Blog tour alert: The Crafter’s Guide to Taking Great Photos is published in the US by Interweave and in Australia by Murdoch. The author is Aussie girl Heidi Adnum who has her own Etsy shop and knows how to take a great product photo to sell her wares. She wrote a series on the Storque a while ago explaining how to take photos for Etsy and just like that she has now written has a book. Yay for her! And yay for crafters!

Taking great photos is really essential for a craft/design blog — as visual people we are drawn to images so it is important as a craft/design blogger that your images are good. But if you are trying to sell your product either on Etsy or via your own website then your images have to be better than good. They have to be clear and bright, they have to tell a story and draw people in — they have to be desirable!

Heidi is a photographer and crafter and etsy seller and offers fellow crafters some of her back-to-basics style advice. Her advice is simple and practical for the home DIY photographer. And the examples throughout the book all come from fellow bloggers and craftspeople.

She starts off with the basics, perfect for photography newbies — light, using it and making the most of it, the book then goes through the other basic areas of photography (aperture, shutter, colour, choosing a camera), before moving on to beyond the basics — like telling a story with your image through composition, props, styling, background etc.

Yes there are some diy tutorials to make a light tent and tripod and other photography equipment. Then each chapter of the book is dedicated to a particular craft — so all crafters are catered for!

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I am excited to bring on this year, not that I want to rush into it, no, I just am glad it’s here.

This coming year for me is going to bring a few new challenges, projects and preparation — more on those aspects later in the year, but for now I want to tell you about a few things that I have been into lately, things that reenergise me and that inspire me and that you too can participate in. 

I am now on Instagram @whipup - huh! how did that happen – I know … another thing to get addicted to. But there you have it … it’s fun — what can I say!

[you can view my images in a few ways: followgram or webstagram or at instagram] [ps. That crochet there is the beginnings of a Scrappy steps afghan (it's Chawnes fault), you can grab the pattern here and watch the how-to videos here.]

Do you twitter? I do and you can follow me here: Twitter @whipup : but I what I want to talk about are the chat groups on twitter – the crafty chat groups on all sorts of topics, they are helpful, fun and energising. There is one in particular that is at a convenient time for me and on a topic that I am immersed in at the moment #talknt is all about quilt talk, it is hosted by @caraquilts and is on somewhere between tuesday night (US time) and wednesday midday (Au time) depending upon your time zone. There is a sponsor each week which is always fun, but more importantly about 50 other quilting enthusiasts join in.

There are many crafty twitter chats and parties … which ones do you host or participate in – I would love to know! Do you know of any yarn/knitting/crochet twitter chats? Here are the few that I know about:

• #talknt is a weekly quilting chat hosted by @caraquilts
• #CraftSocial is a monthly chat with a changing topic each time, it is co-hosted by @penguintrax and @sisterdiane. The next one is February 14th from 2-3pm EST and the topic is polymer clay.
• #crafterminds is a twice weekly craft/business chat (Monday at 4pm EST and 8pm EST) hosted by one Crafterminds.
• #CraftChat is hosted by Craft Critique and is held every Wednesday at 1pm CST. A list of topics for the month is posted on the blog.
• #omhg is hosted by @ohmyhandmade. They meet every Thursday from 1-2EST to chat about a monthly theme usually to do with building your business or improving your skills.

What is a twitter chat? A tweet chat or party is an organized group conversation which discusses a specific topic, it makes use of a hashtag (#) so everyone can participate. The chats are hosted by people with an interest in a topic and often pose questions to the group to build up a dialogue.

How to join in on a twitter chat: I use either my iphone or TweetDeck or TweetChat and then just search for the hashtag that the chat is using to keep track of and join in to the conversation – it is pretty easy but does take a bit to get used to the speed that conversation goes at sometimes.

