gardening with a paper bag

 

 

a weekend holiday

some happy hours in the northbank community gardens

children wandering and gathering

mama weeding and dreaming of how her seedlings bought today will grow

{and realising i won’t be here to see them grow}

but enjoying my gardening all the same…

flavoursome leaves and a few asparagus stalks

chicken friends and chicken squawks

blossoms and seeds

ladybirds and weeds

chickens want holding

and a little paper bag folding

peace, rhymes, being together outside on a tired day

 

 

this garden is an amazing resource for the community

abounding gratitude to the committed crew who keep it growing well

and accessible to us all*

make a paper bag…

on a cold and rainy day

we had school at home

after songs and circle games

for morning tea some nuts where cracked to accompany our fruit

our morning craft lesson was making origami paper bags from an old phone book

then a ‘shop’ game evolved between the children

go get yourself a piece of paper, any size will do, try newspaper or an old telephone bill…

here comes the method to make a handy paper container to use for a multitude of purposes

including gift wrapping, games, shopping, seed saving, storage, envelopes and and and…

{hover your mouse over the images and the written instructions will magically appear}

lay out your paper in the landscape position

i just think that’s a great re-use of our waste paper!

Lily made a bunch of little sacks to package little craft items in for the school stall.

today i feel like making a big sack to put over my head…

 

with giggles

R

ps let me know what you use your paper bags for

 

 

 

a little mending…

how to love mending as much as the making

i’ve been working on this and in the last weeks

gathered in the holey things and begun

wow! i’ve let them go a long time and some holes have grown noticeably

but here i go with my needle and thread and a little stillness

and a lot of enjoyment of handling these beautiful things again

and knowing i am giving them a new burst of life

Lily is not feeling well

as i wrapped her in her baby blanket {with big girl extensions}

i noticed those holes

so with children at one end and me at the other

i got to my task

feeling the texture and weight of this beautiful crotcheted blanket

how quickly it warmed my legs and memory

i was pregnant with my first big belly

traveling in a beautiful old yellow kombi van

Jesse and I on our first adventure together

i gathered yarn from my family and friends

along the way i gathered more

and as we drove often i had my basket of yarn at my feet and

this growing blanket on my growing belly

i wove into it all my wondering of who and when and how

all those pre mama feelings

who would i be bundling in this wool one day soon?

thousands of stitches thousands of kilometres and thousands of blessings.

from my reverie i glance up

and here is my daughter

bigger than ever

as i mended we talked about her birth

she and Cedar chatted and played

and i cherished this gift i made

once upon a time for a wee babe

easy beet dip

this recipe is adapted from a recipe from S

delicious delights are always to be had in her kitchen

thankyou for being such a dear and inspiring friend

xx

Easy Beet Dip

you will need

at least 3 beetroots

2 cloves garlic

dab of butter

ground cummin

ground coriander

salt

pepper

a stick blender or food processsor

an oven

preheat your oven

peel and cut your beets into 2cm cubes

pop into an oven dish with a lid {or improvise with a foil package}

add in the peeled garlic and the butter

seal and bake for about an hour on 180c or until a fork can easily go through the beet

let cool

place all into blender and pulse until smooth

season with spices and s&p

drizzle with a good olive oil

we will be having this dip with vegi sticks, fresh sourdough bread and corn chips this afternoon when the grandparents arrive

and Lily is back from school…

dear bunny…

our honored guest has been with us nearly two weeks

he/she hovers, drapes, naps, meditates by the bunny cage

{a friendly python so don’t worry about us}

bunny naps on the other side and carries on its inconsequential activities

is bunny aware that death is about?

does it remember being saved from snakes embrace before?

is it longing for release from this world?

would it return for another round of the karmic wheel?

is it comfortable and accepting with that which is inevitable?

are you?

am i?

tonight in the boom crash and heavy tinkle of the storm

i let myself see some great fear and panic regarding death

stay away from me and mine!

impossible, but thats what i cry for

i feel it in my chest like the impact of a fist

in these moments

i am clinging to this life and the tangible forms of my beloved ones

and all that is perceived by my senses

i am cultivating dreams and ideas and cherishing hope for the future

i am nurturing relationships and gardens and love

i am struggling through the quagmire of some days and challenges

i am pursuing myself in the interest of growth and understanding

i want to be here and sit and knit and contemplate

i am afraid of the unknown yet

i do have faith in a greater force

but i simply don’t know what comes after

i haven’t been there yet or i don’t remember

and as Lily said to me on wondering what it is like to die

“…then i won’t know, because i’ll be gone and it won’t matter”

how about me?

how about you?

**

{later on this day i passed two severe car accidents on my trip to town

and i was given a worldly reflection of my thoughts}

blessings to those who are grieving right now

**

a little sewing…

borrowed a vintage cadillac of a sewing machine

{dear stitcher, i have missed you immensely in my life these last 6 months…}

finished the job at hand then

treated myself to a tiny playful sewing make i had seen

on another funky mama

patch together scraps of this and that

make a long snake for the characterless camera strap.

then had fun taking snaps in the mirror for you

go on make one too. it’s fun for you or someone you look at….

i love bringing handmade to the pieces of modern technology in my life

and seeing what others do to theirs…

 

 

what do you think?

are you going to make something to brighten up one of your gadgets?

xx

for practical directions

the dimensions of  my patches for my canon strap {4cm wide}

i made a patchwork strip of 10cm by 90cm

folded in half, right sides together and stitched long seam

rolled right side out

and slipped over the strap..

tutorial ~ make a pocket gnome

assemble materials

  • cut yourself a pattern of the square body {6cm}  and cap  {5×2.5cm} has come curvature to it
  • two colors wool felt fabric
  • a wooden bead for the head 12mm or so
  • thread and needle {if child is making it, be kind and use bigger needle and thread/embroidery floss}
  • scissors
  • fluff to stuff {wool or cotton wool}
  • craft glue

 

cut pattern pieces

1x square for body

1x cap in matching color

1x square for pocket

1x triangle for pocket front

 

mark centre of doll’s body and firmly attach wooden bead head upright

use a dab of non toxic craft glue to secure the thread in the position of the ear line

stitch seam of the cap {i prefer blanket stitch, but over stitch is equally good and easier for children who are at the beginning of their crafting life}

insert a finger into the cap to open it out in readiness for the head bead

use a dab of glue to secure the cap on gnomes head ensuring you cover the strings

begin at one hand and stitch around the body two thirds of the way to the other hand

stuff your gnomes body with fluff

continue to stitch to other hand and bind off

tie off hands at the wrist with a little string

your gnome is complete,  Yay for you!!

decorate if you wish

to make the pocket lay your triangle piece over the diamond piece and stitch the two outer sides

decorate with fancy stitchin if you wish {stars, flowers, colorful lines, beautiful embroidery etc}

{children can do ‘dolphin stitch’ simple in and out stitch in a line, like a dolphin diving up and down for decoration}

then pop your little gnome into bed!

too cute!

very sweet gifts, children’s activity, stocking fillers and a friend for special times

in a childs {inner children too}  life when they need a comfort in their pocket