Kimara's blog

Britta woke early, ready to nurse the twins and start her day, but when she sat up in bed, she felt a strange, ticklish sensation on her cheek. When her eyes fully focused, she looked around the room. It looked like a giant spider had woven a web throughout the whole room during the night! She highly doubted the existence of a mammoth spider in The Thicket, but was rather confident that this was yet another of the late night shenanigans of the leprechauns. Britta shook her head and counted off on her fingers; Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Just eight days til St. Patrick's Day; just eight more days until the leprechauns would be leaving The Thicket.

But Britta had to smile. Although Axel stomped around the house during the day complaining about the foolhardiness of  those scoundrels, she noticed he slipped away each night, after he thought Britta to be fast asleep, and would join them at the campfire. She could hear his voice blending with theirs while they sang ballads and told stories.

"It really wasn't SO bad", she decided as she looked around the room plotting her escape. She decided she probably wouldn't mind the pranks of the leprechauns nearly as much if she could only deal with them AFTER her second cup of chicory tea! 

"Once there was a peddler who sold caps. But he was not like an ordinary peddler, carrying his wares on his back. He carried them on top of his head." So begins the tale of Caps for Sale, the lovely story of an unorthodox peddler and a tree full of pesky monkeys! Written and illustrated by Russian author Esphyr Slobodkina in 1940, it has remained a favorite amongst children for generations. I can remember when my kindergarten teacher read this book to our class. I immediately feel in love and have reread it many times over the years. Although the list is long and mighty, I can honestly say, this was my very favorite book as a child. Why? 

I loved the absurdity of the book; a man balancing 17 caps on his head, monkey's in trees wearing hats, and the interplay between man and monkey! 

I also was empathetic to the peddler's loss. Can you imagine losing your wares to a bunch of renegade monkeys!  
 

Well, far be it from me to give away the end of the story, suffice to say, I've always been a sap for an "all's well that ends well" read. As a bit of an aside... the peddler's frustrated, and sometimes angry exclamation of, "You monkeys, you", became a favorite exclamation of mine as I was raising my children, although mine was uttered playfully, and usually followed by... "Move it, monkeys!"

Caps for Sale is a perfect story for children to act out. The plot is simple, and if you reduce the number of monkeys, the cast is small. To that end, I have crafted a set of characters and props to help your children extend the story to their own imaginative play. 

Met the peddler. Ready to take a little rest under a shady tree.

 

Met the monkeys. Ready for a little mischief and mayhem.

Feel the frustration of the peddler, bested by the monkeys!

And, feel the exhilaration brought on by an unlikely turn of events!

The directions on how to create your own Caps for Sale storybook characters can be found HERE, or with our FREE Patterns. The directions for making the Autumn Tree can be found HERE. Enjoy! 

As many of you know, Michelle has closed down her homeschooling blog. With the demands of homeschooling, Wee Folk Art, and other creative projects we are involved in, Michelle has felt like she was spreading herself too thin. This made many people very sad :( Michelle had tons of great activities and projects she did with her children, plus some phenomenal units. So, for those of you that followed her, take heart. Many of her activities are very appropriate to Wee Folk Art. Because of that, you can expect to see some new additions around here.

For quite a while now we've talked about starting a Book Nook. I wanted a place to share some of our favorite books, from my childhood, my children's, and now, the grandbabies. So, from time to time we will feature a book. Sometimes, we might simply review a book we like. We might have anecdotal stories to share, there might be a craft or activity to do to enhance the reading experience. And sometimes, we will put together "baskets of books". These would be a collection of books on a particular topic, that we are using. They may not be individually discussed, but rather, simply shared.

We hope you will find this new corner of Wee Folk Art to be delightful, inspiring, or just fun! For our very first offering, I'm going to share my very favoritest book from my childhood, along with a special project. Hopefully it will be up tomorrow. We are very excited about this and we hope it becomes a favorite spot for your family.

Last year before Easter we did a number of egg projects. It seems like an good time to tackle eggs, with Easter and spring just around the corner. I wanted to pull all our egg projects together here, as a reminder, and for those of you that may not have discovered them yet.

To begin with, we have our Felt Fried Eggs and Bacon breakfast, with crispy bacon and sunny side up eggs. Perfect for the play kitchen.

Then, as the saying goes, you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette... here we have a Felted Egg, ready to stuff with egg innards or special Easter treats for the basket. Make them white or brown for every day use, or use colored roving and needle felting to make beautiful Easter eggs.