——–

This Week I introduced a new series coming up over the next month here on whipup — and it is about my book  Little Bits Quilting Bee and pre-cut fabric: I’ll be discussing which fabrics you can use to make the quilts in my book and will be showcasing a few of the quilts. I was inspired by Weeks Ringle who has been showing the quilts from her latest book on her blog and discussing the design decisions behind each one.

In last weeks newsletter I introduced you to some dinner ideas – this week I am going introduce you to chocolate sheet cake: — inspired by this but using this recipe – chewy and fudgy at the same time – an instant winner!

And this week at whipup we had some guest posts: Baroque punk embroidery :: Valentines bracelets :: Mushroom love brooch.

I am reading… 

• The big book of small business is written by a fellow Australian Andrew Griffiths (published by Allen and Unwin) — it claims to be the ‘Silver bullet to give you a competitive edge’, I am not sure there is such a thing — hard work, dedication, building relationships, creativity — those are the silver bullets. However it does have thoughtful, practical and useful guidance  – a checklist for success, and it does help you to ask yourself some hard questions. I am gladdened to read that I am on the right path … it is good to know when to stand firm and when to make changes … some valuable advice.
• Graham Leslie McCallum has a useful series of books featuring various motifs: Flower & Plant Motifs,  Pattern Motifs, Art Deco Motifs and Japanese Motifs. These books include a CD of motifs and which can be manipulated and adapted for your own projects.
• Sweat Shop Paris: Lessons in Couture from the Sewing Cafe by Martena Duss and Sissi Holleis (published by Andrews McMeel Publishing 2011). This indie style sewing book is written by the gang from the Paris based social sewing shop: ‘Sweat Shop’, it’s a cafe — a social sewing drop-in centre. The designs featured in the book are unusual and unique, hippy and punk and rock n roll diy — utilising refashioning and deconstruction, knitting and crossstitch, beading, glueing and stitching techniques to make a variety of hip and fashionable clothing and accessories as well as a bunch of playful things too.

[Thanks to publishers and distributors for sending me books to review, I don't get paid to post reviews but I am an amazon affiliate] (Australian’s can purchase craft books online through can do books or booktopia or else browse booko for the best prices.)

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Marie LeBaron is a mother of 3 living in the Pacific Northwest. Always having a love of crafts, she enjoys getting messy with glue and glitter. There’s always some sort of project going on, her kitchen counter is often cluttered with crafts. When she’s not crafting and creating with her kids, she loves to run, read, and blog! She is the founder/editor of the blog Makes and Takes and has written a book Make and Takes for Kids (published by Wiley 2011).

I’m happy to be sharing a fun kids craft here at Whip Up. This site has been one of my favorite places to visit for a long time.

Today I’m showing how to make a fun foam heart bracelet. This project is from my recently published book, Make and Takes for Kids, that came out last fall. These festive bracelets are the perfect craft to make for Valentine’s day. Craft up a few for friends to share during this holiday of love.

Supplies:

• Craft foam sheets in red, pink, and/or white
• 9–10″ of yarn, any color
• Hole punch
• Scissors
• Tape (optional)
• Rhinestone stickers (optional)
• Glitter glue (optional)

1. Using your scissors, cut out 6–7 small 1 × 1″ (2.5 cm) hearts from the craft foam sheets. You will need 6–7 hearts per child, although the length of the bracelet may vary
for each child.

2. Use your hole punch to make 2 holes in each heart. You may have to press hard with your hole punch to get through the craft foam.

3. Wrap a small piece of tape around one end of your piece of yarn to help with lacing each heart and to prevent the yarn from fraying.

4. Lace the yarn through the foam hearts, weaving in and out of each hole. Lace up as many hearts as you need to fit the bracelet around your child’s wrist.

5. Once all the hearts are on the yarn, tie the two ends of the yarn together in a knot and trim the ends. Make sure you tie the bracelet so that it is big enough for your child to take on and off easily.Similar Posts:

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Lark Craft’s upcoming book Heart-Felt Holidays: 40 Festive Felt Projects to Celebrate the Seasons is the follow-up to Fa La La La Felt. The book comes out in April, but Lark Crafts are starting the fun early by offering this Mushroom love brooch project by Lisa Jordan.

