glimpsing fairyland

  I chose this picture I took last fall to be the cover for a print edition of a middle-grade fiction book I wrote a few years back, the Incredibly Truthful Diary of Nature Girl.    Isn’t it beautiful?

  I decided to self-publish my little book.  I used to be game for pounding the agent and publishing pavement, but since Evening came along I know it’s going to sit in a drawer and get lost.   By winning Nanowrimo last fall, I received five free copies of a book I wrote from Createspace, so I’m going for it.  This way, I’ll have a few copies to give to friends, and most importantly ~ one to read to Evening!

  I’m awaiting my proof copy now and I’m so excited!  

  The book is based rather heavily on my own childhood (naturally), and is written as entries into Nature Girl’s diary.  In her diary, she recounts many of her adventures in the forest and her forest friends; from animals and trees to fairies and elves.

  And since I’m so excited, why not share the opening entry with you?  
   

January 3^rd

  I saw a unicorn once.  I can feel the pages of this diary smothering their laughter so I’d best explain myself (very naughty of you, dear diary, considering we’ve only just begun).

  My family and I were camping in Fundy National Park when I rose early one morning to watch the forest. I wanted to walk in the enchanted Acadian Forest all alone in the dewy morning before any other human wanderers woke.  I knew the low sun would set the golden tendrils of the yellow birch alight with faerie magic.  I desperately wanted to be a part of the faerie world that would awaken there.
 I quickly scampered over the marshy boardwalks and into the forest where the wet ground muffled my footsteps, careful to make sure that Mom and Dad could still see me from the tent if they needed to. Few birds were chirping and the silence settled around me like a mist over the forest.

  Then one noise did come to me as I silently bounded up a small slope; a twig cracking to my left. I looked over quickly and caught sight of a lovely black rump disappearing silently into the forest.  I instinctively knew, without a doubt, that it was a unicorn. For a moose, even a calf, was never so elegantly shaped.
 This was rather like a small thoroughbred, and the light that reflected off the well-muscled hindquarters revealed the coat to be short-haired, sleek, and black as night. A moose would have been shaggy and brown. It was too large for a deer, too dark, and too quiet to have meant to be seen. The likelihood of a wild foal wandering deep in Fundy National Park alone is about the same as a unicorn, so there you have it.

  If such creatures do exist with the wisdom all the faerie stories describe them as having, it makes sense that they keep themselves hidden away in nature preserves. Only a few odd girls like me would be about to catch a glimpse of them, and who would believe them? Seems to me I also have been known to dance with faeries on occasion and that might make it hard for people to take me seriously.

  I’ll tell you about the faeries another day. But I will leave you with this – magic happens in the forest. Things happen in the forest. Things no one would ever believe. But I know, and now you know, even if you are a rather naughty diary.

Linking up with Creative Friday

DIY sunscreen

  Recently, the beauty magazine Allure published a post entitled imploring people not to make their own sunscreen.  You can read it here.  I found this article to be both insulting and offensive.  I get it, beauty magazines make their profit from paid advertisements from pharmaceutical giants and they've got interests to protect, but still.
  
  It was just so dang insulting.  The main argument centers around the statement from a chemist that people cannot properly mix their sunscreen to get an even covering.  That's like saying we should all buy store-bought cakes because we'll never be able to mix the batter on our own. 

  Plus, homemade sunscreens that use zinc oxide make your skin very distinctly white.  This is why zinc oxide fell out of fashion - it makes you look pale.   It also lets you know that you've got an accurate coverage of your home-made SPF, since it's quite obvious if you've missed a spot.  

  The second part of their argument was that it would be impossible to determine the SPF of a homemade sunscreen.  Yes, we can.  We can use math.  Easy math, at that.  The rule is to get an SPF of 30, your ratio of zinc oxide to the other ingredients must be 20%.   Therefore, when I make 16 oz of suncreen, 4 oz of that should be zinc oxide so I get an SPF of 30.

  I’ve been hearing more and more about the dangers of chemical additives pharmaceutical companies are adding to their sunscreen – including sunscreen for children and babies.  I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on it but it does concern me.  

  My mother suffered for years from terrible sensitivities to everyday chemicals.  Several years of detoxing later, she's living a normal life, but there was a frightening decade in there when she could barely leave the house.  This kind of thing is hereditary, and I don't want Evening or I to go through that, so I just make our own 'beauty' products as much as possible, from soap to - you got it - sunscreen. 

