Nothing goes to waste

We have all sorts of insects that came into the house from the garden.

Among them there are four kinds if ants, and one of them looks scary, with a big jaw, like I would not like to get a bite from them.

I work on the Feria Verde de Aranjuez every week, it's a farmers market were I sell the cloth diapers, baby slings, mentrual pads, and my sewing inspiration.

There is a man who sells there a natural repelent for any kind of bugs, not for the skin but for the house,  the ingredients are mustard, garlic and hot peppers. I have wanted to buy it, but could not, so I decide to try to do it myself.


I had the ingredients already at home and so I blendes and then spray them around the house, I didn't work so well on the ants, but maybe it will with other bugs.

I din't want to trow away the leftovers so I decide to plant them, since there was complete seeds on them.


We used some cups and milk packages. And dirt from our backyard mixed with cardboard and leaves because it was so much like clay that you could make figures out of it.

So we will wait and see.

Some late night sewing

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nahuatlv/5083492566/" title="Conjunto de bebé by Nahuatl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/5083492566_be468be0e2.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Conjunto de bebé" /></a>

{this moment}

A Friday ritual by SouleMama, one picture, no words, just this time I could not adjust to just one.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nahuatlv/4999388429/" title="En la lluvia by Nahuatl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/4999388429_794f3ae3ba.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="En la lluvia" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nahuatlv/4999388433/" title="En la lluvia by Nahuatl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4091/4999388433_daa1fd297c.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="En la lluvia" /></a>

Independence day

Independence day are almost the same in Mexico and Costa Rica, just 21 years later, what a funny coincidence, don't you think?

In Mexico there is a scream (?) for the Independence, as the Father Hidalgo did 200 years ago, by saying Viva la Independencia! and many other things, so the fight starts, actually, he did't say Independence, because the cause was to get better rights for the criollos, the Spanish born in Mexico, who didd't had political power. Also 100 years ago the Revolution start, so, in Mexico this year was a big party,  and many of us are unhappy about all the public money that was spent on this. How ever, I wish I could be there, because I miss my Country so much.
In Costa Rica the received the news that they were a free Nation, but there was no fight, in those days Costa Rica belonged to Guatemala, with all the other countries between the two, and were called Capitanía de Guatemala; they were ruled by Mexico, and so the fight consist on gain independence from it.

On September 14th, they celebrated the Freedom Torch by represent it by school kids that walk with one on the streets, later, they have a parade with handmade paper lamps, it's pretty cool, we made one this year.

The big parade starts on September 15th at 8:30, as there is no army in Costa Rica, is the school kids who participate with the flag, dancing and bands. We only went for a little while, since my kiddo was ill.

Here you can see more pictures and videos, my favorite one is with the crazy drummer.

New house

A new beggining.



A new place to share with family and friends.







And to create.

WIP's

Thanks to Sew, Mama Sew, I have rediscovered the art of embroidery, and I'm enjoying it so much.




I go to a kid's music class with my son, the other day the teacher was teaching a little bit of reading music; since then I wanted to make a Music Mat, that would be portable and versatile, and after some days of mental designing this is the result, we still need more notes, but I like it.

{this moment}

A Soule Mama tradition. One photo, no words.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nahuatlv/4933944742/" title="150820101202 by Nahuatl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4933944742_6da2cfb649_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="150820101202" /></a>

I like to sew

I like to sew.
That's is the origin of everything.
The first time I used a sewing machine I was 5.

I can be very selfish, but in general I like to be for others, I feel my purpose in life is to please and please myself by doing it and that I should help other to give sense to my life.

I love to find the perfect gift for every personality, and I put great effort on it even if the person in not of my affection and I was raised to value handmade over industralized items.


In the other hand I like simple projects that can be completed in a few hours and made with natural but cheap materials and -if possible- reuse supplies.



Here is a napkin set for my father's elementary school teacher who is kind of a mother for him, since his died when he was very young. I love to use this kind of napkins, they have so many uses and save so many trees (I haven't buy paper napkins or tissue for years), but above that they are so soft an become softer with time, and also they are so pretty, they make you feel nourished, as if mama were taking care of you even when you are by yourself and I add a note in lace that says Made with love by Nahuatl (which is my name, an unusual one,  Aztec, but that is subject of a different post, I guess).



When I get orders from my store I always like to add a little freebie, a mini purse, a crocheted hair clip, becuase I love to receive that when I purchase on Etsy.

 

Today I made a guitar strap for my little one, I love his face when it was finished.



And here he is, happy whit Los Fafulosos Cadillacs music, to bad the video is flurry.
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Invocations

Does it happens to you that sometimes when your mind involuntary relaxes an image comes to you?

I get images of places of my past, but they are always alone and abandoned, and they make me feel so nostalgic.

My menstrual cycle

Since I took the course  Ciclo Femenino y Fertilidad Consciente, by Yeztli, I have been much more aware of my cycle.