Mushroom love brooch project by Lisa Jordan

What You Need

• Templates – see image below
• Basic sewing supplies (needle, thread, thimble etc)
• Turquoise, white, yellow, and red felted garment wool or wool felt, Plus dark gray felt (optional, see Tip)
• White, red, turquoise, and yellow embroidery floss
• Pin/brooch back
• Fabric glue (optional)

What you need to do:

• ONE: Using the templates provided, cut one small heart from the turquoise felt, one medium heart from the white felt, and one large heart from the yellow felt. Cut an additional large heart from the dark gray felt, and set aside. Use the templates to cut the two small half-circles from the red felt for the mushroom caps and the V shape from the white felt for the mushroom stems.

• Tip: To simplify, cut the second large heart shape, which will be the brooch back, from the yellow felt instead of dark gray.

• TWO: Using the photo for reference, position the mushroom stems on the turquoise heart, and whipstitch them in place with a single strand of the white floss. Add a few small running stitches down the center of the V to help define the two stems. Use one strand of the red floss to whipstitch a red mushroom cap on top of each stem.

• THREE: Thread your needle with two strands of white embroidery floss and add a few decorative French knots to the mushroom caps.

• FOUR: Stack the turquoise heart on top of the white heart, and stitch them together using the whipstitch and three strands of the turquoise floss. Then stitch this stack of hearts onto the large yellow heart, using three strands of red floss and the running stitch. Set aside.

• FIVE: Sew a pin back to the felt backing piece. (If you like, you can cover the base of the pin back with a small felt heart.) Then position the heart stack on the backing, tacking it in place with the fabric glue if desired. Begin sewing the stack to the backing using a blanket stitch and three strands of the yellow embroidery floss. Stitch around the entire piece, hiding the knot beneath the stitches.

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This week is the last week before my big baby starts high school (year 7). It is a huge milestone and we are all pretty happy about it. My daughter is pretty darn excited to be leaving primary school behind — she is keen to take up new challenges, make new friends and try new things. It is a new year and a fresh start and we have a few of our own challenges to face this year – as I am sure you do too.

In last weeks newsletter post I promised you the result to the survey which I asked whipup readers to fill in – thank you all – over 1300 folks filled in the survey and the results can be seen here.

Also last week I discussed using bi-carb and vinegar in place of shampoo for washing hair: I have been experimenting with using homemade hair powder in between washes to keep your hair looking fresh – I have been sprinkling bi-carb powder on my hair and then massaging and brushing it through (works wonders), but readymade has a recipe for a natural scented powder which looks kinda cool, also I hear you can use talcum powder too (just not too much unless you want grey hair).

Whats for dinner tonight? I am quite addicted to taste spotting and food gawker websites for leading me to some new and delicious blogs. This is comfort food week in our house: tonight we are having pea and ham soup, tomorrow night is curry night and I am making Butter chicken and Mung bean dal (also known as moong dal), then wednesday night is bolognese night (also known as ragù alla bolognese), thursday mmm it gets a little fuzzy on thursday so I searched for ‘comfort food‘ and had an array of choices in front of me … the rest of the week it will be braised brisket, garlic soup with egg and Mexican meatball soup. Unless of course the weather turns hot again and in which case its back to chicken schnitzel and salad. (Images above)

