Selamu & the Lion

Silences make the real conversations between friends. 

Not the saying but the never needing to say is what counts. 

~Margaret Lee Runbeck

Snow Faeries in Winterland

There are five intent little faces peering down at me from my windowsill when I wake this morning. I'm a little surprised to find them there but not completely unused to the appearance of wee folk around here. "Where did you come from and however did you get up here?" I ask them.

"You brought us here," they all say at once in a chorus of tiny, sing-song voices.

"What do you mean?" I ask, "I didn't bring you here."

"Yes you did," says the littlest, "You wished for us."

"Don't you know?" asks the tall boy with gentle blue eyes, "Have you not heard the tale of Snegoorotchka, the little snow maiden?"

"Yes, of course," I say, "But I did not make you out of snow, nor did I wish for Father Frost to bring you to life."

"No?" he asks with a smile, "What is a dream if not a wish, and you did dream of us, did you not?"

I look past them at a brilliant winter sky, there is something else in the air too, the first scents of spring are dancing on the wind. I look at these darling little creatures, beings of snow and winter, and ask, "Where do you go, little ones, when Lady Spring comes with the first March thaw and breathes life into the woods, sending all those things that belong to winter back to Father Frost?"

"Why, to Winterland of course!" they cry, "And you shall come with us!"

Hazel and Oak are full of mischief and are always playing tricks on the forest animals. They love sledding and were delighted when their brother made them a toboggan of their very own. They're twins and are inseparable, they are also the youngest of all the snow children.

~ * ~

They are one of a kind dolls and won't be made again, they come with a certificate of authentication. They're intended for an older child, 7+, and are meant to be played with gently.

They have copper wire frames and adjustable limbs. They both stand 4 inches tall, and are handstitched (with the exception of their wings) entirely from natural fibers. Their clothing is 100% organic wool felt, linen and cashmere. They have mohair yarn hair and silk organza wings. Their beloved toboggan is also made from %100 wool felt with copper wire inside to keep it's shape.

Aspen is the oldest of the five and is always keeping the little ones out of trouble. He is such a dear little gentleman, so kind and loving with his little brother and sisters that I instantly adore him. It was him that offered to show me all around Winterland, he is as fast as an arctic hare on his skis and it's hard to keep up!

~ * ~

Aspen is a one of a kind doll and won't be made again, he comes with a certificate of authentication. He's intended for an older child, 7+ and should be played with gently.

He loves to be played with and his skis can slip on and off, as can his ski poles. He has a copper wire frame wrapped in wool roving and cotton skin, his limbs are fully adjustable. He's 5 inches tall, and is handstitched (with the exception of his wings) entirely from natural fibers. His clothing is 100% wool felt and cashmere. His skin s are also made from %100 wool felt with copper wire inside to keep them straight. His wings are silk organza.

Ivy is the sweetest of all, and I'm instantly in love with her, she carries a little bit of summer warmth in her smile and is quick to laugh, and sing, and dance. She loves to play hide and seek and paint frost drawings across the farmhouse windows.

~ * ~

Ivy is a one of a kind doll and won't be made again, she comes with a certificate of authentication. She's intended for an older child, 7+, and should be played with gently.

She is 5 inches tall and has a copper wire frame wrapped in wool roving and cotton skin with fully adjustable limbs. She is handstitched entirely from natural fibers, her clothing is 100% wool felt and cashmere, her wings are silk organza.

Holly is a dreamer, when she's not lost in a book she loves to escape to the quiet of the forest with just her skies and the wind for company.

~ * ~

Holly is a one of a kind doll and won't be made again, she comes with a certificate of authentication. She's intended for an older child, 8+is one of a kind dolls and won't be made again. She is intended for an older child, 8+

She's 5 inches tall with a copper wire frame wrapped in wool roving and cotton skin, her limbs are fully adjustable. She is handstitched entirely from natural fibers. Her clothing is 100% wool felt and cashmere. She has mohair yarn hair and silk organza wings. Her skis are also made form %100 wool felt with copper wire inside to keep them straight.

a treasure

The other day I stumbled upon the most beautiful little shop filled from floor to ceiling with gorgeous treasures. Folded in a basket near the front was this quilt. The first thing that caught my eye were the thousands of minuscule perfect stitches that covered every inch of it. Then the shop keeper turned over a corner of the quilt to reveal the embroidered signatures dating back to 1870. This beautiful piece of handwork was passed from aunt to niece, maybe mother to daughter. I fell in love with it instantly. In a world that has lost appreciation for all of the love and labour that goes into something created by hand, these small masterpieces from times past hold a special kind of magic. When I run my fingers over these stitches I'm transported back to a time when women sat by the hearth bent over their work and stitched through long winter days and nights, watching as something slowly took shape beneath patient fingers, maybe dreaming of the daughters and granddaughters who would one day cherish it, but never rushing. I can only dream of the kind of patience it would take to create something like this. I'm going to hang it in my studio so I can look at it every time I sit down to work and be inspired by it's beauty and magic.