We already shared our Traditional Felt Eggs that can be decorated for Easter, or left plain to fill an egg carton for the play kitchen.

And, finally, I would have been remiss if I hadn't crafted an Fried Egg Applique Block!

HAPPY EGG CRAFTING!

Lately I've been thinking about all the lovely new friends I've been meeting recently... many of them from the blogging world. It reminded me of this piece I had written for One Generation to Another March 9, 2008. So, for no particular reason, this is for all my friends... old and new!  

If you were ever a Brownie you know the song…

Make new friends, but keep the old,
One is silver and the other’s gold.

New friends are great! They’re kinda like a “do over”. I ran into a neighbor “boy” that was home visiting his parents. He is now married and he and his wife bought their first home. After we were chatting for a while he said, “Boy, I was a jerk in high school. I wish I could go back and apologize to a ton of people.” The truth is he was a jerk. He was a bully, and he and his friends terrorized many insecure classmates. A dear friend’s son was often the target of his cruelty. And perhaps not surprisingly, but totally irrational, this “jerk” was quite popular. I looked at this neighbor “boy” and I thought, “You know, I think you really have changed.” He was nice mannered, pleasant and very communicative. Anyone who met him now would have a profoundly different impression of him than his classmates and teachers did back in his high school days.

New friends fall into the category of “Variety is the spice of life.” As we go through our lives, interests change. Maybe in college you were the partying sorority girl. Now, by some cosmic hiccup you’ve become, of all things, a crunchy mom. How is that even possible? And although you hold tightly to your old friends, it’s wonderful to make new friends that share your present mindset. (There’s no way your still single college roommate who continues to party every weekend would give a flying leap that you found a supplier of organic diaper wraps!) So, new friends, with common interests, allow you to share a slice of your life…maybe, some day, they will become “old friends”, but for the time being, they enrich our lives and embellish our personal tapestry.

But this blog is really about “old friends”…those friends that have been with us through thick and thin. They’ve seen us at our best…and our worst. They may be people we talk to every day or just exchange annual newsletters with at Christmas time, but they are the people who “knew us when”. Several years ago I took an “old friend” to the community Bible study I belonged to. We’ve been friends since she was 16 and I was 19…so, hmmmm, OMG…34 years! Irrelevant, other than demonstrating that we’ve been together for a long time! Anyway, we were sitting in the pews of the church where a visiting speaker was talking about temperance. She was this little old lady, who was standing on a stool to be seen above the podium. She was waving her hands, slamming her fist on the lectern, talking about the evils of alcohol. Now, I can guarantee you, being raised Catholic, I had never once heard a sermon quite like this one. I think this is what Carrie Nation must have sounded like! Anyway, with a grin on my face, I leaned into my friend to make a comment, but when I turned around I noticed she had slid about 6 feet away from me. I whispered, “What are you doing?” And with a completely deadpan face she whispered back, “When the lighting hits, I don’t want to be sitting too close to you!” I faked a coughing attach, and made my way to the bathroom just in time to avoid wetting my pants! There wasn’t a single other person in that room who could have made that comment to me. She continually tells friends that the only time she ever got in trouble was when she was with me. When our children were young, her father always grimaced when she mentioned I was watching her kids and to this day he develops facial tics when my name is brought up! Old friends!

Every Wednesday morning I meet a group of “old friends” for coffee, aforementioned friend being among them. We’ve known each other for eons. I remember when we use to talk about “boys”, then babies and stretch marks. We’re still talking about stretch marks, but also about menopause, our husband’s heart attack, saggy boobs, and the grand babies. We also talk about politics, books, our children, and hot actors. (Quite true!) And we still talk about our youth. (Again, ask my pew pal about “chaps and the Marriot”…I think she blew the entire thing out of proportion…at least that’s what the guys in the band would say!) But, I digress…

But there you have it…our existence is a kaleidoscope of old and new friends, everyone adding a little to our life. As time goes by we find some of our new friends and acquaintances are temporary or “situational” friends, but some hold fast and become kindred spirits. I’ve forgotten the name of some friends I’ve made over the years, yet I am grateful that they were there when I needed them. But I must admit, I am every so grateful, and feel blessed, every time I think about my handful of close friends. The ones who knew me when…and to quote Simon and Garfunkel in their song Bookends…

Time it was and what a time it was it was,
A time of innocence, a time of confidences.

There is no overriding purpose to this week’s blog other than acknowledging the value of friendship. I wish all my friends out there, the old and the “new”, a lifetime of friendships that grow and flourish and bestow untold smiles upon your days!

