Something Fishy!

I am completely addicted to needle felting and I wanted to share my new fishies!

They are 100% wool, firmly needle felted and great for toddlers and preschoolers to learn colours, numbers (numerals and quantities) and for imaginative play.

The set includes the 6 fish, the silk pouch and a Fairy Silkie(tm). Each fish is a little different than the others in shape and size and the largest is about 2.5 x 3.5".

Listing soon at Etsy!

A Couple Mother's Day Gifts and a Special Order

A little boy with flowers.

A little girl with Sunflowers!

This is the Special Order: an angel sheltering a nursing mother and her child!

Of course, more pictures for each can be found in my shop as well as many more items. Most of them are polymer clay, but there will be some additional shell items coming along. :) I'm so excited to be a part of this team of so many talented artists!

http://torimade.etsy.com/

Ninja Baby Diaper!

I made a diaper like this for my lil bee. We call it the 'Ninja Diaper,' and we get so many comments and compliments that I thought I'd make one for the store as well!

(click on the photo to go directly to the listing!)

All black, inside, outside, velcro, and thread.

Release your inner ninja, baby!


All LilBees AIO diapers are made with PUL outers, wicking/stain-resistant microfleece inners, trim yet absorbant microfiber middles, and touchtape closures with laundry tabs.

Wrought Iron Tendrils

I fired up my Whisper Daddy forge and did some hot work today.  I've got a lot of branch, flower, and leaf elements in progress for various projects.
 

I sold several of my Wrought Iron Tendril coat hooks from my online shop.  The buyer needed one more.  I made up four more, photographed them all together and let her choose the hooks she liked the best.  It's so nice to have a little variety to choose from, even within similar items.  You can see how each one is quite individual, even within a series.  Look for the remaining three to be listed in the home decor section of my shop over the next few days.

These look great all in a row on the wall, ready to hold your garden tools, bags, scarves, hats,... whatever you need to hang up.

While I was working on the hook tendrils, I found an 1/8 inch thick length of steel and one thing led to another.  I couldn't resist making some wrought iron tendril jewelry!
 
They are each about 3 inches long.  I plan on making 2 more of these tomorrow while I'm forging cattails, maybe 3 if I have enough of that 1/8 inch stock left.

Enchanted Make Believe goes wool felt!

Spring has sprung and the creative juices are flowing. I have started carrying all 100% wool felt, all natural ingredients (bamboo filler, cotton thread) play food. Currently I have kiwi and fortune cookies, but many more are in the works!
Great for the imagination, environment and sanity of your own pantry and cupboards. We also have dress up chef hats and aprons and more to come this week.
Blessings to you all~!
Heather

Introducing Torimade

This is such a wonderful idea. Tori of http://torimade.etsy.com/ here and I'm super excited to be a part of this wonderful group!

Originally, I started working clay for a class in my college art school. Back then it was the dirt kind. Since that experience, which was really enjoyable, but quite expensive, I hadn't really done much sculpting. That is, until my husband and I made some Christmas ornaments from Sculpy Polymer Clay a few years ago. Another couple of Christmases later and people started telling me I should sell the things I made as gifts. So, I decided to look into the process of opening and maintaining an online business and found ETSY, thanks to MDC Mamas in the WAHM section! And, here I am. I've been quite obsessed with the whole thing for the last two weeks.

Angels tend to be a big focus for me because I see people around me as my angels. Friends, the person who holds the door for me and my two girls, the Uncle who gives me his van, anyone and everyone can be an angel. The shell angels are new, but I love to make them as well. I'll be adding shadow boxes of them before too long. Here are a few of my angels.

I have a variety of heart-themed pieces, a "doll" (there will be more dolls soon), shadow boxes in the near future, and I have some breastfeeding/babywearing figures just waiting to jump into some clay! I'm so excited to join you ladies. Come visit me at http://torimade.etsy.com/. I'm slowly making my way through the vast and awesome list of MDC ETSIANS. We have some fabulous artist here!

Hurray for Hemp!

What started out as just an idea to make a simple necklace for my son when he saw a dolphin bead he fell in love with, is turning into a rather insane obsession.

Among other materials, I first picked up a small amount of hemp to try my hand at a simple knotted necklace.

