Real Food on a Budget

Most of you already know of my love for real, organic food. I have been carrying on and on about it in this space for years now. I am also pretty sure you know of the importance of budgeting in my family - more people means more love but also more money spent on food. Let's face it - eating healthy, real food and saving money don't exactly go together, unless you think about the money you'll save in the future on doctor's bills. However I am talking about the present. The time when we only have X amount of money to spend on groceries that need to last us Y amount of days.

I confess as hard as I try to budget (and believe me I put a lot into it - hours each week), there are weeks where we'll eat like kings for a few days only to find out we are short on money towards the end of the week and end up having to eat ramen noodles to get by. We are essentially undoing all the good of the real food we previously ate with the processed junk. Ridiculous, right?! I just find myself confused and thinking something's gotta give.

With that in mind, you can imagine my excitement when I saw that one of my favorite authors is coming out with a book all about eating real food on a budget. 😍 Lisa Leake's new book 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget is available for pre-order now and will be released on Tuesday August 14th. I had the pleasure of getting an advance copy in the mail just the other day (I may or may not have jumped up and down and squealed like a schoolgirl when it arrived). I have been reading through it every chance I get. The recipes all look incredibly scrumptious and I look forward to trying them as soon as possible - the Southwest Salad is calling my name. For my fellow vegan and vegetarian friends this cookbook has quite a few recipes to meet our needs and most can easily be adapted (ie. use homemade sprouted almond milk in place of the cow's milk). It contains recipes for other dietary restrictions as well. Equally exciting though is the entire first chapter. Lisa shares her budgeting tricks, ways to lower your grocery bill, and meal plans that even include average costs as well as a meal plan template. She also has a supermarket coast comparison chart that really opened my eyes. Granted prices vary depending on where you are living but it still gives you a good idea of where to shop for particular items. Every family that wants to eat healthy but feels like they never could due to expense needs a copy of this book. It really can be done!

Here is a sample recipe from 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget. Click on it to see a bigger version.




For once I look forward to sitting down and planning our meal plan and budget for the upcoming week. I feel like perhaps now I can finally conquer the beast that is eating healthy while staying within our means.

I am giving away a copy of Lisa Leake's first book (a big game changer and personal favorite of my family) 100 Days of Real Food on my Instagram account. Be sure to check it out!

Real Food on a Budget

Simplicity Parenting 101 {Giveaway!}

Hello, hello everyone! Picture me jumping up and down waving my wands wildly in excitement as I present to you an incredible giveaway offer by my friend from back home in Portland, Lisa Weiner, MSN Certified Simplicity Parenting Counselor. Lisa is one of those people that you just instantly fall in  love with upon meeting. Her wisdom and compassion in parenting (and so many other things!) has always blown me away, so of course when I found out about her online course I had to sign up. I haven't found the time or inspiration lately to work on my parenting, especially since we left our strong supportive community in Portland, and I feel like I am forgetting my core parenting beliefs. That is not a good feeling for this Mama! I know Lisa's encouragement is just what I need to get back on track and focus even more on what is important!

 I could go on and on about what makes this course so valuable for all parents but I will let Lisa explain it all to you (in a much calmer and more organized manner than I could do!):

How often do you take time to consciously develop and hone your parenting skills?
How often to think about your guiding principles as a parent? How often do you make space to reflect thoughtfully on your parenting and to consciously make changes to create more joy and connection in your family?

If you’re like most parents today, the answer to these questions is “not often enough.” And it’s no wonder! Most of us are so busy trying to keep up with the daily work of life and parenting that we spend almost no time developing our parenting skills, getting in touch with our inner-parenting wisdom or getting the support that we long for and deserve.
By signing up for my Simplicity Parenting class, you can help change all that.

As parents who have taken my classes can tell you, setting aside the time and space to explore parenting issues in a deliberate and supportive manner can be nothing short of life-changing.
As a result of my classes, parents experience:
•deeper connections to their children,
•increased clarity in their parenting,
•the ability to stay more present with their children,
•less struggles with bedtime, getting out the door in the morning, and other daily transitions,
•more connection over family meals,
•less battles over chores and manners,
•and many more of those small, joyful moments that all parents wish for.

