Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

This is such a terrific tale that all kids enjoy and this year is the 150 anniversary of the Story of Alice's travels down the rabbit hole. When I saw this beautiful edition that is illustrated by Anna Bond I was sure that you all would love it as much as I do! It would make a nice Easter gift if you can get your hands on one that fast! But I think anytime this is such a great gift - maybe just for doing chores you can surprise your kids with this delightful book!

I hope you can find it in your local book store but if you can't it's here.

happy reading!

kids left the nest - do you want to help those in need?

I just got an email from Projects Abroad, they are looking for volunteers for cyclone disaster relief in Fiji. Tropical Cyclone Winston, which struck Fiji on February 20th 2016, left a trail of destruction in its wake. The storm was the most powerful ever to hit the islands and has claimed at least 43 lives and damaged or destroyed thousands of homes. Projects Abroad is looking for volunteers for recovery efforts in areas impacted by the storm.

The primary goal of the project is to help restore a safe learning environment for children by rebuilding and renovating schools in and around Lautoka, Ba, Tavua, and Rakiraki. Although the Fijian government is doing everything they can to return the children to a normal school environment, there is a great deal of work that must be done to ensure that the schools are safe. As work progresses, Projects Abroad will also be expanding the project to include rebuilding homes damaged by the tropical cyclone. You can help for one week or more...

For more information on how you can help and what specific kind of help is needed please go to their website and see if there is anything that calls your name... who knows, your life could change from today forward while helping a community in need.

Reiki

photo by Amber Mahoney

For those of you who have never heard of Reiki this story in the Standard blog is a good introduction - it's from an article by Alex Waxman, and for those of you who have heard about it but may be skeptical this is a good story as well. I had heard of Reiki, always wanted to try it - but I didn't really take it seriously. Sometimes we get stuck in our own healing modalities and forget that it's good to be open to all things, you never know what it is that will work for you or your situation or ailment. I have a few friends who do Reiki, but these people in general are not the kind of people to really force themselves on you - it's think it's really part of the soul and the stillness of Reiki and it's practitioners.

It all started for me when we had some people over for dinner, one of my friends knew that my dog was sick (his kidenys were failing) - towards the end he was good on some days and then some days he would just not eat and was listless. I noticed that she took my dog aside and was sitting with him and I knew what she was doing, it hadn't occurred to me to ask her to do Reiki but she knew just what to do. She spent some time with him and he bounced back in the most amazing way! He did great up until his last days - I would text her when I could see that he needed it and she would immediately bring him comfort. The fact that it works on an innocent animal like my dog, makes be believe wholeheartedly in Reiki.

Today when I saw this story on Reiki, I thought it gave such a good explanation of the practice and it's benefits. I haven't had the chance yet to have Reiki on myself but I am excited for that day when I do make it happen. In the meantime, read this and get familiar with it and I am sure you will find a way to use it in your life too!

read the whole story here for more about Reiki

N E W :: Jess Brown Design

Jess Brown Design - work shirt

I'm so excited to have the Jess Brown Spring 2016 collection in-store. I remember when I saw the collection back in September and I thought... hhhmmm can I just get it ALL for my store! Her things are really my favorite - they are the kind of things I wear, and wear and wear. Jess is the epitome of that Northern California girl (I should be pc and say 'woman' but if you know Jess she is so tiny, the word 'girl' just seems right) - she is wise beyond her years and she took the slow route to making her things so covetable that we all fail to see how we could live without her in our life.

caftan tunic - I have so many of these and I literally live in them!

We are both flea market shoppers but I bet if we went to a flea market together we would come out with different things, I 'think' she would love my and I KNOW I would love hers. But I can see this in each one of the pieces in her collection. The studied way that she makes her garments, they are to keep forever and to live in for life!

work shirt - havana blue

In this Spring collection I chose to focus on a couple of fabrics that I felt were new and unique. They are soft, the perfect weight and have what I am looking for -- clothing for life.

henley dress - havana blue

see our full interview with Jess last year - click here

come and see the collection at nonchalantmom here

N E W S P A C E

We are excited to announce that we have a new store space! It's been awhile since I have had an on-the-ground store and I'm excited again. I know this may seem silly to say but in our particular little town we may have been a bit ahead of our our time when we opened out store in 2006. We had a great time and I always get comments about how much our store was missed, but to be honest it was hard to keep up with one the ground and online. But so much has changed and I was always on the look out for a nice space but nothing ever presented itself - until a friend of mine texted me a photo of the 'for rent' sign at our new location. It's just PERFECT - I couldn't be happier.

