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BirchLeaf Designs a Farm

Playsilks and Swords and Shields, OH MY! We recently came across a photo of a boy who was not afraid to play. His imagination was wondrous!

Boy who was not afraid to play.
Boy who was not afraid to play.

Wondrous and amazing…very much like this mosaic shield. Made from a blank shield from our shop and then sold at an auction to help raise funds for the Portland Waldorf School in Portland, Oregon.

Mosiac Shield. Photo courtesy Portland Waldorf School.
Mosiac Shield. Photo courtesy Portland Waldorf School.

The mosaic shield reminds me so much of our life…with the family in the center, the heart, the hearth, the fiery life-force. Then, branching off of the heart center are our many activities in which we are involved. Each day is filled with a bit of this and a bit of that…from eating healthy foods, to homeschooling, to farming, to making toys. These past few weeks have found us in the woods. Many blessings are upon us!

Maple Sap is flowing!

Pro Maple sap taster!
Pro Maple sap taster, Kiah.

Little baby chicks are healthy and here!

Baby chicks are a'peepin'.
Baby chicks are a’peepin’.

And little lambs have arrived!

Meet Patience.
Meet Patience.
Kiah and her lamb, Patience.
Kiah and her lamb, Patience.
Milo and his lamb, Temperance.
Milo and his lamb, Temperance.

It only gets livelier from here on out! Garden starts are ready to be planted. Piggies are due to arrive April 20th and bees shortly thereafter. Festivals and art shows are in the not so distant future…which brings us back to our shop…BirchLeaf Designs…Playsilks and Swords and Shields, OH MY…

Wendy, Mojo and their 2 children, Kiah and Milo live, homeschool, farm, and make toys off the grid near Marquette, Michigan. Please visit their shops at http://www.birchleafdesigns.etsy.com and http://www.northernchildren.etsy.com

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~ It’s time for a new spring/summer wardrobe !!!

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.

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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 !

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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 !!!

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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 !

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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

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My Enchanted Life

As the weather gets warmer my days get busier so I need meals to be simple. I run a full time business, The Enchanted Cupboard, while running my household and homeschooling 4 children. I need to keep our meals healthy and nutrition filled! I love this recipe because it is what I make with the last 2 chicken breast when I am doing big batch cooking and it is packed full of yummy veggies. Dicing up the veggies and adding it to chicken salad is a great way to boast your kids diet with lots of color that are full of antioxidants! I serve this for lunch on whole wheat bread and a cup fruit salad. You could easily make this low carb. and gluten free by serving it on big lettuce leaves like a wrap! If you like this easy recipe and want more come checkout my own blog and see what is cooking in my kitchen.

Mama’s Chicken Salad

Ingredients

2 skinless boneless precooked chicken, diced
2 stalk celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 med. size onion dice
1/2 red pepper
1/2 yellow or orange pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 cup prepared or homemade mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a mixing bowl, toss together the chicken, veggies and herbs. Set aside.
Add mayo and mix gently until combined.  Salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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On my work table I often have much smaller versions of play food just right for Waldorf Style dolls. I work with wood and paper clay to make play food.

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This sweet little set is made of wood and is just right for doll house dolls. I so enjoy creating for this miniature world of childhood play. Come on over to the Nature Table and see what is cooking at the Acorn Cafe.

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The Acorn Cafe

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On the first day of Spring the world was a buzz of activity at the Acorn Cafe.

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Everyone was enjoying the wonderful food made by Miss Dandelion.

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Grandpa was having his favorite tomato sandwich.

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A few fairies stopped in for tea and sweets.

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Four forest friends enjoyed an after noon treat.

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All were happy on this bright spring day.

Items on the Nature Table:

Wooden toys, playsilks, and dolls can be found at The Enchanted Cupboard.

Felt Woodland Friends can be found at Muddyfeet.

Acorn Cafe  and table & chairs were created by Willodel.

 

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Bunnies in the Forest (Toys on a Walk series)

On a crisp, spring day, Hungry Bunny went out for a walk in Tryon Creek State Park in Portland, OR. I am so lucky to get to work in this beautiful park and I was able to capture his adventure with my camera.

