Rooted, Issue 9 (October
2008)
Fall is in full swing, and for us Canadians this is the month when we celebrate Thanksgiving and all of the bounty of the harvest.
We are having an absolutely glorious autumn and the trees are dressed in their best finery of oranges and reds and yellows.
Our October issue has some pretty fine things, too!
Our artisan feature, a very BIG business announcement and hopefully a giggle or two.
We always welcome feedback, comments
and suggestions about our little publication.
The Rowan Tree
 The glorious weather and drooping branches, heavy with berries, on our little Rowan tree by the lake lead us out to take some photos one afternoon this month. I thought I'd share couple and a bit more about this tree which has taken hold of our lives in its namesake!
Spotted! BTRT in Action!
3 Year old Emma compares her home grown carrots with the ones on her 'Emma's Garden' birthday dress~ hand painted, hand dyed at BTRT.
 Mama Stone Creations
Mama Stone Creations is our feature business this month. Be sure to visit and explore Ashley's lovely hand knit and crochet clothing and toys.
BTRT: Tell us about yourself.
MSC: I'm the stay-at-home mom to 2 kids, a 4 year old and a 21 month old. They are pretty much my whole world. We live in Vancouver, BC, Canada and love it here. I'm very likely addicted to
the internet, and buying yarn.
BTRT: How did you get started with crafting?
MSC: It's just something I've always done. My grandmother was a seamstress and dabbled in many
other crafts - she was always doing something. It started off from helping grandma cut her quilt pieces, and sewing shirts with her. By my preteen years I was hand stitching little dolls and bears with scraps, and in Jr High school, I was just drawn into the handicrafts and art classes. (To be honest, my first love was art but once I had kids, I found it hard to take the time to sketch and
paint).
BTRT: What is your favourite part of your art? Least favourite?
MSC: I love the end product, it's awesome to see how all my hard work has turned into something useful and beautiful. I love that I can do it in public, and often do so. Almost every time someone asks me about it, and I get to share about one of my biggest passions!
I hatehatehate working in seed stitch!
BTRT: What inspires your work?
MSC:My kids, my family... the desire to move away from commerically produced items. Who knows
what went into them, who's been handling them... this way I know how everything my children
wear/play with break down, and that it is safe.
 BTRT: Impress us with cool facts about your craft that we didn't know...
MSC:There are approximately 53 million people knitting around the world today.
BTRT: How do you take care of yourself?
MSC:I try to take 1 night a week to myself. Usually I scrapbook with my MIL. It keeps me sane, most
of the time.
BTRT: What is your favourite meal to eat? to cook?
MSC: I love to stir fry! It's so easy and more often than not yields a really tasty meal no matter what you
put into it!
BTRT: Do you believe that 'balance' exists?
MSC: Sure... it's just incredibly difficult to obtain~ I'm trying, but not getting very far!
 BTRT: Anything else you would like to share about art, life, fiber or colour?
MSC: In everything - just go for it! There's probably nothing out there a person can't do if they try, and
who knows - maybe you'll come up with something all new in the process!!
Thanks to Ashley for taking the time to share a little bit of herself this week~ it is a busy one as she is celebrating her shop's third anniversary on Hyena Cart. Be sure to check out the gorgeous work she has done and the lovely collaborations she has drawn together (and her cart design~ Ashley loves to change it around and this one is particularly pretty, so see it while it lasts!).
Mama Stone Creations on Hyena Cart
MSC at Creatively Serene Congo
Gallery of Work
 That's us! We are that! We made the outwardly absurd decision this past month to purchase the lollipop (and pregnancy pop) and brittle portion of Kickshaw Confections~ creators of yummy chocolate and candy at Hyena Cart and beyond.
I say absurd because what did we, two very busy working parents with a busy home business (BTRT) and a busy toddler need with a new business which is completely out of our normal field(s)? Nothing! It was kind of crazy, but we followed a hunch and made the purchase early in September. Little did we know that my husband would lose his job mid-September.
The universe is kind!
