Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Natural & Practical


woolpillowfront
Originally uploaded by lalitaliving
I love it when something is beautiful, natural and practical. Here are 3 items I wanted to share with you.

I recently photographed a project that I finished in May but started in November. It's a fluffy woolly pillow! The front is hand knitted with a lovely wool roving ribbon yarn called Sasha - color is Snow.
The back is an upcycled felted cashmere sweater. The two panels are held closed by recycled cotton buttons. A down pillow within makes it very soft.
It normally stays on my red couch for hugging and for naps.






Do you live in a two-story home? Do you have the problem of little items from upstairs or downstairs ending up in the wrong place? Yes, I know, all those steps are great exercise but sometimes you need a better way to carry things! Here's my solution: a beautiful basket to keep where needed.



My mother recently returned from Alaska and brought me a beautiful gift. Those who know me have seen my super long hair. Most combs would never do. This handmade comb featuring pyrography (fancy word for writing with fire) has nice wide teeth. Ayurveda recommends wooden combs. Not only does ancient wisdom make sense, but who likes the static electricity made by plastic combs and brushes. My last wooden comb had broken a couple months ago, so this was a welcomed surprise.

What's a natural and practical item you use everyday?  :)

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Slow Snail

It's a slow Thursday morning.  I love days like this when there is nothing planned and I can sit down, think and perhaps do something creative.  Then I remembered this little blog of mine and how I wanted to share with you all some of our snail adventures.

While planning our trip to San Francisco at the end of April, I thought about bringing some food for the airplane ride and wanted it to be portable, not messy, and of course, tasty!
I started looking through the Baking Bread with Children book and came across this adorable recipe for making bread shaped snails.  My daughter and I made them the day before we left and they came out wonderfully.  Now she asks that anytime we go on an airplane ride we have to make snail bread. I see the beginning of another family tradition!

If you are looking for a wonderful craft that even a preschooler can feel proud about, why not make a beeswax snail.  My talented friend, Nicole (Frontier Dreams), has a tutorial on how to make them.  It's very simple: all you need is modeling beeswax and a favorite snail shell.

I also recently joined  Slow Food USA .  It's a great organization that is encouraging people to slow down, think about their food choices, and the people who grow it and make it.  It also just so happens that the Slow Food logo is a snail.  Austin's local chapter features one with a cowboy hat.
Want a cute Father's Day story? This one just happens to be about a snail family and a young snail's dilemma about what to give his father. Check out The Best Father's Day Present Ever.
We found the book at our local library.  It gives a great non-commercial message. I think any dad would love to go on a nature walk led by his child.

So here's my little tribute to snails.  These little friends take their time, enjoy the journey and leave a magical silver trail behind.