 Rooted, Issue 5 (May
2008)
May flowers are boldly emerging from the cold soil, but where we live winter is slow to give up, and spring is timid. So this issue, we sing of spring!
ROOTED, the fifth edition.
Join us as we usher in Spring and introduce you to some new friends and new ideas.
We always welcome feedback, comments
and suggestions about our little publication.
Falling Into Business
 We didn't really plan to start a small home based business.
A
year ago I bought some dyes and blanks to make some clothing for my
daughter (very first shirt pictured). I needed some spring/summer stuff
that would fit over her cloth diapers and I was feeling like I had the
first free time since her birth to do something creative again~ in the past I have stitched, knitted, painted, sewn and quilted along with a few other pursuits to keep my hands busy.
So I hauled out my paints, dyed up the clothing and had a ball!
And I had a few revelations once I got started.
First
of all, I found out that professional dyes make a world of difference
over my camp days with Tintex for tie dyeing! Secondly, I found that
my mediocre painting ability on wood and other materials was actually
much better on fabric. And thirdly, it felt great to be doing
something creative again.
I had recently heard of Etsy and on a
complete whim, decided to open a shop for a few playsilks and shirts to
see what happened~ hoping to sell a bit to raise some funds for our
adoption then in progress. Things sold, I got hooked!
In the
year since, we have experimented and expanded our business as I have
honed and developed my skills and learned some new ones, too (online
marketing, felting, graphic design...). Andy has gotten on board with some woodworking and lots of support. We have continued with Etsy, but found a real home at Hyena Cart, and I am actively pursuing some local business connections as well.
What started out as a need and then a whim has grown to be a part of our lives which gives us a lot of joy, keeps us busy(er) and daily challenges our creative abilities!
Our
adoption plans changed and are on hold for now, and our daughter has
been out of cloth diapers, ironically, since the business took off~ we
couldn't keep up with diapers and dye in the machine!
Still Not Sure What to Do With a Playsilk?
 Playsilks are simple. So simple in fact that many adults balk at the idea of a toy that does 'nothing'. Toddlers, however, revel in such toys!
One day after work, Rowan(age 2.5) and I pulled out the silkies to see what we
could come up with for indoor physical activities to help beat the its-not-quite-spring blues and I thought I would pass these along for the adults out
there who may be looking for something to help them get into silkie
play, or for some fresh ideas to get in some extra activity before
spring releases us all to the outdoors for the next few months! 
You can read some basic info about silkies here.
We had four of different colours, but we could have done all this with one or two, too!
1) Practice colours. Lay
out various coloured silkies around the room. Child stands at center
and runs to the colour you call. Add some more activity by having them
jump on it, spin around with it, whatever!
2) Practice counting. Lay silkies on the floor and have child step on them like ladder rungs, counting
3) Literacy?!
Our local literacy worker has told us that one of the big concepts
children lack when they reach kindergarten is a sense of position/
relations. On top, beneath, beside, along, between... Use a silkie and
practice! Put it on your child's head ~ they are under the silkie, the
silkie is on top of them. Have them place it in various relations to
their body, or yours (put it behind mommy). Up, down, away, left,
right...
4) Throw and Catch. Bundle one silkie into
a ball and knot a second around it and you have a lightweight
indoor-safe ball with a handy tail to help novice catchers and throwers
feel successful. Or use a soft (wool, perhaps!) ball and make a comet for tossing about.
5) Jumping and other Gross Motor Skills.
Jump over the silkie river, walk along its bank (balance), crawl under
a silkie thrown into the air, spin around with one in each hand, step
over and crawl under one held up like a limbo stick.
6) Fine Motor Skills. Weave two silkies together. Stuff them into a cup. Lay them down in a straight line.
7) Imagination. Rowan wore her extra silkies as hat and snowsuit while we played. We
hid one another and popped out to scare each other (she is at the stage
where this is big fun!). She pretended to be a kitty curling up on a
kitty bed. She made her big girl bed all up and climbed in to 'sleep'.
8) Rhythm and Body Awareness.
We finished with dancing with our silkies~ feeling the music, moving
our arms and legs in various patterns (flapping wings, waving in the
sky, tiptoeing).
Exercise for body, mind and spirit.
All in about 30 minutes.
Using only a couple 35 x 35" squares of silk.
It doesn't get much better than this!
 I’d like to introduce you to Kyla and Jen, the moms behind the eco-friendly new online shop~ Two Potato Tots. Kyla and Jen’s shop is especially interesting to those of us in Canada as they are committed to providing a one stop natural family shop for Canadian parents, of course
shoppers are welcome from around the world!
