Sponsor love today… Rachel from Little Woodlanders is here to share her beautiful toys with us.
Donni : Tell us a little about you, your family and where you live.
Rachel : I live in England with my husband and 2 daughters. Our girls are 3 and 5 and we homeschool them. My husband works in an office in town, and I do the woodworking and look after the girls during the day. Where we are, in the south coast of England, there are rolling hills, quaint little English villages, and we live a mile from the sea!
Donni : Every small business has a point of origin… what is the story behind the beginnings of Little Woodlanders?
Rachel : I started making wooden toys for my children shortly after I discovered the Waldorf ideas about play. I love the idea of open-ended toys, made of beautiful natural materials, that allow children to use their imagination. Toys that can be used in so many different ways, not just with one function or purpose. It’s such a joy to hold a beautiful wooden toy in your hand, a piece of nature. It’s even more of a joy watching children’s imaginations go wild with the toys!
Donni : Where does your inspiration come from?
Rachel : My inspiration mostly comes from my children. I see what they like to play with and talk about, and often get ideas from them that way. I also get ideas from going outside or looking out the window at nature and from storybooks.
Donni : How do you manage and integrate running a home based business and with all the other responsibilities that come with being a mom?
Rachel : It’s really difficult, but thankfully my girls are very good at playing together and occupying themselves! They spend a lot of time making crafts and making up and acting out games and stories. The older they get, the more they play on their own, together, and the more I can get done!
Donni : Here are Rachel’s social media links so that you can follow here there too…
Etsy shop: www.littlewoodlanders.etsy.com
Blog : www.littlewoodlanders.com
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lwoodlanders/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LWoodlanders
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LittleWoodlanders
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/87684407@N06/
Your wooden toys are beautiful, Rachel… thank you for sharing them with us. I have a few sets coming in the next few weeks and am super excited to own these treasures.
For more information on becoming a Magic Onions Sponsor, please visit the Sponsorship Page.
Blessings and magic,
Donni
4 Responses
Lovely! These are the kinds of toys I grew up with – real things that last!
Those are such beautiful, well-crafted toys. I enjoy using open-ended Waldorf-style toys with my daughter, too. And, wow, does Southern England sound lovely!
beautiful toys!!!
What delightfully crafted items – I wish I could have had some of these as a child. I particularly like the knitting fork as per Little Woodlanders etsy shop.