We will keep the space simple, but it will be much easier to keep everyone more updated on what is new, we will have a good selection of our 'flea market' items (I know that they are a huge hit as they never last long), and it's a good chance to show off our love for everything from baby - kids - women - men - apothocary - home and more! We will also feature things from the locals here and I am going to keep up my pottery work - so there's that too!

Keep tuning in (or better yet follow us on Instagram) for updates on how the renovation is going and how the space is taking shape... can't WAIT! and don't worry -- we will keep shipping orders all the way through without interruption!

Hope to see you soon in our new Store!

new times... new thoughts...

Spring collections are beginning to trickle in... and we are so excited! This season I tried to focus not necessarily on what you need, but what you really want. This may not sound like a big change, but in my mind it's a really B I G change... here's my thought... I have always focused on essential things that are made well, I try to stick with made in USA when I can, but if I really love it, I just gotta have it in my shop. But I think things are changing, there are places that I can get those essential things, I would like to bring you the things you really WANT, things you can't stop thinking about, and maybe it's not so necessary but it's fun to have. Let's face it, we all have enough stuff.. I don't want to just add to that stuff, I want the things in my shop to be something you treasure!

As I went into the shows for Fall collections recently I have this in the forefront of my mind even more, I found some wonderful things that you will love and treasure, and as usual it's not fashion - because I don't believe in that word, I want my things for long term - I want to follow my own path and love my style and I surely don't want it to be in 'fashion'. I hope you think this way too!

ON Being - SETH GODIN - The Art of Noticing and Then Creating

One of my favorite things to do when I make the hike down to NYC is take that time to listen to my favorite NPR radio show - ON BEING with Krista Tippett. It's just wonderful and I find myself listening to them over and over again, always learning. This particular interview with Seth Godin is from 2014, but I really needed it NOW. Because I tell you what, all of our jobs have become confounding, changing, and very challenging and my little shop is just the same! When I went into this in 2004 I was one of the only shops online, now... well you know how much is out there now. It's challenging harvesting your clientele, friends, customers in a world where things are coming at you at every moment. And I certainly don't have the answers, although I love to do this so I am not going to stop... I need to learn to do it better, more efficiently, and with greater pleasure. And I like his use of the word 'tribe' because that resonates with me :)

In recent years it's been very difficult to control and maintain my business - there has to be a better way than when everyone comes to me and want's to be paid at the same moment, I have a 'sale' and that's my answer - I know there is a better answer... listening to Seth Godin in this interview helps me to step back, oversee what's really going on and find a way into the future.

And I'm looking forward to it.. instead of feeling overwhelmed by it.

visit ON BEING with Krista Tippett
listen to this program with Seth Godin here

Valentine Gift Ideas!

We wanted to share some last minute Valentine gift ideas! I love Valentines day and I like to have a special little gift on hand for my kids and I have some suggestions for YOU too... (PAJAMAS!!)

For WOMEN:

 clockwise from top left: Margaret Solow Apatite necklace ($148), Melissa Joy Manning orange drop earring ($180), Matta Dupatta shawl cotton candy pink ($186), Lucky Fish many moons Tshirt dress ($68), Clare Vivier patchwork clutch (sale! $158), Matta FANTASTIC PAJAMAS! pants and  camisole top (set$176) or dress ($90)

for KIDS:

clockwise from top left: Lucky Fish butterfly handbag (with pom pom) ($40), Wovenplay loop socks ($30), Wovenplay star headband ($48), Lucky Fish bunny Tshirt (sale! $28), nico nico tent ($320), Jess Brown violet doll ($198), Loome pom pom maker ($16)

Let me know if I can answer any questions!

Happy Valentines DAY

win this little superhero!

I never do contests... but this is so cute I thought I would share with all you lucky people out there.. I know you are out there, those of you who win all the contests!

Katheryn Darvey is a talented woman living in Dublin who crafts dolls. Her simplicity is amazing and can inspire you to new heights of doll making! Follow her blog and get inspired. Her instagram feed is full of her dolls too!

In the meantime enter her contest to win this little superhero guy!

click here

2016 and what's ahead...

