Shivaya Naturals Studios

As you all know, I have recently closed the doors on my original online store to spend more time with my family and to raise my children. As I mentioned in my previous post, I am planning to reopen a very small online store in the coming weeks. This store will carry a few handmade items, mainly made by me (although I am excited at the opportunity to also work with a few other amazing artists), and all one of a kind.



The store will reopen on August 1st, which was the original opening day for Shivaya Naturals Fiber Arts, and it will feature a few original sewn pieces, some embroidery, and of course, yarn. From there, I will simply add a few items as they are made, and the store will be simple and uncomplicated.

Balance is something that I strive for everyday, and a lot of the time, I find it to be a huge challenge to achieve it. Having a successful fiber arts business was truly a dream come true, but it left my two precious babes behind, and without the love and attention of the mama they so deserve. Teaching my children the value of change, while still allowing myself a small outlet to share my passions, I think that is the balance that we are looking for at this moment in our lives.

Today I am participating in a wonderful blog sponsorship through Amanda Soule's blog, Soule Mama. Amanda's blog is truly one of a kind, and she has been a tremendous influence on helping me find my creative spirit (as have so many of you).

There are three great treats in this giveaway; an embroidered and hand appliqued picnic blanket, three skeins of yarn, and a trio of organic body products. All that you need to do to be entered is to visit Amanda's blog and leave her a comment. The winners will be chosen by Saturday morning.

Good luck!

Storybooks and An Awful Lot of Knitting

The boys and I have been working a lot lately on creating stories and storybooks. A large part of our homeschooling is revolving around the fun and joy of telling stories, acting out skits and plays, and creating a story from beginning to end.

This has really been an activity that has evolved over the past few months, and that they have fallen in love with. I love watching them create their own stories, reading them to us, and then spinning them off into many forms of imaginative play.

Elwood's book revolved primarily around rockets and fish, and it was a very intriguing tale of the fish that flew the rocket into space and then jumped out to swim with the stars.

Jacob had a wonderful time creating the story of Mama and Jakey and The Quest for The End of The Rainbow. While camping recently, Jacob and his other band of explorers headed off into the forests to find the end of the rainbow, and although they never discovered it, he still brought the idea home and wrote this story of how his mama could most certainly discover such a treasure (I love stories where I am superhero mommy).

I am a very strong believer in oral story telling, and of creating magical stories and fairy tales through our own drawings and creative expressions. I think that this has to be a part of my love and admiration for Waldorf education, and I have made it a staple part of how the little ones learn.


As for mama, well she has a lot of knitting catch-up to play.

It is funny, I spent most of my life knitting yarn, and then the last year dying it. As some one who loves fiber, who takes pride in creating eco-friendly yarns, I have done an extraordinary small amount of knitting in the past 12 months.

I have three projects that I am planning to finish this week. Two scarves and one shawl that have been sitting for too long. Then it is time to get the holiday knitting going (is that possible???) The boys need their sweaters, mittens, socks and hats. Mama and Daddy could use a few warm pieces as well. Knitting is strongly on my mind, and I look forward to settling in and getting to it.

A Simple Summer Meal

I am one of those people who craves beauty and simplicity. I find immense joy in setting a table with flowers, special vintage linens, and assorted glasses. I love candles and jazz and a quiet dinner with good conversation. Since I have had children, however, I find myself in such a rut that just getting place mats on the table seems like a challenge.

My kids and I spend a lot of time alone during the week, with my husband traveling a good amount of the week for work. Yesterday the boys asked if we could have a special dinner and sit out side under their favorite tree. As I thought about it, I realized that although I love to live in beauty, I am not exactly creating it in our everyday lives the way that I would like.


We got together, planned our meal, and searched around the house for what we wanted to bring to this special meal of ours.

We chose a vintage table cloth and set the table with white plates and jelly jar candles.

and the boys found some special treasures to add.

We enjoyed a simple summer meal of corn

tomatoes and avocados

strawberries and blueberries

and their favorite bean and cheese tacos

We broke out the wine glasses and enjoyed wine and apple juice, which to their delight looked the same.

We sat for a long time, through twilight and into dusk. Then the boys told me that they wanted to show me their forest fort. I was pretty excited, since I had yet to be invited into this special world that they have spent weeks creating.


