Girl on Bike

Another project in the works...

2014-06-11T16:11:00.004-07:00

Moments of joy

2013-10-17T10:58:00.002-07:00

This morning I had one of those moments where you stop for a second and realize "THIS is my life".
A lot of times you hear this in the context of something negative, like "how have I gotten to this terrible place" or "where did I go wrong" but for me, this morning, it was joyous.

THIS IS MY LIFE...and I love it.

Wedding Teaser

2013-10-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

The first photo back from the photographer

With a little help from the sun

2013-07-10T16:59:00.002-07:00

Guess what friends. I'm getting married in October. It's lovely.

In the meantime I'm keeping busy makin' stuff. Here are the things I've been working on today (with a little help from the sun):

Sun tea, 4 thieves vinegar, and herbal salve

4 Thieves Vinegar

Found some apples (IN JULY) so I picked up all the first falls, cleaned off the bad parts, froze the good, and...

made some apple bread!

Tinctures

2013-05-29T12:15:00.002-07:00

For the past few years I have been slowly teaching myself the art of herbalism. I have chosen the route of learning each herb as needed for myself & those around me so I can actually see the herbs in action as I learn about them. This may take longer than going to a school but this is how I learn best.

One of my mainstays at my Homemade Food Swaps has been my herbal teas. The most potent of which is my "Active Infection" blend. This tea blend is great to start taking as soon as you feel an illness coming on, throughout colds & flus, if you have a skin infection that isn't wanting to heal, etc.

Teas are great, but if you really want to kick the healing up a notch you want a tincture.

So today, I have decided to take my tea blend, and turn it in to a tincture (some should be available for the next swap in July). I removed the spices added for flavoring and concentrated on the most potent healing herbs.

Pau D'Arco, Astragalus root, Calendula, Nettle, Hibiscus, Turmeric, Echinacea, Elderberries

The herbs sit in an alcohol water mix so both the alcohol soluble and water soluble nutrients are extracted, which is what makes tinctures so much more potent than teas.

Each batch takes around 6 weeks to complete and should last around a year.

2013-04-23T10:48:00.001-07:00

What Are Your Winter Holiday Traditions & Rituals?

2012-12-25T15:11:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate it

and

Happy Winter & New Year to all that don't

The past few years have had me thinking a lot about holidays and traditions. I have thought about the joy they brought me as a child, the disappointments, the expectations, the longings, and the way I connect with them then and now. Since I don't have any kids yet and live so far from my sisters and their children I most often find myself skipping holidays or just minimally indulging them as an excuse to have a dinner party with friends. Yet still I have this longing for tradition & ritual. The old traditions just don't seem right though. Christmas, for example, has turned in to this monster guilt driven, money centric beast. This time of year people are stressed, out-turning their pockets, buying meaningless gifts for everyone they know just so they can have SOMETHING to hand over. It is a lot of pressure and takes away from what this time of year is supposed to be about. Gifts, if given, should be something one gives because they want to, not because they feel they have to. It should be something you feel reminds you of the person, something that makes you happy to know the person has, or something you made with that person in mind. These are the only gifts that matter.

I find that I connect most with the observation of nature, changing seasons, and the cyclical passing of time. Celebrating this time of year as a way to honor what is happening around us makes sense to me. I can connect with this. The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day of the year, and thus, the return of the sun and gradually longer days ahead. This time of year also signals the cold winter ahead when we tend to spend more time indoors with friends & family, have more time for self reflection & goal making (new years resolutions anyone?), eat hearty warm foods, and settle in to a slower, sleepy time like the plants and animals around us. These are the things I want my winter holiday rituals to focus on & honor. These are the things that are real and truthful to me. Not the new soda maker or hot dog bun toaster that wastes precious resources and never actually gets used.

In my search for new, meaningful traditions I decided I needed to first look back to my childhood and the traditions & rituals I had and loved growing up. How can I honor those traditions and achieve those feelings of joy through new traditions that I can feel good about. My list reminded me that being around people, friends and especially family is so very important. Making seasonal crafts was always something that I looked forward to. I remember making garlands and ornaments with my sisters and I know I want that to be a part of my holidays forever. Sharing seasonal food is something that I found holds a lot of emotional weight with me. My memories of Christmas morning quiches and cinnamon rolls bring me such joy I will definitely find a way of working them in. I have also been searching out other peoples traditions for ideas I can adopt and am finding so much inspiration out there. One I especially find heart warming is to have your family sit in a circle and have everyone tell the family member on their right a positive wish or hope they have for them in the upcoming year. I love how this act shows nothing but love for the receiver with no hope of anything in return (since the person you give your wish to is not the person giving you a wish). It's lovely.

