Hurrah! Second week in a row of remembering to post. I think I might be getting the hang of this blogging thing.
I have two other ideas for weekly posts that might catch on as well, which I will introduce today or tomorrow, provided I get my Etsy orders for the week stitched, packed and shipped at the right times and to the right places. This week has been a whirlwind of nuttiness. I have made: 3 Red Riding Hood Sets, 2 Apple Trees and 3 Robin’s nests. I still have to finish: 1 Red Riding Hood Set, 1 Robin’s Nest, 1 Little Mermaid and 1 Moirae. Along with 2 Holmes ornaments and 3 new fairytale concoctions that I’m SO excited about. Whew. But seriously, if you had told me a year ago that I would open an Etsy shop and have almost 50 sales in 3 months, I would have been like “shut the front door.”
Which reminds me. I’ve rediscovered the wonderment of watching TV on DVD while working in my studio, and am totally addicted to Castle – so consider this an informal recommendation. I love crime shows of all shapes and sizes, but Castle takes a light-hearted, almost Barney Miller-ish approach while mixing in some of the stylization of Miami Vice, and the poignancy of the more serious shows like Law & Order. There are so many things that shouldn’t work – amnesia, Irish Mafia, prison breaks, mummification – but they do, somehow. The chemistry between Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic is delicious, but the best romance on the show is, of course, between Ryan and Espisito (Jon Huertas and Seamus Dever) who are not only comic relief…they get to show their serious sides to great effect in a few of the better episodes.
But I digress. Watch Castle. I recommend getting it on DVD so you can watch more than one episode at a time, because once you start…….
Ok, now I’m really going to show you my Sunday Morning Coffee Finds. As with last week, I didn’t start with a theme, but it sort of grew out of the things that caught my eye in my Etsy favorites list, and in the search. Today, the things popping out at me were whimsical, magical, playful, maybe a tad nostalgic – I’ve been admiring two of these shops for some time…the third is a new find this morning. And what a find.
The magical woman behind the curtain at Isabella’s Art is truly a wonder to me.
A Dutch artist, she is only a few years older than I (an inspirational fact in itself) and has, in her brain a wonderful canon of folktales, fairy tales, proverbs, and literature – not to mention a 100-watt imagination which allows her to bring an incredible sense of playfulness and longing to her illustrations and cutouts. She loves fairy tales and is proud of it. Her sense of character is distinctive, yet each creation has its own little nuances. Her Etsy shop is stunning, but I have to link to her independent website which is simply a confection in itself, and gives a broader sense of her work. But her Etsy shop is full of her stunning shadow puppets that add an interactive dimension that is so inspiring to a fellow spinner of tales (and a teacher…what I wouldn’t give to be able to buy a few of these for my kiddos to use on these wet winter days where outside play is impossible).
Whether from the books by P.L. Travers, or the 1960 film with Julie Andrews, I’ve always wanted to be Mary Poppins. If I had had this as a child, I would have spent literally hours in my room at night playing with her…and probably would have made the other characters and little sets to go with her.
Who am I kidding? I would do that now.
Rumpelstiltskin has always been one of my favorites. I adore the spinning wheel, and the graceful lines of the hair and the thread coming from the spindle.
Finally…
I remember being one of the only ones in my 12th grade English class who loved Goethe’s Faust (not a unique circumstance for me). Seriously, what’s not to like? Daemons, sinners, eternal damnation, the original “Deal with the Devil.” Anyone remember the PBS Wishbone episode? If doing these blog posts has done (and hopefully will continue to do) anything, is help me realize that I’m certainly not the only one on the face of the earth who has an obsession and complete love of tales and curiosities…here is another kindred spirit, and I wish her all the best with her already booming business and truly magnificent work.
Here’s a sub-theme. Puppets. I sometimes call my own creations ‘puppets’ because I hesitate to call them dolls…I would like to begin making true puppets with jointed arms and legs, and since I was little, I’ve dreamed of making a marionette. But my no means am I a carpenter or wood carver, and making a marionette out of soft materials always seemed so far out of reach, but no more. This Estonian artist (she lives and works in the Republic of Georgia) simultaneously captures lightness, softness, melancholy, and sheer pleasure in her shop Two Sad Donkeys. Her animal puppets are lovable, but not saccharin, nostalgic without being too sentimental. And the felting. And the colors. And all of the things that make a truly unique practice can be found in her creations.
I just want to snuggle with this little guy. This is the kind of work that makes me want to have kids right now…so I can share these wonders with them. And build a puppet theatre and have puppets from different artists and spend hours making up stories.
I think Ingemar the reindeer is my favorite. The faces are wonderful, but I loved these even more when I clicked on the other images in the Etsy listing and saw the bodies. They really stepped out of a world all their own.
And Laura the llama. I have a soft spot for llamas. 
Just looking at Olga’s profile makes me so happy. Here is a woman doing exactly what she loves, and doing it with so much truth and heart. Once a month, her profile reads, she does shows at a Waldorf school, and gets to share these treasures with young children…I’m hearing a proposal to my directors at school. “Can I bring my class on a field trip?”
Finally, in keeping with Waldorf philosophy (which is a method I’m not 100% on board with, but the toys made within the Waldorf philosophy and the approach taken by teachers and parents in exploring them are truly unique and magical) I give you Armadillo Dreams.
This husband and wife team was one of the first shops in my favorites when I opened my Etsy shop in June, and I’ve been regularly following them ever since. Everything about them inspires me; their huge selection of incredibly rich and simple Waldorf/Montessori toys, which they add to almost every week; the fact they make a living from their practice; their sense of humor and incredible sense of craftsmanship. The list goes on.
This Peter Pan set is on my list of things to get for my future children. Or myself. I could occupy myself for hours with this little bit of whimsey from Peter Pan.
When I was a kid I wanted to have a cow and a butter churn (yes, you read that right) more than anything. I had a pioneer fetish. I even bought a mini butter churn from Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts when I went with my mom in 3rd grade. I say again, I would totally buy this cow and milk-bottle set just for myself.
Peter and the Wolf is a story I enjoy in all its manifestations (the David Bowie recording, the ballet with Mikhail Baryshnikov, and the countless picture book adaptations I remember borrowing from the library after story hour) and am glad to have one interpretation more to add.
Finally, my favorite piece from Armadillo Dreams, this carnival set.
One of the things I love about all of these artists is that they trust children with precious and handmade objects. Children are just as responsive to luscious fabric and rich wood as adults (perhaps even more so) artists who spend time and energy making well crafted, beautiful things for children knowing full well that they will potentially be chewed, pulled, dropped and thrown in the creative process of telling a story. When I give my creations to children (how lucky I am to have a classroom full of free testers) I reflexively hover, wanting to protect the hours of work that go into making them. But once I tell them I made something with my own two hands (even three-year-olds appreciate the love and respect that goes into making something) they are much more calm and respectful of the objects than they are when I put things out on shelves just to keep them occupied. These artists get right to the meat of the stories they tell, without ‘dumbing down’ or taking shortcuts. It reminds me of a quote by Atticus Finch from Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird:
“When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness’ sake. But don’t make a production of it. Children are children, but they can spot an evasion quicker than adults, and evasion simply muddles ’em.”
With that little piece of truth, I bid you all a happy Sunday:)
Handmade by Aly Parrott 