Well, after that initial experiment (which turned into a bracelet for myself) I was hooked! And now that I've gotten the hang of it, my first piece officially "for sale" is now available. This one features beautiful dyed purple hemp with lacy knots, a mother-of-pearl center ring and carved bone beads.

I'm having way too much fun with these to call it "work"! This is available from motherbynature.etsy.com, and will soon be joined by more 'friends'.

Milkcolor Carriers newest product

Available at www.milkcolorcarriers.etsy.com

Calling all Dyers! Come Join the Charity Challenge!

Do you dye?
Silk? Cotton? Bamboo? Wool? Your poodle?
Would you like to participate in a fun challenge and an opportunity to give to a charity that is close to your heart?
I am hosting the very first True Colors Dyer's Charity Challenge.
Click the link for all the details and submission guidelines.
There is no cost to participate.
The event is being hosted at Hyena Cart but all dyers are welcome to join in~ all materials and projects welcome, as long as they are dyed by you in the colorway (to be announced by April 13th) of 3 chosen colors.

Rather than viewing other dyers as competition, this is an opportunity to take our shared love of color and work together on a project to help others. So please check it out.
If you are interested in taking part, or have questions, please e-mail me with your name, e-mail addy, shop or feedback etc. as specified here.

New Item at Savonara

I've added one of my favorite products to my Etsy shop - a deodorant made with (of course!) unrefined shea butter. I've been using it for a couple of years now and absolutely love it. Before I started making my own, I tried switching from typical commercial brands to some of the "natural" deodorant brands on the market. I liked their convenience but found that they didn't work all that well. My formula works much better for me, and I like being able to customize the scent with my favorite essential oils for their antibacterial and fragrant properties. My favorite right now is my Orange & Tea Tree blend. I also offer an Unscented variety for those who prefer to go fragrance-free.

Get Ready for Swim Weather! Go Green with Reusable Swim Diapers!!

♥Tired of wasting money on disposable swim diapers? Want to "Go Green" and be Earth-Friendly?
This versatile, gender-neutral, adjustable and REUSABLE swim diaper is the answer!!♥

♥EASY to use, just snap according to your child's measurements, pull on, & GO!♥



Highly adjustable, extremely durable, and cool, fun colors! Look for more, stocking soon at Georganne's

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Got the "Rainy day Blues" for those days not suited for the beach?? WEll, I have three words for you:
I KNEAD YOU™

I Knead You™ scented modeling dough is a wonderful way to stimulate your child's creativity! Utilizes gross and fine motor skills, and sensory stimulation through touch, texture and the yummy scent! Completely non-toxic and WAHM-made :)

Still Not Sure What to Do With a Playsilk?

Playsilks are simple. So simple in fact that many adults balk at the idea of a toy that does nothing. Toddlers, however, revel in such toys!
Today after work, Rowan(age 2.5) and I pulled out the silkies to see what we could come up with for indoor physical activities to help beat the winter blues and I thought I would pass these along for the adults out there who may be looking for something to help them get into silkie play, or for some fresh ideas to get in some extra activity before spring releases us all to the outdoors!
You can read some basic info about silkies here.
We had four of different colours, we could have done all this with one or two, too!

1) Practice colours. Lay out various coloured silkies around the room. Child stands at center and runs to the colour you call. Add some more activity by having them jump on it, spin around with it, whatever!

2) Practice counting. Lay silkies on the floor and have child step on them like ladder rungs, counting as they go.

3) Literacy?! Our local literacy worker has told us that one of the big concepts children lack when they reach kindergarten is a sense of position/ relations. On top, beneath, beside, along, between... Use a silkie and practice! Put it on your child's head ~ they are under the silkie, the silkie is on top of them. Have them place it in various relations to their body, or yours (put it behind mommy). Up, down, away, left, right...

4) Throw and Catch. Bundle one silkie into a ball and knot a second around it and you have a lightweight indoor-safe ball with a handy tail to help novice catchers and throwers feel successful.

5) Jumping and other Gross Motor Skills. Jump over the silkie river, walk along its bank (balance), crawl under a silkie thrown into the air, spin around with one in each hand, step over and crawl under one held up like a limbo stick.

