Category Archives: handmade

decorating tiny birdhouses with kids

07 Monday May 2012

Posted by in forage, handmade, make it

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Another great craft to share with you all! These tiny birdhouses are quaint, gorgeous and totally customized!

We began this project with these tiny little wooden birdhouses that I found at Michael’s craft store for $1.50 each, a few months ago. As they were very pale we decided to do a paint ‘wash’ by simply painting them with watered-down watercolor paint and also dipping the bright string in the dirty water so that the entire house would look old and weathered.

Then we hung them to dry. I love how each one looks different from the others.

A few weeks later, E and I went out into the woods with baskets and gloves and gathered twigs, pine cones, bark, moss, lichen, leaves, dried flowers and large sticks. We put the baskets in the craft room to dry out for the next few weeks until their next visit.

Two weeks later, M and E came over and we began decorating the tiny bird houses with the gathered material. We used pruning shears and scissors (or our fingers) to cut things to size and wood glue to stick the natural material onto the houses.

Here’s E’s birdhouse in progress…

Here’s M’s birdhouse, also in progress… I found these tiny little birds (also at Michael’s) and couldn’t resist buying them for this craft.

Here is mine. It is not quite finished yet as I used up a lot of prep time pre-drilling holes then screwing my house to a thick branch (from the bottom). I’ll add some moss and lichen later.

And here are the finished products: our little birdhouse village! M and E left theirs here to dry out completely until their next visit when they’ll take them home. I am so pleased with how these turned out! Not only did we each have a very cool birdhouse at the end of the project, but we had a fun time together chatting, wandering the woods and sharing great ideas. I haven’t decided where I’m going to put mine yet, but I think I’m already ready to make another one!

milling flour at home… my new favorite thing!

10 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by in buy local, cook, handmade

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I have been wanting to mill my own flour for 20 years! It began when I lived up in Inuvik, NT and tasted my friend/employer, Judy’s freshly baked whole wheat buns. She made her bread with flour that she had milled just minutes before making the dough and they were the tastiest little breads with a lovely texture and a bit of a nutty flavor.

Finally just last week, after 20 years of thinking about it, planning for ‘someday’… we bought a WonderMill. It was my visit with my wonderful sister-in-law Laurie last month that set things in motion. She demonstrated using her NutriMill and I got to see how quick and easy it is to mill flour from spelt. Then I got to taste Laurie’s spelt buns, spelt pie crust (pumpkin pie, yum!), breakfast cookies, spelt tortillas and spelt pancakes– all of which were delicious!

Inspired (and craving more spelt bread!) we did a bit of research and decided on the WonderMill (pictured above). We wanted to support a local Alberta business and found a place in Cochrane, Alberta called Briden Solutions that carried both the mill and the grains we wanted. (By the way, Briden specializes in ’emergency preparedness’ and carry an extensive range of home and kitchen products including water filtration, oils, beans, whole grains, many of which are organic. They also have an informative blog called Briden’s Guide to Preparedness which features in-depth articles on their products and tips for being prepared for unexpected events.)

Through Briden, we also bought 50 lb bags of organic red heard spring wheat and organic spelt (great for breads), both from Grainworks, a certified organic farm. (Grainworks was first homesteaded on Alberta land in 1912 before moving to Saskatchewan in 1939. They have been certified organic since 1988.)

You can also cook these ‘wheat berries’ and then add them to soups and salads as an alternative to quinoa, orzo, barley or millet.

The grains take only about a minute to mill (longer if you’re milling a larger batch).

Here is the beautiful, fragrant red wheat flour ready for baking! We made a whole wheat bread with this batch.

Here is the organic spelt…

Like the wheat, you can cook the ‘berries’ and add to soups and salads.  You can also sprout these grains and make sprouted grain breads (both with or without flour). I will be trying this soon and will post the recipe.

Here is the lovely freshly milled spelt flour. We made homemade fettucini with this batch. (I will post that recipe tomorrow.)

