Toys, Family Room, Games

The other day I saw the most adorable wee stockings at Little Cotton Rabbits. If you've never been to Little Cotton Rabbits, you are in for a real treat. Julie Williams is a gifted designer and knitter. She makes the most a.dor.able little creatures that she sells. The demand for her work far exceeds her ability to keep up, so periodically, she announces that she has a new gaggle of lovelies to sell, and you can place a comment, hoping that her random drawings will give you the privilege to purchase one of her creations. When you look around here blog, you will understand why her work is so highly sought after!  To learn more about Little Cotton Rabbits, visit her SHOP and her BLOG.

Now, onto my Gnome Christmas Stockings. I saw no reason to reinvent the wheel, and decide to use the pattern for Mini Christmas Stockings Julie graciously shared. The pattern is available HERE. These are the only changes I made:

I used a single ply yarn instead of a worsted yarn. I had some beautiful Mini Mochi Rainbow yarn (it is Crystal Palace - Mini Mochi, #101 - Intense Rainbow) that I had left over from a pair of Rainbow Mittens I knit last year.

Then, I used size 1US (2.25mm) dpn needles, instead of the size 2US (2.75mm) called for in the pattern.  Finally, instead of adding a pattern to the stockings (Fairisle, zig-zag or trees are available), I simple continued the stockinette stitch through the patterned section, and let Mini Mochi's natural striping do the work for me!

And, there you have it!

Although Mini Mochi is a washable wool, using warm water, dish soap, agitation, and a tumble through the dryer, I was able to felt the stockings to make them even smaller. The only thing left to do was to add a loop for hanging the stockings.

I really wish to thank Julie Williams for sharing this adorable pattern. Because she knits the stockings flat instead of in the round, even beginners should be able to work this pattern, although using the small needles can be a little more awkward.

You have a little over 1 week to until the gnomes will need stockings. Collect up some scrap yarn, and get knitting :)

Photos - 12-5-12

For Christmas, Tim and I got Little Lady and Little Guy a set of 184 maple blocks. Shhh... don't tell :) Anyway... because they are so heavy, and because Drew and his family will be flying here this holiday season, we had the blocks shipped to their house. They will open them before heading to Michigan. They will be staying with us for the week. Besides the regular gift, we buy all the grandbabies Fontanini Nativity figurines. (A family tradition.) By the time they leave home, they will have a beautiful Nativity to share with their families. Lovely idea, I know, BUT it isn't always exciting for wee ones to open on Christmas morning. So, I decided I wanted to make each of them a soft, squishy dolly to open and love.

As you may have noticed, we no longer have sponsors on Wee Folk Art. However, many of the shops that were featured were favorite shops of ours that we continue to frequent. Probably my favorite shop is A Child's Dream. Debbie, the shop's owner, has always had a wonderful selection, but in the past few months she has expanded her offerings, and I have to say, I think it is the best shop around for buying natural crafting supplies. When I wanted to make dolls for the grandbabies, it is the first place I went.

I decided on these 2 dolls from the Joy's Waldorf Doll Kits collection. For Little Guy, I am making the 6" Star Doll in ever so soft cotton velour. Just perfect for wee hands!

For Little Lady, I wanted a simple doll that would travel well. I picked the 12" Velour Bright Eyes Baby. I know she'll squeal with delight when she opens it.

The kits come with most of the supplies you need including wool roving for stuffing. I had to chuckle that they included chopsticks to help you stuff the roving in little spaces :) I plan to work on them this weekend (I hope!) I'll be blogging about the process, however, there will not be a pattern. If you would like to make your own, I highly suggest you order kits from A Child's Dream. If you price out individual items, I think you'll agree that they really are a good deal :)

When I told Debbie that I was going to share these online, she agreed to offer Wee Folk Art readers a discount. So... here it is:

10% off through Monday 12/3/12 with the code WEEFOLK (for domestic and international orders)

 ~OR~

Free Standard Shipping over $75 with code 2102ACD - expires 12/31/12

One code per order please.

Well, YAY! So, if you'd like to join me in making dollies or if you need anything else from A Child's Dream, make sure you order by Monday, December 3 to get 10% off your entire order. The free shipping on orders over $75.00 runs til the end of the year. Thanks, Debbie!

Watch for our doll making blogs next week!

Photos 28-12

Yes... we realize these are rather simplistic gnomes, but that's the point. These Simple Little Gnomes are a wonderful project for beginning sewers be they six or 60! By using a running stitch to attach the face to the gnomes, and an overcast stitch to sew it all together, even wee crafters can tackle this project.

Of course, if you'd like to embellish your gnomes with a little needlework, it's a great surface for practicing some new stitches. These Simple Small Gnomes measure 3 1/4" tall, and are safe for babies with supervision. So, make a few yourself, and gather the wee ones around and let them start populating their own village. They certainly will be proud of their accomplishment.

Materials Needed:
100% wool felt or a wool blend. If they are going to be played with a lot, use 100% wool felt
Embroidery floss
Stuffing of choice - polyfil or wool roving
Pattern

Directions:
Make copy of the pattern.

Cut out the felt. Our tutorial on How to Cut Out Felt can be found HERE.

Using the pattern for placement, sew the face to the body using a running stitch and 2 strands of floss.

Note: Our Stitching Glossary can be found HERE.  Our Woven Star can be found HERE.

