



I don’t know if you are like me, but every time spring is near I’m anxious to go to my wardrobe and start wearing my little dress and skirt again ! Not to mention that I love to go shopping for a couple of new sets…I don’t know why but it’s not the same for fall…do you feel the same !? Spring is really a ”blooming” season, you want everything to look fresh, clean…all new !! Also it’s that time of the year we, as parents, need to find new clothes for our children…omg they grow so fast ! I think my daughter gained 2 inches more this winter !?? She is going to turn 12 soon, and shopping for her is now a bit of a headhache. She’s not an adult yet, but children’s clothing don’t fit her anymore…boy oh boy..I have to be really creative to find something decent for her ah!ah!
Sometimes I kind of miss the time when she was younger, to dress her up in little colored shorts and skirt sets, with bows and frills…you know what I mean !? I used to work as a fashion designer for children and I’ve always loved clothing…to mix and match them and not to mention to design them. I just loOoove designing clothes…sketching, drawing… it’s another passion of mine!
I’m now the creator behind FeeVertelaine, handmade natural toys and dolls. Lately I did offer myself a treat ! I started a project that I’ve been dreaming about for many years now…Creating my own paper doll !! As a little girl, paper dolls were one of my ABSOLUTE favorite things to play with! So I took my pencil away from the cobwebs, and started to draw Emilÿ…it so reminded me of my time in fashion school. I also loOove watercolor, so I told myself why not do the coloring this way…so I did ! Every little step of the creation of this project was a pure delight for me.
After many months of sketching, coloring, editing…she finally came to life. This was pure joy for my daughter, who was my assigned tester 😉 She and her friend had such a great time playing.. humm sorry testing…all the new spring/summer wardrobe that Emilÿ comes with. It was so sweet to watch them mixing and matching everything together…4 hands on one doll is a true test !! So I knew she was ready for the world to meet her !
My heart is filled with excitment to introduce her to you today…Emilÿ my first paper doll…all ready for spring with her new wardrobe !! Enjoy !!!
You can find her here in my Etsy shop.
This lavender dress reminds me of a dress that I sewed recently for one of my winter fairy dolls…a last glimpse of winter just before spring shows up at our door !
If you wish to see and read more about my creative process, I invite you to visit my Facebook page where I add pictures of my everyday work and things I cherish…. I will soon offer Emilÿ as a giveaway…keep an eye open !!
Happy spring !!
Warm regards,
~Julie xo
Let me share with you a simple dessert today !! It’s been so long since I haven’t made this recipe yet it is so simple and delicious.
I made it for Valentine last week and we were all awww over it !!
What you will need:
~ 4 squares of dark chocolate
~3 eggs
~ 2 egg yokes
~ 4 tablespoons of cane sugar
~ 1/3 cup of spelt flour
Here we go…
~ Butter 4 ramekins.
~ Beat the eggs with 3 tsp. of sugar until the volume doubles.
~ Melt the chocolate in a bain marie.
~ Pour the melted chocolate into the beaten eggs mixture.
~ Add 1/3 cup flour, and mix delicately until you obtain a smooth texture.
~ Pour into the buttered ramekins.
~ Put into the oven for 12 minutes at 3750 degrees.
{ note: The center of the cake must be ”soft” , don’t overcook !! }
~Humm…chocolate while melting in the bain marie …at this point it’s hard to resist tasting…but it’s worth it, be strong my friends !!
~ Starting to blend everything together ~
~ Ta Da-a-a-a !!!!!!!!!!!!
There you go …it’s now time for my favorite part…Enjoy your chocolate cake !!
~Julie
I tell myself every years now since I started this FeeVertelaine ”adventure”, that I should take the habit of cleaning the studio in January …right after the Holiday ”ToRNaDo”. I work like a little Santa’s elf from October to December and I’m sure you can imagine what my messy studio ends up looking like… please imagine, as I will not show it to you….hi!hi! In french we say ” Je vais me garder une petite gêne quand même!”
But yet I never did it…I was to excited after the holidays to come back in and start making my precious dolls and toys again….
Well, believe it or not, this year I DID IT !!! …and not to mention how happy I am to start a new year in a FRESH and clean studio…So I felt like sharing some pictures with you today …
{ I love that my room is filled with bright light….I have big windows to see nature….this is precious to me… }
{ Oh well I know that my little baskets are still filled with felt pieces …but honestly how can I throw away wool !? }
{ Here is the space where I put my future doll inspiration….hummmm…. }
I always love to see other studios, so now here’s mine…. very simple, but a happy place where my imagination comes alive !!