With more people choosing to live healthier lifestyles or in response to developing allergies or an intolerance to “commercial wheat”, as in the overly processed, hybrid wheat and products made from this wheat (very difficult to digest), ancient grain and whole grain flours have become a more popular choice. It is no surprise that they make a much flavorful food source. Artisan breads made from ancient and whole grains can be found in most bakeries and for those of us whole enjoy baking it ourselves, freshly milled flours can be found at health food stores, gourmet food stores and local farmer’s markets (i.e. through Gold Forest Grains at the Strathcona Farmer’s Market in Edmonton and coming soon to the Kingsland Farmers Market in Calgary and the Grand Prairie’s Farmers Market).

I look forward to learning more about ancient grains and whole grain flours and experimenting with these flours in the kitchen here at cabinorganic. I look forward to supporting local farmers and sustainable farming practices. I look forward to learning more about the nutritional benefits in milling my own flours and sharing my flours and breads with friends and neighbors. Mostly, I simply look forward to the delicious taste and smell of fresh, home-baked breads that are highly nutritious as well as delicious!

P.S. By the way, I am sure Judy is still baking her famous bread! If you’re ever planning a visit to Inuvik, Northwest Territories, consider staying at the Arctic Chalet. Book a tour with Judy and Olav, go for a ride over the tundra with Judy and her dog teams in winter or go canoeing or kayaking in the summer and enjoy the high Arctic in style!

a delightful surprise!

26 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in handmade

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A week and a half ago I received notice from the post office that I had a package waiting to be picked up. I was a bit puzzled as I had not ordered anything recently, but then remembered a mysterious email I had received from a long-distance friend asking for my mailing address but not telling me what he was sending. Needless to say, I was very, very curious!

The package arrived just as I was leaving for Calgary to catch a plane south to Yuma, Arizona. I picked it up but was not able to open it until I arrived in Calgary, three hours later, as it was well-wrapped and I did not have anything with me that was sharp enough to break through the tape. When I finally, finally was able to open the package I laughed out loud in delight! Inside was something so unexpected and so beautiful… It was a PAINTING!!! And not just any picture… It was a picture of ME!


When I wrote to thank my friend, Omar, he told me that he had only just started painting this past Christmas! (Can you believe it?) He had liked the post and photographs (particularly the one below) last fall on the hike to the teahouse, having visited the same place with his wife, Kay. I was quite amazed (and inspired) at his talent and asked if I could share the painting here on the blog. It was such a lovely, thoughtful surprise… I just couldn’t keep it to myself! I cannot wait to have it framed and then choose a special place in the cabin to hang it… This painting will always take me back to that lovely day hiking last fall, as well as that fun weekend I once spent at Omar and Key’s cabin in northern Saskatchewan many years ago. Thank you so much, Omar! I hope to see more of your work in the near future!


making handmade cards with friends

20 Monday Feb 2012

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What better way to spend Family Day than with friends (who are like family!) doing something fun together. I love it when E (and her brother M) comes over as we often get busy with a project and then chat the entire time. By the time we’re done with whatever we’re working on, we have finished projects and we are all caught up on each other’s busy lives… well, until the next time we see each other!

As M was out sledding, E, H and I decided to put the bird house project on hold and make cards instead. We all chose the same style (tri-fold) but then chose different colors and themes. Here is E’s custom-made birthday card for her friend:

I decided to keep it simple and stick to a ‘writer’s theme’ for my card:

H went for a more vintage look with these elegant cards:

Some of the stamps and papers were purchased from Stampin’ Up! while the others were random purchases from local craft stores.

I hope you all had a great Family Day surrounded by your own friends and families, making memories, sharing stories, ideas and laughter. 🙂

Cedar Spirit Flutes

27 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in handmade, Native flute, wild women

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The carving comes so easily to me, perhaps because I approach it with such reverence. I invite the spirit of the totem animal to come into the wood, just as I invite the spirit of the ancient fire-killed cedar I use for the flute body to come into the world and share its music. ~Spring Shine

Not too long ago, I used to play a small cedar Native Flute. I had only been playing it for a few years when I misplaced it in the move out to the cabin. Since then I have really been missing it and was hoping to find another flute soon.

