Winter Walk :: a Handmade Winter Book Tour

Here in Chicago it’s been cold…really cold. And to add to that we have all had colds – nothing big, just your normal winter coughing and fever-type thing. So needless to say our time outside has been limited. Extremely limited. We’re all just about climbing the walls – it’s true.

So last weekend, when it was clear we were all finally on the mend, I decided it was time to venture out of the house for a walk. To breathe in some invigorating (read: really cold) air and to let my little ones do the one thing they love perhaps all else – going on a nature walk. It doesn’t matter the season or the weather, if we are outdoors and are walking, it is immediately declared a nature walk.

Pockets and treasure bags come home full of leaves and seeds, sticks and feathers. One time they even unwittingly reenacted The Snowy Day with a bit of snow tucked into a pocket “So Daddy can see.” Later that day we had a teachable-moment science lesson in what happens when you bring cold snow into a warm house.

With all the snow around these parts, there isn’t much in the way of seeds or even sticks for my little ones to collect. But greenery – that is something that abounds! From decorations still left out post-holidays to the pine trees that hold tight to their color throughout the winter, it’s been fun trying to find as many different types of conifers as we can, and of course many samples have followed us home as well.

When the temperatures sank down again into unsafe-to-be-outdoors levels on Monday, I turned to my current favorite read, Handmade Winter. While it’s true that I did all the design and layout for the new eBook, I didn’t do any of the projects. So after months of just looking at them, it’s been such a treat to leisurely read through, trying recipes or crafts on a whim (and once my sewing space is clear, I plan on tackling a sewing project or two from the book as well!)

With pine-y treasures in hand, my littlest and I flipped to a page that’s captured me from the start – the Winter Walk Tiny Packages. It includes a sweet story of a special gift from a grandmother, and a lovely way to pass-it-on. We enjoyed spending time – just the two of us – making special prints with our pine branches.

He was so very focused as he pushed each one down into the soft dough, and delighted to discover the new impression each branch left behind.

It was the perfect project for a 2-year-old. It engaged his senses with the spicy scent of the pine and the citrus of the play dough (we used our recipe from Explore Scent – our hands-down favorite!) There was the softness of the dough and the different textures of the pine branches. And most important, there was that special time with mama – something a second (or third or fourth…) child doesn’t get as much of – at least not as much as our first one did at this age. It only lasted for about 10 minutes – after all, he is just 2, and there were things to be done and his big sister to be found! But it reminded me of the beauty of craft, how it can slow down time and open up a special place to connect, or reconnect, now that the hustle and bustle of the holidays are through. It was quiet and lovely.

Here is his final masterpiece – with a sprinkling of boxwood leaves for good measure!

If you would like your own copy of Handmade Winter (which I highly recommend) go ahead and click HERE for all the details and to purchase. This post is a part of a month-long Handmade Winter book tour, so be on the lookout at your favorite blogs to see what other projects have been done (we will also share them on our Facebook Page.) If you would like to review Handmade Winter, please contact me for details. Be warm, my friends!

The post Winter Walk :: a Handmade Winter Book Tour appeared first on Crafting Connections.