new hats...

here are a couple of new hats i made for a dear etsy friend on a trade (these are 2 of the 4 hats i made for her children, ranging in age from 4 years to 10 years)...

she'll be making me a felted tapestry in return, from a picture or design of my choosing. very exciting!

yours in knitting for trade,

shelley

new window star...

just a quick post to show you a new window star i just added to my waldorfmama shop...

not my usual 'warm' colors, but i love the variety. we have one of each color combination now in an arch in our big kitchen/dining room window, making an entire rainbow. enjoy!

yours in variation,

shelley

easter...

we celebrated the easter holiday today hiding and hunting for felted eggs and other handmade goodies. maya's special easter crown was made by my dear friend, mel, over at haddy2dogs...

a sweet knitted bunny was made by my friend, orit, over at oritdotandolls. and a beautiful pink silk and felted garden playscape came from swallowtail school, where all proceeds go to the development of their waldorf school. special handmade goodness for our special day!

yours in celebration of spring,

shelley

more birthday...

here are some more pictures of maya's birthday celebrations over the past few days...

yours in continuing celebration,

shelley

p.s.  the beautiful birthday banner above was made by erin, over at bluebirdbaby. i love it, erin - thank you so much! and the special rainbow birthday crown was made by the handwork teacher at our future school.

4...

on this day 4 years ago, our sweet maya meadow, you joined us on this earth. born from my body and into our arms here at home in our bed. where we two became three...

what an immeasurable gift you are! and oh what things you came to teach us. so connected the three of us are - you, your papi and i. we knew you were there, long before you were. and you came to us just as it was always meant to be. you are beauty and joy and light. the very meaning of life. and we love, honor and respect all that you are and ever will be. happy birth day, our sweet maya meadow! this is your day!

yours on this ever special birth day,

your mama and papi

last batch of felted eggs...

i wanted to let everyone know that i've just listed my last batch of felted eggs before easter/equinox in my waldorfmama shop.  last day for shipping before easter is march 18.  enjoy!

yours in anticipation of spring,

shelley

waldorf window stars...

a quick little update here. i've finally added the window stars i've made to my waldorfmama shop! two different styles and a variety of colors. here are a couple of my favorites...

yours on a sunny day,

shelley

easter's on it's way...

yes, easter is just around the corner. so i've just listed another batch of felted easter eggs in my waldorfmama shop...

with a close-up of a favorite. these have been popular, so i was happy to felt up some more. i really prefer these eggs to the more commercial alternative. maya's favorite part is hunting for the eggs. she loves finding them all and then we hide them again. i've made us our own large batch this year, so she will have loads of fun.

and along with that, here is my 'green' picture for the day. oh how i love yarn...

yours in preparation for easter,

shelley

play time...

after an absolutely gorgeous and perfect day yesterday on my birthday, it's sleeting and cold here today.  but we are supposed to get more snow tonight!  maya is, of course, thrilled.  but until then, we've been keeping cozy and warm and finding fun things to do inside. one thing that maya has always loved are her cherished wooden toy figures and animals. each has a special place where they live and when she was a bit younger, she was known to bring several to bed with her each night (it has happened more than once that her papi or i have woken up with a hippopotamus or giraffe underneath us!). we usually build elaborate sets with several villages and houses and castles and caves. when i told her that i was taking 'green' pictures for my blog this week, she suggested we build a 'green' set up. complete with all green trees...

.

it's nice visualizing the coming spring. i can almost feel the warming breezes, the sun on my face and the soft scent of flowers blooming. here's looking to spring!

yours in greenness,

shelley

46...

well, here it is. my birthday. i'm 46 years old today. and what an amazing 46 years it has been. i feel so blessed in my life. such wonderful parents to thank for the beautiful, loving family i was raised in. my twin sister, whom i love so dearly. my brother, who is always there. my sweet and giving husband, who is my soulmate and best friend. my amazing children, who are my life. and now my new found etsy and blogging friends. i am overcome with gratefulness and thankfulness each day for these gifts!

our time here on this earth is what we make it. we set forth with intentions that often change along the way. if we allow ourselves to grow, evolve, redirect...and if we are open to all the possibilities that are out there, our life can be full of boundless love, joy and happiness. and so it is with my life. a beautiful celebration of where i have been, where i am now and where i will be. every day, a new beginning with a sense of joyful wonder and anticipation.

and here is my 'green' picture for today.  it snowed here in central texas yesterday for the first time this winter!  what a joyous time for my girl in her green coat...

yours in thankfulness and joy on this special day of mine,

shelley

birthday week...

well, here it is. my birthday week. tomorrow, march 5, i'll be 46. funny thing is, i don't feel 46. i feel more like i'm 18. i've actually always felt this way, no matter what stage of my life i've been in. i spent my 20's having 3 wonderful babies and finding out who i was as a mama. i spent my 30's rediscovering myself again and finding my soulmate. and now i'm a mama again in my 40's. life couldn't be better! so i'll be celebrating all week with pictures and posts.

i'll start with a meme that bex, over at poppy & mei days, tagged me with. here are seven random things about myself...

1. i'm an identical twin. my twin sister, shannon, and i were born only 3 minutes apart.  we are extremely close and can read each other's thoughts. we often buy the very same things without knowing it.

2. by the time i was 20, i had climbed nearly half of the 14ers (mountains over 14,000 ft high) in colorado.