What is Simplicity Parenting 101?
Curious about what we'll cover in Simplicity Parenting 101? This course is a comprehensive introduction to Simplicity Parenting and will get you started on the path of family life simplification. Throughout, Simplicity Parenting 101 weaves together the latest understandings from the worlds of brain science, psychology, education and child development, with practical, down-to-earth tips, resources and ideas.
Here's a quick curriculum overview:
Week One: Introduction, Why Simplify and Values Clarification
Week Two: Soul Fever and The Compassionate Response
Week Three: Simplifying your Home Environment
Week Four: Creating more Family Rhythm
Week Five: Taming the Family Schedule
Week Six: Filtering Out the Adult World
Week Seven: Moving Forward with Simplicity

Simplicity Parenting is for you if...
You would like to polish up those tools in your parenting toolbox (and add a few more new ones!) You have a child who is anywhere between 0 and 18 years-old, whom you would like to connect with more
You’re pregnant and want to “begin as you wish to continue” on your parenting path
You’re a step-parent and would like to learn how to best support your step-children
You’re a grandparent, or a grandparent-to-be
You’re a teacher - preschool through high-school - and would like to bring the benefits of simplicity to your classroom
You are a special auntie/godmom/second mom and want to keep up with the latest developments in brain science and child development
You’re a counselor or therapist who works with children and would like to be able to offer parents more ideas to help with their children’s anxiety or behavior issues

How Simplicity Parenting 101 works:
Class starts on Monday, April 4th, each week, for seven weeks, you will:
Learn at your own pace: Every week, you'll receive videos with teachings, exploration and stories about the weekly topic. View on your computer, tablet, or even smartphone at your convenience.
Dive deeper: You'll receive worksheets with activities designed to help you experientially explore the weekly topic, and to guide you through the process of crafting positive, sustainable changes to your daily family life.
Get specific, hands-on answers: Each week, you'll take part in a live group coaching session where we will learn ways to apply what we are learning to the nitty-gritty moments of family life. Got questions for me? This is where we'll work together to find your answers.
Join our vibrant parent community: You'll participate in a lively class forum where you can ask questions, offer support and share ideas, articles and resources. This is the "cozy coffee shop" of the class, where we get to "hang out", get to know each other and create community. I will be having my cup of tea in the forum every day (M-F) from 9:30am-10:30am PST and will be available then to answer questions, address themes and swap stories.
And more: You'll receive links to relevant articles, blog posts and other workshops and classes I recommend, as well as book, craft and recipe recommendations!

Lisa has very generously offered a place in her Simplicity Parenting 101 class to one of you lucky readers! The online class, valued at $250, begins this Monday April 4th. Also Lisa is offering 20% off with code SIMPLE-20

For a chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post! If you would like an additional chance to win:
-post this giveaway to Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, or your blog
-“like” Handmade Parenting on facebook

and please make sure to come back and leave me another comment letting me know you did so!

Please make sure you comment via intense debate and not via blogger on your phone. If you comment using blogger it gets deleted and cancels out all of the other comments in the process. Sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for understanding!

Comments will close on Saturday April 2nd and I will announce the winner within this post that night.


Comments closed! The winner is:

Eniko commented - Thank you for this generous chance!

Congrats!!I am emailing you now so you can register before class starts on Monday.       

Good luck everyone! I look forward to "seeing" you in class. Thank you, Lisa!

Simplicity Parenting 101 {Giveaway!}

Knecht Ruprecht Waldorf Dolls {giveaway!}

Happy Martinmas everyone!! We had a beautiful lantern walk that I hope to share with all of you soon but I first wanted to share a very exciting giveaway!

  My dear friend Marie of Knecht Ruprecht Waldorf Dolls has released a beautiful new Waldorf doll pattern and kit, just in time for holiday gift giving. I have one and can not even begin to describe just how beautiful the materials are in person. I can't wait to make it for our little miracle baby.

