Contest: Find and Review a Homesteader's Shop. Homegrown and Handmade Dried Flower Arrangements by Idyllwild.

A lover
Of natural hues,
Rainbows, flowers, dyes,
And the myriad of stunning plant species
In this wondrous world we live in.
~Idyllwild.

---

I remember what it was like to be a wildflower dancing with the wind.
I felt the earth's love through my roots, like my mother's warm embrace.
~Idyllwild. Heaven is a Place on Earth

---

When I first heard about the Homesteaders Co-op here at Steemit, it was love at first sight.

In @homesteaderscoop's Introductory article: Steemit Homesteads accept SBD for their Handmade, Sustainable Products: Six vendors with a genuine Salt of the Earth spirit were featured.

I was immediately impressed by this relatively small group of homesteaders, whose wish was to live authentically with nature and then offer back to others the products they were making and/or harvesting.

I instantly resonated with the idea of being able to use STEEM and SBD to purchase products from my fellow Steemians and was so grateful that the Co-op also had, depending on the individual vendor's capability, an international flavour.

The Homesteaders Coop Store.

The Homesteaders Co-op is a community marketplace where homesteaders around the world offer their handmade and sustainable goods in exchange for USD, STEEM and SBD.

In this way, the Homesteaders Co-op Store is bridging the gap between conventional money and an alternative economy where both the producer and the consumer of goods, hold economic sway. Homesteaders Co-op

Bringing Steemit to a Wider Audience.

With the introduction of Paypal as a payment option and a growing number of vendors, the Homesteaders Co-op is increasingly becoming even more inviting and welcoming to a non-Steemit audience.

Using our Co-op website as a meeting ground between two financial and social worlds, we take pride in being an ambassador for Steem. ~@sagescrub: Communities, Onboarding and Gift Economy: Fundition Proposal for Homesteaders Co-op

---

---

We encourage homesteaders, small family businesses
and eco-minded craftsmen to join our community.
~Homesteaders Co-op.

---

Contest: Find and Review a Homesteader's Shop.

This contest was announced by @homesteaderscoop two weeks ago and asks that you write a review, in your own words on one of the vendors featured on the Homesteaders Co-op website.

The detailed contest guidelines with links and references are at Contest: Find and Review a Homesteader's Shop

Note: This particular contest is not limited to customers.

We want to let a larger audience know about their (vendors) hard work, who they are, their beautiful products and what they are doing to make a difference in our world. ~@sagescrub.

---

The Vendors.

---

---

Our vendors are making an effort in one way or another to incorporate sustainability into their handmade products and/or their lifestyles. ~@sagescrub.

---

Idyllwild.

And so ~ Here I am, about to introduce you to Ann, one of my favourtie vendors at the Homesteaders Co-op, who goes by the enchanting name of Idyllwild.

---

I am a Hippie. A full-blown tree hugging, back to the land, peace on earth hippie. You know, like the hippies who rallied at civil rights protests and antiwar protests and who started the environmental movement and the organic food movement.
~Idyllwild: A Hippie Artist Introducing Herself to Steemit.

---

Camp Joy Gardens.

Without any practical or logical reason, in her mid-thirties, Idyllwild left the corporate world and went to Santa Cruz where she began a farm apprenticeship at Camp Joy Gardens: Working on her empty canvas: Choosing only the colors she felt, only the composition she believed, only the visions she dreamt. Beginning again with only her own voice.

---

On this farm, my senses awakened for the first time to the vividness of the world and I wondered what we were doing to ourselves, locking ourselves away from this beauty? ~Idyllwild: Spring Photos.

---

Creating a new Camp Joy Permaculture Flower Farm.

Idyllwild bloomed at Camp Joy in every possible way: Finding a new purpose 'which as fate would have it, coincided with @sagescrub's path as well.'

Our combined vision is to create a permaculture flower farm. A place that hopefully would be just like Camp Joy in its function and values. ~Idyllwild.

---

Love is sharing our love for the earth through gardening and wild harvesting.
~ Idyllwild: That's Amore

---

Oregon Homestead.

