Waldorf On Etsy: The Wonders of Willodel

Have you ever stumbled upon a special wonder - a breathtaking view, a small restaurant tucked away in some little town, a special meadow in the midst of a deep forest - a place you happened upon totally by chance and after visiting were so thankful for whatever detour led you to that specific location? This is the feeling I experienced after my first visit to the world of Willodel.

Sod House

Willodel is the Waldorf on Etsy shop run by artist Lucinda Claire Macy. She opened her Etsy shop in 2010, focused primarily on functional bird houses and whimsical houses for gnomes, fairies and all manner of wee folk made out of hand collected wood from wind fall trees.

Functional Bird House

She'd been making little houses for many years, selling them at art shows and holiday fairs around the western United States but grew weary of all the driving and felt an online shop would be a nice alternative. Her Waldorf on Etsy shop, Willodel features natural handmade toys and home decor, with bits of artwork and books. This shop is filled with lovingly hand made items meant to delight the heart, inspire the imagination and foster creativity for all who are wanting, while embracing everything natural. . .

After wading through the "break in" period of learning how to sell online, starting a blog, getting a business facebook page, doing giveaways and the like things eventually began to come together for Lucinda with time and persistence. Her greatest enjoyment has been the wonderful, like minded people she's met through her shop.

"It was a joy for me to realize how very many people there were 'out there', sharing the desire to embrace a natural life style, honor hand made things and choose them for children to play with. Finding the greater Waldorf community, the world wide one, was a great gift."

Home dyed sod roof project

With time Lucinda began to want to expand what she was doing to include working with wool and felt, something she hadn't done for many years, since her now grown girls were about 6 and 7. She jumped in quickly and began experimenting with what could be done.

When wooden house orders get piled up, she has to pull back from the felt, but gets back to it as soon as she can. This year Lucinda looks forward to doing a lot more with felt. She's currently learning to use her own dyes. By and by you will see more and more felt houses and other things in the Willodel Shop, not just houses but wee folk as well.

Wee Folk

The other area Lucinda has explored some and wants to do more, is with educational lessons. This season she made a Cecropea Moth set, for learning about metamorphosis. Look for more learning sets from Willodel as well as some posters and artwork in this area.

Cecropea Learning Set

"I was fortunate enough to be brought up in an artistic household and was encouraged to 'make & do' since early childhood. Big messes with paper mache and wood shavings were never frowned upon and my passion for artistic expression and creativity grew wild, free and strong. I lived in a rural setting, immersed in the flora, fauna & geology around me. All my work reflects my great love and respect for the natural world and my passion for creativity. I do many things . . .from map making, graphic design and painting. . .to woodworking, soap making, landscaping and house design. I have published one book commercially and two other myself. I believe that living in harmony with Nature brings peace to the Earth and joy to the soul ~ . . .and that making beautiful things is a self-fulfilling process that benefits all mankind, the natural world and ourselves. I very much hope that the things I do inspire others along the way to embrace nature and creativity."

Summer Work Table

Lucinda supports herself with her work and is ever grateful for the opportunity to do this and continue to meet wonderful people.

"The last thing I'd like to say is how grateful I am to be able to do what I love doing most. Every day I am grateful for the renewed opportunity to go to my shop and studio and work. And, that through the use of technology, to reach all those people with whom I can do business, who buy my work and whom complete the circle of creation by their thank you's and their love of the work. Everyday I am grateful for these things."