Tag: wood

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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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What’s New, and, Well Natural from the Natural Kids Team on Etsy

Welcome! I continue my trek backwards through the alphabet to bring to you the most wonderful and imaginative treasures. They are all handmade with natural materials from…yes! the NaturalKids Team on Etsy! This week, we feature wonderful variety of artist from who have one thing in common – they all work with natural materials!

Darial Lvovski hails all the way from Israel. She is a wonderful needle felter using eco wool and is the mother to three girls. In her shop you will see “only a tiny part of an amazing world populated by the little beings I create. My works have become the ultimate toys for my own children and the children of my friends. ” Here is her One of a kind needle felted wool collectible, Pig Soft Sculpture.

Dad’s Wooden Toys from Grand Rapids, Michigan is not only a wonderful craftsman of eco-friendly wooden toys, but a wonderful poet as well. Here is how he describes how he got going on behalf of his children…”I want the best for them all/and that’s how I started rolling this ball/The toys everywhere made noise and light/but I think the kids not the toys should be bright/So my wife and I were searching to find/toys that were natural and good for their mind.” Here is his Great Dane Wooden toy.

Cute Little Thing, is from Farmingdale, Long Island. She took her genetic predisposition for “cute,” a bachelors of fine arts degree in interior design, an absolute love for natural materials and designing with them, to create the tools, and kits and more for “cute little thing.” Cute Little Barn Owl Needle Felting Kit DIY

Those are the featured new items for this week, from one of a kind needle felted treasures, to natural wooden toys to do-it-yourself kits, all from natural materials and from the hands of folks who love nature, children and open ended toys. This is just a small sample of the quality and variety our customers enjoy from the fine crafters and artists of the NaturalKids team.

Thanks for joining us this week and please do return again next Monday as we continue to feature all the wonderful members of the Naturakids team on Etsy! Til then, I invite you to browse all our wonderful shops.


Warmly,
Rebecca aka Nushkie
Nushkie on Facebook

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What’s New, and Well Natural from the Natural Kids Team on Etsy

Welcome! I continue my trek backwards through the alphabet to bring to you the most wonderful and imaginative treasures. They are all handmade with natural materials from…yes! the NaturalKids Team on Etsy! This week, we feature wonderful variety of artist from who have one thing in common – they all work with natural materials!

Ulla is the visionary behind GermanDolls. Her shop is a wonderful resource for Waldorf style handmade dolls and doll clothing. All of the items you see in her shop are made by her from patterns she designed. She makes her dolls and doll clothes from natural fibers, wool, cotton, and felt. Here is her custom made Leaf Buddy.

Finns and Flowers is a small husband and wife team family business in the beautifully small and rural community of Palermo Maine. Both are endlessly inspired by their three magical children. “We believe that children need toys that invite them to be active not only physically, but mentally as well. They need toys that are pleasing to look at and enjoyable to touch. Most of all they need toys that are fun and safe!” They don’t paint or stain the wood, but let it be in its natural form. Ten hand rub each wooden toy with either a mixture of beeswax and jojoba oil, or environmentally and child safe linseed oil to further enhance the beauty and protect the wood. Here is their Natural Heart Teether.

FeeVertelaine is located in Canada. Julie is the heart and soul of this “oui” shop. All dolls are earth friendly as they are made with natural quality fiber such as wool, mohair, cotton, and alpaca. Julie says, “I always enjoyed creating, it is my passion, my hobby…it is a part of me, a joy! Through my creations a piece of my soul is revealed. I have a daughter, so the first doll that I did was for her…and now guess what happen???…ha!ha! I couldn’t stop…I had to make more. I just love to create them!” Here’s what’s new from her: Sweet Little Traveling Family House

Those are the featured new items for this week– from sweet play toys to teethers – all from natural materials and from the hands of folks who love nature, children and open ended toys..this is just a small sample of the quality and variety our customers enjoy from the fine crafters and artists of the NaturalKids team.

Thanks for joining us this week and please do return again next Monday as we continue to feature all the wonderful members of the Naturakids team on Etsy! Til then, I invite you to browse all our wonderful shops.