Hungry Bunny decided on a trail with waterleaf lining the edges and sword fern arching overhead.

The forest is coming to life thanks to spring’s sunshine and the fiddleheads are like starting to uncurl above the bunny’s head.

Did you know that violets aren’t always, um, violet colored? These are yellow wood violets and the young leaves and flower buds are edible. Our bunny friend stopped for a little nibble. His name is Hungry Bunny after all!

Hungry Bunny passed under some salmonberry plants and decided to take a break to play dress-up with the buterfly-shaped wings.

Every hiker knows they have to share the trail so he stopped to let a banana slug pass by. There’s nothing icky about these creatures. They’re decomposers that do great work in the forest. Watch out for the slime!

At the base of a huge western red cedar tree, Hungry Bunny met up with his pals Love Bunny, Woodland Bunny and Pretty Bunny.

From their low vantage point the tree seemed to go up and up forever!

The friends frolicked in the forest and climbed the roots of a fallen Douglas fir tree.

In the soft, decomposing wood of a western red cedar stump the friends had a picnic of candy flower, also known as western miner’s lettuce.

Happy and finally no longer hungry, Hungry Bunny made his way back home, careful not to linger too long next to the huge skunk cabbage plants with the smelly flowers.

He ended the afternoon with a nice nap on the broad leaves of a trillium. These pretty flowers take 7 years to bloom and the petals start out white then turn pink and, finally, magenta as they age.

 

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Living on a land (Toys on a Walk series)

Please let Albus and Victoria, our resident dolls, give you a tour of our little part of earth.

For this year we decided to rent the grand-parents house of Papa, which is located on the family land on the shore of the magnificent Saint-Laurent river, in the Province of Québec, Canada. There, my in-laws cultivate potatoes and all sorts of vegetables.

Here the land takes longer to wake up. When we took our walk, only green moss and some dandelions were at sight.

But there are lots of winged friends around!

Of course, the kings of nature here are the evergreens. Cedars, Pines, Firs are what’s green all year long.

Buds are just appearing. Roses, Maples, Birch are cautious here. They don’t want to get caught with frost!

We will plant potatoes soon, as now’s the time. But the lettuce, carrots, beans, squashes and broccoli will have to wait until the end of the month; they are much more fragile.

On the land, there are ponds to sit by and watch trouts. Sometimes a heron great us there too.

Fields waiting. Oh, the possibilities!

Back to the house is one of my favorite view. A swirly earth road borded with trees, looking at summer cottage transformed into all-year home, to the river so huge we people here call the sea.

In the sand we can find many treasures; seashells, urchins, crabs shells, special rocks and tons of drift wood.

Underwater lies more treasures, and all the activity of tiny things living in it!

With the sea and the forest so near, we feel very fortunate. It is a perfect setting for a slow-paced life and a wonderful theatre for us to witness the cycle of the seasons.

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What’s Your Spring Fun?

I think one of the greatest things about Spring is the ability to have impromptu fun of any sort at any time. The weather is perfect so often—the warmth of the sun combined with a soft, cool breeze make it easy to do almost anything. Longer days allow for more stolen moments from the hustle and bustle of daily activities. You only need look around for a chance to share those fun moments with the kids, and act like a kid yourself.

Today, a picnic dinner as the sun starts to set, on a fresh cut lawn to boot, was too good an opportunity to pass up. It allowed us healthy nibbles shared at our leisure family style, a game of frisbee played mid-bite and between bites, and for lots of Ring Around the Rosie. The long hour and a half dinner would normally have been a somewhat rushed affair, coming on the heels of a long, busy day. But we chose to take our time tonight, push bed time just a bit and enjoy each other and the chance to simply play for a bit.

Don’t let the perfect weather this Spring pass you by without a little bit of this stolen joy in your own life. What will be your impromptu Spring fun?

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What I’m Loving This Week


spring beeswax orna…

$12.80

Needle Felted Bunny…

$175.00

A Trio of Cotton Ea…

$4.50

Spring Easter Chick…

$9.00

Needle felted Waldo…

$14.00

Easter white bunny…

$12.00

Needle Felted Bunny…

$16.00

Waldorf Toy – Stuff…

$32.00

Handmade Christmas …

$30.00

Felted Bunny Set – …

$42.00

Waldorf Spring Toy-…

$25.00

beeswax egg candles…

$16.80

Red Gnome Jacaranda…

$3.00

Little Felt Rabbit

$14.00

Wooden Toy – Wooden…

$12.00

Plush Rabbit Sewing..