Optional: Add facial features. You may chose to leave the faces blank. If you do want to add facial features, using the face as a template, draw circles on a piece of paper and experiment with facial expressions. Rule of thumb: when you draw the circle, draw a line thru the center horizontally. The eyes should be placed on that line. Too often people drew eyes too high on faces :) Embroider facial features using 3 strands of floss and use a steam stitch or straight stitch.

If you'd like to add embroidery to the body, do so before you stitch the body together. I added different stitches 1/2" from the bottom of the gnome. Be creative and add as much detail as you like.

With wrong sides together, fold the gnome so the two edges match. Pin in place. Using 2 strands of floss, sew the seam using an overcast stitch.

Stuff the gnome. Do not overstuff. If you overstuff, the bottom with be distended and will not be able to stand properly. When the bottom is sewn on, it should be flat.

Lay the circle of felt on the stuffing, and sew the circle to the bottom of the gnome using an overcast stitch and 2 strands of floss.

Tah Dah. That's all there is to it. This is a fast, easy craft that wee ones will love to make. Have fun :)

Photos 10/21and10/22/12
 

http://www.weefolkart.com
Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2012. All rights reserved.

All photos, text and patterns are copyright protected. You may not copy, reproduce or redistribute any material found on WeeFolkArt.com without written permission. Wee Folk Art retains all rights. Read our FAQs found HERE for specifics or contact us at weefolkart@yahoo.com if you have any questions.
 

When it comes to decorating our house for the seasons, Pixie is my "go-to" helper. Out of Michelle's 3 wee ones, she has the strongest interest in artistic pursuits, and arranging and showcasing our finished projects is almost as important to her as the project itself. She is forever collecting "props" to "stage" her work. We are certainly kindred spirits :)

I mentioned a few days ago that I had seen some City Chalkboard Blocks that were shared on Hello Bee. I loved the idea, and with the help of Tim, created a whole village. Here are the simple instructions for creating your own Autumn Village.

Materials:
Pine lumber boards in 2" x 4", 2" x 6" and 2" x 8" widths. This can be construction grade, just check each piece and find those with minimal knots and imperfections. You want the surface as smooth as possible. 
Saw for cutting
Sandpaper
Chalkboard Paint - I used chalkboard paint from Hudson Paint
Colored chalk

Directions:
Using your saw, cut the boards into random sized houses. When you are done, sand well. The chalkboard paint works the best on smooth surfaces. Check out all the photos below to see the shapes we had.

Apply 3 coats of chalkboard paint to all surfaces of the houses. I used colorful paint on the 4 sides of the house and the bottom, then used a dark brown paint on the tops for roofs. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly between each coat.

Allow the paint to dry for 48 hours before drawing on the houses with chalk. This was the hardest part of this whole project... waiting to draw on with chalk :)

Use a damp cloth to clean off the surface of the houses. Allow the surface to dry before drawing on again with chalk.

Now, arrange your houses. When the mood hits you, just clean off a surface and redo. Pixie had a blast arranging the houses on our seasonal hutch. I'm sure they will be redone and rearrange each and every time she's over :)

When Fairy saw the village the next day she was disappointed she didn't get to help draw on the houses. "No problem", I told her. Just get a damp cloth and erase a house and redo it!

Usually, when I am done crafting a project, it is "finished" and ready to be displayed or played with by the wee ones. The beauty of our chalkboard village is it is NEVER finished. With just a damp cloth you can redesign your village to suit your fancy whenever you are so inclined :)

HERE ARE SOME LINKS TO THE OTHER "PROPS" PIXIE USED TO STAGE OUR CHALKBOARD VILLAGE. IT'S ALWAYS NICE TO HAVE A STASH OF PAST PROJECTS TO PULL FROM :)

Old World Gnomes

Wooden Autumn Trees

Burlap Hay Bundles

Mini Pumpkins

Paper Bag Trees

http://www.weefolkart.com
Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2012. All rights reserved.

All photos, text and patterns are copyright protected. You may not copy, reproduce or redistribute any material found on WeeFolkArt.com without written permission. Wee Folk Art retains all rights. Read our FAQs found HERE for specifics or contact us at weefolkart@yahoo.com if you have any questions.

After being home for a couple of weeks, I finally feel like I'm caught up enough to start tackling some projects. My list is long and mighty of things I want and need to do, so you can expect to see many new projects shared over the next couple of months. Plus, we are working on getting our kits together for our Knights and Squires. All mighty exciting stuff for us :)

Here's a quick peek on what I'm working on at this minute. A couple of weeks ago I saw a neat idea that I shared on Facebook from Hello Bee. Using some 2" x 4"s and black chalkboard paint, she made a street of houses. Awesome thing about it... using chalk, you could draw in windows and doors. I thought the wee ones would love this.

After grabbing inspiration from Hello Bee, I had Tim buy pine 2" x 4"s, 2" x 6"s and 2" x 8"s and cut them into random houses.

Then, I decided my houses needed a little color, so I bought an assortment of colorful chalkboard paint from Hudson Paint. Who knew you could get chalkboard paint in so many awesome colors? I want to use them in an autumn setting, so I picked some lovely fall colors.

Finally, I've started painting them. I am using 3 coats of paint, and I'm nearly done with my first set. The biggest drawback... you have to wait 48 hours before you can start drawing on them! I'm not the most patient person, so I'll be pacing until we can start using them on Wednesday. I'll share photos when we are all done!

What projects are you working on right now???