Honor the Seasons, Happy New Year!

For me the change of each season is my new year,

especially the winter's first snow.

I feel the calm, quiet, renewal of the fresh, white snow

and it is inspiring.

So I am not much of one to go out of my way celebrate the specific New Year...

But none the less,

a new year,

a new season,

a new start is an amazing thing to honor.

...

I want to wish you all a Happy New Year!

May you be blessed and walk in balance with the beauty of each season!

Happy 2011!!!

Spin Spin Spinning

My spindles have been busy lately.

I have been meaning to spin for a while now,

it always seems to be my fall and winter project.

I love spinning.

I have a spinning wheel that I got last year at the flea market for $10 in working condition.

Pretty sweet score!

But I have to say,

I love using my drop spindles of which I have many...

I find preparing the fiber and spinning the yarn to be relaxing,

stress relieving.

It is like meditation for me.

It just makes me feel better,

like gardening does in the spring and summer!

What kind of things relax you or do you do as a meditation?

Some sunshine shines through

I have been having a very up and down holiday season.

It is very stressful and tiring which stinks because I love the holidays... Normally.

Anyway, Poesy must have known I needed a bit of cheer and was being so cute

(cuter than she normally is)

and was posing for the camera!

These photos are actually chronicled backwards.

She started off playing with the cardboard tube and then into preening and trying to cuddle the camera.

So cute, I love my little bird!

Do you ever have things that you want to post about,

but aren't exactly happy, positive or fun?

Where is the line?

I am having a hard time figuring out what and what not to share.

There is a big question in my life right now.

And there are things that aren't working right.

It makes me sad...

Do you ever just feel like you don't know what to do?

Winter Wonderland: Part 2

Winter Wonderland: Part 1

Remembering Warmer Days...

Happy Holiday Blizzard Sale

I hope you all had a very Merry Holiday!

Hoping you were able to be with all your friends and loved ones!!!

We have a beautiful tree that looks so pretty lit up at night!

When I got home from my family's house,

Andy had lined the walkway from the driveway to the house with lanterns that were all glowing.

He even had them in the tree next to where the car is parked!

It was very beautiful...

I didn't think to take pictures until later and the only ones left burning were in the tree.

...

The whether people have forecast a blizzard

(yay!)

and coastal flooding

(oh how fun!<-- *sarcasm*).

So I thought,

what better than to have a SALE in my etsy shop!!!

20% off ANYTHING in the shop!!!

Just use the coupon code SNOWDAY when checking out!

I think I will run this sale until the "blizzard" ends.

(at this point it isn't quite a blizzard, more like just snow...)

So go here and check it out!

I am hoping to post a few more things soon as well, so keep checking in.

...

Happy blizzarding!

SNOW!!! and how to make treats for the wild birds!

So, I am finally getting my long awaited snow!

It started flurrying this afternoon and I didn't think much of it because winter has been teasing me thus far...

But now, well it is sticking to the ground and you can feel the static in the air and peacefulness in the woods.

I love snow.

I brought in plenty of firewood.

The stove is going, nice and hot!

...

I have been steadily working,

dying silk,

crocheting bracelets out of some hand spun, hand dyed yarn of mine.

(both for the shop and as gifts for friends!)

I even (finally) made the pinecone bird treats that I have been talking about doing for a couple of weeks now!

I love watching the wild birds,

I leave my garden wild all year and don't cut it back until spring so that the ground is protected and so that the little birds and other creatures have a place to stow away

as well as things to root around for and nibble on.

So today I thought I might share how I made the pinecone feeders/treats I made!

What you need:

Unsalted peanut butter

Knife or spoon for spreading on the pinecone

Pinecones (I did 5 with this 1 jar)

Loose seed (I used sunflower, but you can try others or a mixture)

Some kind of chord to tie on the tops of the pinecones

Andy had actually gotten unsalted peanut butter by accident (which is not so tasty),

so on one of my walks I picked up a bunch of pinecones and tied some cotton twine at the tops.

Next I covered the pinecone with the peanut butter, trying to get as much on it as possible!

Then came the dipping in seed.

I just got some a day or two ago... I got sunflower, a mix of cracked and in the shell.

The chickadees, cardinals and downy woodpeckers love this stuff

(and so does Poesy, we call it birdie crack in this house)

Roll, Roll, Roll...

Get the pinecone as covered with seed as you can get to stick on there!

When finished find good places to hand them.

It is good to find places where you can watch from the windows.

The nice thing about this is that even if you live in the city and don't have much wildlife around,

you can always watch the birds!

I hung one by the door because there are a few birds that really like foraging around under the little piney tree we have right outside it.

The others I hung by the main bird feeder on the tipi that sits over it.

This is a really fun project for anyone, but if you have kids, they will love watching the birds go to town on the treat that they made!

Have fun!!!