6) Fine Motor Skills. Weave two silkies together. Stuff them into a cup. Lay them down in a straight line.

7) Imagination. Rowan wore her extra silkies as hat and snowsuit while we played. We hid one another and popped out to scare each other (she is at the stage where this is big fun!). She pretended to be a kitty curling up on a kitty bed. She made her big girl bed all up and climbed in to 'sleep'.

8) Rhythm and Body Awareness. We finished with dancing with our silkies~ feeling the music, moving our arms and legs in various patterns (flapping wings, waving in the sky, tiptoeing).

Exercise for body, mind and spirit.
All in about 30 minutes.
Using only a couple 35 x 35" squares of silk.
It doesn't get much better than this!

lovely ladies for lovely ladies

Hi! I'm an MDC mom and etsy artist in Roswell, Georgia. Now that my daughter is 18 months old and before #2 becomes a conclusion, i'm focusing on my art and on promoting my etsy shop, http://www.pollywogpouch.etsy.com

My shop includes paintings in watercolor, oils, acrylics, and mixed media ranging from artists' trading cards (ACEOs or ATCs) on watercolor paper to larger works on wooden board and canvas. I love painting fancifully stylized portraits, and my shop includes pregnant women, chicks with birds, duchesses, goddesses, and, soon-to-come, mermaids. I also have some whimsical paintings about a pollywog and some sales on embellished fleece pouches.

I'm looking forward to being involved here!

Delilah, mom to Cleo 8-28-06

My first blog post EVER!

This is the first time I've ever posted on a blog, so be kind to me! I'm thrilled to be part of this one and to be associated with the other talented MDC and Etsy mamas! be right back, baby woke up! Okay, NAK.
So here in New England it's still cold outside, but not too cold to don a snowsuit and enjoy the late winter sun. To bring a little of the outdoors inside, I've created a few things!
Firstly are my:

Personalized Childrens Natural Wooden Branch Necklaces

Strung on satin cording, these make fun natural jewelry and name tags.

Second are my:

Wooden Wee Folk Furniture- Table and 4 chairs

made just for wee-folk and fairies...
Thirdly are my:

Elemental Handcrafts Natural Story-Telling Kit

All you need for quiet play and car rides. Lots of goodies to get those creative juices flowing!

If you've got Cabin Fever...

For many of us, it has been a long, snowy winter. What to do when it's too cold outside? Play of course! I've got some new puppets for the children to put on shows and befriend.These are princess and prince Waldorf inspired puppets. What fairy tales could be told with their swashing capes and adorable dress? Or how about doing a dino dance? Or playing sheepishly? There's no telling how much you'll laugh and how much memory space you'll take up watching their shows!

I also have mini 12 inch Waldorf inspired dolls. The bodies are made of warm, easy to clean, made from recycled pop bottles fleece. Some have a removable jumper so that his/her friend can dress and undress for additional fun. Stay tuned for more animals coming up...and if you need an animal that I don't have, let me know! I love making new puppets! www.tuition.etsy.com

Having a Ball!

I have *really* wanted to try felting. I just love the look, texture, colors of the wool. I ordered a couple of kits on Etsy, but got too impatient and grabbed some roving in the city last week. Used to dyeing silk, the dyeing wasn't as much of an issue as my fear of felting my roving before I felted it on purpose!

Given that wet felting has caused me a ridiculous amount of pain with my carpal tunnel syndrome, I don't have high hopes for needle felting. But I can do balls!

In fact I came home today and my husband had made some (for me to felt, of course!).
So I have listed a custom pair of felted balls (recycled core, new roving, 100% wool) ~ buyer chooses their colours!

Mother By Nature open for business!

Announcing the arrival of Mother By Nature, online and ready to go!

Eventually, we'll be carrying all kinds of hand-made items for mama and baby, such as nursing clothes, dolls, baby clothes (including clothing designed for EC), reusable bags, and household linens. Our goal is to keep things simple and natural -- basic, affordable items from organic materials whenever possible. Most sewn items will be introduced later this summer and into the fall.

For now, we're getting things started with just a few simple jewelry items... necklaces, to be precise. For instance, this "Heart of Darkness" black obsidian pendant on a greek leather cord. This features silver-coloured findings and a pewter bead for an accent.