Now onto other things…

• At whipup this week we had an interesting guest post (language warning) from Chawne from completely couchy, she discussed her use of crass words on quilts, and received a mixed reaction. She wrote a follow up post on her blog about the more controversial quilt and I wrote a follow up post about some of the issues brought up in the comments too.
• Also this week at whipup: Creative organisation plus 5 ways to organise your kids : Guest post – convection mittens tutorial and pattern :: Guest post – seaweed soap tutorial ::  A back to school lunch sack tutorial.
• Lovely links…
• Stylish granny stripe blanket :: how-to crochet a granny ripple blanket :: wrapped yarn bottles :: recycled paper basket :: flower squares crochet pattern :: sewing pillows :: sewing boys undies (all found via pinterest – view my boards here for more inspiration)

I am reading…

• Hello My Name is Amineko: The Story of a Crafty Crochet Cat by Nekoyama, published by Creative Publishing international; Reprint edition (September 1, 2010): Amineko make his/her debut on the crafting scene many years ago when the author published a tutorial and wrote a craft book in Japanese. More pics on Ravelry. So needless to say I was pretty excited that she has written a craft book in English, republished the pattern to make Amineko along with a bunch of cute crochet cat accessories. Cat lovers and crochet lovers – be prepared for a new addiction!
• 55 Christmas Balls to Knit by Arne & Carlos and published by Trafalgar Square Books (July 1, 2011). Who are Arne & Carlos? This pair of talented knitters and designers have written a wonderful book for knitted traditional christmas balls – you might need to get started now so you can make a few in time for next year. Here is another lovely video by these guys.
• The Heart of Simple Living: 7 Paths to a Better Life by Wanda Urbanska, published by Krause Publications (May 11, 2010). Wanda has for many years hosted a tv show titled Simple Living – and if you are in the USA you can stream past episodes here or you can check out some episodes via youtube. I finding this book to be interesting reading and quite in tune with how I am feeling about slowing and down and simplifying my life. She is a big advocate for frugality, home cooking and the less is more mentality.

[Thanks to publishers and distributors for sending me books to review, I don't get paid to post reviews but I am an amazon affiliate] (Australian’s can purchase craft books online through can do books or booktopia or else browse booko for the best prices.)

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It is 2 weeks until the end of our long summer school holiday break (I live in Australia in case you were not sure), and we have had a really busy and good break, usually around this time we are all pulling our hair out — can’t wait to get started on the school year — but this year it has been different, we have had, along with plenty of activities, some quiet time, time to reflect and be on our own, we have had time to work on projects, time to just chillax (in teen speak) and time to have some together-ness type fun. And despite not getting to the beach this summer we have had a really chilled out time.

The last couple of weeks of the school holidays we’ll be spending doing some projects, watching movies, going for bike rides and heading to the pool – swimming laps has been our summer recreation and we are all a little better for it. I think our summer of relaxin’ is due to my new direction of taking things easy – slowly – mindfully – intentionally – peacefully. Hoping it keeps going this way.

• This past week on whipup has been extra good. You may have seen a tutorial to make a washable lunch bag :: some links to help organise your kids activities :: a guest post on making seaweed soap :: and another guest post on a sewing apparel challenge :: as well as my new interest in pinterest.
• SOPA and PIPA were dropped by Congress this week thanks to the largest online protest in history.  On January 18th, 13 million people took the time to tell Congress to protect free speech rights on the internet. Hundreds of millions, maybe a billion, people all around the world saw the protest last Wednesday.  See the amazing numbers here and tell everyone what you did. Tweet with us, shout on the internet with us, let’s celebrate: Round of applause to the 13 million people who stood up.
• And thank you everyone for filling out my demographics survey – over 1000 have completed the survey so far – its not too late if you have not done it yet and it only takes 5 minutes – and I will posting the results on monday.

More crafty discoveries to keep you busy …

• Making fabric from paper
• How to dye with bleach
• Love Betz White’s handbag from neckties
• I love me some plarn
• Love this crochet elephant baby hat (on etsy) (pictured)
• This granny square design is cute – and the blanket is fantastic. (pictured)
• And these 5 minute crochet hearts are too too sweet (pictured)
• Love the granny a day project  by crafty minx
• I have been playing with Kuler colour
• Anne Weil has a new knitting pattern out for a lovely ribbed hat
• Shannon Cook has a new cowl knitting pattern out 
• Loving Helen’s felt fortune cookies - perfect for valentines day
• Alicia’s counted cross stitch tutorial part 1 is here
• Am loving the peaks at Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr’s new quilt book – this one especially.