Less than a year ago Idyllwild and @sagescrub moved onto their beautiful off-grid homestead in a small rural town in southern Oregon.

Initially Idyllwild shared her articles about her new homesteading life on her Steemit account, @idyllwild. A beautiful photographer, Idyllwild also has a natural flair for prose and writing, as well as creating delicate ephemeral art.

---

I bow in gratitude to wildflowers
Unyielding to progress
Steadfast to the wild.
~Idyllwild: Ode to Wildflowers.

---

A new home.

Perhaps one of the most exciting things About moving to a new place is observing the seasons unfold. ~Idyllwild. Wild for Wildflowers.

---

Every place is so different in terms of what grows wildly.
~Idyllwild. Wild for Wildflowers.

---

Team Work.

Then six months ago, Idyllwild decided to team up with @sagescrub at Steemit so that you can now find her articles on @sagescrub's Steemit account.

We do a lot of things together so it just makes sense to combine our efforts ~ Our garden is a beautiful, diverse mosaic of everything we love to grow together: Corn, beans, potatoes and dahlias all intermingling; burdock nestled with borage and poppies; tall spires of orach amongst bright blue larkspur. Our lives are intertwined in wild and wonderful ways and we love it.

---

Love is continuing his parent's tradition of collecting heart-shaped rocks.
~ Idyllwild: That's Amore

---

Organic gardening.

Idyllwild's organic gardening methods offer an alternative to industrially farmed flowers that are laden with chemicals and travel long distances and exchange many hands before reaching the customer. ~Supporting a Steem Community Economy: Intention, values and ethics in our products: Introducing Homesteaders Co-op.

---

One of the most enjoyable activities I do every morning and evening is to stroll into the garden, clippers in hand, and arrange my own bouquet of flowers.
~Idyllwild.

---

Flower Wreaths.

Idyllwild learned how to make flower wreaths when she lived at Camp Joy Gardens.

All the flowers and plants in the wreaths displayed on her Homesteaders Co-op page are grown on the homestead. After being harvested and dried in bunches, the dried flowers, pods and branches are laid out in the living area where each unique arrangement is created with love.

Dried flower wreaths will last for many years when hung in a sheltered area. The colors may fade slightly but this subtlety of colour will only add to its natural charm.

Sunburst.

A unique dried flower wreath in vibrant tones of orange and yellow with radiating sprays of flax. The wreath measures 15 x 15 inches and is composed of dried orange, yellow, and pink zinnia flowers, dried flax, dried tansy and dried centaurea flowers. An image of the sun comes to mind. ~Idyllwild: Sunburst floral wreath.

---

This wreath is unlike any other wreath I’ve ever seen.
It is a truly a one-of-a-kind wreath for a special person who finds beauty in the unexpected.
~Idyllwild: Sunburst floral wreath.

---

Other dried flower and plant arrangements by Idyllwild.

Another one of my favourite wreaths is this Dried Floral Garland: Designed as a wall hanging with dried sage, broom corn, yarrow flowers, lamb’s ear leaves and nigella pods. The garland also had a hand dyed raw silk ribbon for hanging.

---

It's truly a labor of love: Love of plants, homesteading and the craft of wreath making.
~Idyllwild: About.

---

Idyllwild's Homesteaders Coop Store.

You can visit Idyllwild's Homesteaders Coop Store to see more of her unique wreaths and dreamcatchers.

---

A dried flower wreath represents a culmination of a year long process starting with propagating seeds in the spring, then harvesting blossoms in the summer, drying them throughout the season, and arranging them in the fall. ~Idyllwild: About.

---

Product Description Page.

This is an example of one of Idyllwild's Product Description Pages.

This one-of-a-kind floral moth was made entirely from flowers grown in Idyllwild's garden. The moth’s body was made from dried zinnia flowers: The wings from dried strawflowers, dried purple statice, dried dock, dried flax pods with dried grass. The piece measures 20 x 16 inches and all the materials have been naturally preserved, so it will last for many years.

---

---

I often challenge myself to think outside the traditional circular form. Sometimes, I just let the plants and their natural branching form direct the design. ~Idyllwild: About.