3. i have 4 tattoos.  a sun on my right hip, the japanese word for peace on my left upper arm, the symbol for synchronicity on my right ankle, and a maltese cross on the inside of my lower left leg. i still want to get at least one more tattoo.

4. i nursed all 3 of my older children past the age of 3 years (hannah/born in 1982, naomi/born in 1986 and caleb/born in 1990).  and i tandem nursed naomi and caleb.

5. i'm a seventh generation texan (which means my family's descendants have lived in texas for seven generations).

6. my husband is an inventor and a firefighter.

7. my daughter, maya, was born at home...just 10 days after my 42nd birthday.

so there you have it.  i'd love to hear 7 random things about anyone else out there who wishes to share!

i've also decided to participate in 'green week', inspired by my friends grace and erin and hosted by emily over at shining egg.  in honor of the celebration of green, here is my green for the day - a gift from a dear neighbor...

yours in celebration,

shelley

and more eggs...

all the eggs sold quickly yesterday so i'm listing this batch tonight!

enjoy!

yours in felting goodness,

shelley

more eggs...

just a quick update here. i was finally able to list a few more felted easter eggs in my waldorfmama shop tonight...

enjoy!

yours in looking toward spring,

shelley

p.s. bex, i'll do my 7 random things post next!

*update*:  all the eggs sold quickly so i'm listing more on friday (2/29)!

grape raspa...

okay, so here is the lastest and last addition to my made-to-order merino wool hats...

my husband picked the name for this color - grape raspa. he grew up in the valley in south texas (only 20 miles from the mexico border) and down there...a snocone is called a raspa. he said this color made his mouth water.

i'm busily trying to restock my waldorfmama shop with more felted eggs, more knitted doll clothes, window stars and more. plus get some custom hats for a dear etsy friend out the door that i've taken WAY too long to finish. i was also tagged by bex (over at poppy and mei days) for a 'seven random things about myself' meme...and i promise i'll do that in my next post, bex!

yours in catching up,

shelley

doll dress...

here is a little doll dress that i just added to my waldorfmama shop, in soft rainbow merino wool (matching the sweaters i made previously) that i bought from my friend, aimee, over at pancake and lulu...

and our little hazel modeling it...

just a simple pullover style dress that is easy for small toddler hands to take on and off. looking toward spring! more coming soon (i'm still trying to get good photos of my window stars!).

yours in knitting,

shelley

*update*:  this dress sold quickly, so i will be making more!

february ten...

inspired by amanda's post on saturday, here are ten little joys that are making me smile this february week...

1.  witnessing the amazing love and joy between my sweet daughter and her devoted papa (papi).

2.  listening to my daughter's voice go high and then low as she 'reads' to her babies or to her papi and me.

3.  beholding the beauty of the handmade toys we choose to surround our daughter with.

4.  the sweet smell of my little one's breath as she wakes up each morning in our family bed.

5.  running across an old picture of our sweet baby girl napping when she was 19 months old.

6.  knitting every day.

7.  the calm, warmth and serenity i feel in our home.

8.  holding, snuggling and nursing my 3 year old toddler many times throughout our day.

9.  the way my sweet husband plays endlessly and tirelessly with our girl.

10.  the happiness and thankfulness i feel each and every day for this beautiful life that i am living!

yours in february joy,

shelley

peachy pink...

here is the latest color in my 'made to order' line of wool pilot caps in my etsy shop, a beautiful peachy pink...

this color reminds me of a waldorf kindergarten, a color that speaks to my soul. you will find this color on the walls in every waldorf kindergarten across the world. the first time i ever walked into a waldorf kindergarten 20 years ago, the beauty touched me so deeply that it brought tears to my eyes. i felt an overwhelming connection to it that has never left me. and i have always painted the walls in my children's rooms this color while they were young. maya's room is this color...

we spend a lot of time playing, reading and just being together in her room (she still co-sleeps with us in our bedroom). it is a peaceful and comforting space to be.  and it always evokes a feeling of tranquility. i love to think that when maya goes into her waldorf kindergarten, she will continue to be surrounded with this beautiful and peaceful color that i am so drawn to and that she has grown up in!

yours in peaceful tranquility,

shelley

shop open...

my new waldorfmama etsy shop is now officially open! i'm planning on selling my other waldorf crafts here (i will, of course, continue to sell my handknit natural fiber hats in my original shelleycaskey etsy shop). these easter egg ornaments and handknit wool doll sweaters are just a small start...

i'll be adding more things daily - including more handknitted doll clothing, waldorf window stars and some nature table dolls. drop by for a visit when you can!

yours in felting and knitting,

shelley

*update*:  both doll sweaters have sold but i am knitting more!

new shop...

i've been working on getting some things ready for my new waldorfmama etsy shop. here is a little preview of some of my works in progress...

the plan right now is to open the new shop this week.  i'll keep you updated with posts here in my blog!

yours in creativity,

shelley

woolies...

we love wool long johns at our house...

these are actually a blend of wool and silk. nothing is more comforting or feels better, does it? maya sleeps in her woolies every night...

and lives in them all day long, too, if we're not going out (as evidenced by most of the pictures of her here in my blog). and she wears them as a first layer under her clothes if we do go out. ahh, wool. how we love it at our house!

yours in wooly warmth,

shelley