Your Turn!
I would love to hear about YOUR Winter Holiday rituals. What do you look forward to every year and how do you choose to celebrate? Is it something you created yourself, something that evolved naturally, or a tradition that has been passed down in your family from generation to generation? What specifically do you do that represents this time of year for you?

Bicycle Innertube Earrings - Holiday Style

2012-12-08T15:44:00.002-08:00

This past year has been a big one for new designs here at Girl on Bike. I am currently at 13 different earring and 5 necklace styles.

These are my favorite styles for the holidays. Great for parties, classy, & sparkling with holiday cheer.

Falls - Upcycled Bike Tube Earrings

Cascade - Upcycled Bike Tube Earrings

Oak (Silver or Gold) - Recycled Bike tube earrings

If you would like to get some recycled bicycle tube jewelry for your loved ones by Winter Solstice/Christmas/Yule make sure you order by Dec. 16th!

Plaid Friday November 23rd

2012-11-12T08:27:00.001-08:00

My jewelry shop Girl on Bike is participating in the EBAC Plaid Friday Sale on November 23rd.

Plaid Friday celebrates the diversity and creativity of local and independent businesses and organizations. It’s a fun and enjoyable alternative to the big box store “Black Friday.” Also, it’s a way to show your support for Local Independent Artists & Designers

Discount will be applied to all online sales through the etsy.com website in participating shops. Use discount code PLAIDFRIDAY to get the discount listed for each shop.

Participating Shops:

*30% OFF*
Girl on Bike - Nature inspired jewelry made from bicycle innertubes
http://www.etsy.com/shop/girlonbike

*25% OFF*
Tangleweeds - rustic, elegant hand-crafted brass and steel jewelry
http://www.tangleweeds.etsy.com/

*20% OFF*
Mangosteen - Handcrafted silver jewelry
http://www.etsy.com/shop/mangosteenjewelry

Impressedbynature - handmade pressed flower jewelry
www.IMPRESSEDbynature.etsy.com

Percent - handcrafted jewelry from vintage, natural and re-purposed materials.
www.percent.etsy.com

*10% OFF*
Fresh Edamami - Origami art pieces & accessories
www.etsy.com/shop/freshedamami

Andrea I Jewelry - www.andreaijewelry.etsy.com

*FREE SHIPPING*
The Mice Art - Art, prints, & photogragraphy inspired by nature

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheMiceArt

Phases of the Moon

2012-10-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

I've been in a very moon mood lately. Moons have been popping up everywhere and links with other moon ladies have been forming.

The moon in general is a symbol for change: new beginnings, new life, and rejuvenation. It's a very exciting time.

Art has been imitating life for me with some of my latest earring & necklace designs. You can find these new designs in my etsy shop right now. With more to come.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/girlonbike

A Full Moon Gathering + discounted GOB jewelry

2012-10-25T18:08:00.002-07:00

I will be selling my earrings at the Full Moon Gathering in Oakland this weekend. Come get yourself a pair of Girl on Bike earrings or necklace for a beautiful discounted price ($15-20 sliding scale)

This weekend we gather in North Oakland to celebrate the full moon with kindred souls and moon lovers of all kinds.

Enjoy a mug of lentil soup, sip an herbal soda, get your tarot read and dance in the backyard under the stars! Shop goods from local moon child artists. Pick up a treat for yourself and maybe a gift for a friend.

Sunday October 28th
6-9 pm
@ Pepples Vegan Donut Farm6037 San Pablo Ave. Oakland, CA

Alese – Tarot, by donation

Music by DJ Arash Shoushtari.

Artist List:

Girl on Bike, Kendra Poma – recycled bike innertube jewelry.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/girlonbike

Diamond Dazed, Sam E. – beaded diamond jewelry.

diamonddazed.tumblr.com

Chamomile on Mars, Cara Greene – herbal soda, hang over tea and healing desserts.
chamomileonmars.com

Tiny Assembly, Julia Booz – beaded ball and penny jewelry.
flicker.com/photos/tinyassembly

Rebecca Stevens – coconut date truffle boxes, soup in a mug, and adorable cookbook “SoupLove”.
beckyfresh.etsy.com

Grace Hearth, Keri and Jocelyn – nourishments.
gracehearth.org

Michael Olivo + Tomato Pie, Michael Olivo – comic books, prints, and tomato pie.
michaelolivo.com

Rachel Kantor – prints, original drawings.
ranchelkantor.com

Witch Kitchen Vessels, Jaclyn Tobia – healing salves, handmade mortal and pestle, sauerkraut and pickling vessels.
jaclyntobia.com

Heather Lynn Hankins – hand dyed and silk screen pouches and tea towels.