In Marie's words:



Often a doll-friend accompanies a child through the whole of childhood as loyal companion and thus it should be carefully chosen. A snuggle dolly is a good choice for a first doll. It has a soft, cuddly body and a pixie hat like the Knecht Ruprecht Snuggle Doll and it can easily be taken along everywhere. It can be wrapped in its own cuddly body fabric and thus be in bed, and it takes on trusted, comforting scents to have nearby where ever one goes.
It is particularly good when this important companion is personally made. This guide book provides a way to make this possible.


Step by step instructions including patterns for the original Knecht Ruprecht Snuggle Doll A first doll with a soft cuddly body and a pixie hat
Richly illustrated.
Step by step instructions.
50 pictures and detailed photos.
Suitable for beginners.
Instant Download Tutorial



This PDF EBook includes a 25 page detailed tutorial for sewing your own Babies First Snuggle Doll. It is designed elaborately and contains more than 50 detaild pictures to follow step by step. It also contains information about the meaning of dollplay in Waldorf Education, about Basic Sewing Techniques for dollmaking, about resources for doll making materials and an illustrated guide to washing cloth dolls.



When I make the Knecht Ruprecht Snuggle Dolls in my own workshop, I use GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified organic velour fabric made from pure cotton and Swiss cotton doll tricot. I fill the head and body base with pure wool fleece. Often it can be hard to come by the kind of high quality, tested organic fabrics one would like to use for such a special task and this can be frustrating. For this reason I have put together DIY Fabric and Material packs of the finest quality materials to match the requirements of the Doll Making Guide for the Knecht Ruprecht Snuggle Doll.

These packs come in the three colours; moss green, sea blue or rose. A piece of GOTS certified organic cotton velour, a piece of GOTS certified cotton doll tricot for the inner head/face and a piece for the outer head, with some pure wool fleece for the filling of the head and body bit. In the packs I have also included the yarn for binding the doll and the cheek blush for the magic last touches. They are packed beautifully in a hand stamped paper bag decorated with a matching picture of a Knecht Ruprecht Snuggle Doll made out of the materials you will find in the pack.



Marie has kindly offered a babies first doll kit featuring her snuggle doll and tutorial to one of you!

For a chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post! If you would like an additional chance to win:
-post this giveaway to Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, or your blog
-“like” Knecht Ruprecht Waldorf Dolls on facebook
and please make sure to come back and leave me another comment letting me know you did so!

Please make sure you comment via intense debate and not via blogger on your phone. If you comment using blogger it gets deleted and cancels out all of the other comments in the process. Sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for understanding!

Comments will close on Tuesday November 17th and I will announce the winners within this post that night.


Comments closed! The winner is:

Mimi@Sweet Sassafras who said -  Oh isn't this sweet! The perfect size for little hands, too.

 

Congrats! Please email me at farmergopi@yahoo.com

Good luck everyone. Thank you Marie!

Knecht Ruprecht Waldorf Dolls {giveaway!}

Remembrances, AtTheCrossroads {giveaway!}

I am pleased to share this week's giveaway from Remembrances, AtTheCrossroads on Etsy. Shop owner (and someone I consider an all around creative genius!) Natalie is with us today to share a bit more about her shop. Welcome Natalie!


How did your business begin?
The starting point for my business was a handful of years ago.  The company I work for was having some difficulties and I didn't know from one day to the next how much longer I was going to have my job.  This was made even more stressful by the fact that my husband works for the same company.  With two young children, we were seriously at risk of losing both incomes at once.  Opening my etsy shop gave me something else to focus on, even if just for a few minutes a day.  It has changed and evolved since then, completely becoming my passion.  Even though I still have that same "day job", I dream of being able to turn my own little business into my full time job.
What are your biggest influences?
There are so, so many.  I find inspiration everywhere around me.  Spending time outside always gives me ideas I want to turn into reality, and influences the direction of my work.  You'll find a lot of leaves, flowers, and natural elements on my pieces.  Fabric is another big inspiration.  The texture, the prints and patterns, and even the way the pieces fit together into a three dimensional item definitely influence some of my pieces.