And so here we are! The earth belly candy co. is a go. We use all natural and organic ingredients. Weflavourings. Our sugar is organic and fair trade. We use no dyes, no high fructose corn syrup, no GMO (genetically modified organisms). We are converting our packaging to all recycled/recyclable and compostable options. We mean it when we say 'just good stuff'.
We have just begun stocking our first lollipops on Etsy and we will be bringing along brittles and more lollies for Halloween and the holidays in the next few weeks. The heart of our business is the line of pregnancy lollipops developed at Kickshaw. These are created to soothe and care for expectant  moms~ in organic herbal flavours (from scratch) such as ginger and red raspberry leaf, they provide some ease from common pregnancy concerns like nausea and dry mouth. They can also be used during labour in lieu of popsicles or ice and for a nice break when nursing. Safe, natural and delicious! We are accepting wholesale applications, too!
We are so excited about our new venture and proud of the possibilities in creating ethical and natural candy for the whole family to enjoy.
The "It's Getting Crowded in Here" Sale!
With all of our BTRT stuff and now all of our Earth Belly stuff competing for space in what should be our dining room, we need to move some things out of here!
Newsletter subscribers are invited to shop at BTRT on Hyena Cart or on Etsy and save BIG!
We are offering Buy One Get One Free on ALL in stock clothing!
Dresses, shirts, hats, jackets, leggings, tights... in size 6m - 6T
Just purchase/ check out with both items. Please contact me for the revised invoice in order for me to apply the discount ~ just send a note with your e-mail/ paypal address indicating that you are a subscriber. Shipping for both items will be combined for the invoice.
In stock clothing only. Sale ends October 10th at midnight.
Stocking News
 With the birth of the earth belly candy co. I am taking a long hard look at my handmade items~ what I love to do and what I can do without at Beneath the Rowan Tree. From now until the holidays have passed I will be concentrating on toys and will make decisions in the new year about the scale of my clothing portion of the business, but expect to scale it back.
BTRT will be stocking from October (Grand Re-Opening October 7th!) to December at In Their Hands on Hyena Cart (all toy  congo!) ~ stocking the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at noon. Come and see the debut of our Scraprabbits and Crazy Babies~ made with hand dyed organic bamboo velour. Yum!
We will also continue to stock items on Etsy as we complete them, and to keep our stock of playsilks up for holiday gift giving.
And we look forward to collaborating this fall with Cars from Papa, Mama Stone, Sweet Mama Small Sugar, Rainbow Waters and Natural Madison!
 TRUE
COLORS
Our Fall True
Colors event is launched and bidding runs until October 3rd.
This season we have a chosen colorway of red, brown and natural/cream.
Each item is being auctioned off for the dyer's chosen charity.
 The Nativity Project: Update
Wow. My math skills are not what you would call, um, present. So I am still reeling over the sheer magnitude of this project in practice ~ the project being my subscriptions sold for 8 piece needle felted Nativity Sets for the holidays! BUT I am quite pleased with the results to date and continue to work away at the three kings, with only angels to follow.
The finished sets will include a Mary & Child figure, Joseph, two shepherds,  three wise men and a star-bearing angel. All made with 100% wool. All made to be loved and handled by even the smallest hands so that they can engage the Christmas story with hands and actions.
At this point, I am anticipating four complete sets being listed for sale in mid-November, as well as several Holy Family sets of Mary, Joseph and Child. The stocking dates and times will be announced in our next newsletter.
A
Few of My Favourite Things
The following reviews are independent and unsolicited, I
just love these things and want to share the love! I will try and
include a review or two each month~ gives me a reason to
shop!
Mamakopp make wonderful things with wood! And she doesn't stop there, she uses  silk, wool and other natural materialsto bring her creations to life. We have an adorable little woolen nest with six little birdies on our table from Lori. Learning toys, storytelling aids and just-for-fun stuff~ take a peek!
freedomrainbow if you haven't seen Sarah's shop, you must take a look at her fantastical, magical creations~ they must be seen to be believed~ we are so excited to be bringing home a new puppy from Sarah~ Lolly Lila Avatar Shakti Puppy Princess to be precise~ as a very special gift for Rowan.
Be sure to stop in
and visit us at:
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: November 1st
(God willing and the creek don't rise, as they
say!)
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