A Most Wonderful Waldorf Toy and Art Store

 
Welcome to our shop, Waldorf on Etsy. 
 
Come spend time with us, browse our aisles, daydream and enter into a world of imagination. Make sure to bring the little ones.

Our shop is filled with handcrafted toys and other items, inspired by Waldorf schools, and created from natural materials by crafters and artists from all over the world. 
 
Our shop exists online as the Waldorf on Etsy team.

We are Waldorf parents, Waldorf teachers, homeschoolers, Waldorf alumni.  We are inspired by the beautiful, natural toys that are the tradition in Waldorf schools. 

We come from the mountains of California, the farms of New England, towns in the Midwest, as well as Australia, Kenya, the British Isles, Chile, France . . . We have more than 250 members from across the globe.

Our individual shops offer a plethora of toys that will inspire a child’s imagination, as well as other Waldorf inspired art and items.
 
 We have sweet, huggable Waldorf dolls in every style imaginable and huggable creatures as well. Our shops include lovely items for the nature table, like needle-felted animals, fairies and gnomes. 
 
Spend hours storytelling with finger puppets, peg dolls and fairy tale dolls. Our favorite materials are wool, wood, silk and cotton.

Some of our shops include wearables like crafting aprons, birthday crowns, and flower hairclips and headbands. 

We have soft and natural playthings for babies and Waldorf fairies and toys that teach children about nature, the seasons, the weather and the world.

We are like so many parents who take a natural approach to parenting; most of us started out by making toys for our own children.

 Please take some time to explore our individual shops and see how Waldorf has inspired and united us.

Thank you for visiting please come again!

MOLICAAustralia

Today we welcome Michelle of MOLICAAustralia to our 

Waldorf on Etsy Team!

 

MOLICAAustralia is about the love of natural materials, the beauty of uniquely handcrafted fiber art and eco friendly living.

  Michelle has been working with 100% Wool Felt and Fleece since 2005, because the colors and textures of these natural mediums are both attractive and comforting to people of all ages.  She creates pieces with the intention of inspiring creativity and imaginative play, whilst also reducing our environmental footprint.

The business name ‘MOLICA’ is a combination of her two daughter’s names because her interest in Natural Fiber Art was inspired by them.  They are now both budding artists and do some amazing work, which they are beginning to list for sale. 

 Michelle's work is a mixture of sewn and needle felted pieces, sometimes combining the two. Some pieces are adapted from pattern books, some are her own organic patterns.  Her needle felted sculptures come from a range of inspirations and imagination, all original works.
With a background in early childhood education and working with vulnerable families teaching parenting skills, Michelle wanted to do something that combined her early childhood knowledge around children’s play and development while at the same time supporting more environmentally ways of living and enjoy her creative pursuits.                  All of her work is made with care and attention, from quality natural materials, either sculpted from wool fleece or hand cut and sewn from 100% wool felt. Sewn items are stuffed with 100% pure wool fleece and sewn with quality cotton or silk thread.

  Michelle is:

 "Inspired by nature and motivated by the pleasure this work brings to me and to those who receive a unique gift hand made with care and creativity. My work celebrates nature, living simply and having reverence for beautiful handmade creations and artistic work."

Visit MOLICAAustralia at the following websites:

Etsy Facebook
Pinterest
The Textile and Fiber Art List

And be sure to check out Michelle's blog Step Lightly on the Earth where she celebrates nature, living simply and having reverence for beautiful creations, handmade from natural materials.

Remember,  the world of natural fiber art isn't just about the 'end product'.  It is about the rhythm of the making, discovery, creative expression and a way of living...... that is what her blog is about! 

Enjoy!

T-shirt Bag Tutorial

T-shirt Bag Tutorial

by Tania Prosser of Fairy Shadow

We all have them, the t-shirts that get left in the drawer month after month, year after year.  Maybe we think the color is unattractive, the neck a little too snug or too loose.  Maybe the design no longer calls out to us to be worn.  Whatever the reason, these shirts are good candidates for upcycling.  (Upcycling is the environmentally friendly art of taking unwanted materials and turning them into better, more useful materials.) Unwanted shirts make the perfect starting point to create your own alternative to plastic sacks.  These simple drawstring bags are easy to make and great for trips to the market, for holding your produce, to store toys, as beach bags, book bags, for environmentally conscious gifting and much, much more!

