Michaelmas Celebrations

Michaelmas is the first celebration in the Waldorf school year.  Named for St Michael, whose feast day it is in the Christian calendar, it celebrated the archetypal story of light over darkness or good over evil.

Waldorf second graders put on a play re-enacting Saint/Archangel Michael overcoming the dragon. Six grader make a large dragon costume that many of the m fit into.  First graders are gnomes in the play.  So the images for the season are angels, dragons, gnomes- especially gnome hats, swords, fire or any light source.

Weekly posts showcase handmade items crafted from varied materials. I also share the post on my Pinterest, Tumbler, Twitter, Google +, Instagram and Facebook page. Where possible I have included social media links for the artist/crafter. We appreciate you commenting and sharing on social media.

Taleworld, Ukraine, Yulia Rybchenko

"My way like a master of handmade toys started with the my son borned and I wanted him to play toys from living materials (fabric, wood, stone) that will be made by me. Then I can put a toy all my love to the child and this toy will be his true friend.

As a result, I have over 8 years of doing handmade. The last 6 years has created Waldorf toys. The last 5 years I am making Waldorf toys to order.

All of my work - this author's works. Each image is original and thought out. Before creating a new toy it takes me some time to think through and its implementation. As if toys images themselves want to be born, and I help them do it.
I embody all of these images to life, and now one of them can be a good friend to your child."

Taleworld on Facebook

Saint Michael - Waldorf doll

"Saint Michael is about 13-15 cm tall.

Materials:
** Figure wire.
** Sheep wool.
** Interlock tricot.
** Wings have a figure wire inside, so they can take different positions.
** All clothing of 100% wool felt. His cloak is from silk.

 Clothing are not removable.

This doll is for children from 4 years.
This toy is good for role-playing games."

CloudBerry Crafts, Australia, Mia

"Magical Woolly creations, made by a girl who grew up in the Arctic.
Having always been a crafter, sewer, knitter, crocheter, artist...I had often thought about having a store, where to showcase my products.

However, not having had a clear feeling of what I loved doing the most, I kept creating with different mediums. At some point losing my mojo, being swallowed up by life; where time to create was a rare occasion. I longed for my creative days.

On the day I laid my hands into beautiful Merino Wool for the first time; It felt like something had been missing from my life up until that moment. I could see so many different things I could and wanted to create with this Natural material.

My head was filling up with ideas, my frequency was rising, I felt so excited and happy all the time...and I still do. It's such a blissful state of mind, a great place to create from.

I have been very honoured to have had many lovely customers and visitor's to the Cloudberry Crafts store, I am incredibly grateful. You are all blessings. With your support and belief in my skills, you are making my dreams come true,Thank you!

I hope to incorporate even more of my artistic skills into a possible new product line in the near future, so please stay on the ride with me..."

CloudBerry on Facebook

Woodland Prince, Waldorf Crown

"A beautiful handmade Crown, for a child's special day. Traditionally worn in Waldorf birthday celebrations. Will be a treasured crown for any occasion...

It has been felted by hand, and ties with a ribbon at the back. Made by using the best quality Merino Wool- cooling in the summer heat- warming in the winter's cold.

It has gorgeous deep colours; green ribbons and a leaf motif in the front, suitable for both a boy and girl. Will last for generations, and fit even an older child.

If you would like a crown like this; in a different colour- convo me, I have most colours under the sun, and will happily make one to order.

Size:

Height: 3"
Length: 15" + ribbons

An original design by CloudberryCrafts"

Folk of the Wood, Indiana, USA, Amy and Lisa

"Bringing history alive....
Folk of the Wood' is a small business, based in central Indiana. We are Lisa & Amy - the artistic mother & daughter team behind it all! We are happiest when creating - whether it be a dress, a piece of leather armor, or a custom order. We have shipped all over the world; our favorite part is seeing the pictures and hearing the stories of where our work ends up. Much of what we do is inspired by our deep fascination with history.

Our work has been seen in the following:
Stores:
'Olives & Grace' - Boston, MA
Movies/TV series:
'The Originals'
Websites & blogs:
Barnes & Noble"

Folk of the Wood on Instagram

Folk of the Wood on Facebook

Leather Sword Holder

"Allow approx. 1 week to be made, plus shipping time. Depends on our waiting list, it could take slightly more or less time. If you need it by a certain date, contact us!