Britta was awaken by the lovely sound of birds singing in the forest trees. When she opened her eyes, however, she realized she was much closer to the forest than she had been when she went to sleep the night before. It seemed that at some time during the night, the bed that she shared with Axel, was removed from their home and carried far into The Thicket. Leprechauns! Britta thought of waking Axel, then took a deep breath, smelling the intoxicating fragrance of the mossy ground and the pine trees, and she snuggled back under the warm covers, snickered quietly and whispered, "No harm done" before falling back into a gentle sleep.

Directions for making the bed, mattress and pillow can be found HERE.

Knitting Instructions for Spring Bedspread

Materials:
size 3 knitting needles
sock yarn (You might like... Regia Kaffe Fassett Sock Yarn - Exotic Clay)

1] Loosely cast on 40 stitches.

2] Repeat the 4 rows of the pattern until piece measures 7".

Pattern:
Row 1: "P2, K2" across row.
Row 2: "K2, P2" across row.
Row 3: P row.
Row 4: K row.

3] Loosely cast off. Weave in ends.

Announcing winners is always a bittersweet experience. On the one hand, I'm always happy for our winners. On the other hand, I truly wish we could give everyone a gift that took the time to enter. BUT since we can't... the two winners, drawn at random, for a $25.00 gift certificate from Bella Luna Toys, are: Lois Tschaepe and Rebekah.

Bella Luna Love
Submitted by Rebekah on Fri, 02/26/2010 - 20:17.
1.Silk Playcloths
by Sarah's Silks- I have wanted these for a long time and my girls love them at a friends house.
2.Any of the knitted or wooden food- super fun!
3. Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game- this is for me!
Thanks!

Toys
Submitted by Lois Tschaepe on Wed, 02/24/2010 - 13:11.
I love everything at Bella Luna, but my three favorites are:
-German Shield and Sword Set
-Silk Dragon Costume
-Play Stands and arch
I LOVE anything medieval and I hope my triplet grandsons will also! My great nephew (who is three) has been raised with dragons, knights, etc. His parents are reenactors. I know all the boys would love anything!
Lois

Congratulations to both of you. Please email us at weefolkart@yahoo.com to confirm your email address. Then Sarah Baldwin, owner of Bella Luna Toys, will contact you with a code to use at Bella Luna. (We must be contacted by Sunday, March 7 or a new winner will be drawn.)

And, of course, a huge thank you to Sarah Baldwin of Bella Luna Toys. Not only is she the owner of a lovely on-line shop, she is a delightful person, full of knowledge, humor and a sincere desire to assist others. I hope you've enjoyed getting to know Sarah over these past few weeks as much as I have.

And... I asked Sarah if she'd like to tuck a little message into this post. She sent me the following...

I'd like to thank Kimara for the opportunity to host this give away, and to introduce you to Bella Luna Toys. I've enjoyed reading all the comments from newcomers and previous customers alike. It's been helpful to me to learn which products are most appealing to families. Were you looking for something you didn't find? Have an idea for a new product you'd like to see added? I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to email me at info [at] bellalunatoys.com. Thank you all for participating, and congratulations to the winners!
Warmest wishes,
Sarah 

Don't forget, Sarah is offering all Wee Folk Art readers a 10% discount off any orders placed between now and Saturday, March 6! Just type in the promotion code WEEFOLK to receive your special discount!

Again, thanks to one and all, congratulations to our winners, and watch for more from Sarah Baldwin and Bella Luna Toys in the coming months!

 

EDIT: This posting was originally published March 9, 2009, but I thought it was worth moving to the top of the blog again! The kids loved these, and it is a project quite easy for children that are comfortable with a needle and thread to do. Make a dozen decorated for Easter, and a dozen for the play kitchen. 

This is the last egg project of the week. If you're not into making eggs out of roving, then try some of these Traditional Felt Eggs. VERY easy to make. Copy the pattern then you simply take 2 egg pieces, blanket stitch them together, leave an opening at the bottom, stuff and finish blanket stitching them closed. You can leave them plain or add embroidery or fabric paint to decorate. I did a combination. Although you can paint or embroider the eggs before you stitch them together, if you want a uniform pattern around the egg, wait until after it has been stuffed. The pattern includes 2 different sized eggs. The smaller eggs will fit in a standard egg carton. Perfect size if you'd like to make a dozen white or brown eggs for the play kitchen! There are no additional directions since it is very straightforward, but the pattern is available in the FREE Open Pattern section. Enjoy!

