Sweet gals for the shop. 5 of the 9 are stuffed with this lovely light and soft organic wool from a sheep farmer in the Okanagan. i love this but it is limited.

A favorite granny babushka - Nona;

blonds - Toshiana and Arisha;

Miloushka and Ksana have matching body fabrics but different hair colors and other parts. They also have a super cool tag. i think i will be adding this tag to dolls in the future.

i had stashed the lovely Ruslana away at the craft fair thinking that i would keep her for myself but we have 3 dolls already and i’m making room on the couch for others who may come. She’s one of the 5 who is stuffed with organic wool and i love love love her yellow honeycomb head. To her right is the super cool Radka. i love her pink and green;

Yalenka is also available and believe it or not there are a few more in need of stuffing so they may appear before the holiday. We’ll see…

i also want to share with you some of my etsy matryoshka faves. This is adorable paper from enna.

sweetest magnets from here;

i’m so bummed that i missed out on this and anyone looking for blank nesting dolls to personalize may find them here;

The wool felt Crowns have been a great success and i will continue to make them both for my shop and for Natural Pod. Thank you to everyone who linked me to the “etsy picks” the other day and for some extra crown love. Thank you! You are so sweet.

Being partnered with a cafe owner we end up here at some point of nearly every day for coffee, steamed rice milk, butter croissants or spelt pastry apple pie… We’ve got a stash of books, toys and spirograph in the office for mornings like this. Yesterday was a family gathering before my mom hit the road for back home. i could have hung out there all day drinking coffee after delicious coffee.

My boys reading the good stuff;

After weeks of asking Little A to be patient with me while i was preoccupied with sewing tasks i felt that i wanted to do something with him that he would love - baking with sweets. Oh it was crazy fun but i realize that children have no boundaries in their passion be it for the love of chocolate or tv. Almost as delightful as it was having cookies in the house, it also created much argument. We have decided to take the gingermen to the cafe so that we may have treats there instead of here. Then we can get on with our home life without continuous requests for sweets. We have enough picky food issues without the sugar. He’s real proud of these though;

In place of sweet baking we’re going to aim for once a week baking with friends. Today it was pizza - enough dough for 4 large pizzas, enough to eat for 2 families and enough to freeze extra. i love how soft and stretchy pizza dough is. We used mostly white flour and some whole wheat but i would like to experiment with spelt. On the list; breads, crackers, tarts…it’s a great idea to share a kitchen for such projects. 2 moms, 2 kids, 1 big mess that was relatively easy to clean up and more importantly bellies full from homemade, well except for my kid since he’s experimenting with his control and not eating (other than heritage o’s). I’m trying to be ok with it, to trust that he will be ok as long as i offer healthy food choices (unlike the cookie experiment above) but it’s stressful when i know he’s cranky cause he’s hungry and he won’t eat. Just a note - i was exactly the same as a kid. I did purchase this book and while i haven’t looked through it thoroughly i’m pretty disappointed with it. i should read more before giving it a bad review but i was turned off by the lack of whole grains, the use of peanut butter, low fat dairy products, cooking spray, margarine and the use of microwaves. i’m more of a this kind of wannabe cook. i bought that book too. Anyhow, the pizza today was good and the baking a blast, complete with crown and aprons.

On the topic of crowns there are many in the shop. i will add more as they sell. Scarves are coming soon for adults and littles and eventually more dolls…

Craft fairs are a lot of work in making, planning, executing. Thank you for organizing this fun event where i was able to sell alongside talented and crafty mamas. it was successful enough despite my ridiculous expectations and most of all it was fun. There were many slow traffic moments when i would look around me and see mamas with knitting needles sitting, standing, with babes slung all the while knitting. The mood was casual and cozy and dig our set up for both days.

I loved to see everyone’s handmade items in real life rather than in photos. Little Bird Designs sweetest aprons and hippest totes;

Little Seedlings had a beautiful set up which i did not capture but i brought home some goodies which will find there way imaged here soon;

Kiki’s felt! I think everyone oogled over these gorgeous kimonos;

Every craft fair brings forth new meetings and connections. Kiki is a talented felt maker, knitter, painter, mama living on Haida Gwai. We were the first 2 to arrive and meet on Friday. We had a little “small world” connection. She’s quite amazing.

Find her here.

There were many other artists, knitters, spinners, jewelers who i had less time to connect with… i am just getting over laryngitis and overused my voice as it is.

Will i do it again? Maybe in another year. For now i appreciate the flexibility of hours that my etsy shop allows. i made far more than i could sell this weekend. Expect a shop update later this week…dolls, crowns and scarves. Then it’s on to Christmas gift making for me.

Happy Birthday Kaia Tennessee!! We love you!