Where did your business name come from?
My business name (Remembrances) comes from Shakespear's Hamlet... "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; pray, Love, remember:  and there is pansies. That's for thoughts."
We read it in high school english class and that line has stuck with me ever since. The name of my etsy shop (AtTheCrossroads) comes directly from the way I was feeling when I first opened it... I felt I was standing at crossroads in my life and had to choose a direction to follow.

What is your favorite product that you offer?
My favourite product changes with each new item I make, but the small buttons are definitely at the top of the list... any of the small buttons.  They are definitely my favourite to make. These are my current favourite:

stamped pieces -the vases, yarn bowls, and serving dishes the way the glaze shifts with the depth of the texture.  This picture was taken while the plate was still in the kiln, and it pretty much sold straight from there (I have very few pictures of this style of work.

And my favourite to wear is this one:

I wear it almost every day.
Do you have a favorite quote you would like to share?
My favourite quote is by Fra Giovanni (1533). It's part of a larger quote, but my favourite line is "The gloom of the world is but a shadow; behind it, yet, within our reach, is joy.  Take joy."
Take Joy!  Look for it, find it, and take it.  Every day.

Today Natalie is kindly offering the following: First Prize: A special set of flower and leaf pottery buttons hand made specifically for Frontier Dreams readers for this give-away.

Second Prize:  Two button cards (winner's choice) from AtTheCrossroads on Etsy.

For your chance to win one of these beautiful prizes just leave a comment below. For additional chances to win:
-follow AtTheCrossroads on etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/AtTheCrossroads). Tell me what your favourite item is in the shop for an additional chance to win.
-follow remembrancespottery on Instagram (https://instagram.com/remembrancespottery/)
-follow Remembrancespottery on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/remembrancespottery)  -follow the Remembrances blog (http://plain-jane-remembrances.blogspot.ca/)

and please make sure to come back and leave me another comment letting me know you did so!

Please make sure you comment via intense debate and not via blogger on your phone. If you comment using blogger it gets deleted and cancels out all of the other comments in the process. Sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for understanding!

Comments will close on Friday, October 30th and I will announce the winners within this post that night.

Comments closed! The winner is: Sarah who said:

All so beautiful!

 

Congrats!

I forgot to post the 2nd giveaway winner for the AttheCrossroads giveaway last week. The 2nd winner is: Ravenna who said "Beautiful pieces. Thanks for the giveaway." Please email at Farmergopi@yahoo.com so I can get your prize to you! I apologize!!


Also, for the month of October, Natalie is offering a 20% discount  using the code FDOCT so that all of the Frontier Dreams readers have the opportunity to get the buttons, beads, or pendants they need for their own hand made gifts.  (Discount is on every item in the shop). And with the American dollar so strong compared to the Canadian dollar, now is a great time to REALLY get a fantastic price.

Thanks, Natalie! Best of luck to everyone!

Remembrances, AtTheCrossroads {giveaway!}

Wiwiurka (Amazing wooden trapeze bar and postcard frame giveaway!)

Today's incredible giveaway is from Wiwiurka who offers handmade wooden play structures and heirloom toys. We have their trapeze bar and wooden climber and I just can not say enough good things about them! All three of my squirrels children spend a good portion of their days playing on them. Climbing is such an important developmental activity for children. My children had endless trees to climb back in Oregon but here in Idaho tree sightings are few and far between, and when we do see them, most are not suitable for climbing. I am so grateful for Wiwiurka's wooden climber because of this. Now my children get the climbing they need, even in the suburban desert!
In their own words:
 