  This way, I can choose organic ingredients and I know exactly what I'm putting on our skin.  So, because of that Allure article, I thought I'd share my sunscreen recipe with you - 

  The most effective active ingredient in sunscreen, the good stuff that blocks UVA and UVB and is considered safe for babies; is zinc oxide.  It’s also the active ingredient in diaper rash cream!  

  What you want is to find zinc oxide that is labelled ‘non-nano’.  Non-nano zinc oxide means that the particulates of zinc oxide are larger than 30 nm and so cannot be absorbed into your skin and bloodstream, which poses a health risk.  Some labels say ‘micronized’ and that’s not the same thing; if it doesn't say 'non-nano' then it isn't.   For more on this topic, click here. 

  You also want your zinc oxide to have some level of purity – it needs to be safe for cosmetic use (which means lead levels are safe and you do want that).     When in doubt, I always choose products that are considered safe in the U.K.; standards are much higher there than in North America.  If something is labelled 'kosher' - that's also a good thing.  

Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup boiling water
¼ cup emulsifying wax
¼ cup  cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp. non-nano zinc oxide

    With your mixer, combine boiling water, emulsifying wax, and olive oil, and mix for 10 minutes until it thickens to the consistency of whipped cream (incidentally, this alone is my go-to moisturizing cream).  

  Covering your mouth and nose with a cloth (zinc oxide powder can be dangerous if inhaled) add zinc oxide to cream.  Stir with fork.  Once partially blended and the powder is no longer able to become airborne, finish mixing with your mixer.  Mix for about 3 minutes so everything is well distributed. 

  Apply to your skin!  This recipe will yield 2, 250 ml mason jars.   The SPF should be about 30 (based on the percentage – 20% - of zinc oxide to the other ingredients).

  This sunscreen isn’t waterproof, so do re-apply after swimming or excessive sweating, and every few hours.  Avoid contact with eyes.  As always, discontinue use if a rash develops and please use your common sense.   

  Since this recipe doesn’t contain any preservatives, it will expire in 3 months.  

  If you’re like me, you probably don’t like to put anything on your little one without testing it yourself.  As I mentioned, I come from genetic stock with very sensitive skin, and I’ve learned to test new things by dabbing them on the pale, sensitive flesh of the inner bicep.  Leave it for a few hours, and if no irritation develops you’re good to go.  

  While I'm happy to share my recipes, please understand that you use them at your own risk.  

Shared on Eco-Kids Tuesdays and Wildcrafting Wednesday   and the HomeAcre Hop

 

random acts of whimsy

  This time of year, my creativity moves outside.  My sewing kit collects dust during warm weather, my ideas set aside.  After all, who wants to stay inside?  

  The juices still flow, they just flow in another direction.  

  I repaired the wind chimes I made a few years ago, using hemp instead of garden twine this time in the hopes of getting more than two years out of them. 

  I love using terra cotta seedling pots in wind chimes – just pop a bead inside the pot that’s bigger than the hole and you’re good to go!

  I grabbed some old sea glass and my key collection to make a different wind chime for Evening.  She loves it!  The sunlight whispering through the sea glass seems to fascinate her, and the tinkle of the keys as they move thrills her.  

  Now I’m focussing on adding a bit of magic to tucked away places.  Little things to catch Evening’s imagination.  This is my favourite piece, made from an interesting bit of stump I had stashed away in my ‘curious wood’ collection and some tiny birdhouses I picked up somewhere.

  There’s something both dark and fascinating about it that makes me want to get to know the birds that live in those houses.  

  I hid it away at the bottom of the tree where our bird feeders rests, and Evening hasn’t found it yet.  I’d rather she discovers it on her own so we’ll just have to wait to see if she likes it.  

  Happy spring!

 Linking up with A Humble Creation and Sew Darn Crafty.  

stone soup and mud pies

  Winter was very, very long.  We thought spring would never come.  And really, it seems as though it didn’t.  It was just suddenly summer.  

  The leaves and greenery are starting to get caught up, but Evening and I went from snow to water play in just a few days.  From cold cold cold to + 32 C (89.6 F) – temperatures that are usually reserved for July.  Let me stress – this is not a complaint.  Very much a global warming concern, but not a complaint after the eternally long winter we had.  

  So we’ve been outside playing, and everything has been completely neglected  for things like making mud pies and stone soup with a well-rotted leaf garnish.  Click here to read our play kitchen tutorial.

  And exploring.  LOTS of exploring.

 Evening has been getting gloriously dirty and I can’t say I’ve been staying clean myself.  
 

  I say if your knees aren’t green by the end of the day, you need to seriously re-examine your life   - Calvin & Hobbes
 

  Linking up at the Baby Shower party.