GETTING BACK TO WORK!

The Holiday for me was very relaxing and simple, to get to spend all day in the house, baking, setting the table nicely, sitting by the wood stove and tree, all very pleasant.
I have begun to work in the shop again and look forward to filling shelves with woodland inventory :-)
Happy New year of creativity and living close to Nature to everyone!

 A small Fairy Cottage with fireplace and furnishings!

 A nice large Wild Wood Gnome Home

Add caption

EVERLASTING GARLAND TUTORIAL

Making an Everlasting Garland project

Welcome to my latest tutorial!  This project, which has it's own page, linked above, is a fun and festive project for family and friends or yourself.  While it is presented now during winter Holidays, it can be adapted to any time of year and a variety of celebrations, through out the year.  Variations are infinite!

Vintage Willodel Fairy Houses Found

IN A LITTLE BOX LONG LOST

VINTAGE FAIRY HOUSES FROM TIMES PAST

SET OF FOUR !

There was a time when I made most of my houses out of weathered Oak. I liked this wood because of it's great character and the way it grows.  Oak is a very hardwood that can crack a lot.  It is not the best wood for children to play with and so I do not use it anymore.
It was wonderful for looking at though and being inspired and wonder.

The Magic Nest Giveaway is beginning!

PLEASE JOIN US FOR THIS HAPPY EVENT!

THE WINNER OF THIS EVENT WILL RECIEVE THIS LOVELY SET FROM THE WILLODEL SHOP AND THE MAGIC FAIRY LADY SHOP!

This sweet Wee one , with her little rabbit and littl  pocket doll is so glad to have found a bed just her size, to dream her sweet dreams of dancing trees and moonbeam fairies and a bunny to show her the way through the forest!
Please go to the Giveaway page here:

http://willodel.blogspot.com/p/the-magic-nest-giveaway-page.html

Kale and the Kingfisher

KALE AND THE KINGFISHER

A project that I held in my heart and mind for a very long time! So lovely to have made this.

The Kingfisher, always inspiring the imagination for me and always exciting to see, so finally I had to try to capture what grand feelings it brings to me.  And an Elf along for the ride, through woodland meadows and accross waters we ride!

 The Kingfisher is about 8" long and is very sturdy. The wings are very firm and fly well!!

The Kingfisher and elf are made from natural , home dyed wool.  The elf has cloth coverd florist wire as an inside frame to make him posable.

I also made a 13" wand of aspen with a bent end, to hold the Kingfisher on for story telling and puppeteering!

The Story of the Windy Willow Shop

THE WINDY WILLOW SHOP

The Windy Willow shop was a long time in the making.  For many years now I have made small houses with natural materials, for wild life and for wee folk.  Many of these inspirations, as one would expect, are rooted in childhood experiences that delighted me and had lasting effect and influence.  A certain book, The Giant Golden book of Elves and Fairies, illustrated by Garth Williams ( my favorite illustrator) was a book that shaped a good part of my life.  Atleast I still often think of it and am charmed by it, am inspired by the artwork. A certain poem and picture, The Little People's Market,  captured my imagination deeply. 

The lower poem, Little People's Market with tree trunk shop and acorn cap hats
simply capture my imagination. I was  probably 6 or 7.  I made fairy and Elf hats out of flowers and seed pods.
I also made stick houses for them to live in.

So as the years went by and found myself making little houses as an adult, I always thought of the Little People's Market.  It was not until I opened my shop on etsy that I thought about making such a Little People's market.  However the wood that came to me had other plans and I never found one that resembled the picture. Finally I did find a very twisty one, and decided to make a Little People's shop, and put a regular roof on it. It would be be called Windy Willow Shop, and sell wee caps, dishes , pods, walking sticks, and the like. 

This is a place for Wee Folk of all kinds to Buy and Sell.   It is wind felled Aspen and blue Pine, hand milled from dead wood.  

This is the back of the shop, having two tables, four stools, a seed pod mail box and a small storage room.

May it stir the imagination of all who see it!

My final peice, I decided to add a gentle blue wash to the house  roof, which was a blue pine...to enhance the wood of the roof and bring out the color in the house. 

Woodland Gnome Home from Deep in the Woods

  This is a special house.  Only once in a while I find and feel I am "given" a tree that is so lovely!  This is a two room house, delightful in the front and playful in the back.  It is tall , has a fireplace and table and chairs.  I had fun taking photos with my Willodel cast of characters !  It is made, like all my work, from windfelled Aspen trees and hand milled cedar.

