For Christmas this year, I asked my dad to make me a lighthouse dollhouse.  I had a picture in my head of a family of peg dolls vacationing in a lighthouse on summer holiday or maybe even living there. What he came up with was pretty amazing.

 I admit that I had wayyy too much fun decorating this dollhouse. I have listed my resources and how to instructions on My Big World Playscapes Facebook page.

 I think the bunk room is was the easiest to put together.  I had a clear picture of everything that I wanted that room to be.  Bright, maps, full of toys and books.  The light was a challenge but came together beautifully.  The tiny fishbowl is my favorite thing in the room.

When 8 year old Greta saw the bunk room, she said, Maybe the lighthouse should be an orphanage for peg dolls who haven't found homes yet.

 The attic or top floor is the part that I wanted to be cluttered with books and things to cause wonder. The telescope and starry ceiling.  The fireplace and big comfy chair.  The books and globe. Starry ceiling, whale wallpaper (fitting for a lighthouse, right?), and nautical map floor.  All sort of magical and sparks the imagination.

 The master bedroom had to be a dreamy retreat for Mom & Dad.  I love seahorses, so when I found this seahorse foil scrapbook paper at Michaels, I just KNEW that it had to be in this room.  I couldn't find a bed that I wanted.  Dollhouse furniture is expensive and limited.  So...I made my own.  The side tables are blocks of wood painted white and distressed.  The pair of lanterns and coral are from the jewelry making section at Hobby Lobby.  (I spent a lot of time in Hobby Lobby scoping out all sorts details!)

 I have had a love affair with lighthouses for my whole life.  I have dreamed of living in a lighthouse for years.  This dollhouse kind of lets me live out that fantasy.  I thought a kitchen in a lighthouse should be cottage-ish, cozy, open-shelving, sort of English cottage.  I think it's my favorite room.  I picture the family gathering together, cooking meals.

 The lighthouse wouldn't be a lighthouse if it didn't light up!  Dad make sure everything works!

So the award for most elaborate staging of a peg doll family goes to...ME! :)  It is better than I imagined.  I think this peg doll family will be very happy here,

Me & Dad with my lighthouse dollhouse at Christmas.

Have a fun & playful day,
Mel

The Power of the Peg Doll

 I am happy to share that my peg dolls have been purchased and shipped all around the world along with my play mats, mountains, boats, & more.  As an early childhood educator and parent, I know that children's imaginations are sparked by the simplest things - a cardboard box, a stick, a peg doll. These simple wood turning dolls are handcrafted by a fellow Ohio artisan and hand painted by me.  They are sealed with a natural, non toxic sealer safe for children.

 Peg dolls can be anything and everything. One simple doll painted with a green body can be a zookeeper, a fairy, a mommy, a garbage man, and so much more.

 No bells. No whistles. No batteries. No small pieces to break off.  These peg dolls are unisex and hold a whole universe of imagination within them.

 Children have BIG ideas for these little peg dolls.  Adults do, too.  I have heard that they are being used for imaginative play, home decor, in classrooms, and even in play therapy!  I love the fact that not only are my peg dolls part of your children's childhood, but also that they can be part of the healing process for children. That's the power of the peg doll.  My heart is full.

This is the magic of childhood.

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Whimsical Garden Play Mat

This whimsical garden playscape play mat is now on etsy.  www.mybigworld2015.etsy.com

There are so many ways to play with this wool felt play mat is all hand stitched. Each playscape takes me about 6 to 8 hours to complete.  This one hosts a large rainbow garden, a hollow log that toys can actually pass through, a meandering path, grasses, teeny tiny mushrooms, and more.  It's just waiting for a child's imagination.

Have a fun and playful day.
Mel

Frozen Trolls

Are you still singing "Let It Go" in your head?  Have you seen the movie 462 times?  Well, if you are like me, you either love or hate the Frozen craze.  I actually love it.  I saw the movie in the theater then saw the sing a long version in the theater.  We belt every song we hear.  We play dress up and with the toys.

With the new movie Frozen Fever coming out soon, Anna and Elsa are here to stay!  My husband found some trolls and I set up this invitation to play for G and Roo.  They are going to LOVE it.  You can find this play may in my etsy shop www.mybigworld2015.etsy.com

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

Tell Me A Story

I love to simply show a child a picture and say, "Tell me a story."

Their imagination kicks in and...

I am amazed every time.

Kids are so funny.

Sometimes, they need prompted.  So I ask questions like, "What are the mice doing with all that cheese?"or "What is the teddy bear doing on the flamingo's back?"  Sometimes questions help to spark the imagination.

You telling a child stories or them telling them stories develops their vocabulary and verbal skills and parts of a story (beginning, middle, end) skills and their imagination.

We do this a lot in the car.  I have photos of toys that I have staged printed off and handy.  To pass the time, I hand G a photo and say, "Tell me a story."  I love the things she comes up with and I get a break from kids songs on the radio (you know that they annoy you, too!) These photo cards can be good while waiting at a restaurant or before bed.