Tell us a bit more about yourselves:
Ana: I am a Mom of three little girls who are my main inspiration. I am behind the sales, promotion and custom service of our family business. I enjoy crafting more than anything else in the world, lol. We live in a quaint Mexican mountainous village. Surrounded by the beauty and calmness of the forest. How did your business begin?
Several years ago, my husband came up with the idea to build wooden playgrounds using reclaimed wood from his tree work. The first swing set was made when my eldest daughter was 2 months old. Eventually the idea of the Climber /Wiwiurka Monkey Bars were born.
Marek: (who is from Germany), Climbing Trees is part of my work, which I have enjoyed since childhood. Even though climbing is essential in proper development and gross motorskills; children no longer have time or opportunities to climb trees. Now as a team, we spend our days thinking of, sketching, making and testing new playstrcutures and wooden toys. Most of our toys are made from the reclaimed wood of avocado, oak, ash, guavo, citrus and cedar trees. What are your biggest influences?
The beauty of the forest and the organic shapes from the trees.
Where did your business name came from?
Since I love to climb trees, squirrel seemed appropriate. To honor my Polish heritage, I chose squirrel in Polish-Wikiwurka.
What is your favorite product?
The wooden climber. We never tire of watching children using it. It is a must in every home, day care and school. It's such a beautiful piece; also made from reclaimed wood. Since it's such a popular product, we are currently out of stock! Though coming soon!
Ana and Marek are graciously giving away a wooden Trapeze bar and a wooden postcard frame that can be used in both ways (vertical/horizontal) to one lucky winner! In addition use discount code HAPPYBIRTHDAY10 to receive 10% off your total order at Wiwiurka, good through September 13th.


For a chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post! If you would like an additional chance to win:
-post this giveaway to Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, or your blog
-“like” Wiwiurka on Facebook.
and please make sure to come back and leave me another comment letting me know you did so!

Please make sure you comment via intense debate and not via blogger on your phone. If you comment using blogger it gets deleted and cancels out all of the other comments in the process. Sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for understanding!

Comments will close on Tuesday September 15th and I will announce the winners within this post that night.

Comments closed. The winner chosen by random number generator is:

Molly W. who said: How wonderful - we have a single tree in our backyard that could really use something just like this!

Congrats Molly! Please email me at farmergopi(at)yahoo(dot)com.


*This giveaway is open to US and Canada residents only.

Good luck everyone! Thank you Wiwiurka!

Wiwiurka (Amazing wooden trapeze bar and postcard frame giveaway!)

Just in time for Easter/Spring - The felt bunny ebook {giveaway!}

Hello, hello everyone! Some of you may have noticed my post on facebook about some adorable bunnies I am working on for my children's Easter baskets. I mentioned that you would have a chance to make then along side of me and here is your chance! My dear friend Marie of Knecht Ruprecht Waldorf Dolls has graciously offered to giveaway a copy of her new felt bunny ebook to seven of you! In Marie's words:
The easygoing step by step Ebook how to sew a simple Waldorf inspired Felt Bunny. Suitable for beginners. PDF pattern included. Some years ago, when my daughter was very little, I wanted to make one little felt bunny for her easter basket. I wanted this little bunny to be as simple and pure as possible and spent hours of drawing, sewing and trying to develope this pattern. It is very easy to sew and suitable for beginners. This little Bunny can be made from wool felt or Your worn out and repurposed felted wool sweaters. It can be stuffed with carded lambs wool. Its eyes are embroidered with cotton floss. The pattern included in this ebook can easily printed out in the original size or it can be enlarged on your own printer if you require a bigger size.
All You need to sew your own little Felt Bunny for your Easter basket is:
One small piece of wool felt or a piece of a felted wool sweater.
For one Bunny made from the original pattern printed out from this tutorial You will need about 21 x 24 cm ( approx. 8 x10 inch) of wool felt.
Cotton thread for the stitching You can use a sewing machine if You have one at hand or just hand sew the seam.
Cotton embroidery thread for Your Bunnies eyes
A printed copy of the included Felt Bunny pattern
A little bit of lambs wool stuffing
A sewing Needle
Sewing pins & Scissors
With the Ebook You will receive a detailed, professionally laid out ebook that includes:
 - Clear and easygoing step by step explanations on 18 pages with 36 photographs
- One template pattern for you to print and cut out

For a chance to win one of the 7 copies of this sweet ebook Marie is offering up, simply leave a comment on this post! If you would like an additional chance to win:
-post this giveaway to Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, or your blog
-“like” Knecht Ruprecht Waldorf Dolls on facebook
and please make sure to come back and leave me another comment letting me know you did so!

