felted artwork...

i have always loved felted tapestries. there is something so magical and captivating about them to me. here are three of my favorite felted creations made by three amazing artists who are fellow etsians and good friends...

this one hangs on maya's bedroom door and was a custom piece made for me by crazymomma productions

this one hangs in our bedroom and was also a custom piece made for me by orit dotan

this one hangs in my hall and was made by haddy2dogs

yours in appreciation of some very talented fellow etsy artists,

shelley

felted ornaments...

i realized today that i hadn't put any photos of my felted christmas ornaments from my waldorfmama shop here on my blog, so here are a couple of my favorites. i wanted to make a lot more this year, but because of an abundance of custom orders for my hats...i didn't get as many ornaments made as i would have liked. oh well, there is always next year.  :)

yours in the joy of a handmade christmas,

shelley

custom knitting...

here is a custom order i've recently completed. a light blue doll cardigan and pink dress in a dreamy wool/silk blend. this set goes out to my special friend, birdie.  :)

yours in more happy custom order knitting,

shelley

handknitting stockings...

i also wanted to showcase here a few of the handknitted christmas stockings i've made and sold in my waldorfmama shop...

yours in more knitting fun,

shelley

knitting, knitting and more knitting...

yes, this is what i'm doing right now. knitting. and this is what i will be doing every day until christmas in an attempt to complete all of my custom hat orders. it's been a wonderful season, don't get me wrong. and i am thankful. but at times, it's been all i can do to keep up - which, more often than not, i haven't (i'm also thankful for very patient and understanding customers). sooo, here's to knitting the days away until the last hat is knit.

here are two of the latest ones i've completed. this first one, in sunset orange silk, is a new color i'll be offering - my absolute favorite color!

silk pilot cap, sunset orange

silk pilot cap, marine

yours in a bit of overtime knitting,

shelley

advent gifts...

we have made it a tradition in our home this year to present maya with one small gift for each week of advent. each gift is handmade, either by myself or other craftspeople. and each is made using only natural, sustainable materials. this is our commitment to maya. and is a result of our pledge to purchase only handmade, one of a kind, eco-friendly toys and items for our home. i challenge you to make the same commitment. for your children, yourself and the environment. enjoy the creativity of handmaking the things you want yourself. or take the pledge! and enjoy supporting an artist or crafter directly.  :)

maya's advent week one gift - a handknitted kitten from fuzzy mitten

yours in making the handmade pledge,

shelley

saint nicholas...

along with advent, december holds a few other smaller but very special celebrations. the first of which is celebrated today - saint nicholas day (december 6). this is a european, as well as a waldorf, tradition in which saint nicholas and his silent servant, rupert, visit children. on the eve of december 5, children place their shoes or boots outside the door (as well as a bit of hay for saint nicholas' horse) hoping saint nicholas will stop by and leave some treats for them - golden walnuts, clementines, an apple, maybe a bit of chocolate and perhaps a small gift. such a fun little celebration for our children to usher in this festive month of december.

ostheimer saint nicholas and rupert

felted saint nicholas' by etsy's haddy2dogs

yours in wishing you a happy saint nicholas day,

shelley

credit where credit is due...

i just received my winter 09 issue of living crafts in the mail yesterday. and i must say, it's quite a thrill to see something you've created in print (my ornaments are in the 'good finds' section, and my doll sweater is in the 'ready to wear' section, as a companion to the girl's red holiday cardigan). i just love this magazine and eagerly await each issue. i was a charter subscriber and definitely feel a special bond to it. and now it holds an even more special place in my heart.

and i also want to give credit where credit is due. to a very special person who inspired me to make the two things that are featured in the magazine - my twin sister, shannon. she is the one who taught me how to make the ornaments. and also inspired my doll sweater pattern when she made this lovely little sweater for maya's special baby. thank you, shannon! you are an inspiration in more ways than you can imagine and i love you very much!

yours in thankfulness and inspiration,

shelley

living crafts...

today is the day that the winter issue of living crafts magazine should be out in stores. i haven't received my issue yet, but i'll be so excited to see it. i have the honor of having a two of my waldorfmama shop handmade items featured in this issue. my felted christmas ornaments are scheduled to be in the 'good finds' section. and my handknitted doll sweater pattern will be featured, as well. it will be fun to see these in print!

in honor of being featured, i've listed a few felted christmas ornaments in the shop. i certainly intended on making more of these before the issue came out - but you all know how that goes. i'll be listing many more in the coming days, so if they disappear fast...please check back often! i also plan to have more handknitted doll sweaters and dresses available as soon as possible. and remember, you can always request a custom order.

yours in loving living crafts,

shelley

peace on earth...

deepak chopra and david simon led their second 'global peace meditation' yesterday. a one-hour worldwide mediation for peace, harmony and love on the planet. hundreds of participants with deepak and david in california...were joined by thousands more meditators around the globe. with the collective intention of creating peace in the world. and peace within.