AmanDoug, Amanda and Doug – sketchbooks, notebooks, resin fruit jewelry and light covers.

D. Alexander Holmes – recent drawings and paintings.

Yoga & Fitness Supply Swap this weekend!

2012-10-18T07:16:00.001-07:00

I am putting on a Yoga & Fitness Supply Swap this weekend in the East Bay. Come Swap with me!

If you're like me, and you probably are, you have too much (or not the right) athletic clothing and gear. Yoga pants that a tad too short. Bicycle pants from a very short stint as a spinner. Extra mats and balls and weights or could use them.

That industry has enough of our money! Don't buy more!

Swap It Oakland is putting on a Yoga and Fitness Supply Swap

Saturday Oct 20th

1-3 pm.

1540-A 62nd St. Emeryville, CA

$5-$10 sliding scale donation

(goes towards supporting community swap events and affordable yoga)

RSVP here

Bring your gently used yoga & fitness clothing & supplies and swap it for new to you goods.

(We will only accept clean, undamaged, stain-free items)

We will be swapping yoga & active-wear clothes, yoga mats & props, running & hiking shoes, small portable exercise equiptment (small weights, stretch bands, etc.), water bottles, backpacks, & bags

Free product has been provided from The Tye: http://theytye.com

$5-10 sliding scale donation & a bag of clothes/supplies gets you in.

*This event is taking place in a yoga studio so be prepaired to take your shoes off when entering the swap.

Check out Swap it Oakland HERE

Teaching at my first Workshop this weekend!

2012-09-17T17:52:00.003-07:00

This weekend I will be teaching at a FREE Intensive Workshop on gleaning, starting your own community food based swap events, & lacto-fermentation (I will be teaching the last two)

-Lunch & childcare included!

Saturday Sept 22nd
10am-4pm

For more information and to RSVP by Sept 18 (sorry for the short notice)
Contact

Aryeh Shell or Carla M. Perez

Movement Generation 510.649.1475 oraryeh@movementgeneration.org

http://www.movementgeneration.org/mg-fall-equinox-weekend-sept-22-23

Heading in to Fall

2012-09-08T20:25:00.001-07:00

I am starting to feel the change of the seasons in the air.

As Autumn comes around each year I am filled with the sense of a fresh start. My body feels different; my eyes seem to see things in a new color palate. I get the urge to make lists, scheme up exciting new hopeful plans, and organize my home. (edit: I have been researching a bit what the ancient traditions of this time of year are and have found it is/was common to do fall version of spring cleaning for your home) I prepare, re-evaluate, and make decisions. The months we are heading in to are the ones in which I shine.

Perhaps it's because the fall marks the beginning of a new school year which itself represents a fresh new chance to remake yourself & start anew. From here we can see the door start to open up to the holiday season which itself is an exciting time. The ancient Celts had two important holidays this time of year. Alban Elved (or Mabon) on Sept 21st is the Autumnal Equinox and is the time for finishing the business of Summer. The Celts considered the end of fall their new year (Samhain) and spent much time, from now until October 31st, harvesting, preserving, and preparing for the cold months ahead. But it wasn't all about looking towards Winter, both of these holidays are also a time to celebrate the harvest and indulge with many feasts and festivals.
For me, this time of year brings my birthday (it was on the 6th) and reminds me that I have a whole new year ahead of me to look forward to and fill with experiences.

Today I indulged my ancestors (my last name means apple). There is an old apple tree in my neighborhood that is very tall so it is impossible to pick the apples it produces. Every apple on this tree comes crashing down to the cement parking lot below it bruising & rotting. I decided to salvage what I could, so I rode my bike over and ended up picking enough apples off the ground to fill up my pannier. Pounds and pounds of apples. When I got home I washed them, cut off the wounds & brown spots, cooked them with some lemon juice then canned them. Out of these poor rotting unwanted fruits I was able to get 5 jars of apple sauce. I think that's pretty cool.

How does Autumn affect you? What are you doing to prepare for the upcoming months?

Beautiful Inspiration

2012-08-21T20:38:00.005-07:00

These days

2012-08-04T10:29:00.002-07:00

We've been working hard on our other property getting it fixed up and ready for a new tenant. This process is taking much longer than we expected but we are slowly making progress. I'll get pictures up when its ready but that might be a while still.
Other than that I have been busy with my earring line, swap group, and the garden of course.