Then just a few months ago, I heard a Native flute played at a drumming circle and got the contact information of the artist who made the flute. It turns out that Canadian artist, Spring Shine, was just ‘next door’ in the Kooteneys, British Columbia. I ordered my new Native flute and a month later (last week) it arrived in the mail!

Spring Shine of Cedar Spirit Flutes makes handcrafted, one-of-a-kind Native flutes in the tradition of the Plains Indian “Love Flutes”. Your flute is completely your own as you choose the scale (or tone) of your flute as well as your own unique totem, which Spring hand carves. No two totems are alike and they can be custom-carved to an image of your choice. For example, I wanted my flute to be a ‘woman’s flute’- to be played specifically for Mother Earth in honor and gratitude for her abundance in providing everything I need to survive. So I specifically chose an image of the Venus of Willendorf (discovered while studying art history) as for me she was a powerful representation of the nurturing, abundant image of ‘Earth Mother’.

I emailed this picture (above) to Spring and he carved it for me as my personal totem on my flute. Click here to see some of the other totems he has carved. He also makes beautiful carvings in soapstone.

The flutes are made from ancient cedar trees that have died naturally by fire and are gathered from the land that Spring lives on. They are hand-finished with organic linseed oil and beeswax.

Spring makes a variety of flutes, including a double flute, where one body plays a drone and the other plays the melody.

The flutes are shipped in a thick plastic tube, which acts as a carrying case when you slip the tube into the attached canvas backpack. There is also a smaller canvas bag, which holds the flute.

I am now ready to sit with this beautiful new flute. I am ready to learn her unique voice and character and together make the earthy windy music that I love so much.

The sound of my flute carries through the forest like a dream. ~Cedar Spirit customer Ressa Cook

 

making holiday stockings from bits and pieces

20 Tuesday Dec 2011

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Last weekend a friend and I spent a few fun days making stockings. I really wanted the final project to look nice but did not want to drive the hour to the city just to buy brand new fabric. In the spirit of ‘making do’, I pulled out my little bin of fabric scraps to see if there was anything to work with. Indeed, the scraps were bright and festive and colorful, however, many of them were very small pieces. Undaunted by the challenge, we decided to make ‘patchwork’ stockings!

I started by sketching out some designs freehand on newspaper. Here is Lucy’s design (I helped her with hers)…

Then I cut the fabric into uniform shapes and began sewing. All of the stockings are lined and very sturdy. The entire project did not cost me a cent!

Although I prefer to buy as little as possible this time of year, I can never resist hiding just a few little treats to enjoy inside holiday stockings. They are even more meaningful when you can design and sew the stockings with friends and family as you will always have the memory of those fun afternoons making something beautiful together.

Anita makes bags

19 Monday Dec 2011

Posted by in buy local, eco-living, handmade, repurpose, reuse

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 I recently met a very creative woman named Anita who makes the most wonderful bags. Along with the shoulder bags featured in the pictures here, she also makes clutch bags, make-up bags and wallets. Each of the bags is Anita’s own design and even the crochet stitch that she uses is unique.

What makes these gorgeous bags extra special is that they are 100% made from plastic shopping bags. Anita starts by collecting the shopping bags and many of her friends help her by saving bright, uniquely colored bags for her. Then she cuts these into strips. Each large bag reuses 50 plastic bags and takes about 10 hours to make (smaller bags take a little less time). Anita crochets these using a double strip of plastic, which explains why her bags are so strong. You can easily fill a bag with canned goods at the grocery store and the bag will not stretch or break. The lovely variations of colors in the designs come from the actual plastic bags.

