Fibrefest-and not the Fiber 1 kind

This past Saturday we traveled to the quaint little town of Almonte to visit Fibrefest, an annual festival celebrating wool, fleece, fabric and everything fibre related. Along with our mama and a  fellow artist friend, we explored, shopped and were very much inspired.

We told a few guy friends we were going to Fibrefest, and of course the question was fibre? like in Fiber 1? haha nope. Fibre as in the textile wonder kind : )

 

We thought we would share a few highlights and hopefully inspire you to check out a fibrefest in your area, or if you are in the area next year, come visit Almonte! It is a lovely town set around waterfalls and an old textile mill. Oh and also was the home of James Naismith the inventor of basketball. 

We definitely plan on returning and exploring Almonte further, as there was just so much beauty! 

The Crazy Daisies Fibrefest Favourites 

 

1. The lovely Alpacas from Victory Farm that greeted us outside. We loved their names: Willy Wonka and Butterscotch Ripple, and we loved how their farmer was right in the pen with them. We could have petted them for hours and hours and hours...they are just so cute and SOFT! Plus their funny hair and big brown eyes make you smile. 

 

2. The Vintage Clothing Fair where Charlotte found a whole lot of old wooden bobbins for a perfect price. We love them in jars, and love love the way the textile artist Noelle Hamlyn used them in her sparkly salted creations.

 and..how could we pass up on a vintage daisy necklace? We couldn't and thought it would look so cute against a cream coloured sweater...

 

3. We fell in love with the wool from Riverside Studio. The colours! The feeling! The muted greys! Love love love and can't wait to start knitting. Projects jumped out at us and we had to return to their booth twice. It's Christmas knitting time, right fellow yarn lovers? 

4. Smocking! We found the cutest pattern for a vintage looking baby nightie, complete with adorable smocking. The artist Judith Marquis showed us this lovely pattern and all the cute smocking ideas you can do with it! Check out her website if you are curious about smocking and heirloom sewing..so many great ideas! 

 Now it's time to learn..

5. Our absolute love was discovering the artist Noelle Hamlyn the featured artist tucked away at the back of the old textile mill. Noelle was there to chat with us all, and was so kind and unpretentious, you would never now she was so incredibly well known. We especially loved her beautiful jacket made entirely out of quilted and sewn teabags. If you have a second, check out her website...so much talent!!

ps. we also  loved the quote on the shop we found! Made our day! 

It's a Sundae on a Monday!

Ice cream has been a family favourite dessert all our lives. In the Dairy Eating Days, we loved walking to the local ice cream hut and having chocolate dipped cones. We also LOVED Dairy Queen and their hot fudge sundaes. When our tummies became sensitive and dairy was eliminated  we said goodbye to our ice cream and our sundaes. We thought you know sorbet is ok, so is gelato, the coconut ice cream is alright..but nothing compares to our memories of ice cream sundaes, chocolate dipped cones, chocolate hardening shell..mmmmm.

Last week Charlotte pulled a dream dessert together and those memories became our new reality! Yahoo!

She came up with:

Vegan, Chocolate Hardening Shell that is actually good for you and doesn't have lots of chemicals!! : )

If you have ever read the ingredients on the Hershey Hardening Shell, you will know that the list is long. Charlotte's version is two ingredients! 

Charlotte's Chocolate Hardening Shell

1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips

2 tbsp of coconut oil 

Melt both ingredients in the microwave or on a double broiler. If using the microwave, pull it out after 25 sec and stir, if still chunky put it back in and melt away. 

Once it's melted, drizzle over your favourite ice cream! (We like chocolate coconut) and wait a few seconds and it will harden away! Enjoy! 

Our favourite sundae toppings:

Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream

Nutriwhip (or your whip of choice)

Fresh Berries 

Our Dark Fudge Sauce

Our Vegan Dark Chocolate Sauce

Charlotte's Chocolate Hardening Shell

And of course a Dark Chocolate Garnish :)

Yum! Have some fun and enjoy a sundae, on a Monday : ) 

A Friday Ritual

One photo without explanation. A moment captured- a time to be still, to breathe and remember.

Happy Friday!

Top Five Homeschooling Fave's

September brings the cooler weather, the change of season and the start of school. For us, that means homeschooling. Right now there is just one lucky duck at home, but in the past my mom has homeschooled five of us- all in different grades. The secret to keeping us all on task and willing to learn, was finding out how we learned. Some of us were more visual, other's like Miss Charlotte were hands on learners, etc. : )

If you are thinking of homeschooling, curious about it all, or need a few helpful links for your classroom, here are a few suggestions. Why re-invent the wheel when so much lovely resources are available!

Our Mama's Top Five Homeschooling Fave's

1. This Homeschool planner is a great tool and worth every penny of it's $4.00! It has day organizers, week at a glances, maps,  inspiring quotes and more.

