Rain, Clay and Books: A Cozy Autumn Reset at our Straw Bale Homestead

Welcome back to my little corner of the world. Wherever you are, I hope you’re doing well.

This past week we’ve seen a significant drop in temperature and two heavy rainfalls — a soothing balm after the heat and drought of summer, leaving everything feeling refreshed and revived. It also reignited my passion for gardening and tree planting.

Here in Canada, weather can shift so suddenly, and I adore these changeable seasons. My most beloved times of year are spring and fall. In spring, I feel like a child on Christmas morning watching garden treasures poke through the soil again. In autumn, there is a sweet winding down, a turning inward toward cozy evenings, and the delight of reading aloud. As an introvert, these darker evenings allow for more space to curl up in bed with good stories.

Reading to my children has been one of the greatest gifts of motherhood. I was read to as a child, and those stories remain among my warmest memories. Carrying on that tradition brings a deep, fuzzy joy to my heart. In cooler months, we have more indoor time for longer reading sessions — and I love sourcing books that are rich, meaningful, and full of beauty.

I believe what we consume — physically, mentally, emotionally — shapes how we function in the world. The quality of literature matters. Too often, popular children’s stories glorify disrespect, lying, or negative behavior, with adults cast as nuisances. It’s important to bring awareness to that and intentionally choose alternatives that uplift, inspire, teach, and deepen our inner lives.

In this video, I will be:

Making thrown pottery tumblers
Creating a deer sprig mold
Planting drought-tolerant seedlings (which I hope will one day become a little forest)
Visiting a Native Plant Nursery

Much love,

Janna

👉 Also check out this reference for sprig molding by Harlan House:
https://www.harlanhouse.com/making-bo...

🧵 Sewing Patterns & Fabric I’m Wearing:

Common Stitch - Bellbird Blouse
Anna Allen - Athena Blouse
Megan Nielsen - Dawn Jeans
Sew Liberated - Hinterland Dress underneath Vivian Shao Chen - Nepheline Blouse
Children’s clothing patterns: Lowland Kids, Tiny Design Co, Bebekins Patterns.

Fabric from:

Blackbird Fabric
Simplifi Fabric
Pure Envy Linen

Books I’ve been loving (and recommending):

Kallie George — Heartwood Hotel series
Grace Lin — Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, When the Sea Turned Silver, Starry River of the Sky
Sophie Anderson — The House with Chicken Legs, The Girl Who Speaks Bear
L. M. Montgomery — Anne of Green Gables series
Catherine Ryan Hyde — Pay It Forward
Jacqueline Woodson — Brown Girl Dreaming
Lauren Wolk — Echo Mountain, Beyond the Bright Sea
Barbara O’Connor — Greetings from Nowhere
Linda Sue Park — A Single Shard, A Long Walk to Water, When My Name Was Keoko, Prairie Lotus

#Pottery #ClayArt #Gardening #Seedlings #Planting #SprigMolding #BookLovers #ReadingAloud #FallVibes #AutumnCozy #Handmade #CreativeLife #SustainableGardening #NatureLoversFall #handmadewardrobe #ceramic #intentionalliving #handmadepottery #sewing #slowliving