Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Sneaking


Very sneaky stuff going on around here. All in anticipation of my birthday, coming up on Thursday. I think these little girls enjoy making for everyone else's birthday as much as receiving for their own.
I can't stick around, my head is pounding today. It came out of nowhere... I just wanted to let you know about a couple of brand new patterns (witches and fairies) I just posted in the shop. You can purchase them on Etsy, or through my Ravelry shop, if you'd rather. They will be up in my shop here just as soon as this headache clears.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Meltdown Monday Giveaway

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Happy Monday, everyone! Mine is starting with a few moments of peace and quiet before the little ones wake up. I hope yours is off to a peaceful start.
Today our giveaway comes from Kat. She blogs over at The Divine Feminine. Kat is a new reader so I am just getting to know her. Won't you join me?


This Cosy Life- Hi, Kat, and welcome to Meltdown Monday! Tell us a little about yourself so we can know the person behind the work.

Kat- Hi Julie, thanks for having me, it's exciting to be here. Hmmm, what can I say about myself? I am a stay at home mum to two little forces of Nature - Beanie who is 4.5 and Bear who is 1. I am a writer mainly and I have a blog called The Awakened Heart, where I record all my misbehaviours as a parent and spiritual thrill seeker. You can find it at The Divine Feminine. In the past year I have learned to knit and am totally addicted. I am often found lurking in our local wool store, surreptitiously stroking all the lovely yarn, crooning softly 'I wants it, my preciousssss.' Apart from this slight indiscretion, crafting (particularly in a sort of Steiner/Waldorf way) and sewing are new hobbies and the little angels, like the one in the giveaway, are my latest passion.

This Cosy Life- What do you create and what are your favorite materials?

Kat- Ooh, that's a hard one. I love making everything, especially these little angels, wool roving is so forgiving and it's lovely to handle. I have also been enjoying making little peg dolls for my daughter to enjoy. I love sewing (though I'm still a complete newbie!) because of how quickly things come together and how useful they are. Knitting is the same. I just love making things with my hands, it's so meditative.

This Cosy Life- What inspires your creations?

Kat- Everyone else's! I'm a blog hogger. I have wonderful blogs that I visit and when I see what they have been up to, that often sets me off on the path towards making something the same, similar or just inspired by. There are so many talented crafty people out there who generously share their tutorials and ideas with their readers! I'm enormously grateful to them for being there and for being so cool! I am also inspired by the natural world and all things Steiner/Waldorf - the beauty and simplicity of the toys and nature tables really speak to me. I also think about what my bubbas might like to handle or look at and play with. I try to stay with natural materials as far as possible because they last longest and they are a joy to work with.

This Cosy Life- How do you balance 'making' with mothering?

Kat- Uneasily is the honest answer. Sometimes I just desperately want to craft or sew or knit and I can't because I am caring for my two wee ones. I often leave it all until late at night when the bubbas are asleep and then knit or sew or whatnot. Occasionally, I can set up something for Beanie and I to do together and that's always fun - like wet felting. It's more difficult to do that though since Bear has come along. He's at that age where he wants to put everything in his mouth and he is desperately interested in whatever his big sister or I are doing! I've come to the conclusion that you have just take the snippets of time to create wherever you can find them, even if it's just a row or two of knitting here, or a line of writing there, and try not to resent it when the next round of 'care' begins. There will be plenty of time to indulge my hobbies when the bubsy's are older, so I just Keep Calm and Carry Yarn!

This Cosy Life- Thank you so much for for joining us for Meltdown Monday!

Kat- Thank you for letting me play!


Kat is giving away this beautiful wool angel to one of my readers.
OK, so to enter leave me a comment. You can let me know how your Monday is going or, better yet, tell me how you beat the dreadful Meltdown Monday or just say hi. Whatever.

For additional entries;
(leave a separate comment for each entry, if you don't, they count as one)
Tweet this (include @thiscosylife in your tweet)
Share on Facebook
Blog this giveaway
And for this giveaway you can gain one additional entry by following Kat's blog.

I will randomly pick a winner on Sunday August 21st and announce here, on my blog. (Please, make sure I have a way to contact you!)

*Meltdown Monday Giveaways are open worldwide.


PS: If anyone is interested in participating in a Monday Meltdown giveaway, here on my blog, contact me here. Whether an item from your Etsy shop or just a little something you would like to give away to brighten someone's Monday, it's all good!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

We're Going to Have Babies

Chicks, that is. And if all goes well and everyone does their job. We've got a couple of hens that have been dying to be mamas for the past two seasons (including the lady above) and we've finally given them a man so they can get the job done right (unlike the ducks who hoard stinky, infertile eggs under the shed). I don't have pictures of him right now. We got him from a friend two days ago and his first two mornings here I've found him on the other side of the fence, between the fence and overgrown bank. Much fun for me to squeeze in between to fetch him... especially in the rain this morning. He just paces back and forth, trying to squeeze through the fence. Sigh. Hopefully he will get used to the new digs (and ladies) soon. He's just a young thing yet, only 14 weeks.
Well, the girls are beginning to stir so I'm going to give you a winner;

Mel

I will be emailing you in just a bit. Congratulations!

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Right Now

~I'm giving in to the fact that this one will wear the same three dresses over and over and only anything else if we dip into her sister's closet.
~Trying to nurse a teething toddler into an early nap in the hopes we can get in two naps today and sleep some of this teething pain away.
~Waiting for the ex to come and pick up the girls so that I can go to Salvation Army and replace the coffee maker carafe I broke in the dark last night (note to self; don't try to make coffee without turning on the light again)
~I am thinking too much sugar has been consumed this week and the girls and I need to clean up our act... again.
~Trying to get caught up on orders so that I can work out some these ideas banging around in my head.
~Looking forward to a very productive weekend.

Hope yours is wonderful!

P.S. Last day to enter Cadi's beautiful Mother Earth giveaway.