I love these bags! It is inspiring how Anita takes what we consider a ‘waste product’ (headed to the recycling station or worse, the landfill) and turns it into something very useful and beautiful. These artful bags remind me of the designer beach bags I saw in Hawaii for sale in every tourist shop.  As Anita’s bags are waterproof and lightweight they are perfect as swim bags, grocery bags or book bags for library visits. If they get dirty they can be hand-washed with soap and water and hung to dry.

Anita is based in Calgary and charges $10 per large bag, $5 for the clutch and make up bags and $1 for the wallets. If you are interested in purchasing any of these bags, you can reach Anita by email: abholmes@shaw.ca or if you like any of the shoulder bags pictured here, email me at delena@cabinorganic.com and I can mail or drop off the bag(s) of your choice. I see Anita about once a month now so I can easily pick up any orders if you live in the Edmonton area.

Thank you for sharing your great idea and your gorgeous bags with us, Anita!

 

holiday shopping at Wizard Lake Soap & Body Products and Dragonfly Lane Teas

05 Monday Dec 2011

Posted by in buy local, eco-living, handmade, Pigeon Lake

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Last Saturday, I braved the heavy snow and headed out to Lakedell Arena (close to the Village on Pigeon Lake) for their annual Country Christmas Craft Sale & Celebration. I had just run out of my favorite hand and face creams and was desperate to find Lynne of Wizard Lake Soap & Body Products and Dragonfly Lane Teas to stock up. I also wanted to buy a few items as stocking stuffers for my loved one. 🙂

Click here to see a previous post on Lynne and her products.

I love giving gifts that promote health and healing. Lynne makes this easy as everything that she offers is natural, organic (where possible) and highly practical.

You don’t have to study herbal medicine to know which herbs to brew for certain ailments. Lynne has done this for us, using her extensive knowledge of herbs to hand-blend her own delicious teas to treat whatever ails you, whether it’s fatigue, a cold, anxiety, trouble sleeping, or simply wanting to boost your immune system.

Lynne also offers a variety of Chinese green and black teas, chai and rooibos.

I was quite excited to see the three sea salts that Lynne offers: smoked, Pink Himalyan and black lava. These would make great gifts for the ‘foodies’ in your life.

Here are some of Lynne’s body lotions, ‘scubs’ (exfoliants), bubble bath and her highly recommended Sun God’s lotion.

She has a wonderful selection of bath salts…

… natural deodorants…

… face & body mists (also great as a linen spray)…

… and face creams. Along with a few stocking stuffers, I picked up a jar of my favorite Acai Sandalwood face lotion and Healing Hands Gardener cream, and I couldn’t resist picking up a bottle of Sun God’s to try out during these cold and dry winter months.

Buying ‘handmade’ and ‘local’ allows me to support and build relationships with the people who make and provide the products that enrich my life. It allows me to invest my money directly into my community, supporting local producers and helping them thrive. Every time I chat with Lynne I am inspired by her deep interest and knowledge of health and herbs, her commitment to making high quality products, and her love of life. She always has time to listen to my own adventures with my herb and tea garden, or plans for chickens, or this blog… and I always walk away with a great new idea that I just can’t wait to try…

bent willow settee

25 Sunday Sep 2011

Posted by in bent wood furniture, cabin living, forage, handmade

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This weekend I had the privilege of spending an afternoon with my friends/neighbors, Kathy and Wayne. They had family visiting and had planned to build bent willow settees together. I had always wanted to learn to work with willow and jumped at the chance to join them. We were all lucky that Kathy had done this before and was going to lead everyone (with Wayne’s help) through the process. Here is Wayne (“foreman”), ready with the instructions…

Below is a chair that Kathy had previously made. It was similar to the settee we were making so we had it on display for inspiration and a closer look at the way some of the pieces fit together.

