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The Seasonal Subscription Box... a seasonal love story.
You've had a long day, you feel weary and if you're honest, a little jaded. Autumn is well and truly here and there is a bit of a chill in the air. The days seem to be rushing by and the good intentions of caring for yourself that you started the year with have fallen by the wayside.
You arrive home and see a Nourish and Nest box on your doorstep. You smile to yourself as you remember - your seasonal subscription box! Every season one of these full-of-goodness boxes arrives and it always seems like perfect timing. You carry your new box inside, wondering what treasures it holds for you. Laying it down on your bed and carefully opening your 'Autumn' box up, you feel nurtured already with the attention to detail in the packaging that makes it a delight to open.
As you lift the lid, you are met with the warm and soothing scents of the Autumn candle - a blend of chai tea, mandarin and sweet pear. You put your candle to the side, already looking forward to lighting it later tonight as you treat yourself to a bath. You feel yourself starting to relax already as you imagine sinking into the warm water with the candlelight dancing on the bathroom walls.
Next you pick up the pottery tumbler, noting how comfortably it sits in your hands, how beautiful it looks and imagining how it will help you greet each new day as you fill it with your tea.
Speaking of, you notice a bag of organic English Breakfast tea.. great timing, you were almost out. You know it will last you for months and you can't wait to boil the kettle.
You take some time to read through the seasonal mini magazine as well as admire your postcard print, putting them both on your bedside table to enjoy later.
You feel just a little more grateful for the current season and inspired to care for yourself by enjoying small rituals and finding moments of ordinary beauty amongst your day.
Would you like this story to be about you? Simply subscribe to our new Seasonal Subscription Box.
Gather & Celebrate - International Women's Day
Earlier this week, Nourish and Nest hosted a few fabulous women we know for a mimosa gathering (we're totally claiming that as a thing now) to celebrate International Women's Day and raise money for One Girl.
We believe in community over competition and being inspired by one another rather than making comparisons... and good food, tea & champagne don't hurt either.
Nourish and Nest will be donating $1 from every candle sold this month to One Girl who are doing the powerful work of providing education to girls who otherwise wouldn't have access to it.
Strong women - may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them xx
The February List
The second month of the year, for me, seems to be the time that things really start moving along. The days are still warm and the daylight hours long, but after a Summer of recharging and dreaming, February is usually when I get motivated to see those dreamy ideas take shape.
So the things that are filling my mind, my diary and my home this month seem to fit that theme.
Reading..
Entrepreneur by Kinfolk. Aesthetically and philosophically, I particularly love the spread on Francesca Bonata of Coqui Coqui.
Re-visiting..
Simplicity Parenting. It is such a brilliant book, especially if you have school-aged children, a rather realistic guide to embracing simplicity as a family.
Burning..
Lemongrass & Coconut and Fig & Hazelnut candles. I lean towards the former when it's a balmy day and the latter when I'm in the mood for getting cosy.
Finalising..
the details of our next gathering, to be held in Wollongong this May. It will be a delicious, nourishing afternoon. Details will be released very soon.
Listening..
to the BGM channel while I am working. I find it helpful to have a soundtrack to my working day. It seems to help focus my ever-wandering mind on the task at hand.
Discovered through this blog.
Washing..
myself with our Lemongrass Nourishing Body Bar. I love lemongrass essential oil in the morning. It is an aroma that cuts through the morning fog and feels fresh, energising and just a little bit tropical (always a good thing in my books).
Harvesting..
our first pumpkin for the season. Truth be told it was a rogue vine that sprouted of it's own accord. And the last of the chillies.
Planting..
Not quite there yet but getting ready to plant the Autumn garden. Leek and garlic and broad beans.. oh my!
Drinking..
not coffee! Crazy I know. I am have a coffee-free month and am feeling fabulous for it (as opposed to how I imagined I would feel which was more along the lines of psychotic). As you can imagine, there has been plenty of tea consumed. I love to start my day with a warm cup of 'Settle' tea and then often sip chilled 'Refreshed' tea throughout the day. If I really need a pick-me-up, I turn to my beloved 'Island Green'.
Making..
Autumn candles! Ready for the season to come. I love that our tribe mark the season with our limited edition candles that are a celebration of the now. It's an honour to make something that will be a part of people's homes and everyday rituals.
Thank you for your support of Nourish and Nest and the philosophy behind our brand.. hope your February is going swell!
Tara x
Christmas Gathering
We're all about gathering and celebrating.. which is exactly what we did a couple of weeks ago with a simple backyard dinner to thank everyone who is part of Nourish and Nest and Nourish Creative. I truly am grateful for each and every one of them.. and hey, any excuse for a party right?
Marissa took a simple communal table in our backyard and styled it up beautifully. Candles, greenery, wood and glass.
Event Lighting Hire weaved their festoons through our hedge and kiwi fruit vine and strung their new drop lights over our table.
We drank a Summer tea cocktail (recipe below) whilst we ate around one of Nicole Reay's signature grazing tables. Once we sat down, she fed us spinach wontons, crab and quinoa fritters, lamb and haloumi skewers with tzatziki and prawns with lime aioli on brioche rolls. Delish.
Thanks to Hindsight Images for the photos.
Hope you all have a chance to gather with those you love and appreciate too!
Tara xxx
Summer Tea Cocktail
(disclaimer.. this is a very loose 'recipe', no exact measurements were made!)
Brew a pot of our 'Refresh' tea (lemongrass, ginger & lemon myrtle) and chill in the fridge. Mix it with mineral water, freshly squeezed lime juice, a splash of pineapple juice & dry ginger ale and vodka to taste/preference. Serve chilled with a stick of cucumber.
Fresh, light and summery.. enjoy!