• Beautiful Botanicals: 45 Applique Flowers & 14 Quilt Projects. By Deborah Kemball. Published by C&T Publishing (April 16, 2011).: If you love applique and applique flowers in particular then you will love this book. It is unique and inventive and has a lot of tips for technique – not just applique but some really neat methods for borders and foundation piecing.
• I am enjoying River Camp Knits pattern book for Rowan by Amy Butler — Since that first knitwear collection for Rowan she has produced two more collections – I haven’t seen the patterns in the flesh so to speak but I do love Amy’s style and so I am sure I would love them too. Colourful and simple but with flair and interest.
• Little Artists Handmade by Carly Schwerdt and published by Penguin Australia (2011), is much like her blog Moopy and Me — colourful, clever and quirky, featuring lots of handprinted fabrics and kids artwork. The book is divided into two sections – projects for kids (aimed at preschool aged kids and requiring adult help) to make and projects for adults to make from the kids finished artworks.

[Thanks to publishers and distributors for sending me books to review, I don't get paid to post reviews but I am an amazon affiliate]

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Last week I discussed my quest for taking things slowly this year … slowly is not about doin’ nothin’ – in fact quite the opposite. It is about intentional doing (and not doing). Instead of lazing about because you are uncertain about how to proceed with your day — do one important task and then take a break from life and read a book without guilt or anxiety; and instead of running to the shop for a quick fix meal because looking through the pantry and cooking something worthwhile is difficult — take 2 minutes to assess the ingredients on hand and make something simple; and instead of procrastinating on trying that new recipe/idea/project because you didn’t get around to researching it properly yet — make a list and tick one thing off every day. Intentional doing, does not have to be big or difficult – just purposeful.

For example – I have been washing my hair with bi-carb soda and rinsing in vinegar – yep – I have ditched shampoo in favour of something cheaper, easier and better for me and for the environment. However it took me a while to get to this point – I had to research and understand and then have a reason to do it and then I had to justify to myself. But really all I needed to do was just intentionally make a simple change. [There are lots of resources for how-to do this online - simple mom is a good place to start]

For example – for a long time I made my own laundry detergent. Again its easy and cheap and it works perfectly fine. But for some reason a few months ago, when I ran out, I got too busy to make up a new batch, so I bought some and then when that ran out I bought some more. And before you know it I was out of the habit, didn’t have time for this very simple half hour task once a month. Now I am back and realise why I love it so much. [You can google so many recipes - and can make a dry mix or a liquid mix]

Now onto other things:

• This past week at whipup I wrote a three part series on getting your craft book published – feel free to email me or comment with any questions you might have. Part 1 : Part 2 : Part 3.
• Also I would love for you to fill in my survey if you have not done so already – a couple of minutes of your time is all I ask – I’ll be posting the results next week.
• Make sure to go to wikipedia today and read more about PIPA and SOPA

And more cool things: 

• Make a seat sack 
• Make a rainbow spool rack
• Make some valentine paper dolls
• Make a mid-season quilt
• I love this t-shirt refashion
• I love these men’s shirt aprons [Pictured above]
• This jute table runner looks useful  [Pictured above]
• I love this linen dress
• Loving this blog
• I want to try crochet star stitch
• I like this blanket  [Pictured above]