** Sword not included **

Go hands free and keep your sword at your side at the next Renaissance Fair! Made with high quality sturdy leather, dyed & weatherproofed. These fit average sized swords, adjust the laces to fit. If you have an extra small or large sword, contact us for a custom size. Fits up to a 3" wide belt. Metal hardware, nickel in color. All leather laces are black."

Wild Child Clayworks, Tennessee, USA, Dwain and Lisa Dixon

"Lisa is the daughter of a woodworker father and a mother who taught her not only to sew but how to craft her own patterns out of brown grocery bags. She learned knitting, crocheting, tatting lace & quilting from her grandmother as a young girl. Though she holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics (and too many graduate courses to count) it is the learning along the way, that has meant the most....the hikes, gardening, natural dyeing with friends, spinning & felting, swimming in the river & the children. "My three...our four. It is the seizing of the moment." says Lisa.

A true native descendant of the original settlers of Gatlinburg, Dwain is a wild son of Appalachia. He has worn many hats along the way. Ex-Coast Guard, Real Estate Broker, hiker, snow skier, pit boss, river swimmer, organic gardener & rescue diver. His abiding love of nature took another route when he met Lisa, newly transplanted in his own Tennessee back yard.

Together, they have created works that honor the beauty of their mountain woodlands. Wild Child Clayworks will always provide craftsmanship of heirloom quality while offering something just a little off the beaten path. We love the wildness in all that we do!!!"

Wild Child Clayworks on Facebook
Wild Child Clayworks on Twitter

Waldorf Michaelmas Dragon - Autumn Fire

"Whether you are buying as a toy or using it for Michaelmas. This beautiful hand dyed Waldorf Toy Dragon is reminiscent of the green plants of our Smoky Mountain home.

***Limited Edition*** This beautiful hand made Waldorf Dragon is a rich tapestry of warm Autumn colored leaves. These lovely fiery colors are produced by hand painting the colors onto the wool felt.

Maple leaves from our farm are used as the templates for the beautiful dragon wings. The veining pattern on the wings are done in a metallic thread.

No two are ever identical, making these a truly unique one of a kind gift.

Her ample measurements are 11" long x 4 1/2" tall. She's beautiful!!!"

Beneath the Rowan Tree. Canada, Lori Campbell

"BTRT was a surprise.
That is... I never meant to start a business.

As the mother of a 2 year old, I was committed to sharing a wonder full childhood with my daughter~ for our family this meant avoiding commercialism, providing natural toys and nature experiences, and allowing our child to grow up slowly in a small town in Northern Ontario.

I started making clothing and toys for our daughter when I was unable to find these items to fit our family values and lifestyle in our own area. And given my tendency to really commit to the things I love~ I just couldn't stop... we were on to something that is GOOD for children that had been forgotten by so many... open ended, imaginative play, natural and simple childhood.... and I wanted to share it!

(This is where I should share that I am also an ordained minister (20 years),currently taking a break to homeschool and make stuff, and so I *might* have a natural (or professional) inclination to share good news ...ideas and resources that lend themselves to whole and grounded living.)

In the past 8 years I have grown into my own skin as an artist and artisan, even as I have grown into motherhood in all of its fullness. (And I am even starting to feel, at 42, like I might be a teeny tiny bit of a grownup once in a while).

What an amazing journey... to find within one's self, deep wells of possibility awaiting creative expression! I highly recommend it!

So it is that BTRT is the means for our family to share our commitment to the value of children and childhood. More than any product, our purpose is what drives the business... and more than ever, I am a believer in the power of play to open up worlds of wonder for our children~ much needed in an age where imagination, art and the questing soul are given so little regard.

Our toys are made with wool, silk and wood. Natural, renewable resources that will last for generations, and if not... they easily return to the earth. ♥
They are made by my hands .
Always.
And they are always COLOURFUL (spelled the Canadian way!).

Everything is made in our home, amidst the general chaos of daily life which includes homeschooling, dogs, the arrivals and departures of my truck driver husband, my ministry and lots and lots of craft supplies, music, colour and joy.

