GardenMama

.: Embracing Life :.

.: Noticing my oldest son playing marbles while a very interested kitten looks on :.

As mothers we do not receive a standard handbook that tells us exactly what to do or not do. Rather we live alongside our little ones while our homes and our family organically becomes a reflection of who we are together.  

.: A moment later the kitten strikes and marbles roll over the wooden floor :.

There may be moments in our younger years that stand out to us. They may even serve as markers in our own lives with our own children today.

.: Noticing beauty in the ordinary, extraordinary part of the day :.

I can remember specific feelings of the warmth of home as a younger girl while babysitting-- a home filled with little treasures from nature and the harvest of the gardens sitting on the counters still flecked with soil. It had that beautiful mix of a lived in home - evidence of children and of life that reflected so much love.

.: Understanding math with smooth white stones collected at the ocean nearby :.

As a younger girl playing house for the day while acting as a mothers helper I remember dreaming of having children of my own as I grew older and what that would be like.

.: Appreciating my son's ear for music as he freely plays what comes to mind :.

I feel so grateful for the family that I now have and that we are able to live and learn at home alongside one another creating our very own life, following and creating our very own dreams, we get to choose just what our philosophy for our own life may entail.

.:Noticing a beautiful vignette while the music still lingers in my heart:.

This journey together as a family is rich and good, it is lived in and full with life.  There is beauty in the everyday - the small and big moments, the creative and organic vignettes that fill our days in both the good and the more difficult.

.: These sweet friends eat our veggies, create their own compost, create fiber for us to spin and most of all share their love :.

Clotheslines, composting, and backyard chickens.  Learning alongside one another at home and growing some of our own foods.  Trading in television for making art together, caring for one another, dreaming of having sheep and farm living, knitting and spinning and reading "Little House On The Prairie" at bedtime while creating our own little houses on the prairie or  apartments in the city or little houses on islands in fields or in the woods... wherever it is that your life inspires you to call home fill it up with love, mindfullness, and notice the life that surrounds you. 

 .: Noticing a sweet vignette left behind after opening presents on Valentines Day :.

We only live these days, moments and life once, just once never to be repeated in exactly the same way.

I am thankful to share moments of our family life with you. I also enjoy seeing moments of your own journeys. However vastly different or very closely knit our ideas may be lets all follow our dreams together. Say yes to life--to the life we always dreamed of for our families even when things may be placed in the way.. go for it anyway.

 

.:Appreciating bits of nature that creates this personal space we call home:.
 

Embrace this thing called life that sometimes gets in the way but continues to happen to us every day.  From the small and mundane to the great and profound lets say yes and embrace life for all that it gifts to us!

.: Transferring Images Onto Stone ~ Mindful Giving :.

.: Stones we created today with transferable images :.

You may notice that the winter months bring about quite a bit of crafting for my family. We try to enjoy creating each and every day.  Many of you know of my affinity for stones! Like some of you I have quite a collection of stones collected from the ocean this past summer...

I am usually one who will use materials found near-at-hand or materials that can be recycled. Today we mixed things we had on hand and something that caught my eye at the craft store!

.: Choosing our stones for the project! :.

We gathered up a few stones from the collection and placed them in a bowl. These stones were chosen for their smoothness and size so that the images we transferred onto them would fit proportionately.

.: The sheet of transferable images :.

I purchased this sheet of transfers from the craft store. Some of the images appealed to me as I imagined them transferred onto the stones.

.: By rubbing over the image it transfers onto the object :.

I started with a few and soon all three children were gathered around to choose their own images and transfer them onto the stones!  The simple process  entails placing the transfer onto the stone and with the stick provided you rub over the image and it transfers itself. 

.: Butterflies hold significant meaning for me, this one is beautiful! :.

.: I appreciate this little bird sitting atop a stone! :.

The butterfly and bird stone are two of my favorites--they make me happy and now live in my kitchen!

.: A sweet pairing of stones :.

The bird and bird cage made for a fun pair! I think these stones would make beautiful Valentine gifts for  friends, or as party favors!

.: These stones are now placed in unexpected spots around the house! :.

I appreciate discovering them in unexpected places around the house. It makes me smile to see their simple beauty paired with nature!

.: Admiring their work! :.

.: My favorite stone which holds symbolic meaning for me :.

Ginny, who writes the blog Sweet Myrtle wrote a lovely post that I enjoyed reading today. She spoke of choosing a word to focus on in this new year.  Ginny wrote a long list of words that bring inspiration to her before choosing one word to focus on.

This resonated with me because over this past year my family adopted the mantra: "Be here now." Many times I have pondered this mantra and it rang true for me in times when I needed it.

.: A warming word bringing peace to my heart :.

I know firsthand that writing a positive or inspirational word on a stone is powerful. Wouldn't this be a great project to create a few stones with life-affirming words on them and place around your home to bring more encouragement, joy, and mindfulness into your day?

.: Wishing you creativity, beauty, and inspiration today! :.

.: Photo Cairn ~ Tutorial:.

 

Some of the holiday gifts I created this past season were born of a fallen birch tree. The pieces I enjoyed creating the most this year were birch photo holders. 

Inspired by the sea, I decided to fashion a new design for an original card/art/photo holder from the ever-growing ocean stone collection I have gathered from the beaches near our home!

Now we can create a stone card holder just for you! Perhaps it will hold a seasonal card on your nature table, a special photo, or your children's artwork! How about sharing your Etsy business cards in a stone card holder too?

Let's get started!

 

You will need:

Stones, scissors, thin floral wire, wool felt, a small cap to trace, thin marker, and glue.

Begin by cutting an arm's length of thin floral wire. Next, fold the wire in half to double the wire.

With a pencil or knitting needle, create a loop to serve as the actual card holder.

Twist the wire twice around the pencil, making sure it is a big enough loop to hold your photo.

When complete, one side of the loop will hold the front of the photo. The other side of the loop will support the back, sandwiching your photo in the center. You now have the main loop formed that will hold your cards or photos.

Center the wire loop at the top of your stone, while wrapping both the left and right side around the stone to meet underneath.

When your two wire ends meet under the stone, pull tight and make your first twist in the wire.  Twist the wires together neatly and securely.

Next take out the felt. Now find a lid and begin to trace a small circular shape onto the felt.  This circle of felt will next be glued over the twisted wires to form a covering for the wire and a cushion for your table.

Glue the felt circle over the wire and flip the stone over.  Your photo holder is now complete!

 
My favorite part of creating today was when all three children made drawings to feature their own imaginative creations in the newly-created stone photo holders!

Their artwork made this project all the more beautiful and cherished! Won't you make a few of your own and see just what will appear displayed in yours!

Card Sources:  Math Cards ~ Alphabet Cards ~ Seasonal Postcards