GardenMama

.: Valentine Gnome & Felt Heart Pin ~ Two Part Tutorial :.

This tutorial will share with you a two-part Valentine's Day gift! 

These Valentine gnomes present your loved one with a hand-made heart pin! 

Here is the two-part tutorial for you to follow to make some for your family and friends!

.: Part one ~ Creating felt heart pins :.

With a small piece of cardboard folded in half, trace half of a heart along the folded side.  Next you will cut this folded half-heart shape out completely.  Open to reveal a complete and symmetrical cardboard heart template that will help us in the steps to follow!

Begin by tracing the cardboard heart template twice on each sheet of felt. 
 

Cut out two hearts in each color.

Next take out several complementary colors of embroidery thread.

You can embroider your hearts or leave them plain.  Now begin stitching up your heart and leave a small opening to stuff them with wool.

Fill your felt heart with wool until it is quite full.  We used a knitting needle to ensure the hearts were very evenly stuffed.

Finish stitching up your hearts. Make sure to hide the last stitch by sewing through just one of the felt sheets and tying off your thread inside the heart.

 

Next stitch a pin back onto the (upper) back of the heart. 

.:Set aside your heart pins and prepare for Part II of this tutorial:.

.: Part Two  ~ Creating Valentine Gnomes :.

Set out a pinecone with a thin point to the top of it.  Place a medium-sized wooden bead over the point of the pinecone, securing it with glue.  This will form the head of the Valentine Gnome.

 

Begin by cutting a triangle shape from felt.  This will create your Valentine Gnome's hat.

Wrap the triangle shape around the wooden bead. You can make alterations accordingly until your gnome hat fits.

Now begin stitching up your hat by folding the triangle in half and stitching up the back.

Your gnome hat is now complete.  Secure it to the wooden bead with a bit of glue.

 

.: Securing the heart pin to the Valentine gnome .:

Now take a length of embroidery floss and loop it through your (closed) felt heart pin back.  The long lengths of thread can then be wrapped around the pinecone and tied in the back.  (Leave loose enough so that the heart pin can be taken off to be worn.)

This little gnome is now ready to gift your Valentine with a sweet heart pin that can be taken off and worn while the Valentine gnome visits your nature table!

.:Welcoming Spring! Five-Part Giveaway!:.

.:Hand cut wooden Easter Eggs and animals! Rabbit, chickens and squirrel.  Completely natural wood:.

Please give a warm welcome to my sponsor Linda, who blogs at Natural Suburbia and is the creator behind the online shop Mamma4earth! Linda will share a bit about herself and the inspiration behind her toys as well as share a beautiful giveaway of her handmade wooden and knit creations!

"I love creating Waldorf inspired toys from natural wool, yarn, fiber and wood.  My children have been my inspiration and I think that homeschooling them with a Waldorf philosophy has also brought about a tremendous shift towards all that is natural and sustainable within our home.  I really enjoy the creative process of designing and making a treasured toy that will be sent out into the world across the ocean from South Africa for someone to hold and love."

.: Handspun Angora Easter Rabbit, spun on an Ashford spinning wheel. Linda has knit her using a fawn Angora yarn :.

" My toys are very simplistic in their design to encourage the imagination of the child to flow freely. I do not apply any sealers or paint to my wooden toys, they are completely natural, they are cut and then sanded to a smooth finish. Another important aspect for me, is that the toys I make will not clog up a landfill someday, they are completely eco-friendly and will return to the earth with love."

"My Etsy shop has been open for just over a year and a half and I have enjoyed every moment of it, I feel truly honored and blessed by all the wonderful people who support my shop and for their kindness, thank you all!"

Thank you for sharing your creative work in this space Linda! For a chance to win this beautiful giveaway which includes Mamma4earth's hand-cut wooden Easter eggs, rabbit, chickens, squirrel, and her lovely hand-spun and hand-knit Angora Easter rabbit, please leave a comment on this post!

For three additional entries, please link to this giveaway on your next blog post!

Comments will close Tuesday evening,  March 2 at 9:00 EST. The winner will be announced the very same evening at 9:30 EST Good Luck!

Shop:  Mamma4earth

.: 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!" :.