A Little Sunshine

Thought this would be a nice pick-me-up on a rainy, snowy, sleety Monday.

Cheers!--Janyce

Another day, another breakfast

As much as I would like to eat Sourdough pancakes for breakfast every morning- Sometimes I mix it up and have.... Sourdough waffles. The recipe is basically the same just add 1 more Tbsp of water to make the batter slightly thinner.
Preheat waffle maker-add 3/8 of a cup of batter- cook until very little steam is coming out and the waffle is a lovely brown.
Makes approx. 5 waffles (these freeze really well too)

Aurora Shoe Company

We have a unique opportunity to hook up with Aurora Shoe Company from King Ferry, NY. They're being featured as Soule Mama's sponsor from now until March 31, 2011. Purchase a pair of shoes during this time period and you'll also receive a $20 gift certificate to use in our shop.

The Aurora Shoe Company was founded on the idea that a good pair of shoes should be made well and fit comfortably. They use American made materials and assemble all their shoes in house and by hand. The Aurora Shoe Company's simple leather shoes are timeless in style and universal in their appeal.

You may also win a chance to receive a free pair of shoes by leaving a comment on Soule Mama's website. Comments for the giveaway close on Sunday, Feb 27, 2011 by 8pm EST.

Is it Spring yet?

Even though we are supposed to get more snow today I keep catching myself daydreaming about spring and gardening. Getting my seeds in the mail just makes it worse.

Women Work and Community: New Ventures

I was invited to speak at Maine Centers for Women, Work and Community's Bangor Center on Thursday. I'm a big fan of WWC, having participated in many of their free workshops. I participated in and graduated from New Ventures in the spring of 2005 and spoke to the current New Ventures applicants about my experiences. New Ventures is a 12 week course that takes you, step-by-step, through the process of researching and writing a business plan. The information I learned through New Ventures laid the groundwork for my understanding of entrepreneurship (and how I fit into that world) and continues to inform my approach to business today.

Maine Centers for Women, Work and Community offers free workshops and New Ventures classes throughout the state.

Along with New Ventures (which starts February 24 and is filled), the Bangor Center is also offering the following workshops this spring:

Financing Your Future: Make the Most of Your Money
Wednesdays, 5 Sessions
9:30am - 12:30pm
April 20 - May 18

Financial Fitness for Women
Saturday April 2
9:00am - 1:30pm

All services are confidential and offered at no fee. Pre-registration is required. 1 University Drive, Bangor Hall, Bangor, ME 04401-4331. 207.262.7840 or toll free in Maine 1.800.442.2092.

For more information about these and other workshops (offered state-wide), please visit WWC's website and check out their Class Schedule.

Cheers!--Janyce

Breakfast

Sourdough pancakes- my favorite breakfast cooked up on my great-grandmothers cast iron skillet.

Sourdough Pancake Recipe
2 cups sourdough starter
1 egg
2 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 Tbsp warm water

Mix together
Ladle approx. 1/2 cup on medium high griddle.

Winter projects

This winter during our "slow" time (that is to say less crazy time) we've been working on giving our studio a facelift. We try to be green not just with our products but with our business practices as well. And so when we picked new paint we decided to go with milk paint. We can't wait to make our studio nice and bright with a coat of white.

Cure for Cabin Fever

Daydreaming about spring and summer!

A Simple Life

This Etsy Maine Team treasury celebrates Maine's artisans and simple life.

Sunday dinner

Let me start off by saying I'm a huge advocate of local food. I happily brave snow and cold to attend my local farmers market. I spend my winter working my way through a 100lb bag of potatoes without complaint. But as spring draws closer my taste buds crave something a little more exotic. So I bought non-local ginger, scallions, and napa cabbage and set about the time consuming but worth while task of making steamed dumplings. Many hours later with wrappers rolled, veggies minced, and edges crimped
my taste buds woke up.

-Christina

Madder Root Seconds

Every Friday, we list "seconds" in our shop. Our tea towels and napkins are hand printed, so, sometimes, the image we are printing comes out a little lighter than we like. Sometimes, small pinhole sized dots open up on the screen and the ink leaks through in places we don't want it. Occasionally, the linen might have dark lines of flax in the fabric we find distracting or the linen itself may have a spot of dirt on it that disqualifies it from being a "first."

We keep our standards high. Everything else about the tea towel or napkin is first rate (the sewing and packaging), but we set these products aside and offer them to you at a discount on Fridays. Any blemishes on the tea towels or napkins are noted in the description.

To find these products, look for the "Seconds" section of our shop.

Also, a reminder that facebook friends may use their coupon code this month to receive a 10% discount on their entire Madder Root order. To sign up to become a facebook fan and find the coupon code, please click here.

New Tea Towel Design: Mason Jars

We love everything kitchen, so we thought we'd add mason jars to our collection this year. They're up in our Etsy shop and ready to be enjoyed!

UMaine Alumni Online Auction

Our Mussels kitchen set of two tea towels and four matching napkins is just one of the many items up for bid to benefit UMaine Alumni Association. This set has a value of $65 and bidding starts at $23. We'd tell you that you can also pick from Black Dinah chocolates, but we want those for ourselves (mwaaahaahaa). Other cool items include jewelry, baskets, trips, natural pet treats and more! The bidding started February 15 and goes through March 31, 2011. Hope you will join in the fun! For more information about the UMaine Alumni Auction, click here.

Dirt! The Movie

In all seriousness, I highly recommend you watch Dirt! The Movie. It will change the way you view dirt. I particularly love the hummingbird story told by Wangari Maathai. The Dirt website has tips on what you can do to save the dirt in your area. I've ordered the book from the library. Can't wait to read it!

Cheers!--Janyce