Wow! We are so blown away by the response that we have had to the new blog journey we are taking. We are busy answering everyone’s emails and getting ready for an incredible year ahead. There is so much to look forward to in this space.

One theme that we have talked about more than any other at Rhythm of The Home is connection as a community. We believe so strongly in each person that contributes to this magazine, and to our community at large of writers, artists, educators and parents. We have such a unique opportunity to meet many incredible individuals and groups who put countless hours into creating beauty, championing change in the world, and advocating for health and well being for our children.

In honor of all of you, Rhythm of The Home is going to select one business, blog, or website per month for a free advertising space on our blog, and one per season for the magazine. All that you have to do to be entered is leave a comment here and tell us about yourself. Tell us about what you do as a small business owner, an artist, an educator, a radical home maker, a home schooler, etc. We don’t want to just know the name of your business, we want to know about you! The only way to build community is to get to know who is here and what we all do.

We will offer this giveaway each month, and the winner will be chosen randomly. We will draw the winner for the magazine space from all three months of giveaways leading up to the next edition. For this first space we will draw a winner on January 31st.

We hope that you will read each other’s comments and get to know each other as we have been so lucky to do.

The Editors

As you can see, this blog space has been quiet the last month, as we have taken time to think about how we want to use the Rhythm of the Home blog in between each season’s magazine edition.

Rhythm of the Home has always been a community project, and the blog should be no different. This is a space to welcome in and showcase the talents of those parents, writers, educators and artists who want to make a difference, big or small, in the lives of children through nature, alternative education, and creative play.

With that in mind, we have chosen to open this space up to 2-3 individuals a month to join us on a weekly basis in sharing their rhythms, photography, ideas, crafts, recipes, poetry and reflections. The editors will also be here every week to share thoughts on the same subjects that we showcase each season in the magazine, and to provide a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes at Rhythm of the Home. Finally, we will be creating a new Community section to highlight those contributors who are making a difference through their work and their day to day lives.

If you are interested in joining us for this exciting new journey, please email us at rhythmofthehome@gmail.com. We will begin February 1st.

There are only a few days left to submit for the Spring edition of the magazine, and already the projects rolling in are amazing. We would love to have you join us!

The Editors

The Sew Mama Sew! Giveaway runs through December 16th, so don’t forget to enter.

Today we continue with our series on Holiday Simplicity. We will be featuring new posts from many different writers and artists throughout the month who share their thoughts, crafts, recipes and reflections to make the holidays a little bit more simple, and a lot more magical. If you would like to join us, please send an email to rhythmofthehome@gmail.com

We are joined today by Vanessa Brady of the Tried and True blog for her beautiful cookie cutter ornament craft that is the perfect way to spend the afternoon crafting. 

I made these Cut-Out Cookie Ornaments while my 3 year old son was making his own salt dough ornaments. You know they have to be easy to make if I can supervise a crazy toddler while making them! You’re going to need some salt dough to start with, I like Homemade Grits easy recipe but really, you can use any of them. Hope you enjoy the tutorial!

Cut-Out Cookie Ornament

Materials:
- salt dough
- cut-out cookie cutter
- bronzing powder (optional)
- small piece of wire
- strong glue
- Mod Podge Dimensional Magic
- gel food coloring
- toothpick
- ribbon

Instructions:

1. Prepare, cut and bake your “cookies.” Major brownie points if you’re able to get them perfectly golden. If not, don’t worry! We’ll fix them in the next step. Allow to cool completely.

2. Now to make your perfectly browned cookies…with bronzing powder. Gently brush the edges with a make up brush and bronzer. Don’t go too crazy. You want them to look like they’re fresh out of the oven, not fresh out of Jersey Shore. Don’t they look more realistic now?!

3. Attach a small piece of wire to the inside of the back cookie with strong glue.

4. Now the fun part, making the jelly! First, make a border around the edge of the cookie with your glue to prevent the Dimensional Magic from dripping off. Apply a liberal amount of Dimensional Magic to the center of the back cookie. Using the toothpick, mix in gel food coloring until you are happy with the color. Don’t worry if you don’t put enough Dimensional Magic, you can add more after the cookies are sandwiched together. Squeeze the two cookies together and lay perfectly flat until Dimensional Magic is completely dry.

