Linde

With the leaves turning colour and the days getting colder, it was clear that Autumn had arrived. Linde could not wait to go on a toadstool hunt and she had been begging me to take her to the forrest for days. So on a sunny afternoon we dressed her in her warm woolen jumper, strapped her dolly to her waist and we were on our way. Luckily we found a group of beautiful toadstools right at the shore of a magical green lake. Linde very curiously inspected the toadstools to see if there was a door for the gnomes to enter.

Laying on het belly, she stared intently to the base of the toadstool. Since her hair kept falling in her eyes, she used the strap that carried her dolly before and tied it around her head. After a long time she sighed deeply. ‘Maybe you can only see the door at night…’ she said, ‘when the moon shines its light’. ‘That must be it’ I said, ‘Lets walk a little further and see what else we can find’.

When we continued our walk, a small frog hopped in front of us. Linde’s eyes grew large and shiny and softly she whispered in my ear: ‘do you see that little frog ? That must be an enchanted prince !’ Very gently I caught the little frog in my hand to give her a better look.

Linde leaned forward to take a closer look and tried to kiss the little frog on his tiny body. But before she could reach him, the frog jumped from my hand and hopped away. ‘Maybe you need to be a princess to break the spell’ Linde said, and she skipped away looking for something new.

After a long walk we found a beautiful tree trunk to take a break and rest our legs. The sun was already setting and cast long shadows on the yellow leaves. Linde’s hair turned golden in this beautiful light and she took her time telling her dolly a long story. It will not surprise you that it was a story full of gnomes who lived in toadstools, princes that turned into frogs and princesses. Because that are the things she loves and talks about all the time.

We did find some beautiful golden leaves that came to life in the sunlight. It was getting late so it was time to head home where we lit a fire in the fireplace to warm us.

Linde is inspired by the traditional Waldorf Doll but has a more pronounced face and body. This is done by needle felting the face and body, a method that enables me to sculpt the wool and form a nose and chin etc. The traditional Waldorf doll has more simple features and is more suitable for younger children. This doll also known as natural fibre art doll is more suitable for older children or adult collectors. For more info on the doll please visit my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Poppelien

Sweet Waldorf Doll

This girl has found her new home !

This happy little girl is still looking for a new home. If you like a little cuddly friend in your life she might be just what you are looking for ! She loves to go on adventures but is also very good in comforting and giving cuddles. She is made with a lot of love and with all natural materials such as sheep wool and a sun-kissed tricot from De Witte Engel. Her hair is a white blonde mohair yarn which can be brushed or braided in tiny pigtails.Her Pinafore dress is reversible with a blue cotton on one side and a nice flower fabric on the other side. She also wears soft blue shoes and a long sleeved grey t-shirt. Under her dress she has white underpants wit a little blue ribbon. If you would like to know more about her please visit my Etsy store or send me an e-mail me at: poppenkind@gmail.com

Mia and a beautiful day in June

 

It is a lovely day in June when Mia and I take a walk along the river IJssel, Mia is holding her friend Mr. Teddy, it would be unthinkable not to bring him along. Mia loves the river landscape, the grassland with the wild flowers and the vastness of the landscape. The sky above us is blue with white clouds that look as if they came straight from one of Ruysdael’s paintings. Down the waterfront we hear some very loud frogs who try to impress with their croaking voices. A Heron balances on one leg ready to catch one of the loud creatures, but as soon as we come in sight he spreads his wings and sails into the safety of the trees.

Mia is full of energy and runs ahead, but the sun is hot and soon we have to stop and remove some of our layers of clothes. Mia takes of her cardigan and we take a sip of water. In her Yellow pinnofore dress she blends in with all the lovely flowers around us.

We find clover en buttercup and different types of beautifull long grasses. There are a lot of buzzing insects around us and Mia spots a Dragonfly who flies of as soon as we get closer. Mia picks a few flowers to put on her bedside table later on.

We take a rest and lay down on our backs with the grass tickling between our toes. White clouds sail over us and we spot a Swan and later the head of a Dog. Mia yawns and only minutes later I see her drifting of into a deep sleep with Mr. Bear firmly in her arms.

 

 

Lieke and her dolly

This little girl loves her little baby, she cuddles and plays with her all the time. I experimented with a new pattern that I designed It enables her to sit on her own quite well. Her body is partially needle felted for extra endurance but she still feels nice to hold. Her dress is reversible so she has actually two outfits in one. Her hair is in a ponytail at the moment but can be worn in different ways too.

 

Doll in yellow dress

The first doll of 2019 is a small dress-up doll in yellow dress and a lovely sleeping bag with a print made by Daniela Drescher a very talented artist known from many beautiful children books.

European Waldorf Seminar 2018

A few weeks ago I was at the European Waldorf Seminar. it is a fantastic event for doll lovers held every other year. More than a hundred doll makers and doll lovers gathered at a small town in the Netherlands called Elspeet to follow workshops, talk about dolls and make new friends. This event was organised by Kamrin and Berend from Kamrin’s Poppenatelier and they managed to get a group together of very talented doll makers from all over the world, who gave workshops in doll making, wig making, stuffing and sculpting dolls and much more. For me it was a dream come true. I took a class with the very talented Fabiola from Fig an Me, who’s dolls I have been admiring for a long time. To finally meet her in person and to learn all her magic tricks was so inspiring. Her hands can make magic, and it looks so easy when she shows you a new technique but let me tell you it very hard when you try yourself. I have made quite a few dolls in the traditional Waldorf style but have learned so many new techniques and different ways of making a doll. I also met some lovely new friends who share the same passion of dolls and doll making. We were very busy and I totally forgot to take any pictures of the class, but I will share some pictures of the doll I made. I did not quite finish her during the workshop and tried different types of hair on her when I was home and decided to give her a curly mohair weft wig. I named her Ella and I am already dreaming of some nice clothes I will make for her.

All participants of the Seminar were invited to bring a small present, this could be anything a doll maker would love, a handmade gift, a nice fabric or some vintage lace or a tool you love to use. All the gifts were put in a big bag and everyone who brought a gift could also get one in return. I got a wonderful gift, with handmade crochet animals a lovely bag and Lavender from Monika from Hungary. This gift was put together with so much love and an eye for detail. Thank you so much Monika ! Because I live quite close to Elspeet I did not stay overnight at the Hotel and was not at the exchange of gifts, to thank Monika in person, so I hopefully she will see this post and know that her gift is much loved !

Thank you Kamrin en Berend for organising this big event and thank you  dollmakers and teachers who flew in from all over the world to make this event possible.

 

Waldorf Doll in Summer Dress

This girl with her ginger hair is still looking for a new home. She is wearing a white summer dress and a whit slip dress underneath. She also brings a blue summer dress, the red cape is also available in my easy shop.