I wish I had knew much before what I know now about it, we are so influenced to consider it annoying that we don't release the beauty on it, we try to stay on a very balanced emotional state since to be changing is associated in a bad way with being with a women, and so we don't see the opportunity that is to have a cycle to start all over very month, and the course open my eyes to that.



Even when I have been taking register of my cycle since I was a little girl, I always took note only of the first day of it and its duration, but with my new knowledge  I was able to determinate my ovulation day, and there I found a pattern, as you can see in this Moon Calendar the orange moons that are my first day don't show anything, but the blues do, and this gave light even about one long period I had (34 days), that was the changing from ovulation in new moon, to ovulate in full moon. And the ovulation day is almost the same day of my period, no matter how much it last. This has help me to not to use any artificial anti conception medicine, which may harm my health.

December 2009 30 days, ovulation on day 13.
January, 29 days, ovulation on day 10.
February 27 days, ovulation on day 13.
March 26  days, ovulation on day 15.
April 27  days, ovulation on day 12.
May 29  days, ovulation on day 12.
June 34  days, ovulation on day 13.
July 30  days, ovulation on day 11.
August 30  days, ovulation on day 13.



In this process I have been able to identify the different moods  I go through from super cleaning before ovulation, to hipper sensibility to cold during ovulation, to bad mood before my period, and finally to the presence in present during my menstruation, the increase of perception and the connecting with my kid, that I get to only this time at month, is a time of slow down and calm, to heal all wounds.

  So, it's crazy that this has been with me for 19 years and it was just so recently I found out, how do you live your menstruation?

Exciting

I am very exciting by my new store in Etsy I think I finally found a good name that holds the concept of the kind of products I like to make.

This week I made this snack bags for mys son, since he is going to kindergarden now (we don't know yet if schooling is going to be permament, by now he is happy and that is).

And I already made some for my store too. I love them.

There si so many sewing tutorials on the web I wish I could do, but I can't sew all day and night. I want to share them with you in case you didn't knew them.

KITE

SANWIDCH BAG

BABY SHOES

OVEN MIT

DOLL HOUSE

PURSE

OWL

PINCUSHION

SOFT BALL

I feel everybody is been away from the internet this week, I hope it's for good reasons, if it's not and you feel like sharing I offer to write paper letters so maybe we can support each other.

My post address is:

Nahuatl Vargas
Apartado 1500
Heredia
3000
COSTA RICA

I also wanted to share mi basil plant, which is growing and cheers me up.

Four years ago

I was tired but could not sleep at all, because my perfect healthy baby boy was just born at 16:00, and today, I am so grateful for having him, for him giving me the opportunity of being his mother, and for his health today.

Happy happy birthday love, and thank you, I love you with all my hearth (and organs as you said), Mom.

We are back

We had the visit of my partner for almost 3 weeks, so we went to the beach to one side and the other, Pacific and Atlantic, it was very nice, but I also enjoy to be back on the regular routine.

We are back with the teaching, I don't try to make my home into a mini school, but I'm trying to respond to my son's big interest in learning to read and write, I think if I were more desalinated, he will be reading now, however there is not rush, and we are back in track now, I have been looking for free worksheets for his age on the Internet without good results, they always look to ugly or have advertise, like Disney or other, and I didn't like them; but yesterday I found two good sites, this one, with a lot of nice working sheets, and this one were they can practice online, if you don't pay you can only make one exercise a day, but I consider it enough.
And there is also the working sheets I made myself, so we had our time this morning, and I measure the time (which I have never done before), and I realize we have 50 minutes of concentration con activities, which quite good and good information too for planing activities.

Have a good week all of you.

{this moment}

A SouleMama friday ritual.

Eco birthday

So I didn't really try it, but it seams that my mother's birthday gift turn out very eco-friendly.

It's a pair of vintage Corelle plates, and a mini tote for her cell phone with my son's picture on it.

Wrapped in a bag that she won't trow away.

(Pictures are awful, I haven't find my camera's charger, hope to get better ones tomorrow)

What is Spoonflower?

Spoonflower is a site where you can print whatever you want on fabric.

You can also share you fabric designs.

 Or even sell them and have little comision.

This is how I put my kid photo in a gift for my mother.

You can chose the fabric you want yours or others designs printed (organic cotton, linen and more).

There is also design contests where you can win store credit and a flickr group.

 

It's so much fun!

Sewing birthday gifts

June is full with family birthdays, so I prepared myself ordering from Spoonflower this fabric with my babe picture on it.

I like challenges when it comes to sewing, to make my best to fulfil specific needs. So my mom needed a cell case, because in the one she has right now she put hear earphones too, but scratch the screen, so I made an external pocket for it.

She likes zippers, I avoid then, because I'm not good at sewing whit them, but I this one end up good.

It also has a hidden strap to carry it as a mini purse so she can have it around the house.

I also add my Chicobag hook because my mom love hooks.

 I also made a butterfly tote and a baby sling for my cousin birthday but my camera did not have batteries.