Sunday, January 20, 2013

Made With Love

Remember that FUNtastic snow day we had earlier this week and the paper snowflakes we made? Well....they have now been put to use in my FUNctional space!
 
See them? They became my first mini garland of the year! I thought it might be a hoot to make a whole collection of tiny "tie-ups" like this to keep my space seasonally inspired in the months ahead.
 
Something else to look forward to in the months ahead will be a featured book of the month. These won't be just any books mind you. Nope, these will be a collection of books that in some way, shape or form have to do with dolls and I can't think of a better one to start off with than M. B. Goffstein's Goldie the Dollmaker.
 
Goffstein's book is about Goldie Rosenzweig. It's obviously no surprise that Goldie is a dollmaker but the manner in which she fashions each of her creations elevates her work to that of a true artist. Her days are spent in quiet harmony carving, painting, and drinking tea. Throughout the years I've read this book many times over. Goldie is perpetually inspiring and someone I always wanted as a friend.
 
So you can imagine my delight to have, through the miracle of Internet,  found a real live Goldie in existence! Her name is Erin Kleider. She carves, she paints, and she plays with dolls. If you want to get to know her better she can be found over at Fairie Moon.
 
Recently two of her wee creations came to live with me and I must say they are the sweetest little things ever!

This here is Daisy.
 
And this is Fairie Rose.
Every time I look at their little faces I see the love that Erin puts into and gets out of her work.
Such a thought cannot but make one wonder what it is they truly LOVE to do....so I've been doing a bit of thinking.....
 
 
  Probably the greatest creative enjoyment I had all week was making up this little hat for Hitty.
I loved working on a small scale.
I loved takings tiny stitches by hand.
I loved making something substantial out of what was really nothing more than three pieces of scrap fabric and a good length of thread.
But most of all, I loved that I had FUN doing it!!!
 

8 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness! I squealed! I kicked my feet in delight! I blushed horribly and let out a girlish giggle! How very, very sweet! I have ALWAYS wanted to be a toymaker/dollmaker. How extremely delightful to be christened so!

    Thank you so much! (I say with a huge smile on my face!)

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    1. You are so very welcome and so very deserving of the titles!!!

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  2. A lovely post, Natalie Jo. I was hoping our library would have 'Goldie the Dollmaker,' but sadly, no. The wooden dolls are very dear :-)

    Beth

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  3. Oh Beth I'll keep my fingers crossed that a copy of "Goldie" crosses you path in the near furture. I am certain you will fall in love with the story and truly appriciate the bond between a doll maker and their creations! natalie jo

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  4. Oh, my goodness! Are those too precious or what? That led me to scroll down to older posts and realized that you love all things small. Have you seen the book Microcrafts by McGuire,Kachmar, Hatz and friends? You might want to check that out as it's all tiny projects. Nice meeting you through your charming blog!!

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    1. Kadee, However did you know I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE getting book recommendations? I've already got a hold placed on our library's copy of Microcrafts and will hopefully have it in hand within the week! Many thanks to you, natalie jo

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  5. Enjoy your blog. I have a question. My quilting guild is doing a project to be donated to the local schools. Each member is being asked to make a quilt based on a theme of a childrens' book. You seem to have knowledge of the best books. What would you suggest?

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    1. What a fun project!!! I've got a few first choices right off the top of my head but will keep my thinking cap on and maybe something more will come along...

      #1 Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem
      She actually has a collection of stories all about a community of mice and their adventures. The illustrations are simply dreamy and I would probably select my fabrics based an the sweet color combinations and possibly an assortment of nature inspired prints, especially of the floral variety. In addition, the pictures of little mice snuggled in their beds all feature the coziest patchwork quilts!

      #2 The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polasco this quilt would be much more scrappy and made from a "make do" fabric stash. If I remember correctly the fabrics in the book come from clothing and serve to be a reminder of a families history down through the years.

      #3 Hitty by Rachael Field This might be a good choice if you were more interested in creating a primative New England style quilt. The quilt could be a tiny one of Hitty's scale or one that reflected the different styles that occur throughout her first 100 years.

      #4 Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crocket Johnson I love this book and find young children have great fun with it too. If I were making a Harold type quilt I most likely would embroider out some of his drawing and then select an explosion of purple fabrics to play with. Maybe even an embroidered purple crayon would be cute!

      #5 Miss Spider's Tea Party by David Kirk My kids' favorite book when they were little. The colors are fantastic...very bright and lively. You could explore the insect theme, the tea party theme, or even the simple counting book aspect.

      I'm off to Barnes and Noble in a few and you can be sure I'll have a browse in the kiddie section! I'll let you know if anything else comes to mind...HAVE FUN!!!

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