Please make sure you comment via intense debate and not via blogger on your phone. If you comment using blogger it gets deleted and cancels out all of the other comments in the process. Sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for understanding!

We want you to get this in time to sew up before Easter so  comments will close on Tuesday March 31st and I will announce the winners within this post that night.

Comments closed. The winners are:


Emilywz - Love this! Thanks for the chance!        
Tanya - Such a sweet looking bunny! Thanks for the opportunity!    
Nele6 - my big boy (11) immediately fell in love with those cute bunnies !
he would surely love to win it, to be able to make it, so that he misses his own (real) bunny less (when we go on eastern holiday !) Nele      
Katrin - This is a nice easter bunny! It looks so cute! Enough time to sew it for easter!!
For you and your family peaceful easter! Yours, Katrin        
Jennifer - So sweet. What a lovely give away. 
Becky - What a sweet bunny! I love it!   
Brianna Knotts - So cute! Would love to win!     
Congrats! You will be receiving an email from me shortly. Please be on the lookout for it!
    
Thank you Marie!

Just in time for Easter/Spring - The felt bunny ebook {giveaway!}

Whole Family Rhythms giveaway!

Today’s giveaway is from Meagan of Whole Family Rhythms, helping you to create seasonal, weekly and daily rhythms for your family in order to nurture the wonder, beauty and light in early childhood.

Whole Family Rhythms are a series of seasonal and monthly guides created and designed to help you maintain a steady rhythm in your home. The rhythms include unstructured, child-led play both outdoors and indoors; early childhood stories and fingerplays; weekly bushwalking themes; daily art, handwork or creative projects; holistic baking and cooking recipes for the whole family as well as weekly caregiver meditations and projects for families of all ages and sizes.


Meagan began educating herself on play based and natural early childhood learning over four years ago when she stumbled across some Waldorf inspired blogs that resonated with her deeply. Since then she has passionately shared her parenting journey including her transition to a TV-free home, her parenting style and beliefs and delicious holistic recipes on her blog. (www.wholefamilyrhythms.typepad.com)

“I am ever inspired by my little ones and the way they live so presently in each moment. It is sometimes difficult for us as parents to protect the magic and wonder of childhood. Modern and Western ways of life create schedules, endless to do lists and a constant sense of multitasking that often feels unavoidable. By being very clear about our family values and then translating these into strong rhythms for my children I believe I am also creating a strong rhythm for myself –so that in turn, I am able to slow down, stay calm and be authentically present for my children.”


Each seasonal guide contains over 70 pages including weekly oral stories and fingerplay, bushwalking themes, seasonal crafts, wet-on-wet watercolour painting, drawing and modelling activities as well as weekly caregiver meditations, monthly caregiver handwork projects and seasonal book recommendations. Whole Family Rhythms was written and created in New South Wales, Australia however Meagan is originally from Canada in the Northern Hemisphere. She has created Guides for both the Southern and Northern Hemisphere so that no matter where you are there are relevant activities, crafts and themes to suit the holidays and season.


The Guides are “Waldorf/Steiner Inspired” but including stories and particularly the watercolour painting and beeswax modelling activities. However it they do not strictly adhere to any philosophy and are designed to be adapted to suit each individual family. The daily rhythms centre around nature-based learning; unstructured outdoor play; free, undirected, child-led play; meaningful work and authentic guidance from the child's caregiver who demonstrates a reverence for life's natural rhythms.


Meagan is kindly offering two winners their choice of either the Whole Family Rhythms Northern Hemisphere Winter Guide or the Southern Hemisphere Summer Guide as well as a video/audio download with a number of (non-denominational) Mealtime Blessings and Transitions which help to uphold a sense of gratitude and graciousness within your daily lives.

For a chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post! If you would like an additional chance to win:
-post this giveaway to Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, or your blog
-“like” Whole Family Rhythms on Facebook
and please make sure to come back and leave me another comment letting me know you did so!