We took our jelly jar candles, gathered some books and headed into the trees. I was amazed by what I saw when I entered this magical place. There were chairs, shoes, costumes and play silks. Treasure boxes that sat in the trees, and special bags of goodies hanging from branches. It was what I needed to see in that moment, that my children were taking their imagination and creating special places to "travel" to.

We read books, sang songs, and watched as the moon rose (which was pretty magical itself). then the bath was drawn, the teeth were brushed, and the kisses given. I would like to think that they drifted off into a pretty peaceful sleep, and dreamed vivid and magical dreams.

Whatever was going through their heads, I know that these are the moments that shape all of us. It was so simple, and just taking those extra steps made the meal and the conversation seem so much more fulfilling. Our lives are slowing down, and this is why. I want many more of these moments, and I feel like I now have the time to create and enjoy them

What an Honor

Yesterday, Kim from Big Sky Mountain Designs awarded my blog with the Honest Scrap Award. It just made my day all around. I love writing this blog, I love getting up every day and thinking of interacting with many people that inspire me and make me laugh and cry. Thank you to Kim for the honor.

Now it is my turn. I have to divulge ten honest things about myself, and then pass this wonderful award on to someone whose blog and content I think is brilliant!

So here goes

1) I really would like to have a daughter. I love my sons more then life, but I would like to experience raising both.

2) I love school. I would stay in school permanently if I could.

3) I have seen every episode of the original Beverly Hills 90210, twice (I just loved that show in high school).

4) I am much more of an adrenaline junkie then people know.

5). I really don't like to exercise, but I love to eat, so it is a necessity.

6) My parents are honestly the closest friends that I have.

7) I am scared to death about ever losing my children.

8) I have to do something creative everyday, or else I am just in a bad mood.

9). I love spiders. Bugs of all kinds. I use my children as a way of pretending that I "have" to hold them, but really, I just love insects.

10) I believe that people are inherently good, all people, and that we each deserve the chance to be the best versions of ourselves.

Finally, I am awarding this honor to the following amazing bloggers

Kim at Big Sky Mountain
Erin at House on Hill Road
Beki at Arts Crafty Babe
Suzy at Hip Mountain Mama
Larissa at Stitches in Play
Bernadette at Sugar in My Bowl
Stacy at Stacy Z Photography
Jules at Jules in Search of Contentment
Kyndale Earthy Crunchy

These women represent many different facets of the inspiration that I look for everyday. Kim is one of the most amazing knitting designers, and she actually sells a few select pieces that she knits and designs (her layette pieces are AMAZING). Erin's blog is full of beautiful photographs and sewing projects and she has a ton of helpful hints. Beki has some out of this world sewing patterns, and her blog is an inspiration for any crafter. Suzy and her family are doing an unbelievable job of educating as many families as they can reach about the necessity of using safe and natural products in their homes. Larissa's blog always fills me with joy, and her original sewing tutorials are always easy, spot on, and so much fun to create. Bernadette is a creative mama who is incredibly honest about the trials and tribulations of finding one's way through the world of parenting young children, while still finding time to be the person you love. Jules is a beautiful mama whose creative spirit I love reading about, and whose life with children I can relate so fully to. Kyndale's blog is one of the most diverse I read on a daily basis. Her life is lived fully, and she brings that to her blog in a powerful way. And finally, Stacy, who in my opinion captures the art of life like no one else. Her photographs move me in many ways, and her quest to find herself through her art is remarkable.

I would encourage everyone to participate in giving honors to those that inspire them and bring them joy. There really is no better gift that we can give to someone then to tell them that we think that they rock!

Reflection and Repurpose

The 4th of July weekend always seems to end in happiness, no matter how it starts out. I was really so excited to spend this past weekend with my family and friends, relaxed and full of yummy food. My husband actually took his holiday on Friday, and we enjoyed three days full of fun, swimming, relaxing, reading and most importantly, eating.

We had three 4th of July events that we enjoyed this year, and I wanted to make sure that I brought something yummy to each one. I grew up with a mother who never showed up to a party (any kind of party) without something special for the hostess, and it is a tradition that I love to uphold. On Friday I sat down to make a new gluten free oatmeal and chocolate chip cookie recipe that I had been given, and I made enough to give as gifts at each event (the cookie recipe is to die for, and my friend Elana who gave it to me has been generous enough to let me share it here with you).