 

Getting Started:  Choosing Your Shirt

Choose a shirt that is made of jersey material rather than interlock fabric.  Jersey has a knit side and purl side.  Interlock has the “v” shape weave on both sides of the fabric.  The jersey will curl into the cord that will make your drawstring and interlock will not.  Choose a shirt with a sound hem at the bottom of the shirt.  It will form the casing for the cord to pass through.  

Step One:  Cut the Shirt

 

Make the first cut just below the arms of the shirt and then a second cut 1 ½" below the first cut.   

This narrow cut will be the drawstring of the bag.

Cut the sides off of both of these cuts, creating two strings and two panels.

Step 2:  Fold and Sew

Fold a panel in half and starting at the hem of the shirt sew a straight stitch down to the bottom.  A second seam closes the bag at the bottom, leaving the opening at the hemmed section. 

Step 3:   Thread the Drawstring

Turn the bag right side out.  At either side of the seam make a small hole in the top layer of the casing (hem).  Jersey stretches so it doesn’t need much of a hole to work. 

Take up your drawstring and stretch it to roll the fabric.  Using a safety pin or hair pin, thread the drawstring through the casing.  I like to use a contrasting colored drawstring.  Knot the ends together.  I like to add an embellishment by hand stitching a little circle onto each bag.

 

Step 4:  Get Creative

You can use this same technique with the sleeves of the t-shirt for small bags.   

These make nice dry lunchtime snack packs too.

 

Step 5:  Share with Your Community

This project is a great way to introduce children to upcycling.  If your school or community group holds a rummage sale you will often see hundreds of pounds of textiles being offered for sale, much of it going unsold and then donated to charity shops.  Every Goodwill sorting facility processes hundreds of tons of clothing a year.  Consider a class project in which the students harvest from your rummage sale before the final cleanup.  After washing the shirts will be ready for sewing.  If you have fund raising events the students could produce collections of bags to sell at those events, having the satisfaction of both recycling the garments and bringing funds to their school or community group.

Ecofriendly Floral Hair Clip

A special thanks to Tania for sharing this wonderful upcycling project with us!

Be sure to visit her etsy shop, Fairyshadow for a wide array of upcycled creations.

Connect with Tania via Facebook

  Enjoy!

The Indigo Forest

Today we welcome Kellie from the Waldorf on Etsy shop,  The Indigo Forest to our blog!

 

Rainbow Waldorf Gnomes

 I have always been crafty. I was brought up around incredibly gifted parents, so I suppose you could say it's in my blood. It was actually at the urging of my mother that I should start a shop. I thought it was a great idea, but didn't have a real starting point. I didn't have a clue what I would sell. I started brainstorming.

Lovely Lavender Beeswax Wood Polish 

 I figured it was good to go with what my passions were. I am very much into the natural world. I love working with natural materials. I started thinking that wool might be a good place to start. I started experimenting with wool and discovered that I loved it! 

 

Rainbow Wool Geodes

  Soon, woodwork and my mother's leather work followed and the shop really starting taking shape. I also work in the subjects that I am passionate about, such as breastfeeding! I am a big supporter of breastfeeding, birth, and attachment parenting.

Breastfeeding Doll

I also have an interest in Waldorf education and am inspired by the many beautiful Waldorf toys/items out there, which has led me to create some of my own Waldorf inspired items. 

 

Rustic Rainbow Acorn Set

The Indigo Forest has been a labor of love for over two years now and I hope to keep it up for many more years to come. It has been a dream come true for me to be able to stay at home with my little ones and create.  

  Wooden Pull Car

Double Sided Cherry Maple Pull Car

The constant support from so many different people, including my own family, is what keeps me going and I am so grateful.

Wool Play Ball

To see more items from The Indigo Forest visit Kellie on Etsy.  You can also connect with The Indigo Forest on Facebook as well as follow Kellie's two great blogs:    

The Indigo Forest Blog

 Happy Turtle Family

  

Dream Land Wood Peg

 AND HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY EVERYONE!

Biodynamic Gardening

In addition to the education philosphy known as Waldorf, Rudolf Steiner introduced the world to a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to agriculture, food production and nutrition, known as Biodynamics.