5. Once dry, string up with a cute piece of ribbon, add a small tag with the message “Wishing you the sweetest of holidays!” and gift with a jar of homemade jam or any other sweet treat!

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Vanessa Brady lives in sunny El Paso, Texas where she spends her time making forts with two wonderfully silly boys, taking long walks with her charming husband and chasing after her crazy new dog, Bob Barker. When she’s not busy wiping noses and cleaning diapers, Vanessa enjoys sewing, gardening and writing original craft tutorials for her blog.

Rhythm of The Home is currently accepting submissions for our Spring and Summer editions. You can email queries to rhythmofthehome@gmail.com. Please visit our Facebook page to learn more about our magazine, and to stay up to date with all that goes on in our community.

The Sew Mama Sew! Giveaway runs through December 16th, so don’t forget to enter.

Today we continue with our series on Holiday Simplicity. We will be featuring new posts from many different writers and artists throughout the month who share their thoughts, crafts, recipes and reflections to make the holidays a little bit more simple, and a lot more magical. If you would like to join us, please send an email to rhythmofthehome@gmail.com

We are joined by Rhythm of The Home contributor Valarie Budayr of Jump Into a Book for her family celebration of St. Lucia Day

Nothing signifies that the holidays are here like the celebration of St. Lucia. On this day, December 13th, Swedes and those with Swedish ancestry, embrace the darkest time of year with candle-light, song, and the most wonderful food.

The St. Lucia tradition can be traced back to the time of the Roman Empire. Lucia, a brave young woman from Sicily, heard about the persecution of the Christians by the emperor Diocletian. Knowing a Christian family in great need, Lucia gave her entire dowry to them. Her fiancé became enraged, broke off the engagements, and told stories that Lucia was secretly practicing Christianity. Lucia died a martyr’s death for her act of kindness and generosity.

The days leading up to St. Lucia are spent together in the kitchen baking saffron buns called Lucy Cats or Lussekatter in Swedish and ginger cookies (pepparkakor). The aroma of baking these treasures fills the house with the most incredible spicy smell of cinnamon and saffron.

Wanting to give our children the same wonderful memories we had of St. Lucia we planned our own version of a St. Lucia pagent.

Coming in all at once, the task at hand was to get all 10 children dressed in their St. Lucia clothes without losing anyone or their belongings.

Girls were turned into cherub St. Lucia maidens. Boys became star boys with their tall pointy hats,

and then there was one who donned the red suit of a tomte/gnome.

Who would be our St. Lucia this year? The lovely girl we had chosen decided she didn’t want to be and then there was little Mimi who loves to be the Lucia. Carefully we put the crown on her head and what happened? The crown slowly slid down her forehead and over her eyes, it was held on by her ears.

Quickly I found her St. Lucia crown made of roving and brought out for her to wear. The Lucia and her maidens all lined up with the star boys and tomtes behind.

Through the house they walked singing their song of light. Finally situating themselves in the family room, they song all of the Lucia songs and then happily sang their versions of Jingle bells, Frosty the Snowman, and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.

Singing all of those beautiful songs surely worked up an appetite. We had a warm fruit juice called glögg while we ate our pepparkakor.

Following the Christmas Table was presented and we had a wonderful feast before our afternoon crafting began.

Though this isn’t typically part of the St. Lucia celebration, it is part of the Swedish holiday tradition of having a Julbord/Christmas table.

I’d like to wish you a very wonderful St. Lucia today. May you gather with family and friends, sing happy and beautiful songs, and bring light to the darkest time of the year.

Glad St. Lucia !

 ::::::::::::

Valarie Budayr is the author of the book The Fox Diaries: The Year the Foxes came to our Garden. She is a mom to her three creative children, writer, photographer, gardener, crafter and an avid book lover. You can find Valarie on her blogs A Place Like This and Jump Into A Book.