Please make sure you comment via intense debate and not via blogger on your phone. If you comment using blogger it gets deleted and cancels out all of the other comments in the process. Sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for understanding!

Comments will close on Monday November 3rd and I will announce the winner within this post that night.

Comments Closed. The winner is Elisabeth :
        I'm already loving you on fb! I'd love the Southern Hemisphere guide! It's so hard to find australian seasonal guides!        

Congrats Elisabeth. I will be in touch shortly.

Thank you Meagan. Best of luck everyone!

Whole Family Rhythms giveaway!

Frost Lane {giveaway} Just in time for Michaelmas!

Today’s giveaway is from Frost Lane, a shop filled with handmade wooden toys, hand-bound sketchbooks and journals; potholders, pincushions and so much more! Frost Lane is run by the incredibly kind and sincere Nadja, a woman I truly look up to, and her husband Bret. Please join me in welcoming them here.

Thanks so much, Nicole, for this opportunity to introduce ourselves to some who may not know of us.



We are Bret and Nadja Van der Stroom, and our Etsy shop is Frost Lane. Although we tend to sell a little of this and a little of that, we mainly sell wooden swords and shields.
 


Bret—Chief Armorer of the shop—is a joiner and cabinet maker by trade, and so naturally gravitates toward any project that involves wood and woodworking. I (Nadja) stick to the design aspects and all things pertaining to the online shop, as well as schooling our six “product testers”, ages 5 to 15, at home. Home right now is a small farm in rural north-central Tennessee with which some of you may be familiar through my Patch O' Dirt Farm blog, sadly neglected in the last year as my offline life has become more demanding.



Bret and I are both transplants to Tennessee, and have lived in other states and countries. I spent my early childhood in New York City and moved to Munich, Germany when I was 8. Bret was born in Tucson, Arizona, but moved about quite a bit with his engineer father and family. We met in Munich when he was stationed there in the Army, and I came back to this country with him when he finished his term of service, first living in Tucson for 9 years, then moving to Charlotte, NC for 7. We came to Tennessee in 2002. We really love living in the south, although there are little things about urban life I do miss (access to secondhand bookstores, coffee shops and bakeries, for instance!)
 


Bret is into the third year of building our new home across the border in Kentucky, doing most of the work himself. It's a slow process, but the end is finally in sight!
When we began, we were using scraps of wood from the cabinet shop where Bret worked. We still use upcycled material whenever we can, but because of some of the volume of the orders (Party Packs and the like), we do have to purchase material more frequently now. We generally use birch plywood for our swords and shields, as it has a nice surface for painting and looks good unadorned as well. It has proven to be very sturdy stuff, and the ones we originally made for our own kids—four of them boys—have stood the test of time!

Each piece is cut on a router and sanded by Bret, and then given another hand-sanding by me. On large orders, the kids get involved in the sanding and “quality control.” We have provided swords and cutlasses for themed parties and sold to 'green' shops and Waldorf school stores. And we are happy to do custom orders, so if you have something special in mind, feel free to ask us about it!

{Giveaway Details}



Today Frost Lane has a wonderful treat for one of you lucky readers. They are giving away a sword and shield set or a small shield and dagger set (pictured above)--winner's choice.

In addition, Bret and Nadja are offering a very generous 10% off all orders (over $5) through the end of September with the discount code FRONTIERDREAMS10.

For a chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post! If you would like an additional chance to win:
  -post this giveaway to Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, or your blog
  -visit Frost Lane and tell me what your favorite item is in the shop

and please make sure to come back and leave me another comment letting me know you did so!

ETA: Please make sure you comment via intense debate and not via blogger on your phone. If you comment using blogger it gets deleted and cancels out all of the other comments in the process. Sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for understanding!
In the hope of getting this beautiful gift to the winner in time for Michaelmas, this giveaway will be short so comments will close on Saturday September 20th and I will announce the winner within this post that night.

Thank you Bret and Nadja for such a generous giveaway. Best of luck everyone!

Comments closed. The winner is:

Mary -  My son would love this!!

Congrats Mary!

Frost Lane {giveaway} Just in time for Michaelmas!