Waldorf Children’s Christmas Fair - There were so many line ups and it was a tad overwhelming but not without moments of magic. The cookie house, puppet show and bagpiper were definitely favorites as they were last year and this year Little A dipped his own beeswax candle which he is so very proud of (as am i);

the craft fair continues…Friday night was slower than i expected so i’m hoping for a busier Sunday. My little helper really did want to help push the trolley but he settled for a full day home with grandma P and friend. it’s not often that he goes to bed without me. Papa and him are having some breakthrough of sorts.

art show and craft fair. It’s coming up soon - this weekend. i’ve got dibs on something already and looking forward to seeing much much more. So far i have no thoughts on display and the way i’m feeling (sleepy and with laryngitis) i doubt that i’ll have time to come up with anything too creative. i sewed my finger the other day. Ouch. Time to go to bed i think - get some rest. If you’re in the city come and see our show. i’ll be there Fri and Sun. Say hi. Introduce yourselves.

details;

i was up all night puttering, sewing, stuffing, having fun in the craft room. i knew i would be in for it this morning but i couldn’t stop myself. i woke just as nearly as i lay my head upon my ever so cozy pillow. Little A and i started off badly and i feared the day would continue just so. I was so very happy to find fresh beans that were not decaf and i made myself a strong bodum full to adjust my mood and wakefulness. i pulled out a bag of wool roving, some acorn tops and filled a large bowl of warm soapy water and voila - an hour of colorful entertainment.

he kicked ass on my single attempt last year. Also check out these beauties and the abundance.

So much color surrounds me on this sleepy day;

skies of grey full of rain today. Sweetness needed to color all things blue;

i’m feeling a little heavy today. i don’t feel like doing much other than sewing but that’s not going to happen. i had a fantastic day of sewing on the weekend as 2 friends each took a turn with taking Little A adventuring. i feel like i got so much done and there is still more yet to complete.

papa returned from Seattle bearing gifts - sweets and stories. The sweetest packaging i’ve ever seen;

Wed we spent a fun afternoon with friends, playing, eating, chatting…thank you.

We’re off to swimming class….

Little A and i woke simultaneously in the night. He rolled from his bed into mine to cuddle as we lay wide awake listening to the wind reeking havoc on our front porch. How i wish i had taken down those annoying chimes sooner after gentle summer breezes progressed to wild west winds. Almost as instantly as the wind passed he was sound asleep. i on the other hand was stirred. The day began at 4 this morning and it felt like morning all day. i ate breakfast all day and had coffee at5pm. It was the wind that set the mood of the day.

Beautiful Autumn day;

Happy Diwali. This was a new experience for both Little A and i. We checked out the Roundhouse celebration where we enjoyed the aromas, ate sweets, listened to tablas and painted our diya. Neither of us really understood the full meaning of the event but it was fun and we’ll do it again next year, hopefully with a little more understanding.

Alistair is in Seattle this weekend doing his coffee thing and before leaving we went shopping in search of a hat and shoes for him. He found 2 beautiful wool caps, Arlo chose a racoon chapeau and i got so ridiculously overheated in the tiny and full shop with hot lights that i couldn’t make any decisions and just had to leave and go outside.

yesterday morning i woke to find a small gift box bearing the 1 hat that i really wished i had bought and later that evening i found some beautiful fitted gloves on my sewing machine and later still i received a phone message from Alistair saying he arrived in Seattle and there was a gift in the front hall for me!! No it’s not my birthday but it feels like it. Campers!!

from Gravity Pope where we were looking for shoes for him and where i tried on a half dozen or so pairs myself. i haven’t owned boots since i was in high school due to my super skinny calves never quite filling them but these boots fit oh so perfectly. i’m thrilled, lucky and loved. Oh i know i’m loved without the gifts but i’m enjoying these surprises. Yup, he loves me! Thank you!!

Weaned and napless, we still enjoy a quiet time in the afternoon. i’ve made up a basket full of these wee matryoshka for the Maternal Creations Art Fair. It was a spontaneous project that i worked on in the wee hours of last night and i wasn’t entirely sure about them…. i have been known to come up with some rather odd projects in the wee hours but when i woke up this morning i still loved them. I’m going to put a couple on our Christmas tree this year. When Little A saw them this afternoon he immediately wanted to snuggle with her, read books and have a nap. The nap never happened but he was so sweet and cuddly with her. She’s all tucked in. “shhh mama we have to be quiet while the matryoshka baby is sleeping.”

Jennifer and i did a fun little swap. Thank you! The herringbone pants have arrived and they are so cozy soft. They are just a little big which was perfectly planned. Little A is wearing them now with room to grow. Check out the super cool fabrics too. i am loving that green.