for the love of gnomes...

gnomes. we love them. in fact, my second post (almost a year ago) here on my brand new waldorfmama blog was about gnomes. wondrous little wintery creatures from folklore. that spark our imagination, from which we can weave magical tales as they help us with our crafts, mine for gems deep within the earth or stop to take shelter under a toadstool. yes, gnomes are little treasures. and you can see a few of ours here and here and here and here. don't they just make you smile?

knitted waldorf gnome by orit dotan

two evi gnome girls that maya received in her christmas stocking

yours from gnomeland,

shelley

around the house...

felted mamas by haddy2dogs

ostheimer shepherd boy and hen house

small felted tapestry by orit dotan

baby love...

there's a lot of baby love going on around here. and not just by our little mama. i absoultely adore waldorf dolls. what a treasure each one is. we have welcomed two new babies into our family this season, and i suspect you'll be seeing a lot of them in the days to come. here is sweet baby clara (handmade by annette at woolcreations), who has barely left maya's arms since she arrived...

yours in some special baby doll love,

shelley

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

fourth advent gift...

for maya's fourth week of advent gift (in honor of humankind), she was given a very special 'baby' doll (lovingly handmade by my friend, annette, at woolcreations). this doll, being shaped more like a real baby than her other dolls, has really brought out the 'little mama' in maya. and it is with great care and attention each day that she is sweetly tending to her new little one, whom we have named clara...

yours in welcoming new baby doll clara into our family,

shelley

second advent gift...

for maya's second week of advent gift (and in celebration of the plant kingdom), she received several sets of beautifully handknitted food. a sandwich set, a taco set, a breakfast set, a salad set and some chocolate chip cookies. what fun she has had making us yummy things to eat all week!

yours in the joy of more handmade giving,

shelley

saint lucia...

yesterday was saint lucia's day. this is a swedish tradition that is celebrated in most waldorf schools. the scandinavian legend is that of a white-clad maiden, wearing a crown of burning candles so she could be seen in the darkness, who brought food to the starving villagers on the shores of lake vanern. throughout sweden on this day...the eldest daughter in each household comes to her parents, dressed in a long white gown tied with a red sash and wearing a crown of lighted candles, and on her tray she carries coffee or tea and saffron 'lucia' buns - which are also shared with loved ones and neighbors.

saint lucia's day is another festival of light that we celebrate during this dark time of year as we usher in our christmas time festivities.

maya in her felted saint lucia crown, handmade by haddy2dogs

felted saint lucia doll, also handmade by haddy2dogs

yours in continuing the celebration of light,

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

woolens and slippers...

it is finally that time of year, here in texas, where we are regularly wearing our woolens and wool slippers. so cozy and comforting. i love how wool has that special quality of warmth, unmatched by any other fiber. naturally. how it creates that layer of softness against our skin and warms us to the core. even the smell of wool makes me happy.

and as little feet have grown, it was time for a new pair of wool slippers. we got these from satch and sol after seeing them recommended here. a fantastic eco-friendly, fair trade business you can feel good about buying from. these beauties are already destined to be favorites!

yours in wooly goodness,

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

some little things...

around our home...

a favorite little handcarved wooden gnome from zooloonaturals

lighting a candle in gratitude

keeping my knitting bags close at hand

yours in enjoying the little things today,

shelley

a day of hope...

once you choose hope, anything is possible.

~ christopher reeve

yours in hope today,

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

fall treasures...

here are a few little fall treasures we're enjoying inside to help us celebrate the coming of the change of seasons outside...

three little autumn dwarves

a wooden mushroom

a willow catkin baby, made by ruprecht

yours in welcoming the coming autumn,

shelley

lighting a candle...

~ for lizz and her family ~

this is a verse we use as a parting verse, but i find it

especially appropriate today for a dear friend

going through a difficult transition...

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