Warmly,
Rebecca aka Nushkie

Nushkie on Facebook

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What’s New, and, Well Natural from the Natural Kids Team on Etsy

Welcome! I continue my trek backwards through the alphabet to bring to you the most wonderful and imaginative treasures. They are all handmade with natural materials from…yes! the NaturalKids Team on Etsy!
This week, we feature an international array of artists from the United Kingdom to Canada to across the United States, who have one thing in common besides having their shops begin with the letter L – they all work with natural materials!


Love A Little is a three generation family of creators from the United Kingdom. Grandma, “mum” and daughters work with wool, cotton, and other natural materials to make Waldorf inspired dolls, brooches, and this, just for mommies…The Peace Flower Pouch is a cheerful 100% cotton flower print zipped tetra pouch. It is made to fit a Mooncup or other menstrual keeper when clean and in need of a safe 3D style pouch. It features a twisted thread pull to assist in opening and shutting the pouch.

Jade is a stay at home mommy creator from Canada. She is the loving engine behind …Little Lily Baboo. “I love being a stay at home mom to Addison, Tegan and Myka, and spending any free time sewing for my Etsy shop! Inspired by my girls, Little Lily products are a natural, gentle way to care for the most precious people in your life!”

Her blankets, wipes, towels and onsies are made from the organic and renewable fibers of bamboo. Here is her latest…the Cars Bamboo Hooded Towel for baby…

Making natural treasures for children Little Elfs Toy Shop is at the hear of Kelley from Oregon. “I love kids and making kids happy and have wanted to be a toy maker ever since I was a little girl. All of my toys are double sewn for best quality and are made with lots of love and care. I want these toys to last a long time so they can be loved for many, many moons.”

She specializes in natural dolls and toys, each doll is lovingly hand made of natural materials and are great for imaginative play. The dolls are all double sewn and stuffed with 100% sheep’s wool which will retain the body heat of one who holds them close. Here is her most recent treasure…a yummy Waldorf inspired cloth 12″ girl doll wearing an adorable light blue, hand sewn outfit.

Joe and Amy from Ohio are the creators and crafters behind Little Alouette‘s beautiful Montessori and Waldorf Wood teethers, organic blocks, safe infant and toddler toys, modern traditional rattles.


“In 2007 Little Alouette reinvented a way of thinking of natural toys. We breathed life back into the wooden teething industry by creating the first modern and fun shapes that the country had seen in a long time. Modern families want natural {old school} toys but they want them funky and gorgeous and safe. We do that at Little Alouette. We do it best.” Here is their Gigi Giraffe Ohio Maple Wood Sweet Teether.

That’s it for this week…. from pouches for mommy to bamboo baby hooded towels, Waldorf inspired wool stuffed dolls to wooden teethers …this is just a tiny sampling of the quality and variety our customers enjoy from the fine crafters and artists of the Naturakids team.

Thanks for joining us this week and please do return again next Monday as we make our way through the alphabet, featuring all the wonderful members of the Naturakids team on etsy! Til then, I invite you to browse all our wonderful shops.

Creatively yours,
Rebecca aka Nushkie

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What’s New, and, Well Natural from the Natural Kids Team on Etsy

Welcome! I continue my trek backwards through the alphabet to bring to you the most wonderful and imaginative treasures. They are all  handmade with natural materials from…yes! the Naturalkids Team on Etsy!
 This week, we feature an international array of artists who have one thing in common besides having their shops begin with the letter M – they all work with natural materials!

 Kate of  Merino Me  hails from Auckland New Zealand  She describes herself as “a kiwi mother who loves to design and sew.”  She creates merino wool garments for all ages. Garments that allow your body to move and breathe, naturally. She uses the finest, softest merino wool available, sourced in New Zealand. NZ merino wool is machine washable (yay!) and does not irritate the skin. Wash and wear it like your favorite cotton. Here is her newest cozy treasure –
 Cowl Scarf.
 
The creative mind behind Maple Shade Kids  is Wanda from New Hampshire, who lives there with  her husband, 10 year old daughter and her 7 year old twin boys.

“I unleashed my passion for designing and creating when my family and I moved into our New England farmhouse. It was an open canvas for me. With lots of imagination, a bit of wood, fun papers and earth friendly paint, I was able to transform our rooms and furniture into creative, fun designs that my children/family adore. I haven’t stopped since.” Here is her lovely Brown Bear Peeking Large Collage.