Rhythm of The Home is currently accepting submissions for our Spring and Summer editions. You can email queries to rhythmofthehome@gmail.com. Please visit our Facebook page to learn more about our magazine, and to stay up to date with all that goes on in our community.

We are so pleased to be joining Sew Mama Sew! for their annual Giveaway Day. We welcome all of this week’s visitors, new and returning, to the blog for Rhythm of the Home magazine. This year Rhythm of the Home Co-Editor & Publisher Bernadette Emerson is giving away a Tiny Car Tote from her popular piece in the Winter Edition of the magazine. The Tiny Car Tote is the perfect playmat for any little one to enjoy, and can be used on the go or right at home. It converts to a drawstring bag for easy storage of little toys.

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment below and share with us a gift you are excited about giving this holiday season. We’ll choose our top ten answers and select one randomly from those.

We hope that you enjoy this wonderful playmat and tote. We can only have one lucky winner, but you can still make one of your own by visiting Bernadette’s tutorial in the Winter edition of Rhythm of the Home. Good Luck!

To enter more spectacular giveaways, head over to Sew Mama Sew!

With the fast approaching Winter Solstice, I know that many of us are getting ready to change over the seasonal table in our homes.  This simple craft is one that you can do with your children to add to your nature table, or you can create it on the sly and tuck her neatly into the toe of a stocking hung by the chimney with care.

Materials

Green wool felt

Embroidery floss

1 inch diameter wooden knob or bead

Non toxic paints

Pipe cleaner

Wool roving

Holly leaf printable template pdf

To start you will fold the pipecleaner into quarters.

Insert the sharp end into the hole of a round wooden knob with tacky glue or other heavy duty glue.

Set aside and let dry completely.

Once dry, you can paint a little hood and hairstyle to designate a face.  I preferred to leave her without an expression and to give her a little red hood so that it looks like a holly berry.

Once the paint is dry, you will lay the doll at the end of a piece of roving.

Roll the doll body up in the roving.

You can needle felt the back of the roving to prevent unraveling.

Cut two leaves out of green felt using the printable template.  Sandwich the two leaves together and stitch around the perimeter of the leaves as shown.

Once you get to the top peak of the leaf, you will fold this flap over as shown and stitch across just the front layer of the leaves and then down the other side.

It will now look like this.

Cut a small circle approximately the size of a quarter.  This will be the bottom of the leaf.

You will now be left with this…the disc at the bottom of the leaf makes it possible for it to stand upright.

Now you are all set to tuck Holly into her leaf bed.

Enjoy.

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 Reminder: We will be featuring new posts from many different writers and artists throughout the month who share their thoughts, crafts, recipes and reflections to make the holidays a little bit more simple, and a lot more magical. If you would like to join us, please send an email to rhythmofthehome@gmail.com

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Julia Daby is a Registered Nurse who  lives happily with her husband and little boy in the Adirondack  Mountains of New York.  She enjoys crafts of all kinds, eating good food, reading, and being outdoors.  Most important of all….she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She has a small store on etsy where she and her twin share sewing and fiber tutorials to inspire creativity in other Mamas.  She writes about life, family and creativity at Happiness Comes and We Deserve This.  She also can be found at Windfall Dolls, where she and her sister give away Waldorf inspired dolls to deserving little ones.

Rhythm of The Home is currently accepting submissions for our Spring and Summer editions. You can email queries to rhythmofthehome@gmail.com. Please visit our Facebook page to learn more about our magazine, and to stay up to date with all that goes on in our community. 

Holiday decorating is always a joy of the season, and I feel most connected to the rhythm of this time of year when I use natural materials to decorate, both inside and out.

I lived in the suburbs of Chicago from the time I was 6 until I was 12, and one of the our most treasured holiday traditions was to line our driveways (and sometimes streets) with brightly lit luminarias on Christmas Eve. It looked so magical as we would drive away to midnight mass, and it embodied the return of the light that this season celebrates.

This year we are hosting a winter solstice/advent spiral in our home, and for each of the 8 children present, there is a candle along the spiral for them to light. Last year the candle was set in the traditional apple, but this year the boys wanted to create ice luminarias along their path.

