Upcycled Crayons

 Love the Art...Not so much the massive bin of broken crayons...If you use muffin papers, make sure you double or triple up. The wax can seep through and get onto your pans.

I do prefer our beeswax block crayons, with their brighter colours. Although I have not had success in making beeswax crayons that really work...I am wondering if this upcylcled crayon project combined with some beeswax would work well?

This is a great way to use up that hoard of broken, peeling crayon mass...Do You Have One of Those?

If you have any other ideas or stories of upcycling crayons...please share.

Warmly,

Patty-Jean

...Cherish

Two Kilometer Baby Wearing Earth Walk

Massive chunks of ice on the opposite riverbank from our home remind us that the chill hasn't let go yet!

So Chilly, that the sap barely runs...this will be the first time we've tapped our trees in my adulthood - and so I don't really know what to expect...But the experience is fun anyways.

 A Mom {Marcia}  from our local Natural Living Play group, offered her home for an Earthday Walk!

 How can one not totally be romanced by nature when walking through Cedarwoods, with mossy, root winding forest floors?

Five mothers and fifteen children...lots of room to run, and some of the freshest air in the world...needless to say my littlers slept well that afternoon.

The Best Classroom...hands down, has to be the Outdoors...Exploring...Breathing...Touching...Feeling...Hearing...so many layers of learning and learning styles met here!

 Three baby wearing Mamas trekked the trail, hauling on fronts or back babies from 4 months to 19 months for 2 Km.  When its chilly like it was this Earthday, I'm relieved to have my littlest so close for the warmth on my back.

Happy Spring {Whenever it comes here}...

Summer Days....

Featuring a few instagram shots (pattyjeans).....
A very belated blog post : so much to tell, and little time....Well, not really!
In previous years we've gardened with another family, who so generously shared their large garden with us. This year we tried something different, rather than making the 30 min drive out of the city, my mom offered to share her large yard...and she lives a couple blocks away. So we built some raised beds, and the children enjoy the inexpensive "splash park", time with Nana, and of course the joy of growing our own food.

In recent news, the online Norwex party was quite a success, and I've taken a liking to the term "Un-Party". We were blessed with a nice collection of Norwex products and the desired Kid's Mop!

A while back I had blogged about some changes that were coming. We are moving....which doesn't make all that much difference in cyber world :) But it will mean great many changes in our day to day lives. We are moving 7 hours north of our Prairie Canadian city to Northern Manitoba.

Is it remote?....that would probably be an understatement. The town has a population of about 10,000, (I think)...When we make the road trips up there, it is fascinating to pass the 100's of miles of crown land, land of forest, forest, lakes and more forest and more lakes.

Father's day, the boys.....Joash says, "our ties smell like Papa!" I guess that would be because I stole a shirt he was getting rid of to make the applique ties!

Today we head out to the beach for our annual week of swimming lessons at the lake, and cottage stay.  More to come, friends, and hopefully sooner than the last one! Happy Summer Days!

{this moment}

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

Little House Birthday Blessing

Looking for a theme for our oldest birthday child, we decided on a "Little House on the Prairie" birthday party. I'm not much of a specialist in any particular area, so experimentation is the name of the game - especially when it comes to cake making and decorating! (The links take you to past attempts). But we did have fun between the peanut butter puffs, butter cream icing, and pretzels!

Some arrived dressed for the occasion, braids and all!

I had scoured the internet for "Little House Paper-dolls", but to no avail!  I decided to set my own hand at making my own, and they actually turned out nicer than what I did come across online. So, once I can scan it, and make it into a down-loadable pdf file, I'll make it available for a free download on my blog, for those interested!

We made butter, by shaking up 35% cream,  in a mason jar. (Alot of shaking, while the adults helped).  They scrubbed and washed some (clean) cloth diapers on an old fashioned wash board. Coloured their paper-dolls. Ate cake. Played. Watched and episode of Little House on the Prairie. Opened gifts.

And finished off sporting their new "Dear-Friend-Kelly-Made" Bonnets! (Thank-you, Thank-you Kelly!) Once her website is up and running - I will link to her dear handmades! 

 We didn't send them home with treat bags, partially because I'm not a huge fan. Nope,  instead each pioneer girl left with her paper-doll, some butter and a bonnet.

Seven on the seventh! Bonne Fete Ma Belle, my extra set of arms, the other little mother!

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:: October 2011 kcwc ::

Thank-you to Jenny from Peas n Carrots (my new Above Rubies friend and Waldorf Inspired homeschooler!), for introducing me to the Kid's Clothing Week Challenge at Elsie Marley's Blog! This is just the motivation I need. From Oct. 10-17 the challenge is to sew for one hour a day towards my children's projects.
It just so happens that I'm starting my first attempt this week at a Real quilt. As in, an expert quilting friend, Joyce,  is walking me through, starting from the basics, and ending with a crib or throw quilt for this fourth baby, arriving in approximately 5 or 6 weeks.
There are few art disciplines that I really got my hands on the basics other than maybe music and dance....when it comes to the fine arts, fiber arts, hands-on-art, I tend to hack my way through it. Sometimes the results are pleasing, and many times not so pleasing. I learned most of what I know of knitting and crocheting from Youtube videos and other online resources. So, (or should I say "Sew"), I'm excited about Joyce bringing me to the basics of quilting!
Other projects for this week will include some upcycled creations toward's some children's clothing items that have been in the procrastination basket, I mean project basket for a while.
Today my KCWC accomplishment was preparing my work space and washing fabric to prepare it to SEW!

