Archive | Sponsor

Today, I would like to welcome and introduce you to Natalie, who blogs over at a wonderful blog called, The Little Gnomes Home.

In Natalie’s words…

Natural Suburbia: Tell us about yourself and how you arrived at this point in your life.

Natalie:
I am a mum to my delightful 18 month old little girl, step mum to two equally delightful bigger girls and wife to a patient man (as despite what new crusade I am going on each day/week/month, he is always there supporting me).

When I became pregnant, I began to question what was considered ‘normal’ and things that I did that I had never even really consciously thought of. I discovered a whole other world out there – of conscious people!

It has been quite a ride and when I look at how much I have grown as a person, I am so grateful for the change and all those who have and continue to inspire me.

I am passionate about leading a natural, conscious and sustainable life. Our home is chemical free and we are an organic fair-trade wholefood family, who tries to do our bit for the environment. I love secondhand wares and visit ‘op shops’ weekly searching for things I can repurpose. There is something very satisfying about making use of something that has so much history inside of it!

Since having my daughter I have also become passionate about Steiner/ Waldorf education, (you can read about my introduction here.)

I couldn’t not mention the girls’ mum when thinking about my journey to where and who I am now. She is someone who has influenced me greatly and continues to inspire me in my quest to lead a conscious natural life.

Natural Suburbia: What inspires you to blog?

Natalie:
My blog started as a little bit of creative space just for me and a place to share my creations. Now, I blog to (hopefully) inspire others to live a more conscious life, to share my ideas and creations and to ask for advice!

Natural Suburbia: What is your creative process and how long have you been crafting?

Natalie:
I have been sewing/ crafting for as long as I can remember. I have many early memories of sewing and knitting with my Grandmother. My Mum was into painting and pottery and would always organise craft classes for my sister and I to attend in the school holidays. As young girls, my sister and I were always creating something, if we weren’t in mum’s craft room, we were with my Dad in his (woodwork) workshop…..I have vivid recollections of drilling holes in gumnuts from a fallen tree in our yard, filling the centres with glitter and threading them to make bracelets to sell at our garage sales. Creating is apart of who I am.

I love to make things that are practical and have a purpose in our life – toys for my daughter, dolls clothes, a quilt to keep warm, pretty pants or skirts for my little one, a bread/muffin bag or pretty tea towel for a gift. You name it, I have sewed it (or tried!) I have little patience for patterns and prefer to just create based on an idea I have had or interpreting something I have seen.

Natural Suburbia: What do you do to avoid burnout, how do you relax?

Natalie:
Hmmm, well there has not been an awful lot of relaxing lately, with moving home and a renovation. I love a few moments to read…..sitting down, in daylight…sunshine would be nice too! I usually have too many books on the go at once – at the moment I am LOVING reading Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and The Rhythm of Family By Amanda Blake Soule.

My lovely cousin has offered to teach me kundalini yoga…..so I am believing this will be my answer to total relaxation!

Natural Suburbia: Who or what is your inspiration?

Natalie:
My daughter and my step daughters.
Books.
Nature.
Blogs.

Natural Suburbia: Are you thinking of starting an Etsy shop in the future, what business do you run at the moment?

Natalie:
An Etsy shop has not yet manifested! I would love to start one, however, things are so busy in my life at the moment, that I feel it is not the right time. I am sure in the future, when time is a little more generous, that this will come.
Earlier in the year I started ‘mums.sew.inspired’, creative workshops for ‘inspired mums’. Since becoming a mum, I found it so refreshing to have a night out to do something creative, just for me. I love teaching these classes and sharing my passion and skills with other mums. It is so rewarding teaching others to hand make something for their children or home. A few ladies who have never sewed before have been inspired to go off on their own creative endeavors – I think I love this most!

Natural Suburbia:  How do you balance mothering, crafting and homemaking?