• Shake the World: It’s Not About Finding a Job, It’s About Creating a Life, by James Marshall Reilly, published by Portfolio (December 29, 2011). Interesting and insightful book full of interesting real life stores about how people came to be where they are today – fascinating look into the journey of life.
• Disaster Was My God: A Novel of the Outlaw Life of Arthur Rimbaud, by Bruce Duffy, published by Doubleday & Profile books [distributed in Aus through Allen and Unwin]. I have always been a huge fan of Rimbaud’s poetry so was very interested to read about his life. A true story written as a novel — full of awkward moments about a bizarre and brilliant man.
• Country Living Simple Country Wisdom: 501 Old-Fashioned Ideas to Simplify Your Life, by Susan Waggoner, published by Hearst (September 6, 2011), distributed in Aus through Capricorn link. I do love these sorts of books, a combination of tips and tricks about organising, reusing, eco living, simple decor etc .. and lovely photos and peaks into people’s homes and lives.

[Thanks to publishers and distributors for sending me books to review, I don't get paid to post reviews but I am an amazon affiliate]

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Annie Burnside discusses her book Soul to Soul Parenting: A Guide to Raising a Spiritually Conscious Family (Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing 2010), and is offering a copy to a lucky whipup.net reader.

1) Tell us a little bit about why you decided to write Soul to Soul Parenting. Why “Soul to Soul”?

Soul to Soul Parenting seeks to move beyond the physical realm to understand the child from an energetic perspective, too. The human body is seen as only one aspect of the child’s totality as an eternal, infinite spiritual being on one leg of his/her journey. From this widened vantage point, everything is different—there is a core belief that there is so much more to the child and all of life than what meets the eye, and the parent becomes willing to allow that larger perspective in regards to life choices, priorities, thoughts, words and deeds. In other words, in Soul to Soul relationships, one feels for the underlying texture of all that occurs rather than simply the rational, socially acceptable aspect of life. We all simply desire to be fully seen, heard and acknowledged. The Soul to Soul Perspective invites parents and children to shift their focus on the external world almost exclusively to a deeper intimacy with their own soul. Greater intimacy with our own soul creates a conscious perception of who we really are as spirit-embodied. Ultimately, this shift in core belief will internally ignite true self-esteem and simultaneously change our world.

2) In your book you write about a “universal soul language”. Can you tell us more about what this is?

There is a growing belief in the world today that enlightenment is very possible for all who deeply desire it. Publicly discussing spiritual development and matters of the soul continues to accelerate at tremendous speed and conscious parenting is on the rise because more and more parents themselves are becoming self-aware and honoring their authenticity. Due to the joy, freedom and empowerment derived from such interior knowing, they desire, above all else, for their childrens self-realization and comfortability within their own skin. Many parents are seeing that the family unit offers a magnificent opportunity for personal growth in both the parent and the child simultaneously. We are mirrors for one another, and parents are beginning to utilize family relationships as the gift that they truly are as we move into wholeness. Parents desire a safe place for children to work through challenges and release negative emotions as they occur rather than stuff down, deny or save for later creating a tremendous amount of unnecessary baggage and psychic debris. Instead there is a growing shift to live true as soon as possible so that children can get on with what they came here to offer the world in their own special way. Essentially, as parents become more conscious, they cannot help but desire that for their children. The grandest hope for their children is not that they fill their lives with endless accomplishments that require a total focus on doing, but rather that they come to know themselves experientially as a unique part of the divine whole through an increasing number of moments of pure being—illumination.

3) Why is parenting our kids to live consciously important? How do your own children feel about your parenting as they get older? Has there ever been any resistance? 

