Nature Sprite Doll

This is a fun little craft I made up this morning. I love matryoshka (Russian nesting dolls), daruma (Japanese egg shaped dolls), and kokeshi (Japanese hot spring souvenir dolls). This craft combines the styles of them all.

I had a few small wooden robin's eggs running around my craft drawer. It made a nice base.

First sand the top down a little to make it more like a daruma doll. Then (optionally) use a dremel tool to carve a tiny bit of definition for the face.

Finally add paint. I used a blade of grass for a paint brush and made the face to look a bit like a matryoshka. Blades of grass are a bit unwieldy, but fun for painting.  I was not patient though and put a second coat of gloss on before the first one was completely dry. It gives it a bit of a trendy crackled look. Unfortunately I don't care for that look. Oh well. Other than that I'm pleased with how it turned out. Next year she will go into a fairy garden.... Or maybe I'll put a loop in the top to make her into a charm... She looks like a nature spirit peeking out of the grass to me. What do you think? This would be such a fun necklace to make for a little girl. 

Thanks for visiting. Shine on!

This Moment

A Friday ritual. A single photo-no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."SouleMama". 

Nature Sensory for Toddlers

For this simple activity all you need are some bowls and nature items gathered that day. Any bowl will do, but I like the unbreakable quality, beauty, warmth, and texture of wooden bowls. I find them at thrift stores all the time.

 

   We start every day with a nature walk. I let my son take the lead and just let him wander as he will throughout a park. I try not to distract him or direct him. This is his time to explore. On the way home (this particular day) we gathered several nature items.

Then we returned to our yard and separated out our nature treasures into four bowls. You can use anything for this. Rocks, acorns, chive blossoms, clover, etc.. Panda played for over an hour exploring colors, textures, smells, sorting, scrunching, pouring, stacking, picking up, and carrying! 

When we were done, we washed the bowls together. First I washed them in the sink and then he washed them in a Tupperware bin. That was another splashy, soapy half hour of sensory play.
Just four little wooden bowls, and a whole lot of learning and growth.

Have fun, and Shine on!

A Letter to my Son

Dear Son,

Summer is fading fast. Yesterday we spent the day outside, and while butterflies danced and twirled around us you sat in amazement on the grass with the sun setting your hair aglow.

 These are moments that have no photos.

This morning we went for a bike ride/walk and you were so happy to present me with a Canadian Goose feather you found. You studied it, oh so intently. Smiled at it, and found it a worthy gift to give. I will never forget the light in your eyes as you handed it to me. You have few spoken words, but the light in your eyes spoke volumes. Little rocks, feathers, and nuts have been finding their way into your hands lately and have been reverently handed into my care. Every found treasure reminds me just how blessed I am. 

These are moments without video.

Today I finished packing up the rest of your clothes you have outgrown. I soothed you to sleep for your nap, and tried not to cry as I started sorting through your "to big" pile of clothes finding things you have already outgrown. Perhaps it is because summer is on the downward swing, but I've noticed a lot of mothers talking about their children growing to fast lately. Perhaps it's because we have started looking at preschool for you (just a year and a half away). I don't know why, but I keep noticing all the little things and the big things that have changed about you, about me, about us since you entered our lives a short 15 months ago. 

These are moments to fleeting to be captured by machines.

I hold all these moments in my heart. I record them here as best as I can, but know they don't do them justice.  I hope one day you will look back on these letters with your own wee one and hear what I am trying to tell you, and then I hope you turn to your wee one and say....

Nothing..

Not at first. Just hold them.

Record those moments on your heart.

There is no other device powerful enough to hold these precious imprints,

and all to soon, they will be gone.

I love you dear dear Panda. Shine on.

Love Mum~

This Moment

A Friday ritual. A single photo-no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."SouleMama". 

A Letter to my Son

Dear Son, Summer is in full swing with just a hint of being on the fading side. Before you know it Autumn will be here, but right now our lives are full of yard projects, home repairs, barbecues, long drives in the country side, and back yard picnics. This past week was a whirlwind of projects and lovely visits from friends. An interesting topic came up while we were chatting over tea. It seems that many of our friends think I have expensive tastes. This took me back at bit as I looked around our home decorated with recycled, refurbished, and donated items (practically all of our furniture came from friends who just had an extra such and such laying around); so I asked what made them think that way? The answer was because everything in our home is so open and matches. They think our home looks like a magazine. This made me laugh. To be fair that was the look I was going for, but there is a little rule that we try to live by that makes this all work out. We simply don't keep what we don't need, are choosy about what we put into our home, and value our empty spaces. "Empty" is such a subjective word here. For where other people see 'emptiness', we see memories. Little tokens and walls of photographs are nice... In moderation, but before to long a small memento collection can overtake a home and then all you are left with is clutter. Keeping our 'special memento collection' small, keeps it more special for us and our house open and free. With all the time we save from having to dust and organize such a collection, we are free to make more memories. Free to do yard projects, home repairs, barbecues, long drives in the country side, and back yard picnics. 

I've heard the argument that time and energy spent on cleaning up and keeping a home in order takes away from making memories. To that I simply say.. Keeping a home clean means that 'clean-up' is faster making more time for memories; and we all work together so that 'clean-up time' is also memory making time. 

Keep the important things in your life special, and try to minimize the clutter. 

I love you with all my heart. Shine on.

Love, Mum~

This Moment

A Friday ritual. A single photo-no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."SouleMama".