Natalie:
Sometimes I wonder about this very question! It’s tricky as every mum reading this could attest. My mothering comes first of course. The days I am home (I work part time), I use the time that my daughter sleeps to clean & tidy the house and to make preparations for dinner. Sometimes, I would love to sit down and sew/ blog/ read during the day, I find our afternoons are a muddle if I do. Sewing and blogging are all done after my little girl is in bed in any spare moments.

What saves me is list writing! I write lists of all our meals a week in advance, of what I need to buy at the farmers markets, what I plan to bake, things I want to sew and anything else I can think of!

Giveaway Winners:

Congratulations to:

Ziezo said…

These are lovely. Would certainly like to make them and add them to our nature table. . .

AND

Polar Bear Creations Dolls said…

I am following her blog now too. Thank you for sharing! :0)
October 2, 2011 7:07 AM
Natalie is giving away two little violet peg doll kits. The kits come with everything you need to make these little dolls…..

To enter, please leave a comment here in this blog post, for an additional entry, please pop over to Natalie’s blog and become a Follower, Tweet or Facebook her giveaway and return here and let me know with a comment.


The winners of this giveaway will be announced here on Tuesday the 4th of October, please make sure I have an email address to contact you if you are the winner:)

Aren’t these kits just gorgeous?
Thank you so much Natalie, for sharing your thoughts and journey with us, it has been lovely to hear more about your life and your inspiration.

Warmly
Linda

It gives me great pleasure to welcome and introduce you to Natural Suburbia sponsor, Meagan, who blogs over at a wonderful blog called Ecomilf. Meagan’s blog is an inspiration to read, she offers insight on a variety of topics including breastfeeding, gentle parenting, yoga, vegetarian eating, bread making, crafting and green cleaning just to mention a few… So put on the kettle, make yourself a cup of tea, find a comfy spot and enjoy a leisurely browse through her lovely blog.

 Now for a few words from Meagan:

I am a stay-at-home Mother of two little ones who always keep me busy and on my toes. ecoMILF: Mother Into Living Fair, is a space in which I share some of our daily rhythms and routines as well as some surprises. My posts often take the form of tutorials, recipes or advice we’ve picked up from experience based on our values and beliefs. They are a combination of many topics including vegetarian family recipes, breadmaking, natural birth and pregnancy, green cleaning recipes and tips, urban gardening, beginners sewing and knitting, Waldorf education and homesteading and much, much more.

I launched ecoMILF when my son turned one because I felt inspired to write and share our journey as a family taking steps to live a more sustainable and eco-conscientious lifestyle. One of the things I love most about blogging is the community of online friends you “meet” who share similar values and offer words of advice and experience. One of my very first and most popular posts to this day, described my personal experience with extended breastfeeding and through the comments, I met many other women who breastfed their little ones past the age of one. It gave me a sense of calm and community, knowing that there were many other women out there that shared my experience and that I was not alone.

Please, if you haven’t already, drop by ecoMILF and say hello. You can browse through a variety of past posts to find exactly what you’re looking for. I hope you enjoy having a look around our little space. For a more intimate and philosophical explanation of why I “do what I do” please read this past post.

xo m.

***Giveaway*** (Open to all worldwide)

Meagan is very generously offering this beautiful book to one reader as a giveaway. The essential eco-baby book: Green Baby, by Susannah Marriott. “Practical solutions for greener parenting, so you can give the very best to your baby. Helps you make the planet-friendly lifestyle decisions, from the transportation you use, to the diapers you choose.”- from the back cover.

Giveaway Winner:

Congratulations to Shez! I will email Meagan with your details:)
shez said…
oh i would love to win this book for my daughter,thankyou for a chance to win this lovely prize

**To enter the Giveaway**
1. Please leave a comment below.
2. For an additional entry, please become a follower of Meagan’s blog and let me know by leaving a second comment here.


Meagan, thank you so much for offering this wonderful giveaway and for being a sponsor on Natural Suburbia. This book looks amazing, I think I might just have to buy myself a copy:)

The winner will be announced on Monday the 1st of August here in this blog post, please ensure I have a way to contact you.

Good luck everyone,
Warmly
Linda