Hello!

I'm Amanda. Mama to four little ones - Calvin, Ezra, Adelaide and Harper - and partner to Steve (who shares his own words here from time to time!). We live near my much-loved hometown of Portland, Maine. There's lots of play, many visits to the beach, and in the best of moments - peace and creativity in our family of six. The other moments are filled with plenty of chaos and craziness, but we love those too. I started this blog in February of 2005 (the complete archives can be found here). After writing the blog for a bit, I began work on my first book, The Creative Family:  How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections, which was released in April of 2008 with Trumpeter Books/Shambhala Publications. My second book - Handmade Home: Simple Ways to Repurpose Old Materials into New Family Treasures - will be released in August of 2009. 

I love hearing from you! I read every comment and email that comes in, and do my best to reply to questions within the comments at the end of that day.  The words you share bring me such joy, encouragement and fun. And very often, they lift my spirits and make my day - and encourage me to keep writing and sharing in this space. I thank you for that! I'm unfortunately unable to respond to most emails and comments these days...though I do live in hopes of finding those few extra hours so I can properly respond! In the meantime, I hope some of thes Frequently Asked Questions below will be of help...

Peace,
Amanda

PS. If you'd prefer the old-fashioned way of getting in touch, we're at:
SouleMama
PO Box 8190
Portland, ME 04104

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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Can I link to your blog? Can I use your photos?
Sure, you're more than welcome to link to something you find on my blog - I'm honored that you would want to do so. However, please do not take images or content to use on your own site or project, without my permission. Thank you.

Where can I buy your book?
You can find it at your local bookstore, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other bookstores, as well as from the publisher Shambhala directly. Signed copies are available in my Shop.

Where do you sell your things?
You can find some of my work from time to time online at my Shop. I'll always let you know on the blog at least a week in advance before I update the shop.

Are the things you make your own design?
I use some patterns, and some of my own designs. If I've used a pattern, I'll always reference it in the post. I hope the things I make of my own design are inspiring - and I welcome you to use them as such. I respectfully ask, however, that you use them as just that - inspiration for your own ideas, rather than copying them to sell yourself. That's no fun for you, and it's a bummer to me when I stumble upon one of my original designs on Etsy - made by someone other than me.

What kind of sewing machine do you use?
I use a Bernina Aurora 430 with the BSR for free-motion quilting. I can't say enough good things about my machine - I adore it. Having a good machine has really changed the way I sew, and was worth the investment for me. My suggestion would be to find your local sewing machine shop and try some out as well as asking other sewers what they use. I also use a Janome serger, which I find very helpful to have when sewing garments.

What kind of camera do you use?
I use a Nikon D80, a digital SLR, with a few different lenses - my favorite being the 18-200 VR (love that lens!). The photographs with a 'blurred' edge are taken with a Lensbaby 2.0. My film photographs are shot with an old Nikkormat FT with several different lenses, and I usually use 200 ISO fujifilm.

I want to learn how to sew/knit? Can you help me get started?
There are so many great resources out there now for getting started in any crafty realm! The best, and most meaningful is always in person, though. Do you have a grandmother, mother or aunt who might like to teach you something they love so dearly too? Someone in your community? Online, there are so very many resources. And in books, too. I've gathered some of my favorite craft books in the Handcrafts page of my Amazon Book Shop for reference. Additionally, check out this post, and especially all the comments full of suggestions on getting started knitting - on knitting.

Do you have ideas for craft projects I can do with my kids?
Why, yes! I hope you'll find plenty of ideas in my book, though I hope it will also show you that creativity doesn't necessarily translate into glue sticks and scisors, and it's quite likely that you're already living a bit of a creative life with your little ones. There are lots of ways we can be creative with our children throughout or day and lives together as a family - and art and craft projects are just one tiny piece of that. Browse through the Creating With Children category of my blog for some ideas of things that we do. And be sure to visit the archives of Kiddley, and sign up for KidsCraftWeekly for more ideas.
My biggest piece of advice? Play more. Get messy, dirty, wild and free - as much as you can.

Can you tell me more about homeschooling? What is unschooling?
Our style of homeschooling fits under the ‘unschooling’ umbrella, meaning, for us, that we treat the world as our classroom. The wikipedia page on Unschooling describes it pretty well - found here. And for anyone interested, I'd recommend reading anything by John Holt. As a way of gathering a list of favorite resources, you can find some unschooling books in my Amazon Book Shop.

I'm coming to Maine for a visit - can you tell me where to go? 
I recently wrote a piece "50 Things to Do in Portland, Maine with Your Kids Before They Grow Up" for AlphaMom. I hope you find it helpful!

How do you do it all?
I don't. There are many things that I don't do, in order to do the things that I love. I work a lot at night when my children are asleep, and now I have a few days dedicated as my work time. My studio space is fairly organized, so that when I do have time to craft, I can get right to it, rather than hunt around for things I need. And because my actual crafting time is so small, I've generally thought about what I'm going to do throughout my day, and when the time comes, I can bust it out. Kind of the less time = more productivity theory. But beyond that - I think it's really about the seemingly small, but time-consuming choices we make. Having a super clean house isn't important to me. Making things is. I'd rather spend an hour in front of my sewing machine than the television. And so forth.

Most importantly, please do remember that what you see on a blog is not 'all' of a person's life. For me, my blog is a place of daily peace, a reminder of family joys, and a celebration of creativity. Know that there are as many messes in my house as yours, 'raised voices' from time to time, and frustration and sadness and struggle, too. But for me - this blog space has always been about trying to find and focus on the joys - the everyday beauty and moments of bliss that we have together as a family. It's my hope that it can serve as a reminder and an encouragement to me - and perhaps to you, too - to savor the tiny moments.

Lastly, for a little more insight into how and why I blog, please be sure to read this post - snapshots.