daffodil root children

The sun is now shining,

Thy sky blue and clear,

The birds are all calling,

And so Spring is here.

The children are ready,

And up, up they go ~

All the beauty they've made

They are longing to show.

~Sybille von Olfers, The Story of the Root Children

for the peg doll swap i made these little root/flower children. their root garments are made from a wool scarf i bought at a yard sale a couple of years ago. i remember that the woman was so happy that someone was going to love her deceased mother's scarf. little did she know that i was going to intentionally shrink it and cut into many, many pieces! i have used this wool felt in many projects, mostly autumnal given the warm, mottled earth tones. i like to think she would delight in knowing the creations that have come forth from the destruction of said scarf and the many people who now enjoy those treasures in their homes around the globe.

these little sweeties have daffodil dresses to don for their spring emergence and a variety of little nut caps. their little flower dresses fasten on right over their root bodies.

some of them have snaps and some have small round velcro tabs. it is so fun to dress them! sienna enjoyed switching their outfits around before they started out on their journeys. three of them have hopefully landed by now here in the states. two of them are en route to australia.

i only had one of these special little caps so it went to our lovely hostess, ms bloom herself. i sure hope the cap survived as the little tips of the *curls* do like to snap off.

this swap was so fun!! i have said that before, haven't i?

more pics here.

her peg dolls

i joined the peg doll swap featured over at we bloom here. i was delighted when margaret decided to offer a smaller swap for the children, too! sienna has had one swap experience previously and it was honestly a bit disappointing. i thought she might be excited to give it another go.....and i was right!

she has made many peg dolls over the years and i love them all. for a while they became her go to gift for birthdays. for this swap, there were four 7-9 year olds matched up. so sienna made three dolls and sent them off to one little girl and two little boys.

for the girl she made a poppy fairy and for the boys she made an oak fairy and a water fairy. i adore them all but am especially smitten with *poppy*!! i have requested that she start on one for me right away but we must get ourselves some more blank peg dolls first.
she has been very keen on poppies lately and knew right away that she was going to make one. she rolled a black pipe cleaner into a spiral for the center of the fairy's flower hat. she made a little pattern for the petals.
i came across the paper she practiced her faces on. i so enjoy these little glimpses into how her beautifully artistic mind works. her imagination and creativity have always been nurtured and it is humbling, being a fairly creative person myself, to step back and watch what comes forth from her when left to her own devices.
the note she included with them was personalized for each fairy. this one says i made 3 peg dolls 1 is named water he has a brother and a sister look on the back. they all have this little verse on the back. the tree grose {grows} over the poppy and over the water.
poppy, water, and tree.

i shall share mine soon. our new little peg dolls from our swap partners are starting to come in, too. such delight to see the variety and the creativity that can start with a blank wooden peg doll!

in the meantime, you can see lots of peg doll sweetness over at the gallery. enjoy!

:><: announcing handmade exchange! :><:

i am excited to announce a seasonal handmade exchange! i have so enjoyed the swaps that i have been involved in. it is such a joy to receive the gift of another's time and creativity in exchange for something you have created yourself.

for this exchange, you are invited to create an item intended to enhance one's nature table (or other special niche of one's home). you will be paired with a partner anywhere in the world and you will exchange your item with your partner.

i have the honor of collaborating with jen of sewn natural studio for this project. you can sign up at her blog, by commenting here, or e-mailing either one of us.
inspiration for the swap:
this seasonal swap is inspired by the beauty in the changing seasons and the small tables and collections we have for our young children to mark and enjoy nature and its cycles. we also love to learn about other climates and places in the world, and enjoy having pieces from countries like south africa and australia on our nature table - places where spring is now emerging, instead of fall.
guidelines:
- this swap is open to anyone worldwide

SIGN UP BY Friday, NOVEMBER 12th, 2010
MAIL ITEM BY Wednesday, DECEMBER 1st, 2010

- as a participant, if you sign up, you should be willing to mail overseas and honor the swap commitment in terms of timelines

- by signing up you agree to send (swap) at least 1 item that is handmade by you, with an optional 2nd item that may or may not be handmade but should be as natural as possible (ideas could be a stone, some wool or yarn for crafting, a favorite recipe, etc.). any item(s) should be safe for the mail.

- no returns

- participation is in the spirit of sharing, openness and appreciation

- you don't need to actually have a little nature table or corner in order to participate, you just need to be interested in celebrating nature and the seasons and handcrafting something for someone else, and appreciating the swap of another from somewhere in the world.

in creative appreciation,
rae

p.s. thanks again for all the comments and love for my acorn fairy! the winner of this little beauty is seaside siblings! i will e-mail you shortly for your snail mail address!

signups are now closed for this exchange. thank you!!