Jen & Kyla met at a local drop in group and found they shared similar passions in providing their families with environmentally friendly and natural toys and diapers. They also wanted to help other families get on board, and eventually, Two Potato Tots was born.
Like many Canadians (ourselves included), these moms live in a rural area where there are very few shopping alternatives, particularly if one is committed to ethical and eco-friendly  products. A shopping trip may involve several hours of driving to have only the large department stores to choose from. Being avid crafters themselves Jen and Kyla decided it would be important to offer quality handmade products to others in their living situation in order to help families find healthy alternatives to support their children’s growth and development. There is a definite educational component to their business as well, striving to educate people about ethical shopping choices.
Their shop is an eclectic mix of handmade items from their local area, Canada and the world, as well as some brand names. Safety is naturally, a top concern, but it stands alongside a child’s imagination as criteria for choosing products. I know from working with Kyla and Jen that they
put great research and effort into knowing their products and producers as well as their practices.
Jen and Kyla are proud Canadians and they are striving to make their community and country a healthy place to grow up. It can be challenging to source products within Canada, but in the interest of reducing transportation emissions, supporting local families and encouraging quality
of life, they do their best to stock their shelves from closer to home.
Please take this opportunity to visit Two Potato Tots and spread the word about these women of vision and their exciting enterprise!
Party Month!
BTRT Celebrates One Year in Business this May!
May
29th will mark one year in business for Beneath the Rowan
Tree
and we are going to party! We are
planning a whole week (May 29 - June 4) of anniversary goodness.
We have invited a bunch of wonderful guests to share their talents
and to collaborate with us.
We have daily giveaways planned and some fun contests, too.
Just because I am a little corny (I admit it!) we are going to do this a little differently.
Each day will represent a colour of the rainbow and on that day there will be items in that colour, only!
 So, Thursday we start with reds, Friday is oranges... and so on until our last day when we just might explode with our rainbow of fantastic items including a collaboration between myself, Laines Magnifique and The Cloth Canoe (the Canadian Connection, LOL!) and a BIG toy auction. So be sure to check in daily for colourful goodies!
Throughout the week look for Laines
Magnifiques, Becky's
Paper Creations, The Cloth
Canoe, Apple Seed, Polpette Clay, Dressing
West, Blue House Soaps, G-Button
Baby, Pumpkin  Pie Baby, Irish Girl
Creations, Juju Bean Boutique, Lagniappe , KeelyB, Loopy4Ewe, Alfabette Zoope...
Special Thanks for Newsletter Subscribers!
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 TRUE COLORS
Don't forget the upcoming and very first 'True Colors~ Dyer's Charity
Challenge'. A fun event bringing together over 25
dyers! Every dyer, no matter their material, will be dyeing
one item in the same three colors (as chosen by the forum users at
Hyena Cart). they will all be listed together, for auction, beginning
on June 18th. Every participant will be listing their item to
raise funds for the charity of their
choice.
I can't wait to what incredible things so many talented hands will do
with three simple colours!
I have been designing the banners for my own shop and congo(s) and a folks were asking for custom work, so we decided to formally offer these services. Thankfully Andy is a bit of a techie, so where I get stumped on design meets technology, he helps me out. As a veteran scrapbooker with no time to do it any more, this fills a need for me, as well!
We offer multiple and custom sizes for Hyena Cart, Etsy and other venues. We can help you plan a campaign, design banners for special events, or serve you with a general everyday banner for keeping your business in front of your potential customers. Every design or package includes one update~ we could do a banner for an anniversary and then edit it for everyday use when that date is past. Our pricing is competitive and our customer service top notch!
I have updated our gallery of past work, so take a peek and keep us in mind when you need a new banner!
 
What Else is Happening?
On April 14th I had a breast reduction and already the difference is wonderful in the pain in my arms, neck and back. I am healing, although currently battling a bit of an infection. This has meant keeping my hands still for a couple of weeks (very difficult!). Right now I am able to do some felting (yay!) and typing, but it will still be a bit before I am back to painting and dyeing. I am also working on a full customs list, a group buy of 30 pieces and the shop anniversary, so I am not likely to be stocking much this month ~ until the party at month's end!
I did recently complete a custom set of felted toys for a little girl who loves the 'Click, Clack, Moo' series of stories! This is Farmer Brown, his cow and his duck... yes the duck is VERY large ~ I made her first and then realized my scale issue!
Be sure to stop in
and visit us at:
We'd love to do a
blog link exchange with you, just contact
us!
Share this newsletter with a
friend.
If they make a
purchase from BTRT and mention your name,
we'll send another
10% code your way!
As always, your
information is private and will not be shared.
Next issue: June 1st
(God willing and the creek don't rise, as they
say!)
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