 The creative force behind Mama4earth  is Linda. Sweet knitted animals and treasures from Johannesburg, South Africa. “I  am a stay at home mother of four delightful children, who inspire me to create these wonderful knitted treasures consisting of Waldorf inspired knitted and wooden farm animals, gnomes and toys.” Here is her Labrador Dog Knitting Pattern.    

Mamaks is a mama of 2 little ones living in Seattle, WA. “I started this whole crazy play clay thing while pregnant with my second baby. I was making it so often for my eldest daughter and her friends, and getting so much good feedback I thought why not put it out there and see what happens? So here I am, fledgling play clay maven of Etsy bringing my yummy smelling play clay to the whole wide world!”  Her clay i s gluten free, all natural and biodegradable. Here is her latest:  Geranium scented gluten free play clay in 4 oz.   

That’s it for this week…. from sturdy, environmentally friendly merino wool clothes to wooden artwork and toys to knitted toys and patters to delicious smelling an natural play clay…this is just a taste of the quality and variety our customers  enjoy from the fine crafts folk/artists of the Naturakids team.

Thanks for joining us this week and please do return again next Monday as we make our way through the alphabet and begin with the Ls, featuring all the wonderful members of the Naturakids team on etsy! Til then, I invite you to browse all our wonderful shops.

Creatively yours,
Rebecca aka Nushkie

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What’s New, and, Well, Natural from the Natural Kids Team on Etsy

Welcome! Today I’m going to continue my trek backwards through the alphabet to bring to you the most yummy treasures, which are handmade with natural materials from…yes! the Naturalkids Team on Etsy!

 Danielle is the creator behind Princess Nimble Thimble dolls.  She hails from St. Louis Missouri and features little hand sewn bendy dolls made from wood, and wool. They are small but mighty and incredibly cute.

There are few listings in Danielle’s shop, as they sell out quickly. Check in for her stocking calender and see when the new arrivals will be…arriving! Here is her  Birthday Party Bendy Doll    

When you visit Pretty Dreamer, you will be asked to remember your days of wonder…”that five year old self that managed to stay with you through the years … at the heart of toymaking is a giving life to the cherished plaything. I hold an image of many far away workshops and kitchen tables in close and distant lands where love and imagination shaped a wonderful plaything…”

She makes her handmade Waldorf-inspired and classic wood toys, art toys, home decor and housewares from materials that are carefully chosen and non-toxic.. And they are always “Lively, useful, colorful, simple – for home and play.  Here is her Golden Egg – Fairy-tale inspired beeswax candle.

Dayanra of Pin Pon  is a native Chicagoan, who studied art at Columbia College. As a former Early Childhood Educator, she understands the need for open-ended play, simplicity, and nurturing in a child’s life. “Inspired by the Spanish lullaby my mom sang to me as a child I create one of a kind, original playthings for the young and young at heart.”

In her shop you will find soft dolls, wooden toys, and imaginary friends made of natural and re-purposed fabrics, mostly cottons, wools and linens. They are all stuffed with cotton.

Here is Barry the Polar Bear

Pinkhouse Handworks is the dream of Janice Kearley, who came upwith the name years before opening her shop. “The birth of my first child in November 2007 has made the business a reality. After being a Montessori guide in Austin, Texas for 10 years, I left my classroom to be at home with my daughter.”       She makes “Montessori Baby Toys” from wood and cotton, which are appropriate for all babies and can be appreciated by Montessori and non-Montessori families alike…Here is her Wintery Blue soft Circular Rattle/Teething Ring .
That’s it for this week….from rattles to bendy dolls, from beeswax to stuffed polar bears, it is a pleasure to bring you all the new treasures from these fine crafts folk/artists. 
Please visit again next Monday as we make our way through the alphabet, featuring all the wonderful members of the Naturakids team on etsy! Til then, I invite you to browse all our wonderful shops.

Creatively yours,

Rebecca aka Nushkie

 

 

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What’s New, and, Well, Natural from the Natural Kids Team on Etsy

Welcome! We may be past Valentine’s day…but we’re not finished with the love! In this case, the love of making handmade treasures created with natural materials from…yes! the Naturalkids Team on Etsy! Today I’m going to continue my trek backwards through the alphabet to bring the stories of our members and their newest listings.

The Fairies Nest is the home of OOAK (one of a kind) art dolls, fairies, Waldorf toys, and textile treasures from the Lands of Enchantment. All dolls found there are designed and handmade by Cynthia Toy, using her own patterns and eco-friendly natural fibers and fabrics.