2. Teaching Textbooks For years our mama has searched curriculums to find the right way to teach math, and loves this one. We use a combination of textbooks and dvds, but you can pick and choose what you like. Teaching textbooks is clear, easy and teaches through plenty of word problems.

3. Spelling Workout is a great tool to brush up on spelling. It is a series of thirty or so lessons that teach one list of words a week. Crossword puzzles, Fill in the Blanks, Sentence Completions are just some of the practice tools. It's a great supplement even if you don't homeschool : )

4. If you are homeschooling little ones and are looking for a way to incorporate art, we loved The Usborne Complete Book of Art Ideas. This book is a great art inspiration, as it is full of so many hands on projects. If art isn't your thing, that's okay too, because the Usborne folks break it all down step by step. Once we were older, our Mama signed us up at local art schools,  and put us in classes that interested us, like woodworking for out brother. She also hired art teachers to tutor us. Art was never something we outgrew. : )

5. Lastly a friend of ours, a fellow homeschooling mama just found out that her daughter India has two years left to live. A University research team is trying to find a cure and needs our help. Please check out: One Strong Girl, and keep India and her family in your thoughts and prayers. You can also check out her talented mama's blog: Fall on me, dear.



 And if you need a laugh, here's a few funnies for you: : ) lol Happy Thursday friends.































and one more for all you homeschooling mamas : )

Homemade Granola Bars! Yum..

It's Back to School Time for some of us, and with the backpacks, books and new school outfits comes the need for new snack/lunch ideas What to bring for a filling snack? Especially when you are pressed for time and need something quick to grab?

How about homemade granola bars? 

Charlotte made these last week and they were gone in a couple of hours. They are a perfect addition to breakfast, a great in between snack and all around just perfect to munch on. 

And they are easy to make! Yay! 

Homemade Granola Bars

Ingredients

1 cup of oats
1/4 tsp of salt
1/4 cup of rice krispies
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp of oat flour (grind oats in the food processor until fine)
1/2 tsp of vanilla
1/8 tsp of cinnamon
2 tbsp of coconut oil
1/4 cup of maple syrup
2 tbsp of apple sauce
1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup of craisins

Preheat oven to 350'F. Line a 5'7inch pan with parchment paper.
Combine oats, salt, rice krispies, flour, vanilla, chocolate chips and craisins.
In a seperate bowl combine coconut oil, maple syrup, apple sauce.
Mix dry and wet together.
With another sheet of parchment paper, press mixture down into prepared pan and squish VERY hard.
Bake for 18 min and then squish those babies down again.
Voila Granola Bars! Enjoy.

What's your go to snack? Share with us : ) 

to Run or Dye that is the question...

We were fortunate enough this weekend to take part in a very fun and colourful run: Ottawa's First Run or Dye.. It was such a great run and so much fun! We are already planning to do it next year.

What exactly is all the fuss with these colour runs?
You might have noticed ads for Colour Run, Run or Dye etc.
Basically you run or walk a 5 km and in the process get blasted with dye. Doesn't that sound like fun? ; )
And the best part is all the proceeds go to a local charity. This race was for Kids Come 1st-a charity that supports autistic children and their families in Ottawa.





























Throughout the course are dye stations where volunteers cover you in different rainbow hues. After you finish there is a huge dance party/mosh pit and a Colour the Sky Party. Everyone who finishes is given a pack of dye to colour the sky (And all your friends and family that showed up wearing white shirts to cheer you on..haha Shaun)
There is no time chip, no medal and is definitely not a race for you to train and expect to beat a personal best. This is just pure- solid- fun and a great way to get your whole family active. We saw plenty of strollers, kiddies, and grammas getting right in on all the colour action.
If you are in an area where a Run or Dye is happening, sign up! You won't regret it, and will leave with some great memories!

How to keep those coloured shirts?
We loved our t-shirts and wanted to experiment with keeping them colourful after the race.
(The dye is non toxic and is vegan, so washes off)
We found out that by spraying your shirt with plenty of vinegar and then pressing it with a hot iron, helps preserve the colour. After washing our shirts in cold water on delicate, they ended up looking a neat green colour with splotches of the dye. They are not as bright as before, but still a colourful keepsake.






























So what are you waiting for? Check out their website and sign up for a colour run near you!

Happy Labour Day!

Happy Labour Day!!

It is a day of rest, of solitude and gratefulness.
A day of no work, school or chores.

Hope you are all able to soak in this last bit of summer holiday before the busyness of life begins.
See you tomorrow!

"Art is man's expression of his joy in labour" Henry A. Kissinger

and a funny one..

"Work fascinates me, I can watch it for hours." Calvin and Hobbes

'Mother and Child' Pen and ink, by Charlotte Timinski