On my quest to reuse as many items that we already own as possible, I again hit up my linen closet in the hopes of finding a beautiful way to package these delicious cookies.


I came across some place mats that I have had for too many years to have never used. They are gorgeous, but to be honest, not really practical. They just do not exactly cry out to have spaghetti sauce or BBQ chicken spilled on them. On Friday morning I tried to make them into one of the drawstring bags that I have become so fond of making. Easy as pie! I simply cut them in half, stitched them on both sides and the bottom, turned down the top for a casing, and added a simple cream colored ribbon for the ties. Perfect cookie gifting bag if you ask me.


The cookies never even made it to desert at any of the parties, and I have to say that this will be a staple cookie recipe in our household. It is smooth, so tasty, and there is no flour used at all, so it is also the perfect for cookie for someone allergic to soy or other alternative grains. It is made with peanut butter, but Sunbutter can be substituted (and may even be tastier) for anyone with a nut allergy. Again, thank you to Elana for letting me post her wonderful recipe. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Oatmeal Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/4 butter, room temperature
3/4 C sugar
3/4 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. GF vanilla
1 C of peanut butter (or sun butter)
1 1/4 baking soda
3 cups of GF rolled oats
6 oz. GF chocolate chips
1/2 GF sunflower seeds (or other nuts)

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Beat sugar, brown sugar and butter until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla and baking soda and mix well. Add peanut or sun butter and mix. Stir in oats, chocolate chips and nuts. Place teaspoon full of dough on a lightly greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly brown around edges.

The Simplicity of Bread

I have probably mentioned, more then a few times, my love of making bread. I try and make something unique every week with the kiddos, and most of the time the bread does not even last the day.


My other love is repurposing linens and other materials for the house. Last night I decided to clean out our very cluttered linen closet, and I came across a ton of vintage pieces that I had been collecting for the past few years. I am not exactly sure what I thought I would do with the enormous pile that I have, but I decided that it was time to make use of them.

I remembered a post from Soule Mama recently that talked about turning vintage tea towels into bread bags. I loved the idea of storing fresh made bread in something so beautiful and functional, so I was intrigued to give it a try myself.

The result is much more then I imagined. I cut the lace frill off of each of the towels (and saved it to add to a new piece of clothing), sewed up the sides, folded down the edge for a drawstring casing, and used a natural tie to close it up. The embroidery on the towels worked perfectly for the front of the bags, and I could not have asked for a better design. The bags are a very tight weave, so it should be perfect for keeping the bread fresh.



From tea towels that we would have NEVER used, to beautiful bags to gift and store freshly made, yummy bread. Who could ask for more?

The bread is zucchini and honey bread that I adapted from Pamela's All Purpose Baking Mix. I use honey instead of sugar, and I add applesauce instead of eggs. I also add a crumb topping using GF oats, butter and cinnamon for a bit of crunch on top.

Body Art

Mehndi, or henna painting on the body, has been around for centuries in countries such as India, Africa and the Middle East. The henna plant is thought to bring about love and good fortune. While Mehndi is traditionally used for rites of passage and special occasions, it is also permeating western culture in more traditional body art practices.

I am not big on permanent tattoos. I have no desire to be 80 and covered with designs that you can no longer distinguish, but more importantly, I am scared to death about what my dad might do if he ever saw me with one (this prevented the normal college drunk moment when I considered having a wolf tattooed to my tush). Having said that, I really love body art. The idea of painting something that will only last a few weeks, that is creative and beautiful, that allows for me to explore different patterns and symbols, that I find to be fun.

Jacob Painting a freehand Design on Elwood

Mehndi uses the leaves from the henna plant, and then once the paste is applied, it sits on the skin for a minimum of 6 hours before being wiped away. The color is a rich golden hue, and the design possibilities are endless.

This morning the kids and I headed out into the sunshine to paint Mehndi designs onto our hands and feet, and they were just so full of pride at the designs that they created. I made the horrible mistake of not showering before doing this, but oh well, it will just have to wait until evening.

Mehndi is a beautiful project that kids can do with each other to symbolize something special taking place in their lives; a birthday, an achievement, etc. It can also just be fun and special to do on a lazy day. Natural food stores sell small boxes of henna kits that are easy to use, and that are plentiful enough to last for many applications.

The pictures above only show the wet henna, not the finished look, so tomorrow I will include some photos of the finished design.