GardenMama

.: Imagine Childhood - Two Part Giveaway! :.

.: A very soft and realistic looking Great Horned Owl with a movable head and bending feet! :.

I would like to welcome my featured sponsor Sarah, owner of  Imagine Childhood! Please enjoy the interview given with Sarah as well as this beautiful two-part giveaway!

Gardenmama: "Thank you for sharing a bit more about yourself and your shop today Sarah! I also would like to thank you for your beautiful and generous two-part giveaway gift that one very lucky reader will receive through leaving a comment on this post!"

Imagine Childhood: "You are very welcome!  We're so happy to be a part of your lovely blog. "                  

.: Plant Dyed Color Crayons: Each crayon contains plant color extracts bound with beeswax to produce a strong yet subtle effect :.

Gardenmama: "For those who may be new to Imagine Childhood, would you describe what we can expect to find in your online shop?"

Imagine Childhood: "Sure!  We offer a collection of nature and imagination based toys and activities for children, many of which are green, sustainable hand crafted or fair trade.   Our items range from compasses, binoculars and wagons,  to lifelike plush animals, eco-friendly arts and crafts supplies, books, and dramatic play items like puppet theaters and costumes.  Really, just about anything that encourages a kid to get out in nature and explore, or to make up imaginary worlds to adventure in."

   .:Bring nature inside with these rustic Natural Tree Blocks! :.

Gardenmama: As a mother of three young children, our days are deeply connected to play and imagination. Your shop name "Imagine Childhood" interests me, I would love to know more about its roots.

Imagine Childhood:  "The name for our company came more out of process than design.  Each day as we were brainstorming and thinking about the business we wanted to create, we were doing a lot of imagining -- imagining the toys we loved or would have loved when we were kids, imagining the adventures we?d had, both real and made up, imagining the backyards and fields we explored and spent hours running around in, imagining that time when the most important thing in the world was to be where you were, doing what you were doing -- and the funny thing was, as soon as we began to imagine... we were right back there, right in the thick of all that wonder, all of that childhood.  And all it took to get there were two simple words... imagine childhood.   

Since that is what we set out to create when we started the shop and the blog - a little oasis of childhood in the day to day... a ticket back to the land of wonder - it seemed like the perfect name."

     .:These Mushroom Fairies are dressed in plant dyed wool :.

Gardenmama: "When I look into purchasing toys for my children there are certain guidelines the toys must pass before I consider buying them. Would you share with us what guidelines toys must pass in order to be selected for your shop?"

Imagine Childhood: "The main guidelines we follow when selecting items for the shop are a few simple    questions:

       Does the product promote exploration, creativity, and/or unstructured play?
       Is it fun and exciting?
       Is it Fair Trade and made of sustainable or eco-friendly materials?
       Can it be reused again and again, and in varying applications?
       Does it provide learning opportunities?

Although every product may not meet each and every criteria, we are continually looking for items that meet as many of these as possible. We believe quality products provide quality experiences, and that these experiences should have a positive impact on the world we live in"

                                                .: Jacob sheep that reside at Sarah's farm in Colorado. :.

.:Handmade wool felt Flower Fairy and Fairy Home all part of this two-part giveaway!:.

Gardenmama:  "Sarah, would you please tell us about this beautiful handmade fairy home and flower fairy that will be given away today?"

Imagine Childhood:  "The winner will receive one Handmade Flower Fairy and Fairy House of their choosing.  Both the flower fairies and houses are crafted in plant-dyed felt and wool from our own herd of Jacob sheep on our farm in Colorado.  We can even tell you the name of the sheep the wool came from!"

Gardenmama: "Thank you Sarah for taking the time to share with us today, it is a pleasure getting to know you and learning more about your business!"

Imagine Childhood: "It has been such a pleasure getting to know you as well.  Thank you for hosting this giveaway!"

                                                                        .: :.

.: To enter this giveaway leave a comment at the end of this post, for three additional entries post a link to this giveaway in your next post on your blog! Comments will close on Wednesday December 2 at 12:00 pm est the winner will be announced the same afternoon at 12:30 pm est. :.

Please enjoy the 10% store-wide discount for the duration of the giveaway redeemable by entering "Gardenmama" as the discount code at the time of checkout! 

Shop: Imagine Childhood

.: Milkweeds Photography and Art :.

.: One of the handmade vintage doilies that was hand-picked by me at my favorite antique barn, now available in my online shop ~ Milkweeds Photography and Art :.

I have been busy taking photographs, pouring beeswax ornaments, hand-sewing, creating wool felt mushroom pincushions, and searching my favorite antique barn for the most beautiful hand made table adornments in preparations for this special announcement!

.: These wool felt, originally crafted milkweed pod ornaments were born out of our play in the fields around our home.  The beauty of the milkweeds made their way into my heart and the naming of my shop!:.

Some of you have correctly guessed that I am opening a shop! I can't get anything by you girls! ( I *do* still have another surprise project to share in another post that will involve many of you!) I am thrilled to finally be able to announce this project, and hope that you will find inspiration and enjoyment in the debut of this shop that I have christened Milkweeds Photography and Art.

I am excited to present a diverse offering of original hand sewn wool-felt sculpture, hand poured beeswax ornaments, photo-inspiration cards, and favorite vintage finds.

.: Hand sewn from wool felt, originally designed Amanita mushroom pin cushion.  The bottom is weighted by smooth stones found at the ocean and is stuffed with wool roving :.

 I will continue to stock the shop in the coming weeks with new photographic inspiration cards, vintage embroidered table cloths and runners, new styles of beeswax ornaments and antique children's books.  

.: Beeswax ornaments are for sale in the shop, excellent atop a pretty package! :.

I look forward to lovingly wrapping each of your gifts with natural papers, velvet and lace ribbons, and handmade tags.  I look forward to sending some of the beauty I find and create your way! As my process is continuous, many of my offerings will be a first come first serve basis in limited runs. As a reader, you may recognize many of these handmade goods from my posts here.

.: I am very excited to share some of my photographs with you! A set including five inspiration cards are ready for purchase in the online shop Milkweeds Photography and Art  :.

I appreciate your warm support and encouragement as I follow this dream of mine! 

.: Milkweeds Photography and Art "Bringing beauty and inspiration to you and to those that are close to you during this holiday season!" :.

.: A Few Clues To Some Hidden Treasures! :.

.: Vintage buttons happily sit on a handmade doilie :. 

Dear Friends!

I am working hard creatively and tying up a few loose ends. I am deep into preparations for my exciting forthcoming announcement! In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to share a few little clues through my photographs!

.: An intricately designed vintage doilie reminding me of a snowflake! :.

 .: A brown paper package tied with velvet ribbon and a hand stamped tag! :.

I look forward to reading your guesses on this post and sharing my news in a day or two!

Many warm wishes,
Gardenmama