Food:
Eating a lot of greens out of the garden. Mostly tree collards and perennial buckwheat greens in my morning smoothies. We also have green onions, various herbs, broccoli, calendula (I like to mix a little in to baked goods & smoothies) tomatoes, and salad greens.

Fun:
Sticking close to home these days. Finding great pleasure in "keeping house", listening to audio books, and working on small projects around the house.

Music:
anything by Ayla Nereo
http://www.youtube.com/user/AylaNereo

Pictures From My Late Spring Garden

2012-06-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

Just a few quick shots from around the yard (front, back, and side)

Mullein

Calendula

Lettuce patch

Berry patch. Strawberries, Raspberries, and Boysenberries.

New cinder-block bed in the side yard

front yard

Johnny Jump Ups

Mint spiral: Spearmint, Chocolate mint, Lemon Balm

Bardbra

Remembering Maui - The Food

2012-05-13T09:04:00.001-07:00

The food in Maui was amazing. We were on the lush side of the island so food grew so abundantly. Everyday Dan and I would peek around the land gathering all the newly ripe fruits. Avocados fell off the trees daily & we ate them with vigor. Thimbleberrys, papaya, banana, lilikoi (passion fruit), soursop, pineapple, were all in season on our property while we were there and other fruits were brought to the stand we worked at by the locals. The food was always fresh & it was very easy to eat healthy.

One morning I found a dish in the community fridge containing a strange looking mixture. Another girl on the farm, Ashley, told me it was her breakfast of sprouted buckwheat, chia seeds, banana, & cinnamon. This meal intrigued me because it was so simple & healthy. A combo of foods I would have never thought to put together but would love to try. I was surprised at how sweet it was having only the banana & cinnamon to flavor it.

Since coming home I haven't had any bananas. I don't usually buy them unless they are in the discount (otherwise we would throw these away) section, because I try to buy as locally as possibly and bananas just don't grow well in Northern California. Yesterday though, someone left one at our house so I immediately thought of the chia/buckwheat porridge. Last night I sprouted the buckwheat and this morning I dined on a memory of Hana, Hi.

Raw Chia Buckwheat Porridge (makes 2 servings)

1/2 cup buckwheat

4 tbsp chia seeds

1 large banana (or 2 small)

healthy sprinkle of cinnamon (to taste)

Cover the buckwheat in water and soak over night. Drain and rinse. Place in bowl and sprinkle with chia seeds. Add just enough water to cover the seeds. Let sit for half an hour. Mash in the banana and add cinnamon to taste. Enjoy!

Herbal Hearth - Homemade Healing Balm/Moisturizer

2012-05-11T09:04:00.001-07:00

Calendula, Tea Tree, & Lavender Coconut Oil Healing Balm

A while back I made a post titled Healing Acne With Simplicity. I talked about my experiments with NOT washing my face and how much it has helped me. I still am not using soap on my face and am still touting its benefits. Today I'd like to expand on this a bit and talk about my homemade facial moisturizer. I have found this simple concoction to be helpful not only as a wonderful facial moisturizer but also as a balm/ointment for wounds & acne.

I first started using this moisturizer as a simple oil infusion. I took raw organic extra virgin coconut oil, mixed it with dried calendula flower petals from my garden and set it in a sunny spot for about 4 weeks. Every day the sun would heat up the coconut oil (which melts at aprox 76 degrees) and melt it, helping the petals to infuse in to the oil. In the evenings the oil would re-solidify. After 4 weeks, while the oil was melted, I strained out the petals using cheese clothing and poured the oil in to an old moisturizer container. I used this every morning & every night for a while.

It's important to note, when using coconut oil as a moisturizer it works best if you apply it while your skin is still wet. It helps lock in the moisture.

Recently I have been having some stress break outs and felt like I needed a little extra help in the moisturizer department so I amped up my recipe a bit by adding some Tea Tree & Lavender oil. I am so in love with this new mixture. It smells amazing and works great no only as a daily moisturizer but also as a minor wound ointment.

Coconut, tea tree, & lavender oils are all naturally antibacterial, and the calendula is anti-inflammatory and aids in healing.

Give it a shot and let me know what you think or if you have an alterations to the recipe you prefer.

Bike Month Sale on GOB Earrings

2012-05-08T19:10:00.001-07:00

It's Bike Month again, and to celebrate I am having a huge sale in my etsy shop.

During the WHOLE month of May you can get 25% off my earrings by using the coupon code BIKEMONTH

Tell your friends, share it on facebook, twitter, your blog. Keep me busy this May so I can make a dent in this huge pile of spent tubes I have building up.