We experimented with milk cartons and coffee cans, but finally settled on two decorative brioche pans as the molds that we would use for the candle holders. we played with a few different ways to create the hole for the candle; using a standard can, a dixie cup and finally a 4 oz freezeable ball jar.

The jar worked out perfectly, as it is can withstand extreme cold, is reusable, and allows for the maximum amount of light to filter through the candle holders.

Now I think we are ready to let the children walk the spiral, return to their center, and awaken renewed.

I can not wait to lay the evergreens and celebrate the return of the sun, the promise of brighter days, and the light that shines in each of us.

Ice Luminarias

A mold of your choice (I used stainless steel brioche molds)
4 oz ball freezer safe jar (If using a tall mold, you may want to consider an 8 oz jar)
Candles for each luminaria
Decorations for each luminaria; cranberries, star anise, evergreens, sliced oranges, apples, etc.

Place your 4 oz jar in the center of your mold. Fill the mold up half way with ice cold water and fill with decor of your choice. If the temperature is below 32 degrees you can leave the molds outside to freeze, or place in the freezer.

Once frozen, fill the mold to the rim of the freezable jar and once again add your decor. Freeze once more. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, unmold, place a tea light into the jar, light and enjoy!

Of course no celebration of the return of the light would be complete without a sun catcher (I used the instructions from Amanda’s book), and they are the perfect way to put to use any left over fruit, cranberries, star anise, etc. that you might have left over.

 ::::::::::::

Heather Fontenot, co-editor and publisher of Rhythm of The Home, lives with her family on the Front Range of Northern Colorado. As a writer, doula and yoga teacher, Heather has a passion for natural and creative living, and spends as much of her time outdoors as possible. She loves to knit, sew, garden, photograph, read and play with her three sweet little ones. She writes the blog Shivaya Naturals, where she chronicles her life as a mother, artist, and gluten-free baker. Her first book, Naturally Fun Parties for Kids, will be available in March of 2012.

Rhythm of The Home is currently accepting submissions for our Spring and Summer editions. You can email queries to rhythmofthehome@gmail.com. Please visit our Facebook page to learn more about our magazine, and to stay up to date with all that goes on in our community. 

Today begins a month long series on Holiday Simplicity. We will be featuring new posts from many different writers and artists throughout the month who share their thoughts, crafts, recipes and reflections to make the holidays a little bit more simple, and a lot more magical. If you would like to join us, please send us an email at rhythmofthehome@gmail.com

Today we are so pleased to welcome Liz Sniegocki to the blog for her post on St. Nicholas Day. We hope you enjoy.

St. Nicholas Day is a beautiful tradition, and a sweet reminder for kids that this season of gifts is not all about receiving, but about giving too. We’ve been talking a lot about giving over here in my nest. The joy of sharing, the thrill of gifting in secret to those in need. We’ve been preparing for St. Nicholas Day, you see, reading the sweet, easy-to-follow stories by Christine Natale about this selfless man who inspired the traditions of Santa Claus.

Last night, my girls each put out a shoe for St. Nicholas to fill with sweets and treats, as is the custom of this holiday. This year, I suggested they use traditional wooden shoes and offered an authentic pair my grandfather brought home from Europe during his time in World War II. My eldest loved the idea, but my little one balked and insisted on her scuffed up old “tennis sneaker.” Seeing it as an opportunity to practice letting go (an ongoing theme for me), I obliged.

Sometime during the night, St. Nicholas visited our home, filling their shoes just as they hoped he would. They each received an orange to remind them they can be like the sun, giving their love to everyone; and nuts to remind them to be loving and kind (as shared in Natale’s stories). They also received chocolate coins and sugar cookies, like those Nicholas carried in his pockets for the children he met. A well-crafted ornament is always in their shoes as well. And this year, St. Nicholas left each a book.

As part of our St. Nicholas day tradition, we will “adopt” a child in need from a local charity and help to make their holiday wishes come true. We’ll shop together, as a family, for clothes and toys to fulfill the child’s list, then donate them anonymously. This year, I’ve also encouraged each girl to do a kindly deed for someone else, or give someone a gift that they come up with on their own. After all, it can be just as much fun to give as to receive!