Considering I'm a relative 'newbie' to making my own jewelry, I'm very proud of my first projects up for sale. I have lots of beautiful beads in semi-precious stones, carved bone, sterling silver, and freshwater pearl coming in soon so watch for some intriguing items in the near future! I'm also getting into knotted hemp work, I think some of the bone beads will be juuuuuuuust about perfect for that!

We're a Canadian store, currently located in Ontario (me) and New Brunswick (my business partner: my mom!) Later this summer, we are moving back home to New Brunswick and everything will be based there. It's an exciting time, and once we're settled we'll be focusing on creating and expanding our product lines!

Check us out at motherbynature.etsy.com and www.motherbynature.ca!

Designer Diapers? You Betcha!

So one day Hubby said "hey, do you think you could make a diaper that looked like the Norwegian flag?" (he lived there for a couple of years, and our baby has a Norwegian name).
Hmm, like this?
Well that went over well, so then I had to try something with some t-shirt fabric I had:



I was not happy with how it worked with a hidden PUL layer (I got wicking and wear on the corners), so I decided to go with fitteds. (click on the picture to go to the listing!)

Why spend the time to make a designer diaper in a fitted that's just going to have a cover over it? Well, my baby spends a lot of time around the house going coverless!

• If he gets a rash--no covers
• For doing Elimination Communication/Infant Potty Training--no covers
• For EC or IPT part time--no covers at home
• For early potty learning--no covers
• For any kid who is rash-prone--no cover at home means it's easier to tell as soon as he/she is wet, and get them changed sooner.

And even if you are the only one who ever sees this darling diaper, it's still a great diaper! With a stay-dry, stain-resistent, easy-clean microfleece panel on the inside, and 8 layers of absorbant cotton, it's a great diaper even if it weren't so cute!

Have a dream design of your own? Let me know, I'm willing to take on anything!

Spring is on the way . . . .

It has been a long hard winter and I haven't had much time to devote to my etsy shop. BUT! spring is on the way and I am working non-stop to get my shop stocked with tons of fun new stuff.

Right now there are about a zillion doll diapers in two sizes to fit every baby. I have a bunch I haven't listed so if you want a different combination just convo me.

I also have about 20 quilts in the works (what? finish one things at a time . . . .are you kidding me? ). They should start appearing on my site in about a week. My quilts are patterned simply, hand quilted, and as much as possible use recycled or new scrap materials and those savings are passed on to you!!

Also new in my shop is the Ultimate Nursing Shawl. While a mom should never be embarrassed to nurse in public for any reason sometimes a little sheltering is desirable (an extra degree of modesty, distracted babies, pervy men, freezing cold and honestly while I did not care if anyone saw my boobs I did not want to reveal the belly roll. whatever your reasons . . .) the designs are simple enough so that the shawl fold compactly and can double up as a blanket, play area or a nice clean place to change a diaper. and best of all it doesn't scream "baby nursing under here".

and I am knitting . . . . always knitting knitting knitting.

And currently I am having a sale on tons of my old stock. Lots of things have been reduced to just $5 and when you buy three things at $5 you get the 4th sale item free or $5 of anything else in the shop. So go crazy!!

I am also launching a new blog called PBandJs where you can get access to special sales, see works in progress, pre- order and find good deals on second quality stuff that is still cool but maybe didn't work out exactly as I planned. No pictures yet but give me a few days . . . . :-)

you can visit my etxy shop at www.pbandj.etsy.com !

A Little Carried Away

See what happens when I let myself get a little carried away.  I put in all of the curves and supple edges that I want.  I let the leaves gleam and dance. I don't worry about tastefulness or decorum or where to stop.  I work until they are done and overdone, supple and alive. 

Click on the pictures for more information.

new shop open

Just wanted to refer everyone to my new etsy shop, The Knitting Gnome! I have some spring items for St. Patrick's Day and Easter, as well as an ear warmer for these last cold days of winter. Looking for something different than what I have offered? Just let me know!
dara00 on MDC

A simple Waldorf-Style Doll~ Instructions

I have a tutorial up over here if anyone was interested.