oleander

Love this tune (and Sarah Harmer).

hawkweed

Such a common little wildflower. I love that cheerful little splash of orange. Brings back childhood summer memories.

"It's like Alice in Wonderland"

That is what Sarah, our neighbor's 9 year old daughter, remarked one day upon noticing the heart-shaped patch of flowers growing wild in our back yard and the two hugging witch hazel trees nearby that become one.

It does feel a little enchanted. Leave it to the imagination of a child.

washing toys filled with wool

Wool is a wonderful natural product used by many soft toy makers. Wool has a lovely warm and springy quality to it, it is naturally fire resistant, anti-bacterial and dust-mite resistant. Since mould and mildew do not grow on wool, spot cleaning is generally considered sufficient. I also love using wool as it is a product that I can source sustainably and locally from a small-scale producer.

For those who wish to encourage the use of a lovey or transitional toy, wool also is unique in that it retains comforting and familiar scents. Sometimes Mamas will place a lovey next to her body while nursing, then pass the toy along to the child for nap time.

After making Little Lamb (above) I started to think about how children continue to care for and love their transitional toys well into toddlerhood and beyond. What to do in the event of a major spill at that afternoon tea party or that puddle splash during that stroll in the park? Sometimes spot-cleaning simply will not do.

I decided to give Little Lamb a bath to see how she would fare as she, too is stuffed with wool.

First I immersed her in a dish filled with lukewarm water mixed with some mild laundry detergent.

After giving her a couple of rinses under running water, I wrapped her up in a towel and sponged her gently by pressing down with my hands. Then I placed her in a well-ventilated spot. This is a key since putting toys filled with wool in the dryer is generally not advisable.

On this particular day, it was quite rainy and cool, so instead of putting her in a sunny spot I placed her about a foot away from a heating vent.

Once her ears had dried, I checked the insides via a small side slit. They were still a little damp.

I closed her up with a safety pin and checked again a little later. Within 24 hours of her bath she was completely dry.
With some of my denser toys such as the fabric balls and blocks, I imagine drying time would take longer so I would still recommend spot cleaning with these. Since those toys are what I would consider play toys rather than loveys , keeping these items clean should be less of a challenge.

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Oh, and on a final note, I've added a new Little Lamb to my shop today, as my daughter quickly claimed the original.

taking time

Today I realised that it is time to slow things down a little as life is getting a little hectic once again. It was nice to take a few moments in our back yard this morning to notice all of the activity out there.

Little Lamb

Well, here is our sweet new Organic friend - Little Lamb.
Sewn with Organic cotton sherpa, flannel, french terry fleece and a little floral sateen. She has been stuffed with local Newfoundland Heritage sheep wool and her face has been embroidered with vintage embroidery wool.

She will be very limited as I am making her from my organic cotton fabric remnants. My three year-old daughter quickly claimed this one and my 6 year old son has put in a request for something a little more manly!

She is oh-so-soft and squishable! I haven't any made up for my shop quite yet, but soon!