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Elizabeth Sniegocki is a writer and advocate of simple, mindful living. She makes her nest in Sarasota, Florida, where she writes, gardens, cooks, crafts and nurtures two sweet little chicks. Elizabeth blogs about her community, mothering, homesteading and natural living at A Natural Nester.

Rhythm of The Home is currently accepting submissions for our Spring and Summer editions. You can email queries to rhythmofthehome@gmail.com. Please visit our Facebook page to learn more about our magazine, and to stay up to date with all that goes on in our community. 

Thank you all for your wonderful feedback on this edition of Rhythm of The Home.  It has been so terrific and we are very thankful for your support.

Below,  you will find the giveaway winner’s name and their quote from their comment listed beneath the description of each of the items.  We will also be emailing the winners.

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We are so excited to see the 2011 Winter edition now live. There are over 45 incredible projects, articles, recipes and crafts to enjoy during this beautiful season.

In honor of the new launch, we are once again hosting a huge giveaway from many of our contributing authors. Below you will find the collection of giveaway items that are available. To enter, leave a comment with your preference and join us on our Facebook Page, and we will announce the winners on December 5th.

::::::::::::

Margaret is offering a copy of her family’s favorite Hanukkah book: Herschel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel (and beautiful illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman.) as well as a copy of Latkes, Latkes, Good to Eat by Naomi Howland.

Carla:

I would love the Hannukah books — we are just trying to rebuild the tradition in our family for our kids.

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Kelly is offering a One month of Four Free Personal Coaching call. Work one-on-one with Kelly to uncover your dreams and move forward on seeing your dreams take flight. You can learn more about Kelly’s Personal Coaching here.

Nina:

Oh my! As always its so hard to decide…that winter king is gorgeous and the inside out sounds fascinating but I think the personal coaching with Kelly would be amazing. Thanks to everyone for their generosity and another gorgeous edition!

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Julia is offering one reader the choice of one of the baby dolls pictured below made using an Adirondack Pattern.

Nicolette:

All of these things are wonderful, but if I had to choose I think I would pick Julia’s doll. I am having my first girl in January and think this would make a beautiful first baby doll for her.

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Danielle and Pablo are pleased to contribute the Capital Jazz Band’s debut CD entitled, “Add A Beat!” to the Rhythm of the Home Winter Giveaway.
True to its vision of blending the seasoned with the modern-day, “Add A Beat!” brings together the original music of DC native Sam Glenn with the talent of DC’s hottest young jazz artists. The album features eight original tracks written by Sam & Kathy Glenn, Danielle and Pablo Grabiel’s grandparents, as well as two standards, “My One and Only Love” and “Stella By Starlight.”

Lindsay:

I would love the new Capital Jazz Band cd!

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Jennifer is sharing one Felted Slippers eBook from her store Syrendell. This helpful 18-page eBook includes a list of supplies needed, as well as sources for purchasing supplies. This is a wonderful project for children ages 9 and up, or for a family to complete together.

::::::::::::

Laura is offering this darling beret sized 2-4 months made using the pattern in her contribution.

::::::::::::

Liv is sharing a collection of three handmade evergreen trees made using a tutorial from her blog. They are perfect for a nature table, general holiday decoration or to be used as toys. The trees are cut from pine, painted with non-toxic watercolors and finished with a beeswax polish. They stand 6, 5 and 3.5 inches tall respectively.

Erin:

I would put those little pine trees to good use year-round!
Thanks for all you do at ROTH!

::::::::::::

Susan is sharing her Festivals of Light: Making Books for the Holiday Season ebook with one reader.

Laurel:

What lovely offerings! I would love the Festivals of Light ebook since this is my first winter season exploring waldorf with my family.

::::::::::::

Valarie of Jump into a Book would like to generously donate a collection of Louisa May Alcott books from Orchard House. The titles are as follows:

::::::::::::

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Shannon is sharing a 5-week Inside Out e-course experience with one reader. Through art journaling, writing, guided meditation, and yoga principles you will learn how to limit the distractions of the outer world and reconnect to your intuition and creativity. All in the comfort of your own home and at your own pace. You will also get the amazing opportunity to connect with life-explorers from all over the world!