Have a fun and playful day.
Mel

PBS Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood

We just finished watching Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.  It is a show on PBS that is based on Mister Roger's Neighborhood Land of Imagination.  Prince Wednesday is there and O the Owl and Trolley, too!

I love that Mister Roger's is reaching a new generation.  I loved watching him as a child.  I still remember the scene where they go visit the crayon factory and learn how crayons are made - so cool. Well, on today's episode, Daniel Tiger and his preschool class went to...drum roll...the crayon factory!  I had to smile.  Then, they entered the original clip of Mister Rogers taking the factory tour.

"Play is really the work of childhood."  Mister Rogers was a wise man - an advocate for children, passionate about early childhood education, a man who encourage imaginative play.

Have you seen the new Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood?  Did you watch Mister Rogers in your childhood?  We found the Daniel Tiger toys at Toys R Us.  I haven't seen them anywhere else.

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

Horsin Around

So, in this house, we are into all things horse!  We got a couple new ones for Easter and squeals of delight could be heard ALL over the neighborhood I think :)

Toys have come a long way since I was a kid.  I mean, just look at the realistic paint jobs and poses of these animals.  I think I am reliving my childhood through the kiddos.  It's fun to get down on the floor and lose myself in play alongside them.

Of course, on Happy Horse Farm, we have cats - lots of cats - and healthy foods and I think I saw a llama beside the barn.  Yep, kangaroos will be next.  In the imagination of a 4 year old, anything (and I do mean anything!) is possible.

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

My Big World 2015 etsy shop

 This week, my plan was to complete 2...maybe 3...new playscape play mats for my etsy shop.  www.mybigwold2015.etsy.com  But there was sickness in the nanny house and I volunteered at my daughter's school.  I also road tripped to see my daughter at college.  Best laid plans, right?  I completed 1.

Completing One was disappointing but...I was able to just concentrate on adding so many tiny details to this one.

 There are so many ways to play with these playscape play mats.  I had a ton of fun this morning, staging different ways which a child might play with this.

 This Lakeside play mat has a 3 dimensional leaf boat.  I have never done a lake playscape or a boat before, but I love the way that it turned out.  This play mat is wool felt approximately 15 inches by 15 inches - not huge, so you could take it along in the car or to a restaurant or to a playdate.

 Gardens have been a part of every play mat that I have done so far, because my late Grandma Helen loved working in the garden.  I have many, many fond childhood memories beside her in the dirt talking, laughing, planting, weeding, picking.  The gardens on the play mats are a little more whimsical than Grandma Helen's, but I think she would have enjoyed them just the same.

 Whether it be tiny Japanese eraser hamsters, Safari or Schleich, or Papo animals, Lalaloopsy, Hello Kitty, dinosaurs - whatever your child is into...they can play on this play mat.

 These photos show all the tiny stitches and itty bitty mushrooms.  Each play mat takes me 6-8 hours to make, as they are all hand stitched.

 A Playscape is a landscape for imagination. "Imagination is more important that knowledge." - Albert Einstein

 I have been in the early childhood education field for 20+ years and know that children learn through play.  They need time to just play, to be creative, to let their imaginations run wild.

 Where will their imaginations take them?

 On a boat ride in a leaf on a lake?  On a picnic beside the lake?  A walk in a whimsical garden?

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

Fairytale Playscapes

Playscapes or play mats are landscapes for the imagination.

These are all in my etsy store (link to the right). Each one is stitched by hand as nd too about 6 hours to make.

Kids can gather their favorite toys and play for hours.

I took tons of photos so you could see how the playscapes can be played with.

All my playscapes have 3d qualities - whether it be a cave to hide treasure or a hollow log for a fox to hide in or a bridge for dwarves to cross the stream.

I add a garden to every playscape, because my late Grandma Helen loved her garden. I have happy childhood memories working beside her in that garden.

Playscapes are unisex - boys or girls will find creative ways to play with them.

The playscapes are small - approximately 15"x15", so you can take them with you in the car, to a restaurant, or to church.

All these can be found in my etsy www.mybigworld2015.etsy.com

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

Rainbow Forest Done (for now!)

Well, it looks like the Rainbow Forest project is done for now.  There is a proud look of accomplishment on her little face and a smile that speaks volumes.  All her little animals aka "the animals of the world" are in place and settling into their new home.

I took photos in sections, so you can see the amount of animals that live in this Rainbow Forest.  "They are happy and all get along.  The trees are very branchy and give them shade and make them cozy."

"They monkey just has to stay in that tree.  He loves it so.  Oh, hello my pretty deer, come see me.  I will put you in a special place.  You and Bear are friends."

"I think maybe my horses will come for a visit, but they won't stay.  They live in the barn.  It's cozy for them.  Maybe one or two horses will live here."

I am not sure if this project is complete or not.  But, for now, it is sitting in a prime area on the buffet, where it is easy to access by G when she needs to rearrange the trees, but out of reach of little sister Roo.  Location, location, location. 

to be continued...?

Have a fun and playful day.
Mel