I find myself coming into this new year with more questions than answers, I hate that! It leaves an undone feeling in my head and in my heart, like something just needs to be checked off the list, but I can't. So I am trying to find more simplicity in my life (I think I always say that, but since our life is so up in the air, I really need simplicity now). Selling our house last year started us on the road to hone things in and focus ourselves. We rented a larger house than we really need so we moved our operations in-house for the time being. Besides our town doesn't have any nice retail space at the moment (always looking though) so I am going to wait for something good. My husband is painting in one room, and I run my retail operation out of two rooms - it's crazy but incredibly convenient. We chose to have the entire family sleep in one room, thinking this was just a short-term move, but we have ended up loving it. Both my kids talk in their sleep so it's my favorite moment, around 11pm when they practically talk to each other in their sleep. We all like to read before we go to bed so I love when we all climb into our beds and get our books out.

With this move I hope to start making things again, for now it's a bit under wraps, when I get things going I will be sure to let you in on what the heck is going on! I have missed being a 'maker' and I am excited to get back onto that train, selling things that people make is wonderful but I miss the rush of making something I am proud of and can call my own. I am moving my website into the territory of only made by hand in USA (or sometimes Scandinavia) and expanding my second-hand (flea market) section. And I will say this... one of my priorities is to make a new website - AMEN you say, right!

We are still searching for a place to live, so keep your emails coming. We have heard from many of you on Santa Fe, Colorado and Utah... but I know there are more creative pockets out there and we intend to spend some road trip time this year checking places out! All I can say is I need a town that has a decent bakery where we can get at the very least an amazing croissant (non-existent in our town!). Part of me just wants to find an Inn somewhere and become a caretaker! Stay Tuned....

Here are some things that I am into at the moment:

1. Home made energy drinks made with my Vitamix. I don't have many specific recipes because I just use the fresh produce I have in my fridge or on my counter. But yesterday I made one that was WONDERFUL! First I soaked a handful of cashews overnight in warm water. Then I added: 1 tsp cinnamon, pinch cardamom, 1/2 tsp vanilla sugar, heated almond milk and I think that's it.. so delicious! I have also been making the gojii berry tea quite a bit (see a few posts down).

2. I have a Pandora selection that I started with 'Gordon Lightfoot' and I love it! - I know almost every word to all the songs... it makes for a nice day, it's good homework music, and the whole family likes it.

3. Yoga pants - it's inevitable when you work at home... yoga pants + black crane = love (don't tell Momo I said that...). The Spring collection will be here soon - can't WAIT!

4. I am a scent person, I am crazy for oils and scents - as long as they are natural. So I am always looking for something new, I love the scents we carry by the guys at Village Common. I keep a roll-on in the pocket of my coat - there's nothing better on a cold wintry day than good simple scent! There are no wordy scent descriptions necessary, the ingredients are just what is in the bottle and they are all wonderful and full of life.

5. I think, but I have no proof, that Jasmine keeps away cold and flu - I was once told to put some on a napkin and wave in front of my babies face when she had a cold. I thought it worked then and I still use it on myself and my kids in the winter months. I 'think' it works :)

6. Astralagus - I am completely convinced that this amazing root keeps me healthy and free from sickness. I use the dried root every day in my tea. If you can't find it at your health food store email me and I will send you some! (link to my blog about this healing root)

7. Playing guitar with my kids.. well Franny moved over to the Cello but Sander and I are still working on the guitar and we love it.

I wanted to give you ten ideas but I have to get back to work! Another thing I want to do more of this year is blogging... but keeping them short and sweet.

have a good day!

The Maternity Bag Around the World

         

Ellen gave birth in Simulemba Health Centre, in Malawi, which delivers more than 90 babies a month

There is plenty that we can take for granted when you live in the so-called 'Developed World'. When it comes to giving birth in many countries like the USA, Australia, Japan, or nations in the European Community, for example, the expectant mother can pretty much rely on decent facilities and standard services. So, when it is time to pack a Maternity Bag for that wonderful event, the focus might be on things that can add to the comfort or enhance the experience. One thing that is universal is usually the that special item for swaddling your new bundle of joy! 

But, what if you do not have the good fortune of living in a place where the basics might not be even readily available? What if you are an expectant mother in a 'Developing Nation'? What would you consider packing in your Maternity Bag? What if you had to prepare for your own birth experience by packing your own razor blade (to cut the umbilical cord) or length of string (to tie off that same umbilical cord)? And, what if not only did you have to bring your own plastic sheeting for the delivery table (if there is one) but also bring your own water supply perhaps? And who in the Developed World might think to pack some ready cash just in case, because your husband or mother might not be able to make the trip with you. It certainly has made me think twice. Like I said - it's easy to take things for granted some times. 

Hazel, 27 is from Hamakando Village, in Monze District, in Zambia.