---

Strawflowers.

Strawflowers or Everlastings are an essential part of Idyllwild's garden and one of the main flowers in her wreaths.

She grows them from seed as they are hardy and heat tolerant, and produce a prolific amount of flowers from early summer to fall. She hand harvests and dries them while still in the bud so that they will retain their color and shape for years to come.

---

I actually find the experience of seeing a flower go from bud to bloom in the garden so much more satisfying than buying already cut flowers wrapped in plastic. ~Idyllwild.

---

Making our world a better place.

Idyllwild makes the world a much better place, simply by doing what she loves doing: Bringing joy and love into her enchanting creations. Creations that are a result of growing her own flowers and plants, harvesting and drying them, beautifying her living space with them as she creates uniquely shaped wreaths and other arrangements.

---

Our home is constantly filled with flowers and they bring joy to everyone who comes to visit us. Just this alone is reason enough for me to grow flowers. ~ Idyllwild.

---

Sustainability.

Sustainability plays a vital note in all of Idyllwild's business plans.

Flowers are so easy to grow, they attract pollinators to our garden, and bring abundant beauty into our lives. ~Idyllwild.

---

It simply doesn't make sense to me why we wouldn't grow our own flowers instead of importing them thousands of miles away and wasting so much in fossil fuel. ~Idyllwild.

---

Payment Options.

The Homesteaders Co-op provides a marketplace that is built upon the open source software of WordPress and WooCommerce: Ensuring that all payments are made directly between customers and vendors.

When you purchase products from Idyllwild, there are two payment options:

• If you are a Steemit member with a healthy STEEM and/or SBD balance you can use either and save on processing fees.
• If you aren't a Steemit member or would prefer to use your Paypal Account or Credit Card you can. However, you will incur the usual banking charges.

Shipping.

Products by Idyllwild are shipped internationally and will be ready to ship in 3–5 business days from Oregon.

Idyllwild gladly accepts exchanges and cancellations. However, due to the nature of her products, she can't accept returns.

---

Why support Idyllwild?

When you purchase products from Idyllwild, you'll be supporting her dream of developing a sustainable permaculture flower and produce farm with @sagescrub, that eventually will also be a space of gathering, learning, and sharing.

---

Above all, my work is about
Appreciating and connecting with nature. ~Idyllwild.

---

Become a Vendor at the Homesteaders Co-op.

Homesteading can be defined in so many ways. You may already be living your dream of owning your own rural property where you can employ permaculture, biodynamic and/or organic principles. Or you may be an urban dweller just starting to grow your own sprouts and greens indoors.

What truly matters is that the products you make are sustainable, environmentally sound, ethical/locally sourced, and/or composed of biodegradable materials.

If you wish to become a Vendor at the Homesteaders Co-op you can find the details HERE

This remarkable service has been offered by @sagescrub at absolutely no cost to the vendors. All that will be asked of you as a Homesteaders Co-op member is your pledge to up-vote blog posts by @homesteaderscoop. And for those that can afford to, consider delegating Steem Power to @homesteaderscoop.

Note: In resonance with the philosophy of the Homesteaders Co-op, this commitment is not enforced ~ Rather you feel inspired to give back to the marketplace because you find value in it.

---

There is strength in numbers and with our collective creative abilities, networks, and dedication, we can help each other gain more independence and economic viability. ~Homesteaders Co-op.

---

Homesteaders Co-op Fundition.

The Homesteaders Co-op was given birth to through the dedication, talent and energy of Idyllwild and @sagescrub

Vendors and others in the Steemit community can now support the development of this worthwhile and much-needed community project through Fundition. Details can be found at Communities, Onboarding and Gift Economy: Fundition Proposal for Homesteaders Co-op

---

This article has been presented for the contest:
Find and Review a Homesteader's Shop:
Conducted by @sagescrub

---

Photography: @idyllwild and @sagescrub

---

---

Posted from Earth ♥︎ Sand ♥︎ Water ♥︎ Ice with SteemPress : http://www.allyinspirit.info/2019/01/23/contest-find-and-review-a-homesteaders-shop/

---