JourneySeeds

:sit:

Piles of vintage linens means too many stored linens.  I pulled this piece out over the weekend and draped it over a sitting bench to admire every time we walked by it.  There was not alot of sitting though.  In Soulodge we are taking time to be in our "sit spots".  This might be one of those places...


Purple pansies peek ...


A wagon to haul from the car to the house...after all these years?  Really?  Save your back...get a wagon!

green smoothies

Recipe:
Bunch of Kale...2 huge handfuls
2 bananas
2tbsp hemp seed
2 1/2 cup soymilk
1 cup water
2 cups frozen berries
Blend on high 30 secs

Plenty for the two of us 2x in the day


Comfy Creations Back Relief Pack.  I have used a wet hydrocollator for many, many years.  I thought I'd try this type of heat relief.  We don't have a microwave, so it has to be heat up inside a covered casserole dish on 350.  It works quite nicely.  Plus it smells of lovely lavendar!  You can check out ComfyCreations on Etsy.


I had an extra large one made.  This can be used for all sort of aches and pains.  Using a microwave would be alot more energy efficient I think.  So, I've also thought I'd try putting it in a covered dish and letting it sit on top of the woodstove...energy drain eliminated.  I hope it works.

It's supposed to snow here tonight...first snow of the season. 

Vintage buttons and flowers...

 
Emma made this sweet piece of art from vintage buttons.  The first bouquet of lilacs.  That's a vintage vase she got me for a different celebration...Weil Ware.

 
This dog that lives here thinks this is her place to sleep...

 
Working on frames for the beehive.  This step involves melting beeswax to the wires.

Emma Embroidered...

Penguin is coming out with classics with embroidered covers...of course I love this one....Emma.

 
I have never learned to do embroidery but, I think these covers are beautiful...
Today is supposed to be SoulCollage®Sunday.  My camera wound up in a car that isn't here at the moment so I cannot take a photo of my card.  So, instead I give you this pretty textile work. I hope you had a good weekend...

A Glenwood cookstove...a memory realized...

 
Long ago I read Home Comfort: Life on Total Loss Farm....it was the 70's.  It was an important book to me at age 13.  It was about a group that formed, to live together in a commune in Vermont...called Total Loss Farm.  I loved the drawings, the stories and the ideas.  I carried the book around in my backpack with me. On the cover of this book is a beautful old wood cookstove.  To me it symbolized self-sufficient living, independence, radical ideas and a break with mainstream culture.  That book along with many others...including Helen and Scott Nearing's Living the Good Life...were books I referred to often.  It was the direction I was headed.  My husband figured out a way to surprise me with this beautiful Glenwood stove for my birthday.  This stove is a symbol to me of my youth, my dreams, my hopes...and now I have a wood cookstove sitting in my very own house.  He couldn't have given me a greater gift...I love it!

 Emma made this little blackboard for us to hang up and leave each other messages.

 
An upcycled treat stand that shall be filled with truffles and cupcakes...made by emma.

 
A cast iron tea pot...my favorite green...for tea, to sit by the cookstove one day.

 
For our garden to begin brewing more varieties of plants for our mead making.  The book is already in the house apparently...we don't want to share it  though.

 
Of course a romantic book about the beloved Beatrix Potter...so many tales have been read here over the years.

 
A box full of alphabet cards with artwork I love....

 
Some love from my husband...to put all those wildflowers he picks for me....

 


 
I think this Glenwood needs a cabin to live in....

More later today....

a party...

Parties are in the air these coming weeks!  Two friends are having parties...one is a welcoming housewarming party.  I'm making a few banners for this party.   Here's a sneak peak at them...the beginning.

 

 

Another friend is throwing a garden social.  The invitation said to wear dress-up garden attire.  So nice.

  Well, I am not throwing a party this week BUT if I were....Here is what it would look like.  You would all be invited!  We'd have two settings.  The party would start out in the day time... 

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And then we'd move into the night...

 

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I'd especially love it if all my new Courageous Year friends would join me!
Have a courageous day!

new project...

Fabric given me to start a new project.  I'm making banners for my friend Sarah's housewarming party. I'm not sure what they are going to turn into yet...

diggin food...and springtime.