{{And I am so grateful to my husband for his support, and to our delightful and amazing daughter, Rowan, who started it all}}"

Beneath the Rowan Tree on Facebook
Beneath the Rowan Tree Blog
Beneath the Rowan Tree on Instagram
Beneath the Rowan Tree on Pinterest

Pretend Fire Waldorf Playsilk : Heart of the Fire

"Endless possibilities... just like a child’s imagination.
Add a little Bunny to any silk for Easter and Spring giving!

••This listing is for one 35" square "Heart of the Fire" playsilk.••

Our “Heart of...” Collection features gorgeous silk, flowing with multiple colours layered in our signature technique to create works of art for children to enjoy in their imaginative play and in their play spaces.

Playsilks are open-ended.
As your child grows, their silks grow with them, becoming capes and landscapes, blankets and tightropes~ soft, warm, colorful~ lead by the child’s imagination into worlds of wonder.
Playsilks make wonderful decor~ canopies, sheers, nature table backdrops...
Perfect for dress up, too

Beneath the Rowan Tree is Etsy’s leading creator of natural silk toys, with years of experience and silk sent out around the world to children’s museums, Waldorf classrooms, homeschoolers, preschools and best of all, families just like yours.

"Even more beautiful than pictured" is one of our most common feedback comments!"

The Felted Gnome Knows, Vermont, USA, Suzanne Ryan

"I use local wool from farmer friends in Vermont and try to stay in New England for special wools. These days I am dyeing my own wool that I purchased or processing raw wool . which means I skirt, clean, wash and drum card. Hand dyeing is always a surprise of varying colors and shades so I drum card it to better blend colors.When you buy from The Felted Gnome you not only support a Vermont Artist but you also support Vermont Farms. All that you see in my shop is designed and made by my own two hands in my studio. I have no helpers, factory or off site company shipping . It is truly hand made by the artist.

Needle Felting is a unique art. It is not an old technique, it started in the 1980s when some artists found that by using a machine felting needle they could shape wool by stabbing it . It takes many stabs over time to sculpt wool into a solid figurine but the results as you can see are terrific. There is something magical about wool felt creatures and paintings. It emanates warmth, strength and evokes a time when play was innocent. I hope you enjoy my little beings and my functional art as much as I love making them.

What is Wet Felting?
Wool fibers are stimulated by friction and lubricated by hot water and soap to force the scales of the wool to interlock and compress thereby creating a wool felt cloth.

I layer local Vermont unspun wool roving, add soap and water and then rub, roll, slam, and beat in to submission to shape the hat, slippers or mittens you see here. Then it is air dried, a design is needle felted onto the item and it is wet felted a second time to lock in the fibers.

All my wearable art and accessories are made by wet felting. Much of the wool either has been processed by me after being sourced from local farmers or has been processed by a local (next town over) fiber mill."

The Felted Gnome Knows Blog
The Felted Gnome Knows on Facebook
The Felted Gnome Knows on Twitter

Gnome Hat

"A wonderful autumn gnome hat to make you giggle!

My friend Bradie is wearing a wet felted gnome hat while her little one keeps her company in her own favorite hat.

Orange, browns and yellows make this merino whimsical hat perfect to wear Fall and Winter. A one of kind design it sports a wonderful stone button to fasten to keep you ears and neck warm.

Sized for an adult woman: Medium to Large.

Note: the hat for sale is the orange/brown gnome hat. The other hat has already been sold.

"Wet felting is one of several methods which can produce felt from wool and other animal fibres. Warm soapy water is applied to layers of animal hairs placed at 90 degree angles to one another. Repeated agitation and compression causes the fibres to hook together into a single piece of fabric. After the wet felting process is complete, the felted material may be finished by fulling." (definition from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felt)."

Fairyshadow, California, USA, Tania Prosser

"If you have read the story Stone Soup you are familiar with idea of making something from nothing. When travelers enter a village and ask for hospitality they are rebuffed by villagers who have fallen on hard times. At each door our travelers are told that there is nothing to eat, please go away. Our heroes decide to make the magical stone soup, a meal created from only a stone and water. The villagers are curious but cautious and come out of their homes to watch the cooks work. So sad, say the cooks, if only we had a little salt it would make the soup so much tastier and lo and behold one person has a bit of salt at home and races off to get it. Ah, but wouldn’t a bit of pepper be so nice? Why yes there is a smidgeon of pepper at another villager’s home. And so it goes, with an onion and a carrot and some potato until there is a rich delicious soup for all to share. A village with nothing to eat finds all the ingredients for a meal in their own cupboards.

