My Big World Etsy Shop Launch Today!

 I launched the reopening of my Etsy shop today!  I am so excited to share this with you.  It's been a labor of love (and some crying, too!) for the past several months.

 There is a saying that goes something like, "there is good in the bad."  When my father in-law was diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer in September 2014. that's all we could think about.  I needed a distraction, something to take my mind off this.

 I needed a project.

 So in between visiting them and helping out and working, I started sewing.  It was therapeutic and a good distraction.  I am passionate about early childhood education (as most of you know) and I am a self-proclaimed geek when it comes to small toys like Schliech, Safari Ltd., Papo, Peter Rabbit, Tinkerbell, etc.  So why not combine the two?

 Playscapes are landscapes for imagination.  All hand-stitched with tiny details, these wool felt play mats are designed to encourage children's imaginations.  Maybe Peter Rabbit is in Mr. McGregor's garden again or...

 Maybe the fairies are hiding their treasures in this cave or the animals are having a camp out or...

 Maybe Hello Kitty and her friend are tending to their garden in the forest beside a stream of lily pads.

 Or maybe Mama Bear is watching her cubs play with their toy boat by the stream.  The possibilities are endless really.  Each whimsical playscape is all hand-stitched and filled with tiny details like tufts of grass, enchanting gardens, caves, twisting streams, hollow logs, stone pathways, 3D bridges, mossy patches, ponds, etc.  I have 4 to 6 hours in each playscape, but I love how they turned out.

Each one is approximately 15 inches by 15 inches.  Ready to ship. Ready to play.  There's a link over to the right hand side that will take you to my shop.

Have a fun & playful day!
Mel

Rainbow Treehouse Animal Hospital

 So when a 4 year old says, "I have a plan", you take notice.  Not only did she have a plan, she had a mission.  She wanted to make an animal hospital for her little animals, but she wanted it to be a treehouse..."So the giraffes won't have to strain their necks."

 I saw her vision and made a pattern.  I cut it out of cardstock to make it easier to trace onto the cardboard.  I just did a simple tree shape (no art degree needed here!).  I cut two and notched out the second on.

 The tree slid together then l made "shelves" out of spare pieces of the amazon box (they have the best boxes!)

 Then it was time to paint :) - time to add the "rainbow"!

 Of course, we had to have a sign..."So the animals know where to go."

 And we added a popsicle stick ladder.

 Then it was time for the animals to get care.  Two Lego Friends girls were the vets and took excellent care of the animals - both wild and domesticated.

 Stretchy Cat rested after her shots.

 Panda nibbled on bamboo after his exam.

 Giraffes, ponies, pandas, cats, dogs, llamas...all were welcome.

I am not sure how the pony got up in the treehouse - yes, I do - with the imagination of a four year old.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."
-Albert Einstein

I think we will create more tree treehouses for our collection of Schleich, Papo, and Safari Ltd primates.  The possibilities are endless with this.