strengthens our community and works everyday to show respect and care for the earth.

Silk Oak- Celebrating life since 1977!

Follow Silk Oak on Facebook (silk.oak.tees) and Instagram (#silkoak).

Since the last time you were featured on SouleMama, in what ways has your business grown or changed? Is there anything new you'd like to tell us about?

Jan: Such a busy time of year! It’s hard to believe but this weekend is the beginning of the outdoor Ithaca Farmers Market season. As frequently happens in this climate, rain and snow are forecast but our spirits will be warm and dry!

Market is the core around which Silk Oak’s business revolves. It provides a continuity and rhythm to the work year. It also brings an abundance of social interactions with fellow vendors, long time customers and newcomers to the community. We refer to the Market as a weekly “Festival on the Waterfront” and it lives up to that expectation!

The hardest part of running a mission driven business is staying true to your principles, in the face of changing outside forces. One area that has been an ongoing challenge for me is my commitment to printing on garments made in the U.S. This has become increasingly hard, especially in the last 5 years, as more and more American mills have closed. Most recently, American Apparel, the mill that supplies our favorite long sleeve kid tees and onesies, has gone bankrupt. I find myself bumping up against my commitment to buy American and the reality of not being able to find everything I need in the U.S. As of now, I’m looking for new suppliers and re-examining our future course.

Stay tuned for updates on our progress!

 
This weekend, Silk Oak is generously offering the following gift to ONE lucky SouleMama reader: 

$100 shopping spree!

In addition, Silk Oak would like to offer all SouleMama readers 15% off with the code SOULEMAMA through April 9th.

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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 winner is...

We love Silk Oak creations! Thsnk you for this great giveaway!
Posted by: Tami Erickson

Urban Baby Bonnets {a soulemama sponsor}

 

 

Greetings from Urban Baby Bonnets!

We sell the cutest little sun hats on the planet! They're all made by hand in the USA... and we have a huge selection of patterns & solids in styles for boys and girls. Make sure your little one is protected this summer-- without resorting to the use of chemical sunscreens. Our hats are rated UPF 50+! 

Follow us on IG for sweet insta-deals & first grab at limited edition prints. We're @urban.baby.bonnets

Better yet, tag us #urbanbabybonnets or #noslatheringnecessary to be re-posted and for entry into our monthly photo contest.

We're also on FB: urbanbabybonnets and on Twitter: urbanbabybonnet

Since the last time you were featured on SouleMama, in what ways has your business grown or changed? Is there anything new you'd like to tell us about?

Colette: We have TWO announcements!!

First, we are thrilled to share that our hats have been laboratory tested and they rate at a UPF 50+! This is the maximum level of sun protection you can have with clothing items. Of course, our hat design is what provides the protection, we NEVER add chemical blockers to our fabrics.

Second, we're head-over-heels for our newest line-- the Pixie Gnome Hats! Available in a brimmed summer version and a brimless, fleece-lined winter version, these hats are just about the cutest thing EVER. So sweet & super fun. Our 4 size system means that Pixies fit for a long time... fewer purchases and extended wear time for you!  

 
This weekend, Urban Baby Bonnets is generously offering the following gift to ONE lucky SouleMama reader:

a $38 gift certificate that can be used towards anything in our shop! WOOHOO! Tell your friends!

In addition, Urban Baby Bonnets is offering free US shipping on any size order through 4/15. Use code "UPF50soule" at checkout. 

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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...

This would be so great for our new little grand-baby!
Posted by: Sarah

Welcome, April!

 Hello April!

I'm so pleased to welcome back the following April Sponsors!

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Nest European Toys + Home

Nest.ca is an online shop, with a large selection of 'Made in Europe & North America', children's toys & baby products, arts & crafts, clothing, and housewares & furniture. Our focus in sourcing is on sustainability - almost all of our products are completely biodegradable, and from companies manufacturing in a sustainable manner. 

We aim to offer products that are practical, aesthetically appealing, and of enduring value, such that people may delight in shopping from our selection of over 3000 products, knowing that environmental sustainability and safety are both just a given."

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Sitka Arts & Science Festival
Sitka, Alaska ~ July 22-August 4, 2017

As busy adults, we often fail to make time for reflection, to think and feel deeply, and to challenge ourselves to see the world in new and beautiful ways. Perched at the edge of a wilderness and nestled in one of the most vibrant island communities, the Sitka Arts & Science Festival explores what it means to be human against the immensity of the forest, ocean and mountains of Sitka, AK. Through the complementary lenses of art and science, and guided by an extraordinary group of artists and scientists, participants will embark on a journey of learning and discovery. Join us. Immerse yourself in an intensive week-long workshop and experience our wilderness through guided excursions. Be inspired by performances and provoked by lectures. Go behind the scenes with musicians and actors. Reclaim your capacity for imagination and wonder.

Sponsored by Sitka Fine Arts Camp and the Sitka Sound Science Center, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

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The Stomping Ground

The Stomping Ground is a summer camp in New York that's based on the idea that kids are creative, trustworthy, and inherently good. Grounded in the principles of unschooling, kids at the Stomping Ground are free to choose from a wide variety of engaging options, or to spend their days doing what they want with whom they want, as long as they aren't harming anybody else.

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Tall Earth

Tall Earth is a family-run company operating out of one of the most fertile regions of Canada. We manufacture non-toxic, VOC-free wood stains and preservatives that are easily applied and last the lifetime of your project. Our customers around the world have used Tall Earth products on their raised garden beds and planters, furniture, barns, log homes, siding, fences, chicken coops, decks, outdoor play structures, and more. Ethically produced with a small carbon footprint, Tall Earth offers fast and free shipping across North America. Click through for a special promo for SouleMama readers.

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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 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! We currently have openings in some categories.