Diane:

Inspiring! I would love to work with Shannon on the Inside Out course….Just finishing my yoga for kids training and am looking to begin teaching! Blessings!

::::::::::::

Jennifer is offering this stunning a King Winter needle felted figure that she makes on her blog and will soon be offering in her store.

Erica:

We would love to have King Winter on our nature table this winter. What a lovely giveaway this season!

::::::::::::

Nicole is sharing a Kick-It Biotic for Kids, Daily Immune for Kids and Cold Seasons Symptoms for Kids seen on her blog with THREE readers.

Tara:

I am intrigued by the Kick-It Biotic for Kids. Perfect for this time of year!!

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::::::::::::

Good luck, and thank you for your continued support of Rhythm of the Home.

We are so excited to see the 2011 Winter edition now live. There are over 45 incredible projects, articles, recipes and crafts to enjoy during this beautiful season.

In honor of the new launch, we are once again hosting a huge giveaway from many of our contributing authors. Below you will find the collection of giveaway items that are available. To enter, leave a comment with your preference and join us on our Facebook Page, and we will announce the winners on December 5th.

::::::::::::

Margaret is offering a copy of her family’s favorite Hanukkah book: Herschel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel (and beautiful illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman.) as well as a copy of Latkes, Latkes, Good to Eat by Naomi Howland.

::::::::::::

Kelly is offering a One month of Four Free Personal Coaching call. Work one-on-one with Kelly to uncover your dreams and move forward on seeing your dreams take flight. You can learn more about Kelly’s Personal Coaching here.

::::::::::::

Julia is offering one reader the choice of one of the baby dolls pictured below made using an Adirondack Pattern.

::::::::::::

Danielle and Pablo are pleased to contribute the Capital Jazz Band’s debut CD entitled, “Add A Beat!” to the Rhythm of the Home Winter Giveaway.
True to its vision of blending the seasoned with the modern-day,  “Add A Beat!” brings together the original music of DC native Sam Glenn with the talent of DC’s hottest young jazz artists. The album features eight original tracks written by Sam & Kathy Glenn, Danielle and Pablo Grabiel’s grandparents, as well as two standards, “My One and Only Love” and “Stella By Starlight.”

::::::::::::

Jennifer is sharing one Felted Slippers eBook from her store Syrendell. This helpful 18-page eBook includes a list of supplies needed, as well as sources for purchasing supplies. This is a wonderful project for children ages 9 and up, or for a family to complete together.

::::::::::::

Laura is offering this darling beret sized 2-4 months made using the pattern in her contribution.

::::::::::::

Liv is sharing a collection of three handmade evergreen trees made using a tutorial from her blog.  They are perfect for a nature table, general holiday decoration or to be used as toys.  The trees are cut from pine, painted with non-toxic watercolors and finished with a beeswax polish.  They stand 6, 5 and 3.5 inches tall respectively.

::::::::::::

Susan is sharing her Festivals of Light: Making Books for the Holiday Season ebook with one reader.

::::::::::::

Valarie of Jump into a Book would like to generously donate a collection of Louisa May Alcott books from Orchard House. The titles are as follows:

::::::::::::

::::::::::::

Shannon is sharing  a 5-week Inside Out e-course experience with one reader.  Through art journaling, writing, guided meditation, and yoga principles you will learn how to limit the distractions of the outer world and reconnect to your intuition and creativity. All in the comfort of your own home and at your own pace.  You will also get the amazing opportunity to connect with life-explorers from all over the world!

::::::::::::

Jennifer is offering this stunning a King Winter needle felted figure that she makes on her blog and will soon be offering in her store.

::::::::::::

Nicole is sharing a Kick-It Biotic for Kids, Daily Immune for Kids and Cold Seasons Symptoms for Kids seen on her blog with THREE readers.

::::::::::::

::::::::::::

Good luck, and thank you for your continued support of Rhythm of the Home.