We officially began Soul to Soul Parenting in our home when our children were ages 8, 7 and 4, extremely receptive ages to begin. That having been said, it is never too late to lead the family into deeper contemplation of life in your own way. Our children understand that this is simply part of what we share together as a family, but as with anything worth doing, it doesn’t come without its challenges. Yes, there is some eye-rolling every now and then now that they are teens, but it is our deep understanding that once they move through the necessary move towards independence, by the time they are adults, a model of conscious spirit-embodiment will be the best of what we offered our children. Gone are the days for most where spiritual contemplation takes place in solitude on a mountaintop. We are a modern family leading a very busy life. As you understand the importance of allowing each individual family member to live authentically and follow their passions, a great deal of balance is needed within the family requiring daily reminders and discussions. Also, the more transparent you become, the more you bump up against one another because emotions are no longer stuffed down or denied or saved for later. So a conscious family is definitely not about peace at all costs, but rather utilizes the safety of the family to process all kinds of emotions as they come up so that individuals do not acquire “psychic debris” that will eventually have to be dealt with…

4) What are your guiding principles for Soul to Soul parenting? Are there particular elements that you recommend?

The following ten tips may be useful for parents to post somewhere as a reminder of the guiding principles of Soul to Soul Parenting:

1. Utilize everyday life—such as friendships, nature, mealtimes, music, movies, and much more—as the perfect curriculum and forum to teach your children powerful, universal principles such as connectedness, self-love, presence, and forgiveness.
2. Teach your children to allow multiple perspectives in all life situations and relationships by “flipping” challenges into positive, learning opportunities.
3. Train your children to be more conscious of thoughts, words, and deeds so that they can assume greater responsibility for the shaping of their own reality.
4. Encourage compassion, empathy and gratitude in your children on a daily basis by making them the most-used words in your home.
5. Turn the JOY in family life way up by singing, dancing, smiling, humming, laughing, and relaxing rigid perspectives as often as possible through openness and gratitude.
6. Model authenticity through speaking and living your truth , giving your children permission to do the same.
7. Show your spirit daily so that your children can witness multiple aspects of you, and in turn, see multiple aspects in themselves.
8. Teach your children that they are intuitive, creative, eternal spiritual beings—much larger than simply their physical form—and filled with infinite possibility and the capacity for direct divine connection.
9. Assist your children in understanding that an appreciation for life in the present moment, coupled with enthusiasm for their future, plants the necessary seeds for manifesting their true heart’s desires.
10. Provide the space and opportunity for your children to focus on their interior world as much as the exterior world, allowing greater intimacy with the voice of their own soul to feel what resonates as truth for them.

5) For readers whose children haven’t been exposed, in the soul to soul sense, to spiritual beliefs or thinking, and their kids are no longer little ones, is it ever too late to begin the process? 

It is NEVER too late to begin a process of personal growth! The book is entirely based on what we have put in place in our own life to offer personal development and expanded spiritual awareness to our children so that they can utilize right now their capacity to lead a conscious and fulfilling life. We did not want them to have to wait for a tragedy or a disappointment to awaken them. Inner work must become a top-priority. Our children are slowly coming to understand that they are responsible for their own reality. They must on the front-end be accountable for thoughts, words, deeds, priorities, choices, beliefs, health, etc. by perceiving themselves as captains of their own ship. Along with that, they can be taught ways to navigate challenges as they occur. This work is ongoing and simultaneous for both the parent and the child—a continual balance of inner and outer pursuits. If there is healing that needs to be done within a child, do not wait! Help them to become clear NOW through any means that feel like a fit—animal therapy, art therapy, water therapy, yoga, meditation, journaling, counseling, channeling, intuitive reading—there is much insight available if one is willing to look both within themselves and outside-of-the-box externally, as well. Once life-affirming themes such as self-love, authenticity, and oneness have been introduced then they can be woven into all aspects of life—friendships, disappointments and choices—to offer an expanded perspective in everyday life.We must help our children to heal so that they can offer their highest potential to the world.

A modern bridge between the mainstream and the mystical, Annie Burnside, M.Ed. is a soul nurturer specializing in conscious relationships and spiritual development. Her first book, Soul to Soul Parenting, won the 2011 Nautilus Silver Book Award and the 2011 Independent Book Award.

If you have enjoyed reading about Soul to soul parenting and are interesting in learning more – grab your copy of Soul to Soul Parenting here, and Annie is also offering a copy to a whipup.net reader, so please leave a comment here to be in the running. You have 48 hours to enter. The winner will be chosen at random and notified via email and announced here on the blog. Thanks so much for reading. 

