East of the Sun, West of the Moon

For the longest time I've wanted to make an East of the Sun West of the Moon set of dolls. It's always been one of my favorite fairy tales, right at the top of the list with "The White Snake", but that's another post. I thought about this for a long time...probably over thought it which is my normal working mode. The bear wasn't the problem...well considering I'm a novice needle felter he wasn't exactly easy but at least I knew what he needed to look like. It was the girl who was the issue. I love the Dulac illustrations but I knew that wasn't my style and I just couldn't see how she should look. Then I did a bit of research and found that the story is Scandinavian in origin, and that's when it clicked for me. I could see her in my head perfectly! Don't you love when that happens? Sometimes an idea just has to percolate! So here they are...

You can see more photos of them here. What do you think, did I get it right?

WIP Wednesday

Lots of tiny shoes waiting for tiny feet...


And lots of Storybook dolls on the table!

Can you guess who they are?

Confessions of a Fiber Addict

Hello my name is Cynthia and I am a fiber addict. It's true; to me the lure of nubby yarns, silken embroidery flosses, crisp fabric bolts, and rainbow felts are completely irresistible. Wool, cotton, silk, they all seem to have a magical pull on me; enticing me to run my fingers down the length of a piece of fabric, to rub a strand of yarn against my cheek...I can't resist the siren call of a fabric or yarn shop...it's just beyond me. And don't even get me started on all the wonderful fibers and fabrics to be found online. I try to be good and to limit myself to things I know I'll use but sometimes it's SO hard.

Here's a bowl of my current yarn passions, two are wool/ silk sock yarns and the other two are alpaca (the brown)and angora (the white) for knitting bunnies. The wonderful blue gray sock yarn is hand dyed and from the marvelous Phiala. See what I mean about online supplies?


I've been knitting since I was a child but never as well as I could crochet. I've done scarves, mittens, hats, and the occasional stuffed animal but never the biggie...socks! Recently however, I've found myself in the strange position of teaching several of my friends how to knit. Since this is something they all want to do eventually (shoot, one of them has outpaced me already!) I decided it was time to take the plunge and finally learn to knit socks. It's been a slow process but I eventually found a great pattern and since then I've been making good head way. I love how organic it looks so far, like a creature found in a coral reef. I'll be coming up on heel turning soon...wish me luck!


In addition I recently made a trip to the mountains and of course had to stop by School House Fabrics...that place is so amazing...and added these to my stash.


Won't that bunny print be sweet on one of my felt bunnies? That and the pink print both have a wonderful retro feel.
Lastly, and since you've made it this far, I'll leave you with a sneak peek at the fairy I'm making to donate to The Night Garden. We had a vehement argument on the length of her hair, I wanted short, she wanted long...you can see who won.

A Sweet Tribute

These lavender babies found a wonderful new home. Check out this blog post to see how well their new mama is taking care of them!

New Lavender Babies

I've finally had some time to add a few little dolls to the shop. One set of solstice babies and one set that for some reason makes me think of an ocean boardwalk...blue skies, aqua water, and bubblegum. What do you think?
These lavender babies have a funny story behind their name. Way back in the day when I just made these dolls for my boys and their friends, I called them Spice Girls...with the promise that they would never sing! But once I started selling them I had to change the name of course. My older son, who at 12 was too cool for dolls ;) suggested "smelly girls". This was deemed not very sales-worthy and we instead went with the name "lavender babies". But I have to admit that we still affectionately call them the smelly girls around here.
So now you know their secret identities...but they actually smell divine...just in case you were wondering. :)

Here There be Dragons

What would fairy tales be without Dragons? I don't know about you but I have always loved the idea of dragons...the wise, the evil, the beautiful, and the slimy...I want them all to be real. So today's Fairy Tale Finds are all about dragons... "Unfold your flaming wings and cover out of sight The nets of day and night." - Yeats
Here there be dragons my friends....

A dragon Mirror from Lady Mudwerks

A blue cat back dragon by Creatures From El (one of my favorites!)

The Gray Sentinel by Unicorns and Dragons, another favorite...sensing a theme here?

A Dragon Mask from Merimask Designs

And wouldn't your tea or coffee be extra special out of this mug by R Honey Pots?

I hope you enjoyed this week's bit of enchantment. Have a wonderful weekend and as the White Queen suggests, try to "believe 6 impossible things before breakfast" it can only improve your day!