 

 

$6.00

Etsy treasury created by Ziezo Designs

 

Gnomes and Gnumbers: A Mathematical Tale… Love this! I’m tucking it away for this fall when my oldest begins first grade.

♥A neat tutorial for whittling gnomes from fallen branches. These are  so cute. I think I’ll make up a set to stuff the wool Easter eggs I’m making for my little ones.

Popovers! I’ve developed a little obsession with them this week and love this recipe.

♥Hide little notes or surprises inside of your real Easter eggs.

♥This is such a great article on Rhythm.

Egg shell candles… on the ‘to make for Easter’ list.

♥I can’t wait to try this  sugar free, homemade fruit snack recipe.

 

To see more of what I’m loving visit my Pinterest boards.

 

Julie Hunter is a wife and mama, raising 3 spirited girls, two babydoll sheep, angora rabbits and a gaggle of chickens and ducks in the North Carolina Foothills. She spends her days at home, crafting with her children, homeschooling, taking long gathering walks in the woods and knitting Waldorf-inspired toys. You can find her blogging and keeping shop at This Cosy Life.

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Happy Spring Equinox!

Hello Spring! The time has come to start shedding those winter layers, dig in the garden and play in the mud. I must say, I’ve been waiting for this day, not so patiently for the past couple of months. Now my little ones and I will celebrate the Spring Equinox with a walk to gather flowers and whatever other treasures we can find to place on our Spring nature table

We’ve already started growing wheat grass. You can find the tutorial here and a soil-less version here. Ours is for our nature table but it also makes a nice alternative to plastic or paper grass in Easter baskets. We’re also going to start some seedlings in egg shells, which we are happy to have lots of since our backyard ladies are laying like crazy right now! Yes, we are very happy you’re here, Spring!

Here are some sweet offerings from our Natural Kids members for Spring. You can find many more items that would be wonderful on a nature table or in an Easter basket here.

Needle Felted Yellow Easter Chick from Art of Felting

Spring Gardening Wood Toy Set from Armadillo Dreams

Spring Vintage Inspired Beeswax Ornaments from Pretty Dreamer

Pastel Rainbow Stacker from The Enchanted Cupboard

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What I’m Loving This Week


SALE TODAY – Tiny W…

$7.88

Flower Box Baby Dol…

$14.00

Playsilks and Playc…

$52.00

Bird Nest & Egg Spr…

$12.00

Easter Sale – Easte…

$21.60

alpine folk cow / f…

$34.00

Waldorf Toy Stuffed…

$65.00

CUSTOM (ship in 48 …

$4.00

Easter waldorf toy …

$24.00

Wool Felt Easter Bu…

$15.00

Waldorf spring Toy-…

$27.00

Handmade Christmas …

$30.00

play silks – hand d…

$7.50

Grape-Hyacinth – F…

$9.90

Waldorf Doll – Jasm…

$63.00

Daffodil Flower Kni…

$3.50

Etsy treasury created by Gypsy Forest

 

Seed paper, these would be sweet Easter gifts for my children to make.

♥We’re trying to cut out sugar this Strawberry Honey Galette looks amazing!

♥I can’t wait to dye our Easter eggs this year with natural dyes from food.

♥Here’s a great article on simplifying Easter baskets.

♥Love these pompom chicks!

♥Great idea for keeping your seed packets organized.

♥An article on celebrating spring and a sweet verse.

 

What spring treasures have you found this week?

 

Julie Hunter is a wife and mama, raising 3 spirited girls, two babydoll sheep, angora rabbits and a gaggle of chickens and ducks in the North Carolina Foothills. She spends her days at home, crafting with her children, homeschooling, taking long gathering walks in the woods and knitting Waldorf-inspired toys. You can find her blogging and keeping shop at This Cosy Life.