Indian Summer September Moments

::Harvested Basil in the bath tub::

:: A day of exploring limestone cliffs at Steep Rock - If you want to exercise your adrenalin.....bringing young children to this outdoor adventure is an excellent way::

:: A day at Memere and Pepere's::

::Breathing in the colours of Fall::

Therapy is....

Kneading dough...
Reading with my children...
Meditating on a Psalm of comfort...
The days my husband has off from work...
Watching my children play together outside happily...
Drinking a good homemade caffè breve in a beautiful mug..
The smell of one of my children during a hug - smells like heaven...
Listening in the dim lamp light to my husband read to our children...
Sipping a cup of herbal and dried fruit tea at the end of a long day...
Knitting with wood/bamboo needles with inspiring and natural yarn...
Being outside and taking in the sky, feeling the wind and breathing in...
Early in the morning, while the family sleeps, the fresh quiet air in my lungs...
Enjoying the sand under my feet at the beach - and finding sea glass treasures...
The smell of Lavender Oil on my linens, in our hair, in the bath - not meaning to rhyme - but everywhere...

These are a few of my favorite things... What are yours?

A Couple of Comfy Corners of a Cottage

 It's a tiny little cottage, but it's been in the family for 4-5 generations....so it's special.

 Nana's little touches all around make it inviting and restful!

 I tried to capture the shadow on the cottage kitchen wall of the clothes line and a dragon fly on the screed door - a little strange - but there was beauty in that moment!

 

Every room contains some marks of my Great Grandparents who ran a popular cafe at the beach sum 70 years ago.

Playing, playing and playing....

Every Mama likes Quiet Time! Something that my own Mama instilled in me, "every child no matter what age needs to have some Quiet Time Play each day, so Mama can too!" - she would say. When I was little it was called "F.O.B. time" ; Feet On Bed! We've been calling it Quiet Play ON your OWN bed....Hey, sometimes they end up falling asleep, good thing they are on their beds.

 Of course we are at the beach EVERY day, rain or shine. This year we've started the tradition of matching up cottage weeks with the beach swimming lessons.

 This vintage beach town has so much cute - appeal. This year they painted the below block some "currant" colors like taupe, egg-plant and black....I didn't bother taking a picture, because I already had this one - and I love to remember the colorful-vintage look it did have!

Papa works most of the time, when we are the beach, but he does commute. Which is so nice! I feel some how connected to all those women who spent their summers with their children at this beach in the early 1900's while their men commuted on the "Daddy Train"!

 

That's it - glimpses of our week living at the beach! Wish it was longer....

First Feeling of Fascinating Felting

Thank-you to artist friend Tammy, for spending some of her Arts Day with us, teaching and guiding us through our first felting lesson! I really should have started shooting the moment she dumped her beautiful colourful array of wool rovings...but of course my mind wasn't there.

I'm surprised by how hidden this handwork seems to be to the general public. At times when I've mentioned felting to other crafters, I'm met with a blank stare, like they are imagining me cutting out pieces of craft felt from Michel's Craft store and doing something with that!

Tammy graciously led us through molding our balls of roving in warm soapy water, on a blustery day. It is a patient activity and young ones are there a minute, gone a minute, back for a minute, gone to play for another. We did end up throwing them in the clothes dryer later in the day, after Tammy had rinsed the soap out.

The children played quite thoroughly with their felt balls until Joash's got thrown deep into the Day Lilies which should bloom soon - we'll have a better search after they've bloomed.

My dear Mother picked up a large bag of raw wool from a thrift shop, it appears that it must have sat in someones attic for an eternity, and felted itself into dreadlocks of wool. Tammy confirmed my suspicion that it may be not the best wool to work with. But since it is what I have right now - and I'm still very much in the novice stage of felt works...we are going to work with it some.

I'm carding it a little at a time and we'll see where that takes us. Technically we should be doing a little handwork each day (amongst homeschooling), so we'll play with this for now.

Here is a great story about a sheep to a little boy's sweater, written by Farm Mama. The works of wool have been around for centuries. We see their glimmers in fairy tales like Sleeping Beauty, Mother Holle, The Six Swans and many other heart warming tales. It is amazing to me to consider how involved people were in thriving to survive. People historically were producers not just consumers like they are today. Waking up some of those sleeping skills will continue to be a passion of mine!

These shoes are one of my favorite felt creations from Etsy seller Bure Bure, and her blog. Yes, Felt is back!