mamaroots

Slow Rhythms for Slugs and Snails

Welcome June!  Sometimes (often) summer is a busy time of trips, gardening, baseball etc . . . but I have been trying to be mindful of keeping it slow too.  Trying to get caught up on projects that keep talking to me in my head and just enjoy my home, my boys, and just being present. 

One project I have been wanting to make since I saw it in the Rhythm of the Home Spring Issue were some updated fancy cloth napkins.  Mind you we have our stack of everyday cloth napkins that are a hodgepodge of different napkins, but I wanted something fun and special for our little garden parties, birthdays, etc.  So I rounded up different patterns of vintage sheets and upcycled them up nicely into some fun napkins- now to just plan the next wee little party to use them!  I could not help but to make some little sleeping bags from the scrap fabric for some summer slugs in the shop!

Cloth just makes more sense to me- and not too hard to wash up, a good green option.  They make great gifts too!  Summertime makes washing so much more easy, rugs and laundry drying outside make my day!  

June 1 is also the day for the Summer Issue of Rhythm of the Home.  For the summer issue I contributed a Summer Snail Fingerpuppet pattern to help you slow down and enjoy some storytelling this summer.  I hope you enjoy it and the whole summer issue- I can't wait to take it all in nice and slow this weekend!

To help with your storytelling I am giving away the snail I made for the project to one of my readers- just leave a comment here between now and Sunday at 5:00 pm and let me know something you are doing to slow down this summer.  Bonus entry for following me on:

facebook

twitter

Good luck!

thyme winner!

Congrats to Eidolons!  You are lucky #3 and the winner for the June Issue of Herbal Roots- be watching your e-mail today for a link- enjoy!

for the love of a can of spray paint

Can I bore you with one more before and after picture?  Saved from the curb a couple of years ago from my neighbors purge, I stuck this small metal birdbath in the woods.  I never gave too much thought to it until I saw this dandy at the local hardware shop that was similar to this one.  Though I am still in-love with that one, a can of spray paint was much cheaper!  

So I roughed it up with a steel brush and sprayed away- not too shabby, or wait it is shabby chic that is!  I am so glad that Valspar started making these new colors in spray can.  I will always shout out the virtues of spray paint!  

it is thyme for another give-away

"Thyme" for the monthly give-away featuring Herbal Roots Zine- hope you enjoyed catnip in May!  I have to use dried catnip most of the time and Ms Escher Louise- resident loved feline will eat it all everytime I plant it!  

Here is your chance to win a copy of Herbal Roots for June featuring thyme- if you have enjoyed Herbal Roots Zine in the past you know all the great work and detail that Kristine puts into this each month.  A good resource to have for now and I often find myself referring to past issues.

If you would like a chance to win a copy, leave a comment between now and Thurs at midnight.  I will draw a winner and e-mail you a copy of the zine of Friday.  

Bonus entry points for following:

mamaroots on twitter

mamaroots on facebook

herbalroots zine of facebook

Good luck and for a chance to win on my wood critters- hope on over to Herbal Roots Zine for a chance to win a wood cat!

coming outside party

Not too much text to accompany what pictures say the best for the official "coming outside" party for the girls this weekend.  What can I say, we were pretty proud of them.  Cookies were eaten by us, clover and watermelon by them.  I am just loving looking out from the deck and looking down to see them.  Who knew that Urban Chicken farming could be so fun.  Any excuse for a little party really!  Now to track down the movie Chicken Run to watch!  

wow- is mom upside down

I am sure many of you who have grown your babies, birthed your babies, raised and or raised your babies are very much aware that WOW in MOM upside down.  So at the end of a pretty relaxing day and honestly pretty normal day complete with my monthly platelet donation in the morning, strawberry shortcake for breakfast (thank you boys), afternoon playdates for the boys and planting in the woods for mama, I was reminded and did my part to remind the boys that Wow- this is a pretty amazing trip we are on!