I started making my flowers when our family found itself in a hard place. When my teenage daughter was diagnosed with cancer (and successfully treated) we found our insurance did not cover all the expenses of treatment. I wanted to create a product using what we had on hand, to make something from nothing. Using little loved garments from our closets I began designing hair accessories and marketing them at local shows and farmers markets. People loved the bright cheery blossoms and I was encouraged by my community to grow my business. This is the origin story of my Fairyshadow shop.

But wait, what about all the dolls? Well, I have been making dolls since my girls were little. My sister and I had a mail order catalog ( yep, back before the internet marketplace was around ) featuring natural fiber dolls and children’s costume wear that we made in our homes. After three years and our final printing of 8,000 catalogs we came to realize it was more than we wanted to do so we closed shop. I had a spell producing for Magic Cabin Dolls but also let that fall by the wayside to paint, garden and tend to my daughters as they made their way through school."

Fairyshadow on Facebook
Fairyshadow on Instagram
Fairyshadow on Pinterest

Star ornament pocket doll hand embroidered Waldorf decor

"A hand embroidered golden yellow star ornament with a pocket for a little removable 1-1/2" red doll. The star is 3", it is made from reclaimed wool harvested from a felted blanket. A sweet gift for baby's first Christmas or tuck the doll into an advent calendar and add the star to the tree."

Apple N Amos, Connecticut, USA, Mama T and Papa Joe

"Back in 2007 our little man Henry was born. With a strong desire to be a stay at home mama, I decided to cash out my 401k and leave my job. We got by for awhile but soon the money was dwindling and I decided to get a job, that's then the economy tanked and I could not find work.

While I was home, in an effort to save money, I learned to sew, bake, can and make wood toys for Henry.
With a need to create and put food on the table as well as still stay at home to raise my boy- a tiny seed started to take root and Apple n Amos was born.
We have never looked back since.

Now fast forward a few years, Henry is now in school and we find ourselves taking care of our newest member, Baby Amelia. It is so much fun creating all new toys for her and then to have them take fruit on our store.

I can tell you that this is a busy life- the house is never clean, the laundry piles up and the kitchen table is always covered in paint. The " to do " list grows longer everyday but when the busy day comes to an end, I am glad I am home to be with them, to watch them grow and so we do it. ...not to be rich but to live a simple happy life.

Its fun to still be writing this story of ours."

Apple N Amos on Facebook

Wooden Waldorf Playscape*

(Note from the blog author-I included this as a dragon cave.)

"The MOUNTAIN Stacking and Nesting Puzzle is a simple yet wonderful open ended toy that will lend itself to hours of creative play for years to come.

Our MOUNTAIN puzzle was intended for small hands and your wee one will stack it, knock it down, step over it and of course learn!

Jungle Animals can hide behind it, climb it and jump from it, cars and trucks can drive through the tunnels, Trains can pass right under it, boats can sail until they reach the sunset, gnomes and fairies can dance around...endless possibilities are at your child's fingertips!

The MOUNTAIN Stacking Puzzle measures 8 inches across, 5 inches high and inch thick and cut from a beautiful piece of poplar.

Each puzzle is hand drawn, hand cut, hand sanded smooth and hand painted it with natural non toxic soy paint.

Once dried the MOUNTAIN is then sealed with apple n amos' own home made beeswax polish. This helps to keep the colors vibrant and the pieces durable

I would like to take a moment to mention that every purchase from Apple n Amos also helps other USA local business and home based Etsy shops.
THANK YOU for your support to by Hand Made!

Beeswax comes from Etsy's own Honey Run Farms
http://www.etsy.com/people/honeyrunfarm

Apple n Amos toys were created with little ones in mind. Toys should not only be played with, but should also help foster a life long love of learning.

Apple n Amos was Voted #5 for Best Toy Shop on Etsy by Babble.com"

Michaelmas Treasury

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