Locally Harvested

This year I have started using a wonderful "mom and pop" local sawmill for my wood supply, Spacht Sawmill. Spacht Sawmill is located in  Fairview Village,  Pennsylvania. It has been operating as a sawmill on the same premises since 1928.

Dave and Carol Spacht purchased the mill in 1983 and have been selling local hardwoods to craftsmen and woodworkers for utility and fine woodworking use. Old and new technology work together at Spacht Sawmill, where the 1950s circular mill is combined with a modern planing mill.

As a hardwood mill, they sell species that are native to the area. Local trees of red oak, white oak, poplar, ash, and black walnut are their main supply. They sometimes having hard maple and pine, but not on a regular basis. I use the poplar, hard pine, and sometimes ash for my toys and custom cut items.

It is so rewarding to see these planks of wood be cut into such wonderful toys and keepsakes. Here are a few of the new items that we use the wood for the sawmill to make.

Custom Cut Oak Tree Wedding Cake Topper

Wave Stacker, Wooden Toy

Mushrooms, Mushrooms Everywhere

...and some unicorns!

 No matter how many I paint there never seems to be enough mushrooms. They are so pretty and sweet but take a lot of time. Because all of my items are so tiny I need to paint in sections so not to overlap or smudge the step before.

To get to this stage it has taken painting white one the top (dry 30 min.), middle (dry 30 min.), bottom (dry 30 min.), and then repeat it all over. The white paint needs 2 layers  so that you do not see the brush strokes. Then the red paint needs 2 layers (with 30 min. dry time for each layer). I then stamp the bottom ( this needs 24 hours to dry or it will smear when putting the glaze on).

Next step is all the little dots, hundreds of dots!!! I end up seeing dots everywhere. I have a certain number for each size mushroom and all the counting gets very intense! This stage is kept for late night painting when the children are asleep so they don't make me lost count a hundred times.

As you can see I get pretty covered in paint. My husband says that I could not make a profit if I had to add in the cost of all the clothing I have to replace. I now have painting clothing and clothing to go out in public in.

Last stage is 2 layers of satin finish glaze in the 3 stages: top, middle, bottom ...and then repeat.

There is a lot of "wait" time in my work. During that time I am homeschooling the kids, keeping house, cooking, baking, listing or relisting on Etsy, breaking up fights, finding my daughters shoes ( she is obsessed with shoes), marketing my shop, blogging, doing marketing or planning for my NaturalKids Team, and on and on.....

And when they are all done they look like these lovely wooden toy mushooms! 

Not Just Any Toy Storage

Since I have started making and collecting great hand made toys it is such a shame to just store them in some plastic bin. I wanted to find fun and functional ways to store the toys but also honor their "wholesomeness".

 Look at how sweet these toys are with little hands at play

Wooden Toys at play

First I started with some wooden cubes from my local unfinished furniture store ( they can also be found at most craft stores). I added colored canvas cube bins to hold the toys. Later I added recycled tags I found on Etsy.com

Red Bins full of Childhood Treasures

Wicker Baskets are also good for storage (found at local Craft Store)

Then I found and became a little obsessed with these great fabric storage bins. I found a wonderful shop that has worked to customize the size that I need. She even worked to make them nest inside each other so the store nicely when not in use. She has been great to work with and if she does not have the fabric I need she goes out of her way to find it. 

Fabric Storage Bins

From kathip22 of Etsy.com

Nice and Neat Toy Storage

Wooden Toys by:

The Enchanted Cupboard

Imagination Kids

Easter Sunday

We had a wonderful day full of fun! 

 They kids woke up early to new basket....

 brimming with treasures, some from the NaturalKids Team.

 We had a lovely Easter Egg Hunt in the Garden.

 Then Off to Grandma's House!

Where to find items in this post:
Bendy Bunny Doll and Bendy Pirate Doll by Princess Nimble-Thimble

Felted Ponies by MissButton  

Knitted Pink Organic Piggies by woolies  

Wooden Catapult by WoodToyShop

Fabric Easter Baskets by Crazy4Embroidery  

Spring Banner by ADDIEBUGS  

Sneak Peek, What's New this Week

Fairy Charm School

 That year we meet Miss Marigold as she move to The Fairy Ring and opened the Charm School.

 The fairy children enjoyed their days filled with learning and play.

 Today they will share show and Tell. Pansy brings her pet Ladybug and Sweetpea bring her favorite leaf from her collection. Miss Marigold brings special cookies from Pytunia's Stand.

  And on a very rare New Year's Blue Moon there was magic all around as new thing sprouted up in The Fairy Ring.

 A playground for the little one. 

What comes next? You will have to wait and see, but here is a hint.... it happens only on a Blue Moon!

You can shop for my The Fairy Ring toys on Etsy and find other magical toys.

Happily Ever After, Why These Stories are Important

To tell the truth these dolls I made for me. I loved fairytales! When I was growing up I often recreated them in my playtime. I  did my chores while pretending to be Cinderella. These dolls and playsets are where play can recreate old time Fairytales.

 I hear people say that these stories were not good role models for girls, but I feel it depends on how you tell the story. These were tales told in a time when woman were thought of as less, and they gave our fore-mothers the inspiration to bring change to each generation. All the way up to now to get us to where we are and the rights we now have.

These girls had power in spite of the odds, certain doom, and personal tragedy they suffered. They changed their world in a time when women had no rights. These stories have a powerful message that is still of value to the girls of this and the next generation. These are not just silly stories; they are our past and our future.

These wooden toys and more can be found at http://www.theenchantedcupboard.etsy.com/