Cynthia’s dolls require many hours to make as she designs and creates each doll completely from her own imagination. Many of the dolls are made from the inside out without patterns, and each face is carefully drawn and painted by hand using no patterns or stencils. Because of this, no two dolls are EVER exactly alike, they are all one of a kind; like people, each has its own distinct personality.

Speaking of personality, here is a new and incredibly adorable rat! This rat is not cute just once…but twice…proving two heads are better than one! Two headed Rat Art Doll

The Enchanted Cupboard: “You enter a quaint gift shop…You see a large old enchanted cupboard with a vast amount of drawers and doors; you walk to it as sweet, whispered words fill your ears, ‘Inside you will find your heart’s desire!’ “

Beccijo of The Enchanted Cupboard is an award-winning artist from the age of eleven, when she picked up some oil pastels and began to draw everything she saw with her eyes and in her imagination. Her parents signed her up for Art Class at a local Art Studio. She received many Gold Key Awards and donated many of her art works to charity for auctions. Beccijo sold her first painting when she was 17. She went off to study Art at college and was awarded The Most Outstanding Student of Art for 1991. Since then, she has let her heart and her art lead her. Beccijo continues to draw and paint but has now found great passion for toy making and personal custom dolls painted to the likeness of her subject…from wedding cake toppers to childrens’ toys. You just have to open the cupboard to find them! Here is her Rainbow Wooden Dolls and Mushroom Box

Sunshadow Slippers is a ‘from home’ business that Tracey runs with her three children. They make indoor shoes for Steiner/Waldorf schools, but they are just as fabulous to be worn as slippers around the house. They are soft and ‘snuggly’ for baby toes all the way up to older toes in need of some nurture.

All materials are natural fibers. The soles are leather, the tops are made of snug fitting cotton, and inside there is a pure wool felt insole – your feet will never feel more loved!

Each pair of slippers is uniquely created to be as individual as her customers. The motifs are from nature, butterflies and dragonflies, frogs and possums, dolphins and turtles, like ones featured here: Playful Possum Print Slippers – Hand dyed in pure cotton

Sheree, creator of Sheree’s Atelier is an MIT trained chemist. Now, instead of mixing up chemicals in the lab, she prefers to spend her days at home with her family mixing up fabrics and yarns and other magical ingredients to create the items in her shop.

Sheree designs and makes all of the lovely dresses, bags and other goodies from the finest natural materials, and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Here is Sheree’s Aqua Floral and Dots Emma tote for Girls

From wooden toys to woolen stuffed animals, slippers and accessories, this week’s selection from the Natural kids Team on Etsy offers you just a taste of the natural creations you can expect to find and make part of your life from our wonderful artists and craftspeople. Look here for a full list of our shops!

Thank you for visiting this week. I’ll have more shops to introduce you to next week as I showcase their recent creations. I look forward to seeing you then, in the meantime, our blog has interesting and informative entries each day. Enjoy!

Creatively yours,
Rebecca a.k.a. Nushkie

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What’s New, and, Well Natural from the Natural Kids Team on Etsy

Welcome! Today I’m going to continue my trek backwards through the alphabet to bring the stories of the creators and their newest wonderful handmade treasures, made with natural materials from…yes! the Naturalkids Team on Etsy!

Welcome to the The Wood Garden  Chris and Laura,  create natural, handmade wooden toys and dishes for babies, toddlers and children. They are a husband and wife team who have always been creative–in fact, they met in high school art class. When their first son was small Chris started making wooden trucks for him, and quickly fell in love with woodworking and creating wooden toys especially. He bought more tools and made it his hobby, and later a business as they started to sell the toys at craft shows under the name CB (Canadian Built) Woodcrafts. Eventually they heard about Etsy and decided to open up a shop here under a new name, The Wood Garden.  Here is their  Handcrafted Wooden Rattle in Walnut and Purple Heart.

The shop The Violet Sparrow  is named after their two saanen dairy goats, Violet and Sparrow. They aim to please our planet-and you with every natural, handmade item they create, from children’s upcycled wool sweater slippers, needle-felted designs, children’s stuffed toys, waldorf dolls and thier hand-made, hand-milked goatmilk soaps and accessories.