If you are wondering what item that I create in this ”special place” of mine, you can go visit my Etsy shop.
I hope you enjoy <3
~*I will take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful new year 2013…may your heart be filled with love …all the best to you !!*~
~Julie xo
I’ts been a while now that I’m thinking about creating this item… You maybe already know how my gnome love to travel…well they did find a new way !!!
… this little love letter is another great way to say ” I LOVE YOU ” to your cherish one !
Of course it is a perfect valentine little present BUT can also be an everyday gift to show your love to your children, partner, friend, parents….name it !!
Let me tell you a short story on how we celebrate valentine in my familly….
Every year I create a little special thing for my daugther, to show my love but also for her to keep…a ”love souvenir” ! A little things that will be cherish for year and filled with love…because you know, she is my sweet little valentine !! I remember a couple of years ago I did create a little felt heart filled with wool and embroidered with cotton floss and some glass beads. It was written on it ” Je t’aime mon petit coeur ” She was deligthed and since then it’s been an habit for me to use it frequently as a little love note…
When I make her bed I leave the heart on her pillow or I leave it with a little “snack”….leave room for your imagination…a little thing that say I LoOove you ♥… she always ENJOY’S this little gesture !!! That is why I did create the ”love gnome” .
Here are more links for FeeVertelaine:
SHOP: http://www.etsy.com/shop/FeeVertelaine
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/FeeVertelaine
What a chalenge to find a great little ” sugary tasting” treat for you and your family ! Well lately a friend of mine introduced me to this special caroub fudge and what a suprise for me to find that it is Deliiiiciouuss !! I thought that sharing this with you would be a great idea… it is a creative recipe and soOoo easy to make !!
What you will need:
~ 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil
~ 2 cups of unsweetened carob chips
~2/3 cup of peanut butter
~1/2 cup of coconut
~1/3 cup of walnuts
~1/2 cup of dry raisins
~1 tsp. of vanilla
In this holiday season, the Natural Kids team members would like to send their greatest wishes to each and everyone of you. We thank you from the bottoms of our hearts. You are so precious to us, as you give us the opportunity to fulfill our dreams and create what we love doing the most. We have worked just like Santa’s little elves in the past few months, and we hope, that our creations will bring to your cherished ones, many hours of “natural” fun and lots of Joy !!
“Wishing you the warmest holiday season!”
” May your heart be filled with softness and love, may your soul be filled with peace “
Julie Ouimet aka FeeVertelaine
“I wish for a holiday where everyone has the chance to enjoy life’s simple pleasures.”
Kristi Ashley aka Tickety Bu
“I wish that we recognize and appreciate each other as cousins in the family that is the human species.”
Farida Dowler aka Alkelda
“Wishing your winter days be filled with light, love and peace. Happy holidays!”
Julie Hunter aka This Cosy Life
” I wish everyone a happy new year full of creative inspiration! “
Dria Peterson aka Driaa
” I wish for a “Greener” 2012 and for all to revel in its beauty “
Wendy and Mojo aka BirchLeaf Designs
“Wishing that Angels may watch over you and your loved ones all year long! “
Ulla Seckler aka GermanDolls
” I wish for world peace “
…a picture of my Christmas wish, via Tiger Smith, 7 years old.
Kate Smith aka Poverty.Jane
” May your homes be filled with Seasonal Enchantment and Holiday Wonder! “
Beccijo aka The Enchanted Cupboard
” Best wishes to all for a joyous holiday season! A healthy, happy new year in 2012 and beyond. Stay true to yourselves!”
Ariana Lyriotakis aka Niko & Nonnie
” I wish that everyone this year will accept each other and cherish the moments we have together. I also wish that for the upcoming year we all try to be more conscious of each other, of those who suffer and have compassion to help those who cannot help themselves. I wish that everyone gives their children an extra long tight hug and be absorbed in the moment of being with them. “
Brittaini Pulver aka Long Mountain Art
~ Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy new year !!!!! ~
Julie Ouimet is from Québec, Canada. She
lives with her daugther, in a little town in harmony with nature.
Creating is her passion, a way of life !!! She cultivates the earth during the warm season
and creates lovely waldorf inspired toys the whole year long…
You can visit her shop at FeeVertelaine.
I don’t know if you are like me, but when autumn arrives I loOoove to be home, cozy with my little candle illuminated in the dark night. I prepare for myself a nice, hot, herbal drink…Mmmmmm!!! I love herbal tea, and for many years now, medicinal plants have been part of my life almost every day. I love to be able to heal myself and the ones I cherish the most with herbs that are given to us and grow freely in nature. I find they are so precious So, let me share with you today two of my favourite “ heart-warming” drinks.