So, it's with great interest that I came across this very stunning portrait of some expectant mothers from around the world. Photographers working with the charity WaterAid have documented the contents of your average Maternity Bag from places such as Japan, Australia, and the USA .... alongside the very interesting contents of expectant mothers in such places as Malawi and Zambia. I'd personally like to see this project expanded to include all sorts of expectant mothers in all sorts of locations on the planet. I'm sure there would be plenty to give pause to after you compare your own preparations with those of others. Don't you think?

To view more photos and read further you can visit WaterAid's website and the BBC website

Deanna lives in New York City, USA

Inspirations: The Child Inventor

Sure, this story on the BBC News website: Somalia's 13-year-old Inventor Finds Fame, is about an inquisitive and inventive young boy in Somalia and his efforts to follow a passion. But, it's also about a young person's persistent imagination when confronted with challenges that we hardly even consider in our so-called 'Western' lives. And, it's about an inspiring teacher, with similar challenges, pitching in to help a student. It's a story I wanted to share with my children - especially considering we've been having pitched battles lately surrounding the over use of technology! This just goes to show - where there's a will, there's a way. That's exactly what I'm taking away from this story... and I hope my kid's will do the same.

If you'd like to read out it - here it is.

very interesting :: are you gluten intolerant or is it just poison?

This is what you may have been thinking - Why am I suddenly allergic to gluten when I have been eating all of my life, well this might just be the more correct answer. At the very least it deserves some press, some research and some good old consumer awareness.

The name of the article is Maybe You are Not Gluten Intolerant, Maybe You are Just POISON Intolerant :: the link to the article is here and it really makes you think about the origins of this wave of people who are gluten intolerant. I certainly know that every one of my friends that went off gluten one hundred percent felt better, had more energy and didn't have side effects. When they came back on gluten they were more aware of the problem and while they possibly didn't make the connection to poison, they came back on gluten aware that the needed to eat organic.

I hope this is helpful to everyone!

The article is from: expand-your-consciousness.com
link to article here

wellness tonic, elixir.. whatever you want to call it - I'm into them!

If there is one thing I am sure of in this new year it's that I love a good elixir! Last year I got a vitamix for myself for my birthday (I love getting myself a good birthday present!) and I have been crazy about it every since. I know that a lot of people like to make smoothies, but I like it for making sauces for veggies and elixirs. I like to call them elixirs because they are about 80-90% water (and sometimes I add coconut water for a 50% water/50% coconut water combination). I like to use whatever I have in my kitchen and I grow my own spearmint, parsley, basil, cilantro, rosemary and sage year round in my windowsill. My favorites are rosemary and spearmint, I rarely make anything without them. Next on my favorite list are turmeric and ginger, if I add some kind of green I can almost leave it at that if it's all I have. As for greens you take what you like.. for me that's romaine and arugula (and I just use a handful, I don't like it thick and heavy). And OH, never leave out the lemon... you will miss it if you do! and throw the whole thing in there because the essential oils in the skin are the best part for you (I cut off the rough ends but that's it!). And usually black pepper... that's my spike.

I was really inspired by this article in the New York Times - T Magazine, 5 Drink Recipes to Sip Your Way to Wellness. It has 5 great drinks that I am dying to try - I've already made Dimes's Goji Berry and Ginger Tea. I really liked this recipe because it was warm! I'm always looking for something to warm me up! It's delicious and really has a get-up-and-go for me, I immediately felt I had more energy and yes, it made me feel warm all over (best part).

For Christmas I got a few cookbooks (which I will talk more about later), and so far my favorite is Near and Far by Heidi Swanson. It's an amazing cookbook and laid out so thoughtfully I read it through immediately just like a book! Delightful. I got my everyday first thing in the morning elixir from her - lemon, turmeric, honey, black pepper and coconut oil - it's amazing! I drive my kids to school, if I didn't we would have go get up god-awful early so I ALWAYS take this delicious warm drink with me in the car on the way to school.

And you know when dinner is done but you just want something sweet... well our whole family goes crazy for this drink (I hate the word smoothie so I'll leave it at 'drink')

1-2 frozen bananas (I always keep some perfectly ripe frozen bananas in the freezer for this type of emergency)
1 cup almond milk
1 cup other milk like rice, oat or soy
just a dash of cardamom (what you can pink between your fingers is perfect)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
agave to taste (just a bit is fine)
1/2 - 1 tsp vanilla sugar (love this stuff)

blend until smooth in a vitamix, you might need to add more milk to get it going but do it until it's just going so that you can almost eat it with a spoon it's so thick! In the summer you can add cashews and ice and make it into ice cream! but for now this is cold enough for me.

YUM