Flower Fairy Garden Angel

The Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association (BDA) describes the origins of Biodynamics on their website in this way:  In the early 1920s, a group of practicing farmers, concerned with the decline in the health of soils, plants and animals, sought the advice of Rudolf Steiner, founder of anthroposophy, who had spent all his life researching and investigating the subtle forces within nature. From a series of lectures and conversations* held at Koberwitz, Germany (now in Poland) in June 1924, there emerged the fundamental principles of biodynamic farming and gardening, a unified approach to agriculture that relates the ecology of the farm-organism to that of the entire cosmos. 
This approach has been under development in many parts of the world ever since.

Wild Rose & Honey Bee
The BDA is an association of individuals and organizations in North America who are committed to the transformation of the whole food system, from farm to table, and who draw inspiration from the spiritual-scientific insights of Rudolf Steiner. Biodynamics is a worldwide movement for the renewal of agriculture based on an understanding of the spiritual forces at work in nature and in human social life. From this understanding, a particular form of organic farming has been developed that continues to grow and evolve around the world.

Felt Spring Flower Elf
If you'd like to know more about biodynamics, please explore the 12 Ways To Learn More About Biodynamics, visit the BDA blog at  biodynamicsbda.wordpress.com, or find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/biodynamics.

 For those of you living in the Southern Hemisphere this website from Australia with the message "Care for the Earth by caring for your earth" is a good resource and inspiration: 

 http://backyardbiodynamics.com/

 

Original Waldorf Inspired Garden Painting

 In addition to the obvious benefits children receive from eating healthy foods and living in a healthy environment, are the more subtle changes that take place within children when they experience farms and gardens for themselves. We encourage you to go outside with your children, visit a local farm and spend time in the garden together this spring!

 

Sweet Wool Sprout Baby

*If you would like to read these lectures for yourself as well as other teachings and writings of Rudolf Steiner please visit this resourceful website: http://www.rsarchive.org/
Other Book References on Biodynamics:
Companion Plants and How to Use Them by Helen Philbrook 

Lavender and Ladybugs

Today we welcome Yuki, Waldorf on Etsy artist and owner of Lavender and Ladybugs to our blog.  

Sweet Little Bluebird

Hi! 

My name is Yuki McNeil and I am a stay at home mom to an amazing 2-year-old daughter, Eloise.  

I love to learn new things, especially crafts.  I come from a family of artists so creating is in my blood.

 

Wool Waldorf Bunting Sprout Baby

Before having my daughter, I was a Pre-K teacher in an inner city school in Memphis, TN. I absolutely love being around children and watching them explore and learn. However, public school was not conducive to my inner feelings of how children should live and grow. It made me sad and unfulfilled to see and be a part of an environment full of children that were not allowed to have freedom in their learning and without ample time to explore and play.

Needle Felted Earth

It wasn’t until I was pregnant with my daughter and doing research for alternative education philosophies that I discovered the amazing world of Waldorf Education and Rudolph Steiner.   
This was an eye-opening experience for me and the Waldorf philosophy seemed so congruent to what I believe is important to a child’s learning and life.
 

Waldorf Cashmere Wool Cuddle Doll   I started perusing Etsy for beautifully handmade Waldorf items and began making my own. As I became passionate about making toys, I dreamed of one day opening my own Etsy shop.

 

 Custom Waldorf Playscape

 Through the busyness of being a new mom, I continued to create by using only natural materials. I made gifts for friends, gifts for myself, and gifts for my daughter. I have a crafting room full of handmade felt and wool toys!

Tiny Needle Felted Goldfinch

This past February, I made my Etsy debut with my shop Lavender and Ladybugs. I finally have a place to share and sell the gifts and toys that I love to create. I use only natural materials and I often try to use upcycled materials as well. My shop includes items such as cuddle dolls that are made in the Waldorf tradition, needle felted animals and accessories for nature tables, and other gifts such as treasure bags and lavender drawer sachets.

 

Nature Gnome Treasure Bag

My shop’s name came from two of my daughter’s favorite things in the garden, lavender and ladybugs. Because I think it is soothing and healing, I often add the relaxing scent of lavender flowers and essential oils to my creations. All my items are created with much love and passion. I enjoy everything that I create and strive to make items that will bring magic and beauty to the person that receives it.

 

Tiny Needle Felted Vegetables

Visit Lavendar and Ladybugs

on Etsy to see more of Yuki's sweet creations and visit the Lavender and Ladybugs facebook page to connect with her!