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Signs of Spring

I am starting to see signs of spring all around. The sweet green grass is popping up here and there. When I see then it always makes me think of one of the children’s favorite spring song. This is a great song to add to the rhythm of your day or to your circle time. This is a good song to teach to children as it has a part you sing and they a part they sing.

Daffodil Pattern from Mama4Earth

The Green Grass Grows All Around

first published in 1912, with words by William Jerome[2] and melody by Harry Von Tilzer

To hear a variation of the song played go here.

There was a tree

(There was a tree)

All in the wood

(All in the wood)

The prettiest tree

(The prettiest tree)

That you ever did see

(That you ever did see)

The tree in a hole

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grows all around, all around

The green grass grows all around

And on that tree

(And on that tree)

There was a limb

(There was a limb)

The prettiest limb

(The prettiest limb)

That you ever did see

(That you ever did see)

The limb on the tree,

And the tree in a hole,

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grows all around, all around

The green grass grows all around.

And on that limb

(And on that limb)

There was a branch

(There was a branch)

The prettiest branch

(The prettiest branch)

That you ever did see

(That you ever did see)

The branch on the limb,

And the limb on the tree,

And the tree in a hole,

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grows all around, all around

The green grass grows all around.

And on that branch

(And on that branch)

There was a nest

(There was a nest)

The prettiest nest

(The prettiest nest)

That you ever did see

(That you ever did see)

The nest on the branch,

And the branch on the limb,

And the limb on the tree,

And the tree in a hole,

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grows all around, all around

The green grass grows all around.

And in that nest

(And in that nest)

There was an egg

(There was an egg)

The prettiest egg

(The prettiest egg)

That you ever did see

(That you ever did see)

The egg in the nest,

And the nest on the branch,

And the branch on the limb,

And the limb on the tree,

And the tree in a hole,

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grows all around, all around

The green grass grows all around.

And in that egg

(And in that egg)

There was a bird

(There was a bird)

The prettiest bird

(The prettiest bird)

That you ever did see

(That you ever did see)

The bird in the egg,

And the egg in the nest,

And the nest on the branch,

And the branch on the limb,

And the limb on the tree,

And the tree in a hole,

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grows all around, all around

The green grass grows all around.

And on that bird

(And on that bird)

There was a wing

(There was a wing)

The prettiest wing

(The prettiest wing)

That you ever did see

(That you ever did see)

The wing on the bird,

And the bird in the egg,

And the egg in the nest,

And the nest on the branch,

And the branch on the limb,

And the limb on the tree,

And the tree in a hole,

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grows all around, all around

The green grass grows all around.

And on that wing

(And on that wing)

There was a feather

(There was a feather)

The prettiest feather

(The prettiest feather)

That you ever did see

(That you ever did see)

The feather on the wing,

And the wing on the bird,

And the bird in the egg,

And the egg in the nest,

And the nest on the branch,

And the branch on the limb,

And the limb on the tree,

And the tree in a hole,

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grows all around, all around

The green grass grows all around.

And on that feather

(And on that feather)

There was a bug

(There was a bug)

The prettiest bug

(The prettiest bug)

That you ever did see

(That you ever did see)

The bug on the feather,

And the feather on the wing,

And the wing on the bird,

And the bird in the egg,

And the egg in the nest,

And the nest on the branch,

And the branch on the limb,

And the limb on the tree,

And the tree in a hole,

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grows all around, all around

The green grass grows all around.

And on that bug

(And on that bug)

There was a germ

(There was a germ)

The prettiest germ

(The prettiest germ)

That you ever did see

(That you ever did see)

The germ on the bug,

And the bug on the feather,

And the feather on the wing,

And the wing on the bird,

And the bird in the egg,

And the egg in the nest,

And the nest on the branch,

And the branch on the limb,

And the limb on the tree,

And the tree in a hole,

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grows all around, all around

The green grass grows all around.

Yes, the green grass grows all around, all around

The green grass grows all around!

 


Beccijo Neff is a toymaker, storyteller, and award winning Artist from Pennsylvania. She homeschools 4 children and is happily married. You can find more about her life and her work at her blog . To see her enchanting toys stop at her shop, it will brighten and delight you eyes to see all the magical things she creates.