Thinking about gardens & Spring

diggin food has a great tutorial on fashioning a seed starting shelf out of  an Ikea Ivar shelf.  Of course you can use your own lumber but, in case you aren't motivated to do that you can get one of these easy shelves for pretty cheap.  It's not a big operation for seed starting but, it's always fun to just start a few seeds yourself...especially from special varieties that you want to try new this year.

The next few days are supposed to be beautiful weatherwise...they are saying nearly 70degrees!  It just doesn't feel normal to have this kind of warmth showing up this time of year.  But, we are going to go with it and enjoy it nonetheless!  We need to get some seeds in the ground....

 
our leftovers....

 Rhythm of the Home is a nice site celerating the rhythm of the year in a beautiful way.There is a nice little post about Natural Egg Dyeing in this months edition.  I have the old book The Dye Pot that I used when I was a weaver way back when that they showcase.  There's some good information in it regarding natural dyeing. It's worth it to dig up an old copy. We have over the years found it easiest to just use food stuff for egg dyeing naturally.  We have found it simple to just use onion skins, beets, blueberries, turmeric, cayenne, different greens.  You can dye the eggs in the pot while the food bath is simmering.  We've also wrapped eggs in kale and spinach leaves and onion skins for a very nice soft effect.  You can use rubber bands or twine to wrap the eggs up in.  Also, depending on when you put the eggs in the dye bath it will give you differing coloring effects. 

Rhythm of the Home also has a lovely blog for gathering in the off season to share, learn, craft and grow in the Waldorf and Montessori Traditons.  Look at the beautiful result of the natural dyes...

 
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a work in progress...log cabin freeform afghan

a favorite woodcut card for Springtime

some of my favorite celebration books

My latest completed project.  This is called Diamond With Tails Scarf by Ellyn Cooper.  It's made out of Zohar's sock yarn.

Creativity Seed
Family & Friend Gathering over the Holiday   

Since many of us will be seeing friends and family perhaps these thoughts might help in some way.  I find them important reminders for me... 

From Choosing Happiness: Life & Soul  Essentials by Stephanie Dowrick

Your Effect on Other People
Gaining self-knowledge, you find that other people are never out of the picture.  From the moment of your birth, you have been discovering who you are in relation to other people.
Chances are good that you are fairly preoccupied with how other people treat you, what they thik about you, how they behave toward you.
Seeking self-knowledge, you need to look with at least that same amount of interest in the opposite direction.
Observe how you affect other people.
*Watch and learn what "works" and what doesn't.
*Listen closely to yuor tone of voice as well as to what you say.
*Stay aware of your body language: it speaks volumes.
*Value your capacity for restraint as much as for action.
*Recognize the power you have to influence other people positively: to lift their spirits, encourage them,
listen to them, show your care and concern even for a few moments.
*Excercise positive choice.
This will profoundly benefit you as well as everyone around you.

simple hut...

 

This photo is out of an old book I purchased up at The Bookmill on my birthday.  It's called Home & Heart by Beverly Pagram.  This practical and symbolic space links the outside and in, and and can become an escapist retreat for anyone who needs it.  This little garden house belongs to a five-year-old child on the shores of Lake Garda, Italy.  Lucky child!  I love the simplicity of this little hut and the beautiful, colorful mural that embellishes it.  This sort of hut would be wonderful as a little writing retreat, meditation space or artspace to create beauty in.  My husband is a Master Builder and Carpenter.  He can create something like this for you if you live nearby northeast CT!  Contact me if you're interested.  I think if we make somthing like this here we'd call it a Story Hut. Puppet stories would live in here and we would share magical puppet stories for our community of friends.

Stories cross over all boundaries for they speak the language of the heart...

Diy lightbox along...

 

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Leethal had this over on her blog about a little project going on in the craft community.  It's about making a lightbox for taking pictures for your blog.  If you want better photos for your blog or for your Ravelry page of projects, here is a great resource.  I'm going to give it a go as it's something I've been wanting to do for awhile now.  It will go along nicely as a project for the Indie Business class I'm taking right now.  By the way the class is great and I highly recommend any classes given by these fine women.  Here is another lightbox tutorial listed at the Croqzine a blog devoted to crafts and indie business.  Here is a handmade lightbox from studiolighting. Lastly, here is folding version of the lightbox. You can share photos when you're done on the flickr group so we can all learn from you!  Thanks Meredith for turning me onto to this community event!  I know what we are making this weekend...I can't wait!