Amazing Giveaways!

There are some amazing giveaways happening!

1. Here is an amazing puzzle giveaway with Donni at The Magic Onions blogspot. After entering, be sure to stop by their shops to see what beautiful creations they have to offer. Donni's Etsy shop is Fairyfolk and Jeannette's puzzle shop is Puzzled

2. Another sweet giveaway is being offered by Jen and Jane with Sewnnatural...be sure to check out her blog Sweet Greens to enter!

Let's Go Sledding!

Here is our sled trail...it's about 800 feet long and oh so fun!

An interview with...us!

Greetings! We are BirchLeaf Designs - a small family of folks near the Yellow Dog River in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We live off the grid...making handcrafted, natural playthings that inspire imaginations using wood, silk and felted wool. We live, work, homeschool, create, love and play nestled amongst the Hemlocks.

We like to reclaim wood and other pieces parts to make quality playthings for children. We are known to use recycled/upcycled materials like cereal boxes for the flower presses or wood cut offs from other projects; materials found in nature (like birchbark or acorn tops); and during a dying session, we use nontoxic dyes and keep water use to a minimum...with no "running" water, every drop counts!

We currently sell natural, whimsical wood and fabric playthings (like teething rings, bug boxes, flower presses, swords, playsilks and playclips to name a few). Our most popular items include our playsilks, swords, and bugboxes.

We are always looking for ways to improve our products! Comments and suggestions are welcomed! We also do custom orders...is there a product that you would like to see us make? We are open to ideas and challenges!

We work to live simple...off the grid, solar power, solar water pump, wood heat, bees (!) and in return for our work, we get to enjoy those simple gifts...maple syrup, honey, nature...sweet love, sweet life!

Climate Change ACTION Day - October 24, 2009! Do your part so we don't have to depart.

We just attended a conference called the Great Lakes Bioneers Conference. Wow! is what we have to say about it! It was so amazing to get together with a bunch of loving, caring folks. A meeting of the minds, a place to gather to ready ourselves to get down to business and do something about our current state of affairs. We are all fired up!
http://www.glbconference.org

One major issue is that of Climate Change. This issue is so important because if we continue doing what we do without changing how we do things...we will all become extinct! Yes, folks, EXTINCT, like the dinosaurs. We need to reduce our CO2 emissions in our atmosphere to below 350ppm (parts per million)

So what are we waiting for? Let's do something about it! Here is one day that you will for sure want to mark on your calendar:

October 24 is the Global Day of Climate Change! We need to change how we do things NOW or we will not be here to fix the damage. For more information and ways to get involved please, please visit

http://www.350.org/understanding-350#2
http://www.Powershift09.org
http://www.Realclimate.org

*FREE SONGS* by great musicians to help you "Get Down with 350!"
http://www.350.org/350-songs-planet

CPSC *loves* Mattel...this makes me ill.

The foxes are guarding the hen house! Please read the latest going ons with the CPSC and Mattel...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090827/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_product_test

Rick Woldenberg, Chairman of Learning Resources Inc put it so nicely on his blog:
http://learningresourcesinc.blogspot.com/2009/08/cpsia-rich-irony-courtesy-of-cpsc.html

Modern Handmade Child is here! Made by EtsyKids Street Team...

Open publication - Free publishing - More kids

An Incredible Community that Cares

I have tears streaming from my eyes...tears of sadness for a mother who passed after childbirth and tears of joy for a babe who has many "mothers" now in the community, breastfeeding and loving him.

Here is an article about the Goodrich Family and the community of nursing mothers:
http://www.miningjournal.net/page/content.detail/id/524498.html

Here is a link to a project created by Ina May Gaskin...a project to honor all mothers who have died from childbirth. It's called the "Safe Motherhood Quilt Project"
http://rememberthemothers.net/

Here also, is a link to a blog post for Susan's quilt square:
http://snipandsnail.blogspot.com/2009/05/safe-motherhood-quilt-project.html