Christmas love & store break
From my tribe (in the flower garden!) and I to you and yours, I want to wish you a beautiful Christmas and New Year.
I am incredibly grateful for everyone who makes Nourish and Nest part of their rituals and their homes. Some of our customers have been on board since we began 3 years ago and some have just discovered us - and we've loved connecting with you all this year!
And thanks to you, we were able to donate $1 from every candle sold this year to organisations such as The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, The Preemptive Love Coalition and A21.
The Nourish and Nest online store will be on a break from 19th December until 21st January. Any orders placed during this period will be shipped out (with love) on the 22nd January. Don't forget you can always source our goods of ritual from one of our stockists.
We've dreamed up some new things for Nourish and Nest for 2018 and I look forward to sharing them with you next year.
Peace and love,
Tara xx
Photo of my girl gang by Hindsight Images
The in-between days...
I really do look forward to Christmas. I love the meaning and the gathering and the kindness and the giving. But to be honest, one of the things I look forward to the most are the days directly after Christmas.. when all the festive engagements are finished, and there's a lull in between Christmas and the New Year. Even if we're working during these 'in-between' days, things seem to be a little slower and a whole lot quieter.
One of my favourite Christmas rituals is to find some time on Boxing Day to drink tea and read in bed (possibly while the kids watch Elf for the 100th time.. ahem..)
After all the gathering that the festive season involves, it's rather delightful to spend time alone and recalibrate, with a full heart and the promise of a fresh start that the New Year brings.
When the pre-Christmas days are busy and long, I look forward to the upcoming 'in-between' days. I'll be sipping French Lady Grey (the most indulgent tea to drink in bed) out of my favourite ceramic tumbler, burning our Lime & Cucumber candle and tackling my way-too-ambitious book pile (or Kindle line-up as it may be).
My Summer reads include: Gourmet Rhapsody, Wonder (once my daughter has finished it), Saga Land and Traveling Mercies.
If you want to put together your own 'in-between days' self-care stash, don't forget to purchase your goods of ritual by Monday 18th December to ensure your order arrives before the Christmas break!
Tara xxx
'Tis the season for making - floral Christmas wreaths
The wreath that featured in our Christmas photo shoot got a whole lot of love, so Marissa agreed to show us how she put it together.
This simple, modern version of the Christmas wreath can be made with fresh flowers and foliage or even dried flowers or succulents if you'd like it to last longer.
The best bit? This is a super simple and quick DIY and can be made with foraged blooms and greens.
What you'll need:
Wire hoop (available from craft stores in different colours)
Stem wire (available from craft stores or florists)
Flowers and foliage (chances are that you can forage most of what you need)
Instructions:
It's simple! Just cut your flowers and greenery to size and attach each stem to the wire hoop with the stem wire. We'd suggest starting with greenery and adding flowers on top. You can cover up your stem wire attachments with strategically-placed blooms or leaves. You can take your flora all the way around the hoop, but we like the contrast of the visible metallic hoop. But it's your wreath, do whatever makes you happy.
A Nourish and Nest Christmas
We had fun recently styling our goods of ritual for the festive season. Simple, considered, elegant and warm was our vibe.. everything we want Christmas and our homes to be.
Thank you to Katelin for modelling, Marissa for styling and Sasha for shooting.
Candles, linens and more are in stock now in our online store. Don't forget to get your orders in by Monday 18th December to ensure you receive your goods before Christmas.
Christmas Pop-Up Store
You're invited!
We're hosting a Christmas Pop-Up Store in collaboration with Young Souls Art and Bunyetska Handmade.
Friday 15th December 6-9pm
Saturday 16th December 9am-2pm
Shop 1 / 16 Moore Street Austinmer
With champagne, tea tastings & plenty of beautiful gifts including hampers.
For more information, head to our Facebook event.
Natural Dyeing
Spring is such a great time for a little creating, particularly tactile handcrafting that you can do outside. Creating can be such a soul-filling activity, causing us to to slow down, be mindful and make something beautiful and practical.
Katelin (much more than just our in-house model!) has put together a beginner's guide to natural dyeing. I love that it's a chemical-free process and that everything you need to get started are things you'll probably find in your home already.
I'll hand it over to Katelin...
Hi!
For my first foray into natural dyeing I have opted for the chemical-free process of dyeing with natural dyes.
This process may mean the colours are not as vibrant and may not last as long but I couldn’t see the point of using natural dyes and then adding chemicals! But this method might be more applicable for dyeing fibres and materials that aren’t going to be regularly washed.
What you’ll need:
Steps:
1. Preparing your dyestuff
The first step is to hand wash your dyestuff to remove any oils or residues. In a large bowl mix warm water and washing detergent and soak your dyestuff for approximately 2 hours.
2. Mordanting
This is the step that usually involves the addition of a chemical, but we are using vinegar instead. The mordanting process helps the dye attach to the fabric. In a large saucepan heat 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar. Add your dyestuff and simmer for approximately 1 hour. Remove and rinse. Keep dyestuff damp in a bowl of water.
3. Developing the dyes
This is where you can experiment and develop your own dye colours or try the following suggestions:
Pastel pink - beetroot (2 beetroots)
In a large pot add dye ingredients into aprox 2 litres of water. Simmer for 1 hour then remove from heat. Keep in mind the amount of liquid will reduce as the dye simmers and develops colour.
4. Dying the dyestuff
Once the dye has been developed and removed from heat, submerge the damp dyestuff and let sit overnight or until desired result has been achieved (the result will lighten once the dyestuff has dried). Note that I found that turmeric only required 20 minutes. Once the dyestuff is the desired colour, remove dyestuff from dye, rinse under cool water and dry.
