I would like to share with you one of my favorite spring activities.  It's so simple and so fun.  With a few squirts of dish soap, a straw and water the kids will sit there and blow bubbles for a long time.  It's a common concept that children have short attention spans. My experience tells me that when they are involved with something that truly engages them, they can stay with something for quite a length to time.

 

 

 

Plant Bath is but a hop skip and a jump away and you can find us there on most mornings and at the end of the day.  We are patiently waiting the turning on of the sprinklers!

 

 

 

 

Here is the link to a blog with many great ideas.

Workermade Trunk Show

You are invited to Workermades very first trunk show.  Workermade  is a handmaker's collective created by Karie from Rehash and I.  Since January we have been having monthly meetings with Ottawa's local crafters.  Our aim is to join forces with like minded people in order to inspire and learn.  On June 18th we are opening our doors to you, our community. We wish to invite you and your friends for an evening of wine, munchies, good conversation and a chance to see what your local crafters are creating.  Featured artist's will be:

Rehash

2birdsinahand

Sweetstitch

Face to Grace

Tweal

Haley by Hand

Urbanite Jewelry

Laura Daub

Green Acre Toys

Annie Bananie

We really hope to see you there!

Busy Baxton

 If you have read the book "The Tao of Pooh" you know what a Busy Baxton is.  A Busy Baxton is someone who runs around being busy unawares of the world around her.  When the Busy Baxton gets to the forest she says:  "Ah! now I can relax, now I can slow down".  Well as of late I am Annie Bananie the Busy Baxton.  I work at daycare, I felt, I blog, I run around doing errands, I teach yoga, do yoga, cook, and last but definitely not least I care for my children.  Oh! Let's not forget that I also try to maintain a sense of self within all of that.  So like the Busy Baxton I went to the country this weekend and felt ever so relaxed and slowed down just enough to take a big sigh of gratitude.

Let me share with you a very special place on this Earth where this Busy Baxton loves to roam and free herself of stress and worries.  It is a little piece of heaven near Wakefield and ever so beautiful.  It is a great antidote to allow the mind to slow down and take inventory.  At a slow pace the walk takes about 1 1/2 hours. 

It begins with a beautiful running stream.  The sound of the water washing over the rocks, rolling down to it's destination is ever so beautiful.  Often I stand on the bridge that hangs over the rushing waves and close my eyes and take it all in. 

As the pebbled path winds up the stream there are pools of water that lie relatively still beside it's sister stream.  This is another place to pause and marvel at the reflection of still water and it's coloured reflections. 

Along the way we find lakes with wild life such as Canadian Geese, Beavers, and my favorite blue herons.

 Up a pebbled path and 30 minutes into the walk I come across my favorite spot where trees gently arch towards each other forming a canopy of greens and beauty.  This is the point where I allow my mind to let go of whatever little bits and pieces it is still hanging on to.  I tell myself to breathe deep, venture forward and see all there is to see.

A Little turtle reminds me to take it slow.

In this season of spring with all the rain we've had, everything is bright green and new growth shows it's pretty little face everywhere.  At the end of my walk I feel good, I feel calm and relaxed.  I promise myself to bring these feelings with me wherever my feet will roam.

We've Been Busy

Spring Colours

Spring is here and so is the rain.  Droplets keep falling from the sky, the grey clouds hiding the sun that is surely there.  Yesterday was Sunday and I refused to let the dim weather  bring me down.  Finding my adventurous spirit I saddled up on my bike and away I went.  What I noticed along Ottawa's many bike paths were the bright colours of spring. The lime greens of new buds and fresh leaves dangling from branches.  The yellow dandelions blowing in the wind. The muted browns of last years growth cast upon the aliveness of new growth had my heart enchanted.  Spring is here folks and the secret is to get out there rain or shine!

Along the way I saw the bright colours of beautiful tulips.

My legs moved my bike forward and I marveled at the beauty of our city.  We are lucky to live in a metropolis filled with so many spots of green space, bike paths and water.  When I see the news and see all the hardship that people are going through like the floods in Manitoba, the wars and the poverty, I remember how lucky I am to live here in Ottawa in my home surrounded by beauty and the kind people of my community and yes that includes you.

 

 

May I encourage you to get our there rain or shine.

May I send you off with blessings of gratitude.

May I wish upon you an open heart and eyes that see all the colours and 

beauty that surround you. 

May the love and courage in your heart prevail.