The shop is filled with goods inspired by the treasures they make for and with their children. As a Waldorf-inspired homeschooling family, they are constantly creating our own playthings, dolls, and beautiful things for their  home and nature table. This is reflected in thier shop!

  Here is the   Heart Purse with Valentines Fairy and Gnome Friends 

Elizabeth from the The Sitting Tree    is an obsessed knitter. She knits anywhere & everywhere, except while riding her bike, as she has not figured that one out yet. Her favorite place to knit, though, is nestled into the trunk of a shady tree overlooking the St. Croix River. Perhaps this is the very tree she named her shop  after!

She’s inspired by everything nature, and tries to make sure her products reflect the love and respect she has for mother earth. By upcycling and using natural fibers, this goal is manifested in one of her newest listings, the Tree Squirrel Upcycled cloth diaper soaker.

Mary is the creator behind The Green Goat.    She’s an artist with a Bachelors degree in Graphic Design, living in the Midwest. She’s a wife, a stay-at-home momma of two, and someone who enjoys the simplest things in life. The Green Goat came about after her second child was born. It was then that her bottled up creative energy exploded into a children’s collection and then some. She is head-over-heels in LOVE with her new roll as mommy, but  can’t quite shake the desire to create things. So, she works in the evenings, after her babies are fast asleep. Mommy by day, screen printer by night. “I have the best of both worlds! I truly LOVE what I do and am so tickled to be able to share my creations with you,” she says. Here is her
 Peacock on Seafoam spaghetti strap dress   !

From clothing to dolls, to diapers and rattles, this week’s offering brings you just a taste of the natural creations  you can expect to find and make part of your life from the Natural kids Team on Etsy! Look here for a full list of our shops!

Thank you for visiting this week! I’ll have another bunch of our shops to introduce you to next week as I showcase their recent creations. I look forward to seeing you then, in the meantime, our blog has interesting and informative entries each day. Enjoy!

Creatively yours!
Rebecca    aka Nushkie

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New Items from The NaturalKids Team

Team members were busy last week making lots of natural goodies for kids! Take a peek:

A gorgeous love spoon from prettydreamer

An adorable dollhouse girl from Woolhalla

A very useful dolphin marker holder from Dad’s Wooden Toys

A “cool” King Winter from The Enchanted Cupboard

A bright little heart fairy from Alkelda

And the sweetest pink kitten from Little Elf’s Toyshop

To see more simply search “naturalkids team” on Etsy…or click here!
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Thursday How To: New Life for Old Wood

Donni of The Magic Onions loves old wooden bowls. She loves them so much that when she finds a negected specimen, she cleans it up and restores it to it’s former glory. You can read about her entire restoration process in this post, but today she shares her recipe for a lovely, creamy polish.

After the cleaning process, an old wooden bowl will have a vintage look and I often leave it just like that. But sometimes, a bowl needs to have a little more TLC. This is how I make my polish.

The pictured bicarbonate of soda was used to clean the bowl, you can read all about my cleaning process here. I couldn’t find my measuring cup anywhere (Kids! *big dramatic sigh*) so I improvised with an old yogurt container (4 oz).

You’ll need:
1 cup of odorless Turpentine (2 yogurt containers)
1/2 cups of melted beeswax (1 yogurt container)
a few drops of essential oil (optional – lavender is my favorite)

Make a bain-marie on your stove to melt the beeswax (if you want instruction on how to safely melt beeswax, take a look at the this post about working with beeswax).
While it is melting, sit your turpentine in a bowl of warm water… you want it to be warm when you add your hot melted beeswax. When wax is melted, add it to the warm turpentine and stir thoroughly. When it has cooled a little, add your essential oil and stir again.

As the mixture cools, it emulsifies into a wonderfully thick polish.

Use a lint free rag to rub the polish into the bowl evenly. I apply a few coats and Voila! A beautifully stained and polished wooden bowl. I love knowing that it has had a myriad of lives before this on, that it has been loved, tossed aside, forgotten, discarded, found, restored and then loved again. Phew… how romantic! Look at the beautiful grain marking that appeared.

Isn’t it amazing how you can turn a grotty old thing into a beauty?

Donni’s shop Fairyfolk is filled with colorful felted acorns, felted stones and needle felted toys. Waldorf Inspired, all natural, handmade and eco-friendly. In her own words, “Needle felting is how I reconnect with myself, being creative is a necessity. It is the language of my soul and try to speak it often.”