** Chocolate spices chaï
The first drink is not really made with herbs but with spices.
Spices are great for their “carminative” effect, that being the way they help digestion to be really efficient. This particular drink is also going to warm you from inside with the help of the natural essential oils that the spices contain. They will also re-establish a good “fire” to your digestion. It is a great idea to drink this after a meal or a walk outside. I also find that for one with a “sweet tooth” {Are you like me?? Ah!Ah!}, it can help satisfy you without going for a big dessert!
What you will need:
~Milk: Can be regular cow’s milk, soya, rice or almond…choose the one you prefer.
~Dark hot chocolate mix: From Cocoa Camino {such a great quality of chocolate}
~Fresh spices: 2 tbs. cardamom, 2 stick of cinnamon, 2 tbs. fennel, 1 tbs. ginger and a glimpse of cayenne pepper.
The way I do it is that I put ½ water ½ milk in a 2 quart saucepan and I heat it on the stove until it is warm. Please don’t boil it ! Then, I add the spices {all of them except the cayenne pepper} placed in a little tea bag {so it’s easier to take them out afterward} that I previously grounded by hand in a mortar to open all the great flavours the spices keep inside their shells. Keep the liquid warm and let it rest for about 45 minutes. The flavours are going to be delicately infused in the milk….so smell it, enjoy the process !! {I always take a moment to be there with my infusion and be conscious that this is for me, this is a moment where I’m creating a special space for myself…. and be happy!! Life goes by so quickly that we often don’t take the time for special moments like this one…}. Then, I remove the spices, add the chocolate mixture and mix it up very well. You can choose to use 2 tbsp or more of chocolate… it is as you wish!!! At the very last minute, I do add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
There you go…I love to enjoy this drink while I’m wrapped up in a warm blanket after my daughter is asleep …and I knit slowly, relaxed, on the couch….
** Comforting peaceful herb tea
The second drink is an herbal tea…. one of my special blends!! I will give you a brief description of the medicinal plant characteristics. Because, we could talk for a whole day about the properties of just one of them Ah!Ah! …so, this description will only give you a brief idea of their qualities.
Herbs you will need:
~Nettle , Urtica dioica : I’m totally in loOoove with this herb. It is so special, so strong…and brings many minerals to your body. In this way, it is definitely one of the most nutritious plants you can use. It’s good for almost everything !!!
~Oats (green flowering) , Avena sativa : This is another nutritive herb that will particularly nourish your nervous system… and who do you know in our era that doesn’t need a little nervous support, hey?! It carries a lot of minerals also.
~Peppermint , mentha x piperita: I add this for it’s great taste, and also the fact that it helps digestion with its essential oils. It is a great plant to help open the respiratory tract {lungs, sinus…}.
~Green Anise seeds , pimpinella anisum: I add it for taste, as it tastes a bit like black licorice {which is something I love very much}. If you are not a fan, just don’t add it. Your tea is going to be delicious anyway. You will be using the seeds that you are delicately going to grind either in a mortar and pestle or in a coffee grinder. Please wash the grinder before using it so your seeds won’t taste like coffee in the end. It is filled with essential oils that also help digestion and gas problems.
~Holy basil , tenuiflorum ocimum: This plant is going to warm your heart and open it. It brings Joy !!!! It will help you to see clearly when your head is in a “haze”. This herb is sometimes hard to find, so you will need to go to a herbalist to get this precious herb. You will not add as much of holy basil as the others.
The way I do it is that at night I bring my water to a boil {again in my favorite 2 quarts saucepan!!} and then turn everything off. I add nettle leaves and oats {1-2 handfuls each} to infuse for the whole night. Because they are nutritive plants, letting them infuse for 6-8 hours is going to bring out all the minerals they contain. Then, in the morning, I either take out the leaves or leave them in and heat it up a bit {do not boil the water} then I turn it off. I then add all the other herbs {peppermint 1 handful; holy basil 1 full tbs} and seeds {anise seeds 2 tbs. previously grounded}. Leave them infuse for about ½ an hour with the lid on… and then enjoy !!!
Feel free to give me your feedback about those two drinks…I would love to read them !!
Wishing you and yours a beautiful autumn… and winter season!!
Warm regards,
~Julie
Julie Ouimet is from Québec, Canada. She
lives with her daugther, in a little town in harmony with nature.
Creating is her passion, a way of life !!! She cultivates the earth during the warm season
and creates lovely waldorf inspired toys the whole year long…
You can visit her shop at FeeVertelaine.