Sometimes I am wowed by the power of their temper fits, sometimes I am wowed by their intense energy, but always I am wowed by the chance to be their mom and learn from them as much as I hope they are learning from me.  Hoping yours was full of "wow" too!

redo shroom

I have been losing myself in the making of my own little spot of enchanted forest and glen.  I threw myself head strong into my woods that I have been working on for a couple years a few feet at a time.  This year I put on the boxing gloves on and with the help of friends with trailers and my devoted hubby and sons the remaining honeysuckle went down.  And don't you worry my honeysuckle friends waiting to show your ugly heads, I have an arsenal of my long handled loopers, my short feisty snippers, and sorry but yes also a single bottle of round up reserved just for you.  They are super handy in my outhouse garden shed- consider yourself warned!

So I have been enjoying creating beautiful little planting spaces and just starting to relax in the comfort of this little magical spot- heck it is not often you get this right in the central urban part of my town.  I realized I am pretty darn thankful for that.

I had seen several great options to make cutie pie outside furniture that looks mushrooms.  I was set on trying to find the right stool or other upcycled piece to use as a small table.  I could not find anything that would be right.  Then I realized it was right there all along.  An old rusted outside small table my husband had picked up a couple years ago and put in storage in case we need a project someday.  He often hates to see things go to the trash.

Bingo- perfect for a little shroom redo!  A bit of sand paper, rust stop spray paint, and there it is, the perfect addition to the woods- all for under $6!  I am pretty thrilled- I will have to look and see what else is hiding out underneath our deck that I might be able to redo!  

getting ready

The warmer days are coming and as we find our selves outside more on these midwest days I am starting to think about getting ready for the upcoming summer.  A couple of things that I glad to add to the mix this year is a soap I spied at the market the other day.  It is called Summer Soap by a a local Missouri soap company called Prairie Soap Company.  What caught my eye is that is has some essential oils that is undesirable to the local birds we call mosquitoes.  This year is already proving to be a blood loss year!  So I am excited to give this soap a try!  A good summer soap to have on hand too if you can find it is Jewel Weed soap- Jewel weed works great to fight off the affects of poison ivy- it just so happens to grow next to it usually in the wild!

I am working on my knitting still and am hoping to have a set of washclothes ready for my mama for mother's day shhhh!  I think she would like some of this soap too!

The other fun (I don't care how I look) item I found was an old vintage sun bonnet.  I have a hard time with hats because I wear my hair up in a bun often and they do not fit into hats easily- go ahead call me Laura Ingalls Wilder- at least my face and neck will be less red this year!

Now I am ready to tackle setting the foundation for my outhouse/garden shed, plant some more elderberry, and woodland spiderwort.  I am torn on what to plant in a little area next to the outhouse- tempted to do strawberries and rhubarb!  

Speaking of planting- the winner for the Herbal Roots Zine for May is lucky #4- Carol.  I will e-mail you the May issue tonight- enjoy.  You can still stop by Herbal Roots and buy a copy of this month's issue from Kristine- May is all about catnip.  I had bought some catnip to plant and did not get to it fast enough before my cat Escher found it first- nothing but dirt left!  

May Day

sweet little treats from a lovely May Day Fairy provided just a lovely opportunity to sit on the deck and have a fantastic treat of delicious muffins and smoothies!  Big thanks to the sweet mama behind the kindness and welcome May!

fevers

I have been seeing them around and about for a while and am starting to catch the vintage sheet fever. One of the fun parts of watching this emerge as a trend in the DIY craft world is recognizing some of the sheets from both my childhood home in the 70's and also from my grandma's house.  

I have a small stash that I got that are already washed and cut into fat quarters that I will be creating into mismatched party napkins.  But since I have been on the lookout for these in the thrift stores, I realized the pillowcases have a plethor of uses.  

My first "case" in point is from a little party I hosted yesterday for some work folks.  One of the gals is getting married and the vintage pillow case made an awesome gift bag!  I loved it and now she can either use it for gift bag themselves, store sweaters, or heck even a retro guest bedding!

Pretty sure Martha would be proud of this vintage upcycling moment.  Thus a new Pinterest board begged to be created!