in this time of choice for our country, i hope we all look within. and unite together, as one, with the vision and intention of peace for our country and our world...

felted dove of peace and olive branch made by my dear friend, becky, over at the singing bird

yours in visualizing world peace,

shelley

elves and gnomes...

elf and rooster

gnome, mouse and felted mushrooms

(mushrooms made by haddy2dogs)

felted boxes...

a few people asked so i wanted to show you what we use the felted boxes for - our block beeswax crayons. these beautiful felted boxes were custom made for me by my friend, leah (kneek), over at spider felt. i specifically asked for these color combinations so we could separate our stockmar block crayons into these four color groupings - reds/oranges, yellows, greens/blues, purples/violets. they are quite a handy way to store the crayons and make clean up a breeze. and didn't leah do a wonderful job?  thanks, leah!

yours in felted goodness,

shelley

silk...

new silk yarn in a specific colorway that a customer requested. wow, do i love knitting my hats in this beautiful silk. each and every one is a joy to make. and i always dream of how the baby will feel with this luxuriously soft yarn next to his or her skin!

yours in silk love,

shelley

color...

i have this love for color and most everything in my home is very colorful. to me, it's really all about color. and surrounding myself (and filling our home) with colors that evoke a happy, peaceful, tranquil feeling. i have always loved and felt a connection to the warmer colors of the spectrum - pinks, reds, oranges and yellows. these colors make me smile and feel warm inside. and the paint for the walls in our home have all been specially chosen, as well. maya's room is that beautiful pinky-peach waldorf kindergarten color. our living room is a vibrant yellow. the hall is a soft peach. our bedroom is a lemony-green. and our kitchen and dining area is a bright citron. what colors do you love?

snow white and the seven dwarves

a second quilt (this one in pinks, reds and oranges) by my friend, malka, over at stitch in dye

and a beautiful fairy made by my dear friend, orit dotan

yours in love of color,

shelley

new doll sweater...

here is a new doll sweater that i just put in my waldorfmama shop. a lovely creme and pink merino wool, with small wooden buttons. i'm really loving knitting these doll sweaters and plan on putting as many as i can in my shop before the living crafts magazine feature comes out...

yours in lots of fun doll sweater knitting,

shelley

special knitting...

i've been working rather quickly on a special little knitting project these last few days and wanted to share it with you here...

this little red doll sweater (lovingly modeled by our own penny), and the pattern i created for it, were by special request - and are going to be featured in the winter issue of living crafts. now if you don't know about living crafts, it's a beautiful new magazine (almost a year old) that is published quarterly...and it is nothing short of wonderful. very waldorf-inspired, with lovely crafty projects and ideas and an abundance of inspiration. i've been working closely with pardis, the creator and editor of the magazine, to get this project completed and photographed...and it has been a joy to work with her and so much fun.

lucky for me, she will also be featuring my felted christmas ornaments in the 'good finds' section of the same winter issue, with information on where to purchase... 

now all i have to do is get busy and fill up my waldorfmama shop with doll sweaters and christmas ornaments! wish me luck. and if you don't already subscribe, be sure to pick up your copy of living crafts in mid-november (available at most major craft stores - like joann's, etc)!

yours in lots of knitting and felting,

shelley

quilt...

a few people were asking about the quilt in my last blog post picture, so i thought i'd post another picture of it. this beautiful baby quilt was custom made for me by malka, over at stitchindye, using all of my own fabrics. i've collected oilily bandanas for years now and have always wanted to make a quilt out of them...but never seemed to find the time. once i saw malka's beautiful work, i knew i wanted to commission her to make one (or two) for me! what beautiful piecing and quilting she does!

yours in appreciation for beautiful work,

shelley

knitting...

lots of knitting going on here. i'm a little backlogged on my custom silk baby hats right now, but my goodness...i sure do enjoy knitting these. and even more so knowing that each one is going to a special baby somewhere in this world to enjoy and keep their little head warm. and oh these colors - i really love these colors!

yours in busy happy knitting,

shelley

adult hat...

i recently received a request for one of my hats in an adult size from a customer who wanted a warm pilot style cap for her bike commute each day. i was excited about the challenge and am really happy with the results. this hat is in 100% merino wool in subtle hues of a beautiful chocolate brown. it's on it's way to eugene, oregon now.  :-)

yours in knitting not just for little ones,

shelley

preserving childhood...

i've been thinking a lot lately about the importance of preserving childhood for our children. in a world where there is such an extreme push for children to learn 'early', i find that i very much desire to hold my child in that space where she can be who she is now, in the present. so in her body and not in her mind. to spend the day being a fairy or a flower princess or a chef. imitating the daily rhythms in life - dressing, cooking, eating, cleaning. that innocent world of imagination where she can be whatever she chooses to be. this is what first drew me to the waldorf way. and such is the way childhood should be and will be until she crosses the threshold of her 7th year...

yours in preserving childhood,

shelley

*note*: her favorite crown, above, was made by my good friend, mel - over at haddy2dogs!