The Lady of the Sun

 I had started another Father Elf, but as I finished the basic needle felted form,  I had the strong notion that this was to be some one else....  I think other artisans know this feeling ..as often what our hands and hearts do becomes something different than what was in our head.  So this figure wanted to be The Lady of the Sun, shining brightly and blessing all as we approach winter.  This was an inspiring and fun project. She is just under 8" tall and on a a wire frame and can stand freely.

She is dressed with hand dyed silks, silk ribbon and Romney wool , dyed hair.  She is needle felted over a wire frame made of cloth covered florist wire.  The Blue bird on her staff is needle felted and he staff is a Trumpet vine seed pod stem.

ELFIN ARCHER APPEARS!

From deep in the woods, a flickering light came...amidst holiday work so jolly and bright...a gingerbeard face shown in the light!  Who is it?  Who is it? Who could it be.....The Elfin Archer appeared !  His face lit by a flame, full of magic and mystery and folklore and fame!

Autumn brings Holiday dreams!

Seeds if Change are in the air!  Gathering of seed pods, boughs and pine cones has commenced, rose hips are turning their lovely dark orangy red , grasses are golden and russet, birds are traveling...some are leaving some are arriving ...the air if full of anticipation for Holiday tidings, things done in the home ...a season like no other!

Father Elf gathered everyone around with great anticipation of plans for celebrations to come!

Autumn Harvest Gnome

I have been having a lot of fun working with Sequoia Redwood Pine cones, very inspiring for Autumn and Holiday creativity!

MORNING FUN WITH AUTUMN COLORS

Just a little fun with dyeing for Autumn projects this morning!

MOSSY SEQUOIA REDWOOD GNOMES WITH WEE ONE AND HOME

SEQUOIA REDWOOD GNOMES ON ETSY

With great anticipation of Autumn in the air, the gathering of seed pods and pine cones is well under way!  The work table is covered with little plates and bowls with drying acorns, seeds and pine cones.  Lovely and inspiring to gaze upon.  The first we ones to come forth are the Sequoia Gnomes with their wee one and a lovely forest lodge for them!

WOOL AND SILK PLAY MAT WITH BRIDGE

 For some time I have wanted to start incorporating silk into my work.  Some lovely pieces turned  up as remnants at the little local fabric store, so  I was so happy to get some.  In this mat, it is the beautiful blue water that is the silk, the texture and sheen fit the part well.  It is lovely to touch.  Play mats are such a nice addition to gnome play or fairy play.  They focus the playing and stimulate the imagination.  This set will inlude a little bridge and a table and stools for a picnic.

The mat is my usual double thickness, 100% wool, hand stitched around the edge.  There is yarn, roving, prefelt and silk. The mat has 3 dimensional qualities, the rocks are rounded up about 3/4 ".

Flowers for Winter

As Summer Flowers are going to seed and squirrels are knocking acorns on the ground, I like to gather some of what is left in the flower beds, to dry for winter.
I have found that I can dry the large headed flowers by supporting their form with nursery plant trays.  I do this with Sunflowers and Hydrangea, allowing them to dry without drooping petals or bent stems.  The Hydrangea in these pictures had heads that were 4" to 5" accross. They dried in 3 days in the dry mountain air and look perfectly natural in their vase. Only a close look will reveal they are not fresh.  These will last well for a year, and maybe two or more.  I put the support nursery trays on my trusty clothes rack, which has been so handy for many things!

 3 days later, my dried flowers are lovely in their (waterless!) vase.  They will be great for winter decor,even on the mantle with boughs of rosehips and evergreens.

AUTUMN ACORN POD HOUSE

In the spirit of the first show of colored leaves in the yard and lots of young acorns dropping around the oak trees, I have made this wee cozy house and gnome, with table, stool and bed. 

BUTTERNUT SQUASH POD HOUSE WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH SPRITE!

BUTERNUT SQUASH POD HOUSE

The first two room house in this new series of Nature inspired abodes for wee folk!

The lovely wool roof and sprite hair is wool from "La" from the Deer Run Farm. Soon I will be making a blog post about La and the farm. The wool is home dyed with "Greener Shades " dyes.

As I usually do, there is a gift or mail pouch added on the side and a porch light, this time in the form of a squash flower bud.

I have added a little painted scene on the back of the house to spark the imagination !