Wednesday 22 January 2014

New in the shop for January


 It's all about tea this month at the Rural Creators' Collective.
 Terra Teas has their shelves fully loaded and are offering free samples daily.
 Waylin Enterprise has a great selection of tea accessories and is offering cast iron tea pots at 10% off.

 Miriam of Minimade (on Facebook and on Etsy) has brought in these wonderful tea pot cozies...

...which Yvonne Parsons (on Facebook and on her own site) has captured in this fantastic photograph.
On February 1st and 2nd, Yvonne will be doing Romantic Portrait Sessions - see details over on the Rural Creators' Collective Facebook page.




Remembrances has fully stocked the pottery shelves with a wide range of products.

And  Rustic Revivals (on Facebook and on Etsy) has brought in new mixed media artwork in lovely warm tones...not tea related, but new and wonderful.

Come in to check out all the other new items in the store, have a cup of tea, and warm up.




Monday 20 January 2014

A DIY project


If you have had a chance to go into the Rural Creators' Collective lately, you may have noticed this canoe full of branch slices by the check out counter (by Greg Hughes of Full Circle Woodworks).
On first glance, you may think they are just gift tags, but they can be so much more.

With a little modge podge and an old picture book, you can customize them for any occasion.

You can leave yourself an inspiring message.

You can rubber stamp them to create original tags, or a child's memory game.

Another version of memory...a learning tool to help young children learn their letters 
(or numbers matched with dots).

You can play with them to create wreaths, flowers, and other combinations for natural decor for your home.

13 of them will create a "perpetual calendar".

My favourite...a countdown to a special occasion (birthday?) where each day your child finds the countdown number somewhere in the daily routine...maybe by a toothbrush, with a snack, on their pillow...

Yesterday, while I was preparing the pictures for this post, my youngest son walked in and immediately started rearranging letters to make words.  It quite surprised me as I thought this would be a great activity for much younger children.  I think I may need to make him a full set and see what random words I find around the house.

Have fun creating!

                         Backyard Farming Connection

Friday 17 January 2014

The Process - A Birdhouse

I thought you might all like a little something different.  I will be starting a kind of "behind the scenes" series - artists at work, the process of making, studio snapshots, etc - to give you a glimpse of how we make what we make.

First up, Paul and Monique of HandSigNow.  Here's a little series of snapshots (taken, with permission, from their Facebook page) that demonstrates the steps involved in creating one of their birdhouses.

 Sketch and design.
 Create a Pattern.
 Cut.
 Assemble.
 




 Add trims and details.

Paint/finish and add hardware.

I have only selected a few images of their process.  To see the photos in their entirety, click here.  The amount of work Paul and Monique put into each piece is simply astounding!

Linking up with: Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia
                         Keep Calm Craft On over at Frontier Dreams

Monday 13 January 2014

January Feature - Terra Teas

Meet the "tea ladies" of Terra Teas, Oksana and Gloria...
They keep the Rural Creators' Collective (in Carlisle) well stocked with so so many flavours of tea...and generously offer free samples every day the shop is open.
They have plenty of traditional flavours like English, Irish, and Scottish Breakfast, fruit flavours such as Strawberry Delight, Pina Colada, spicy flavours,... just too many varieties to list.




Some of their teas ---Winter Chai, Chocolate Chai, green citrus tea--- are now included in the new soaps from On a Branch Soaps




If you can't make it into the Carlisle shop, you can find them at the Terra @ Home Market...


...and at the Cascata Bistro, right across from the shop.

New Year's Resolutions

A friend of mine told me the other day, that January 9th is the day that 75% of New Year's Resolutions fail.  I'm not sure how accurate that is, or how it was determined, but if you need a little boost for your own resolution, read on. 

If your resolution was to save money, maybe (like so many of us) you need a little extra help.  This toonie bank has to be smashed to get your savings out.  All the more incentive not to go raid it when you are short  $2 for your morning cup of coffee.  It may seem counter intuitive to pay for a "piggy" bank when you want to save money, but if you KNOW you are going to raid a standard piggy bank, then this might be just the thing...Natalie, of Remembrances estimates it will hold roughly $1000.00 when full of toonies.  Great to get kids learning to save too.
This is a picture of Mr. William Power, #2 in the Pod Collection by Remembrances before it was bisque fired.  It is available in the shop glazed, or unglazed, depending on how easy or difficult you want it to be to smash.