FYI... If you can't tell from the photo you are either being very kind or I did a remarkable job of camouflaging... I really am puff paint challenged! I always felt like my embroidery flowed like paint... thank goodness I was wrong! I was all thumbs as I tried to transfer my mental image to the eggs. So... there are smudges here and blobs there. Alas, not perfect, but the colors are still lovely, right? And if you squint your eyes just a wee bit, you can hardly notice the imperfections. Ah, we all need to be humbled occasionally!

I finally finished Part 4 of the hairpin lace tutorial. If you would like to try this technique, I hope you find this tutorial helpful. Although there are tons of pics and instructions, I tried to break each individual step down. In a perfect world, I would be able to have everyone over for a cup of tea, cozy up on the couch, and show them how to do this very easy technique in 15 minutes. But, alas, that is just a cyber dream! So, since I can't do that, I'm hoping the detailed instructions will answer all questions and make the learning process easy.

This tutorial is strictly instruction on how to make hairpin lace. There are no projects listed. If you Google hairpin lace projects you will find many. You will also find different ways of joining the loops, and even ways to make them into circles, instead of strips. You can also use them for making lace. There are so many fun and interesting ways you can use hairpin lace.

The Afghan I'm Making:
The only things I've ever made with hairpin lace are afghans. I put 348 loops on each strip, and I'm making mine 30 strips wide. This is going to be a BIG afghan... I'm thinking about 84" x 60" without the fringe. But I wanted one that could fit across the laps of everyone sitting on our big leather couch! I find I get 2 strips from skein of 4.5 oz (128g), 268 yds (245 m) worsted with enough left over to make fringe. I am only using 2 colors: sage (S) and a variegated (V) in sage, off white and tan. I'm make the following pattern:

4S-2V-3S-2V-3S-2V-3S-2V-3S-2V-4S 

I will share pics and notes when I'm done making mine, but chances are it won't be in the next few weeks. I seem to drag my feet on those large projects, even though hairpin lace goes fast. I takes about 1 1/2 hours to crochet a strip, and 15 minutes to join 2 together.

I'm thinking how pretty this would be to make for baby dolls, using naturally dyed yarns in soft, muted colors... or for the bottom of Pixie and Fairy's bed... we are going to be redecorating their room soon... Michelle's thinking, bright tropical colors... what fun it would be to work with those yarns... but I digress.

So... with a very quiet drum roll, are the 4 parts of the tutorial. Have fun!

Part 1 - The Loom

Part 2 - Crocheting the Strips

Part 3 - Joining the Strips

Part 4 - Finishing the Project

Although we normally do not share links to other sites on the blog, we mainly reserve that for Facebook, if you know of a cool hairpin lace project out there, feel free to link to it in this comments section!

Ever since the Leprechauns returned to The Thicket, Britta has been noticing a few oddities. Jackets and shawls disappear and reappear, the order of the shoes lined up by the backdoor get rearranged, and her bookmark gets moved nightly. Whenever Britta complains to Axel about the leprechauns, he shrugs and chuckles. "No harm done", he always says.

This morning Britta prepared Axel's favorite breakfast; blueberry tarts and acorn omelets. After his first couple of bites, Axel pushed away from the table with a confused look on his face. 

 "Britta, what's going on? Breakfast is awful!"  

 Sure enough. The blueberry tarts were too salty to eat, and the acorn omelets were too sweet to swallow. Britta had a bad feeling. She went to her larder. Sure enough, those pesky leprechauns switched the sugar and the salt!

 Britta mimicked Axel and in a deep voice said, "No harm done, right?"

  But I don't think Axel heard her. With his stomach rumbling, he left the house in a huff, and he could be heard bellowing, "RONAN, you no good rascal, show yourself."  

To make sacks of flour, rice, salt and sugar for your gnome house:

Materials:
felt pieces
stuffing
pattern

1] Make copy of pattern and cut out 2 pieces of felt for each sack.

2] Transfer names to bag fronts and embroider name using a stem stitch and 3 strands of floss.

3] With wrong sides together, Pin the sack front to the sack back. Using a blanket stitch across the top and a running stitch around the other 3 sides, stitch the sack closed with 3 strands of floss, leaving an opening on one side for stuffing.

4] Stuff with wool, cotton or fiberfill and finish sewing up the side.

5] Pinch each corner so seams are touching and tack together using 3 strands of floss.

Now place in your gnome's larder, but keep them safely locked away... especially when there are leprechauns around!