Girls weekend bike trip through Napa

2012-05-02T18:17:00.002-07:00

This past weekend a group of girlfriends and I headed out on our bikes for a trip to wine country. All the pictures below are taken by my friend & cycling partner Yelena of Yelena >< Sophia Photography

First we rode our bikes to El Cerrito then took a bus over to Vallejo

We hopped on our bikes again once we reached Vallejo and headed through Napa to St. Helena
Total miles rode round trip: 77.2(ish)

Getting ready

Vallejo Transit Center

We stopped for a picnic lunch at the Napa State Hospital

Another stop along the way, this time to visit with the wonderful Dorothy at her farm

The wonderful Dorothy

We stopped for some wine tasting along the way

Just a little ddive pastries from Dean & Deluca's

sorting

The wine drinking, cheese eating, cycling ladies

Homemade Food Swap Haul

2012-04-16T16:19:00.002-07:00

This is why I love Homemade Food Swaps! I came out of this one with more food than I get during a regular grocery shopping trip and everything was of amazing high quality and locally made/grown.

I ended up making 5 different things to trade: whole wheat cheese crackers, fruit bars (newtons style in apricot, persimmon, & appleberry), garden huckleberry jam (fruit grown in my yard), medicinal herbal tea blends (all herbs grown in my yard), and edible flowers (from my yard).

Check out all the amazing things I got in my trades!

All this!

3 doz eggs, focaccia, soup, salsa, whey, jams

more jams, strawberry shortcake, bread, cookies, homebrew beer, kombucha, chai tea,

cookies, candied nuts, granola, triple sec, queso blanco, irish soda bread, candied lemon peel, & more cookies

Speeding Back Up

2012-04-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

Slowly, I've been speeding back up. There is a LOT more to do here than my lazy days on the farm in Maui. The good thing, though, is that I really enjoy just about everything I am doing (even if it does make me a bit frazzled sometimes).

Since I was away in January, the Winter Homemade Food Swap didn't happen. Now it's time for the Spring swap, so I have jumped back in to planning & organizing events. To my surprise, I was almost out of spots just two days after opening up registration for the swap. So luckily, this time around, very little time needed to be spent advertising the event. Now I'm just fielding emails, attempting to build a new website for the swaps, and trying to decide what to make for the swap myself (besides those jams I made last fall).

My earrings are a whole other story. I'm struggling to get back in to the major production mode required to stock all my empty stores. So far I have only managed to stock the one down the street from my house and I've been back 3 weeks already.

As always there are tons of projects around the house(s) as well. Some pretty major, lots of work involved, projects. I'm feeling the need for a schedule to plan my time well and make sure it all gets done.

For a little bit of fun, some friends and I have planned a ladies weekend bike trip at the end of the month. It will be nice to spend some real time on the saddle again and ease myself back in to riding. Three months in Maui without a bike has left me a little rusty.

Fun In Maui - Pictures

2012-03-22T14:24:00.001-07:00

Swimming at Venus Pools

Climbing out of "Secret Beach"

Hiking the Kings Trail

Crazy Banana Baking Day:
banana cream pies, banana custard, banana breads, peanut butter banana cookies.

Hiking the Pipiwai Trail through the Bamboo Forest

Makahiku Falls

It's my thing

looking over the cliff of the Infinity Pool

The top pool of that waterfall (the Infinity Pool) is where we were.

Haleakala Crater

Maui Lessons: Choosing to be happy

2012-03-20T09:55:00.001-07:00

Maui Lesson: Choose to be happy and see the positive in every situation you are in.

This lesson is cliche yes, but oh so important to get a reminder in every now and then.
The reality of being surrounded by the same people ALL day and ALL night, living AND working together, actually depending on eachother helped drive home this message for me. It helped me really have a chance to practice it and begin making it a habit of mine instead of just an ideal.

The first month or so while in Maui, I found myself getting sucked in to other peoples bad moods and creating a few myself. I gave in to the strange pleasure of complaining with those around me while trying to hide my shame in doing it. I would feel wrong and but also feel complelled to do it. Somewhere along the line (with a little reminder from Dan, and an awesome perpetually happy couple who stayed on the farm with us) I decided this wasn't making me happy. I felt like these actions were ruining my amazing Maui experience. So I made the decision to actively change. My feelings of discontent still arise but now I make a point to stop my negative line of thought when I realize it I remind myself about all the positives as well. All those little things we think are so awesome when we first realize them but then take for granted as being things we are owed after we have gotten used to them.

I'm not perfectly happy & smiling all the time (if that is even possible) but at least I feel like I have actually gotten on the path to positivity instead of just turning my head to look at it every now and then.