Handmade Harvest

Yesterday morning I loaded up my little grey Honda with boxes of felting kits and moon dolls, got a coffee at Starbucks and drove down the 417 going west.  I was heading towards Almont and Handmade Harvest. There's always a buzz leading up to a show.  There's the birth of new ideas, the making of those ideas, the tags, business cards, the look of your table and other little details.  As I drove with the Xavier Rudd singing through my speakers a knot of excitement sat in the pit of my stomach.  With every show comes a new adventure and I love adventures.

Almont is a quaint little town and as I drove towards the town hall, I admired the river that runs through it, the cute little shops and cafes on main street. I know that it's a place where I could live.  It's like the Wakefield of Ontario, a small town with kind people.

The show was held at the old town hall on Water street.  The hall is a magnificent red building made of wood like an old barn.  It's one of those buildings that when you stand in it you can feel the history and stories it holds.

Emily and Colleen from Blackbird put so much love into Handmade Harvest and it showed with every detail. 

decorated water bottles

50 swag bags for the first people at the door.

All the efforts they put in showed with a lineup starting at 09:00 with doors opening at 10:00!

 The highlight of my day was meeting such wonderful people.  I often found myself standing beside my table chatting with people for long periods of time and being so enthralled by what they had to say.  A few people stand out in my mind.  One women who was I guess in her 80's. I love talking to people who have lived long lives.  They usually have interesting stories and this lady talked about her school days as a little girl in England.  She spoke of learning to knit as a group in her class.  She spoke with a smile and a glint in her eyes.  She told me of going to the principals office for talking in class.  It's amazing how things have changed in a century. One of my most exciting conversations was talking to a group of 3 women who gave me information on a local sheep farm from which I can buy local wool! I was so stoked.  I have been ordering wool from Alberta and having a local source would be ideal.  They also gave me a lead on a local sheep sheerer. Karie and I want to learn how to sheer sheep, wash the wool, card it and dye it and make a little documentary of our experience.

 

Here is the hat that I bought.  It's made with re-purposed material.  I purchased it from Kathleen Nicholson from WWW.2BIRDSINTHEHAND.ETSY.COM.

Here is my table.  I loved selling my moon dolls. The best part were stories for who they were for.  One mother bought Mother of Love for her daughter.  I will keep her privacy by keeping the story to myself but just to say that I had tears in my eyes.  

I hope your Mother's Day was most amazing.  Enjoy the sun, whoohoo!

knit graffiti

This is the kind of graffiti that is soooo cool.  Check out this blog. Wow! Talk about mind blowing.  I am inspired to do some of my own knit graffiti. 

It's been a long time dream of mine to own a VW bus and tour around Canada.  Yes, I am a hippy at heart :)  I am not sure if I will ever grow up.  Here is a knit bus that's not a VW but definitely something I would tour around in.

Dolls

I've been working hard.  Here is a sneak peak at my most recent creations.  I have been felting so much that I have a kink in my neck.  This evening I am off to my friends to soak in a hot tub and release the tension in my shoulder and then guess what?  I will be felting some more!!!  I love these dolls and as is with everything I make and sell it will be hard to part with them.  I love the thought of them sitting on someone's window sill or special shelf sending out messages of inspiration and love.   After this show I shall concentrate on giving my works away to the people that I love.  Until then here I come Handmade Harvest!

Felting Kits and Handmade Harvest

Ok, I've been super, duper, wooper busy.  Someone recently asked me how I do all that I do. (daycare, teach yoga, artisan)  I have to be honest and say that I sometimes I amaze myself with all that I accomplish.  I guess that's tooting my own horn but it's true.   It seems like the more I do, the more organized I become and the more things get done.  The best part is, is that I am having so much fun doing it all that it doesn't even feel like work!  

Most recently I have been getting things together for the Handmade Harvest show this coming Saturday in Almont.  I've been snapping photos and put together the two felting kits below.  My favorite is the Wacky Owl Couple felting kit.  Aren't they cute? 

These kits come with photo directions taken and designed by me.  Felting is so much fun and I am on a mission to spread the join of magically transforming raw wool with a barbed wire.  It is inevitable when you make something with your own hands a feeling of happiness ensues :)

 

The Butterfly Felting Kit is so easy it doesn't even require a needle.  

If you are looking for something to do this coming Saturday come on out to the quaint little town of Almont.  Handmade harvest is hosting great artisans like Rehash, Haley by Hand, Green Acre Toys and so much more.   The first 50 people to arrive at the show get swag bags with great stuff. There definitely is an advantage to arriving early.   I hope to see you there!~ I leave you now with some photos of our weekend.  I hope your weekend was just as great as ours!