This competition is now closed – the winner was #9 Sharon. I have emailed you with the details, if you don’t received the email please get in touch with me.

Thanks everyone and thank you Annie!Similar Posts:

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Of course you will getting my quilt book: Little Bits Quilting Bee for all your friends for Christmas these holidays – right! You should — it’s a fabulous book (if I say so myself!).

Other books you might just love to buy for yourself, for friends or to tell your friends to get you this year are:

Quilting: Quilts made modern The originals || Fresh Quilting Colourful || Quilting from little things New combinations.

Other sewing: Sew wild Freedom || I am cute dresses – floaty fashion || Sewing for boys Practical and stylish.

Knitting: Finishing school: A master class for knitters Not for beginners || Little red in the city Ysolda Teague – Innovative || 55 Christmas balls to knit by Arne & Carlos — fun traditions || Fleece and Fiber source book. Detailed!

Crochet: The best of Interweave crochet – crochet sweater I plan to make || AUSTENtatious Crochet Romantic || Contemporary crochet Modern fashion.

Book/paper crafts: Adventures in bookbinding Artistic || At home with handmade books Sweet || Paper cutting Innovative.

Misc crafts: Crafting with cat hair – Quirky! || Field guide to fabric design from our favourite fabric blog || Hand printing from nature Sweet || Sew la tea do Eclectic || Craft Activism. Get involved.Similar Posts:

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In our house books are an incredibly important part of our lives. We all read books and we have books shelves full of books, but we also love to have family novel time, where we read aloud to each other in the evenings instead of watching television.

When we went camping recently we read aloud  Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (first published in 1883), the language used is old fashioned and we had to stop numerous times to discuss/guess at the meaning of certain words and phrases, nevertheless we were all fascinated and loved this book – its a rollicking pirate adventure. In the past we have read the Harry Potter series, The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry (one of our favourite books of last year) and The borrowers series (this was my favourite book as a child so am very pleased my kids love it now too!).

Reading aloud to kids is a great way to introduce them to books that they might not be up to reading by themselves yet (and are also really interesting for the adults to read and listen to too), and also to give them the confidence to read it themselves afterwards. My kids are always keen to go off and read our family novels more than once!

Our favourite books this year for the 7 and over age group:

 How to train your dragon is a wonderful series of books – suitable for early readers and boys and everyone who loves a funny book about dragons and tricksters. My kids (age 9 + 11 respectively) took this series away with us when we went camping for a month recently and they read the whole series in tandem with each other – they both loved it!

 The Septimus Heap series (there are 6 books so far – I think the next one is the last one – due to be published next year), is a another series of books that both my kids have loved and read this past year. We read the first two in the series aloud then they took over and grabbed them and read them late into the night by themselves. Books full of magic, dragons, heroes etc … you get the idea. Lots of fun.

 The Artemis Fowl series (by Eoin Colfer) is a much loved read and re-read book by my 9 year old son. He has finally persuaded us to include it in our read aloud sessions and we are all enjoying it now too – a boy hero (who is a bit dastardly mixed with magic and adventure – you can’t go wrong!)

Recent-ish books discovered this year include: The tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo, Gladiator by Simon Scarrow (the first of a new series for young readers) and When you reach me by Rebecca Stead a book that my 11 year old daughter really enjoyed.

Classics which we have revisted this year and which the kids have discovered by themselves include: The Witches by Roald Dahl and Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White both suitable for all ages and Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O’Brien (suitable for older kids who are into sci-fi).

So I urge you to read aloud to your kids – no matter what their age – don’t stop reading to them just because they know how to read. Keep reading – it is not only a relaxing and fun bonding family time together, but a great way to expand vocabulary, understanding and broaden everyone’s literature horizons.Similar Posts:

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