Guest Post by Amber Smith from Mama Nature and a Giveaway

Today we have Amber joining us for a guest post on Natural Suburbia, she is a very creative and talented woman who loves nature and blogs over at Mama Nature.

In Amber's words:

Who I am: I am simply aesthetic, spiritual, intuitive and imaginative. I support our local Farmer's Markets.  I am a newly discovered community artisan! I believe in creating physically and spiritually. I want to inspire people to take whatever idea I share and make it their own and make it personal to them.

What I create:  I have been creating for my family the past year and it wasn't until recently that I felt very encouraged by my friends and community to branch out and sell some of my creations. Things I create for my family: garden art, felt toys, polymer dolls and jewelry, knitted clothing (my favorite being the little red riding hood), upcycled patch-work clothing, quilt mandalas, illustrations for there bedroom walls, and stories that teach real value. Yes, I am a busy lady and I always try to involve my children in what I do. Most people may think being this busy might make life more complex but for me and my family it actually brings a simplicity and balance! It exercises our self-sufficiency, self discipline, self-awareness, self-discovery, our heart, our family's quality of time and of course our creativity. I'm so thankful for the opportunities I've received in my life and I'm even more thankful for the supportive people in my life!

                        

 

 "Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture your heart..."

Native American saying

What inspires me: Three things that inspire me: my children, my community and mama nature. I don't think you can get any more simple than that! My favorite musician is Jack Johnson and we start nearly every day listening to his music and allowing it to ground us and prepare our hearts for the day. I also have been a member of his All At Once Community for a couple years now. Other things that inspire me: my heritage & home, this waldorf, and wildlife

What is my crafting space like? Space is so important. It's nearly a source of inspiration itself! A majority of my art doesn't happen in my home - it happens outdoors or in our community! Occasionally, in the evenings or early morning I will construct a new felt creation. And my family has been very supportive in giving me quiet time for a couple hours Tuesdays and Thursday evenings. This is when I blog, craft and reach out to people outside of our home.

Craft Tutorial: 

This is a very open craft tutorial. If you aren't afraid of using your intuition and prefer being natural over uniform and perfect - then you may really enjoy this tutorial!  There are no real rules for this but I will try to share how it worked for me! Go ahead and free your creativity - exercise your problem solving skills and make something unique and creative!

SUPPLIES:

flexible tree branch

multiple strands of yarn

HOW:

#1 First bend your branch into a circle. Then use some yarn to creatively wrap and hold the ends together. Next use a second piece of yarn to create grass by wrapping it half way down one end and up the other.

#2 Now choose the color for your tree. Once you have selected the color yarn of your choice cut 5 strands of equal length depending on the size of your branch. The center strand must be about 12 inches longer than the rest because you will use the center strand to wrap around all 5 pieces to create a tree trunk effect.

#3 Attach the longest strand to the center using the larks head knot technique

#4 Attach the remaining pieces *two on each side of the center strand* using the same larks head knot technique.

#5 Gather the strands at the bottom of the branch tightly. Use the long center strand to wrap and attach to the bottom of your branch.

#6 Once the strands are securely attached at the bottom continue to wrap the long center strand up about half way and back down again. Tie the center strand tightly.

#7 Choose a variety of colored yarn. The yarn can be all lengths or you can cut them to equal 24 inch lengths. Attach the yarn to one end near the larks head knot.

#8 Begin weaving and adding more yarn until finished!

Links for Mama Nature:

Blog

Facebook

Etsy Shop

Pinterest

MAMA NATURE - GIVEAWAY

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs.

Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do it.

Because what the world needs are people who come alive."
-my grandma/Robert Henri, The Art Spirit

Amber is giving away this incredibly cute handmade Bigfoot toy. If you would like to enter this giveaway, please like her facebook page and leave a comment below saying you have liked the page:) If you are not on Facebook, you can Tweet about the giveaway or choose one of the additional entries below:)

For additional entries you can choose to either 'share' her Facebook page, follow her blog Mama Nature or heart her Etsy shop.

Please remember to leave a comment for each entry.

The winner will be announced here in this post on Sunday, please ensure you leave an email address so that I can contact you if you are the winner.

Congratulations to:

MelMay 31, 2012 2:45 PM

I love every shop you all feature. So many creative people out there, Mama Nature included. I just went by and "liked" their facebook page. Thanks for the giveaway!

Amber, thank you so much for sharing here today on Natural Suburbia.

Linda

Meet Donna from The Waldorf Connection and a Lovely Giveaway

Please join me in welcoming Donna from The Waldorf Connection.
Donna will be sharing a post with us today titled, 'Balancing Those Early Years'.

Natural Suburbia: Donna, please tell us a little about The Waldorf Connection:

Donna:
The Waldorf Connection is quickly becoming the “hub” that homeschoolers, parents, and educators need as a starting place for gathering information. The goal of this site is to bring concrete information to help families understand the Waldorf concepts and to support family-run Waldorf businesses.

The Waldorf Connection will heavily support the online community with in–depth workshops, programs, online book studies, video classes and more. For more information on these informative programs, go to http://thewaldorfconnection.com/

Balancing Those Early Years by Donna Ashton

Now that my twin girls are turning 8, I feel I have “arrived” in some way. Those early years can be wonderful and also extremely challenging and exhausting! I know there are many stages & growing yet to go, but if you have 1 or more young children, you may know what I mean.

Why do young children take so much energy out of us?

According to Peggy O’Mara in her article Generations at Risk, The Mother is the Matrix.

“We do not learn by behavior modification, we learn by going back to the matrix and getting information from that. That’s why a child always comes back to the mother, hanging onto her legs, and exploring from there. We learn from going  back to what we know. The child puts things in her mouth, not because she wants to eat them, but because that’s her most developed sense, and that is how she identifies the object.
The first seven years is the time of play, and as mammals, we are actually designed to learn through play,which is how we gather information. Einstein said that he would rather have imagination than intellect. It is imagination that forms the basis for our later intelligence.

You, as this Matrix are the support and energy center for your child during those early years. It is not just the physical components of holding, nursing, carrying, re-directing, feeding, changing diapers, etc.. There is also an energy exchange between Mother & Child, where the Mother is supplying this energy.

So, what can you do? For me, understanding is the main thing. If I know why something is the way it is, I can work with it. I look at it as an honor. This is something that only I can give to my children.

Now, when you hear others say, “Take a nap while your child is napping”, you may take them up on it. Though you may have household tasks calling you, this may be a better use if your time. Meditation and Creative Expression are also ways to refill our own buckets, so we can have more to give. Enjoy these precious early years, when your task is to be the that Matrix.

Here is an excerpt from Carrie Dentdler’s workshop, “The First 7-yr Cycle of Development” she did at The Waldorf Connection. Enjoy!

*You can hear more from Carrie and other Early Childhood experts in our upcoming series, Essential Elements of Early Childhood. http://waldorfhomeschoolingassociation.com/

On Thursday, 9/23 Donna is hosting a free call " 3 Ways to Create a Nourishing Home for your Child", with (3) Waldorf Early Childhood teachers to give you a few "behind-the-scenes" inspirations you can take back and implement right away!

This is a bit different then previous calls.. You MUST register at this link http://waldorfhomeschoolingassociation.com/ to receive the "back stage pass".

Giveaway:

Donna is offering a lovely giveaway: one reader will receive an mp3 of Carrie Dendtler's (a Parenting Passageway)  "The 1st Seven Year Cycle of Development".

To enter, please leave a comment and I will choose a winner on Saturday morning:)

Donna, thank you so much for being a guest here on Natural Suburbia:)
xo
Linda