If your resolution was to relax, keep calm, and not stress out about things that pop up, maybe a little visual reminder would help.  Julie, of Rustic Revivals (on Etsy, and on Facebook) made up this little number, but feel free to contact her if you have a particular saying in mind...she's open to custom orders.

If your resolution was to take better care of yourself, what better place to start than your "outer shell".  Tara of On A Branch Soaps (on Etsy and on Facebook) has a full line of items to treat your skin well this winter.  With names like Monday Morning, Clean Sweep, Simply Lavendar, and Winter Chai, you are sure to find one to suit.  She also makes lip balm, cuticle balm, skin balm and even deodorant.

If your resolution was to be more "green" or environmentally friendly, Miriam of Minimade (on Etsy and on Facebook) has re-usable gift bags in multiple sizes, some of which are large enough to be used as totes for your groceries.

If your resolution was to let the creative juices flow, stay tuned for a great DIY idea coming this week.

And, if your resolution was to spend more quality family time together ---the date has been set for this year's Carlisle Country Craft and Old-Fashioned Market Mercantile.  If you are on Facebook, you can go to this page to get all the information, and updates as the show approaches.  It's August 23rd and 24th and promises to be a great event for the whole family.
I will leave you with a shot of last year's pie eating contest at the show - fun for all ages, I tell you.

Wednesday 8 January 2014

January Feature - Waylin Enterprise

This month is all about tea at the Rural Creators' Collective.  Although most of the items in the store are handmade, Linda Wolfe of Waylin Enterprise offers a wide variety of quality tea accessories that compliment the loose leaf tea sold in the store.
Looking for a tea pot?  Linda carries traditional Cast Iron Tea Pots as well as the Painted Lady Tea Pot.
And if you don't see the colour you are looking for in the shop, email her at lwolfe@waylinenterprise.com as it comes in a variety of colours.
There are beautiful Moulin Rouge tea cups with bamboo saucers that can match your Painted Lady tea pot too.  Again, email linda if the colour you want isn't in the shop.
And coming soon to the Collective, the cupid tea infuser, just $6.95.  Great for wedding favours, showers, Valentine's day, or any day.

Waylin Enterprise is the vision of Linda Wolfe, who says "Tea is my passion, and I strive to bring that passion forefront to you. After having worked the "corporate world" for years, I decided it was time to break out and do what I love, making my love of tea available to tea lovers everywhere."
Our Mission
It's our first and only goal to bring you, our valued customer, the finest tea gifts available at an affordable price.   Our customers are very important to us; therefore we go the extra mile to make your shopping experience with us a pleasant one.  
Our Future
Waylin Enterpirse has been in business since 2005.  Thanks to an incredible increase in demand and interest in our products, Waylin Enterprise only has one place to go - up!


Tuesday 7 January 2014

January

Oh, dear January...a time to make sure you are taking care of yourself.  A time for keeping warm in the extreme cold.  And since most of us are spending more time indoors, it's a time to look around your home and gather the things that will make the coming weeks just that much more comfortable.
It's time to wrap up on the sofa with a nice warm quilt, and add one to each bed for that extra layer of warmth.  If you are short a few, Miriam of Minimade ( on Facebook and on Etsy) has several in the shop.

It's time to light a fire (or some candles) and enjoy a hot cup of your favourite beverage by the fire...alone, or with some great company.  There is a huge selection of teas by Terra Teas and tea accessories by Waylin Enterprise.  (Hand made mug by Remembrances, cutting board by Greg Hughes of Full Circle Woodworks).

It's time to take care of your skin and protect it from all the harsh conditions of winter.  Tara of On A Branch Soaps ( on Facebook and on Etsy) offers a selection of great soaps with new varieties like Winter Chai Tea and Cup of Sunshine --- as well as balms and lip butters to soothe your lips and skin.

We may not be able to escape the season, but we CAN embrace it.  Slow down, keep warm, hibernate, and take good care of yourselves my friends.