On Friday, Kathy and Wayne went into the bush and cut the willow. They ended up making another trip on Saturday and a quick trip today (Sunday) to get a few more branches. Here are some of the branches ready to go:

A table full of tools: drills, hammers, bits, screws, nails, pruning shears, knives, saw…

We worked as a team to get the wood ready. Some trimmed branches, others chopped the wood into lengths…
B and I trimmed the ends…

When everything was cut and ready, each of us picked a spot and began to build the main structure. We teamed up in pairs. Kathy and Wayne led the way and we mirrored everything they did.

Slowly, the settees began to take shape…
l had to leave at this stage (Saturday). This afternoon (Sunday), I returned to finished my project. (Mine is the middle one.)

With help, we inserted the branches through the upper bracket and fastened them to the front support to form the seat.

Then we trimmed the upper branches and twisted the smaller branches around the larger pieces. Here is my ‘finished’ settee. The duct tape will stay on until the wood has dried and ‘cured’. At that time I will also do a final trimming of any loose branches and remove the dead leaves. I will also look for some fabric to sew a custom cushion for the seat.
It was a fantastic weekend! Not only did I learn a new skill, I got to spend time with good friends, meet new friends, laugh ’til my belly ached, was introduced to Miller’s lemon beer (YUM! perfect on our hot, sunny Saturday) and went home with a beautiful piece of furniture that I made myself. Cheers!

wizard lake soap and body products & dragonfly lane teas

10 Saturday Sep 2011

Posted by in buy local, Dragonfly Lane Teas, eco-living, for the body, handmade, Pigeon Lake, Wizard Lake Soap & Body

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I am so fortunate to be living in an area where I am literally surrounded by artists, artisans, crafts people and farmers. It is truly easy for me to ‘buy handmade’ and support local businesses as I do not have to travel far to find what I need.

I would like to introduce you to my friend, Lynne Thievin, who owns Wizard Lake Soap & Body Products and Dragonfly Lane Teas, an Alberta home based business. I first met Lynne at a Christmas bazaar at Rundle Mission last November. It only took a few tea samples and a bar of creamy lavender soap and I was hooked. I was so impressed at the quality and beauty of her handmade products that I had to find her again and try more. It wasn’t until the Pigeon Lake farmers market started for the season this year that I found her again and was then able to happily buy my teas and body products.

Dragonfly Lane Teas

Lynne’s large sampling of herbal teas include: Quiet Child, Chinese Green, Cold-Chaser, Festive, Green Mint, Good Morning, Lemon Stress Away, Raspberry Lavender, Relax and Enjoy!!!, Rooibos, Vanilla Rooibos, Fennel Passion, Balance, Sniffle Buster, Yerba Mate, Lavender Buds and Rose Hips.

You can also get the following black teas: Asssam, Mango Ceylon, Oolong and Orange Spice. (Apologies as I don’t have any pictures of her tea selection at the moment.)

Lynne uses the highest ingredients in her teas and many are organically grown and/or fair trade.

Wizard Lake Soap & Body Products

Lynne’s wide selection of body products include bath salts, body wash/bubble bath, shampoo & conditioners, all natural deodorants, exfoliation, lotions, hand and facial creams, face & body mists, baby’s bottom ointment, helpful healing salve, rub it out, and one of my summer essentials: Buzz Off natural mosquito repellant. Wizard Lake Soaps are made from saponified oils of palm, coconut and olive. She also uses only pure essential oils and other fine ingredients. She makes small batches at a time for quality control and all of her products are fantastic for sensitive skin. Here are a few of my daily products (I also use Buzz Off and Gardener’s Delight soap):

Although the Pigeon Lake farmers market has closed for the season, you can contact Lynne by telephone (780-389-4036) or email (wizlakesoap@hotmail.com) with your order. Or you can wait until November and visit her at one of the Christmas bazaars where she will be showcasing her work. Her prices are very affordable and if you would like to ‘buy handmade’ for Christmas gifts, I highly recommend her products. Most of the items are the perfect size for stocking stuffers and upon request, Lynne would be happy to put together a custom gift basket for you.

Click here for Lynne’s Christmas 2011 show schedule.

Click here for the December 5th, 2011 post on Lynne.