🎪 Come Spend a Market Day with Me! 🎨✨
I absolutely love market days! ☀️✨ Over time, I’ve learned a few essentials—always start with a good breakfast, bring plenty to drink, and layer up to stay warm.
I also make sure to support other small businesses while I’m there and keep something handy to work on during quiet moments.
It’s always a fun day, and even better when the sun is shining! 🌿🛍️
#MarketDayVibes #SupportSmallBusiness #HandmadeWithLove #market #sundaymarket #shopsmall #sunnysunday
I always have a wooden toy in my pocket.
For stories. For play. For wonder. 🌿
This time? A beach kingdom built for the element dolls.
Where will your toys go next?
#WoodenToys #SmallWorldPlay #BeachDayPlay #StorytellingThroughPlay #MontessoriAtHome #WaldorfInspired #OpenEndedPlay #handpainted
At this time of year, the gardens feel a little different — fuller, softer, almost as though something unseen is waking up alongside everything else 🌿
In old May traditions, people believed the veil between worlds grew thinner as spring tipped towards summer. Not in a frightening way, but in a magical one — a season where fairies, spirits of the land, and tiny hidden things felt just a little closer.
So today we made tiny homes in the garden. Leaf shelters, petal fires, nectar tea, and a fairy tea party tucked between the flowers 🧚✨
The children searched for bugs, whispered welcomes to the “garden folk,” and built little places for them to rest.
I think childhood and folklore belong together.
They teach children to notice the world gently — to care for tiny creatures, to look closely, and to believe there is magic in ordinary things.
“Childhood should feel a little magical.” 🌸
#FairyGarden #NaturePlay #WhimsicalChildhood #WaldorfInspired #OpenEndedPlay
Doom Box Rescue 🪶✨
Hidden away in the Box of Doom, this little bird was unfinished… waiting quietly for its turn.
Finally, it becomes something more 💛
As I paint, each colour is chosen with care — soft greens for growth, gentle blossoms for change, and tiny details inspired by the birds filling our gardens with song at this time of year 🌿🐦
But this isn’t just a bird.It’s a mood bird.
A small, gentle tool to help children express feelings that are sometimes hard to put into words.A companion for quiet moments.A way to say “this is how I feel” — through play, through story, through connection.
From forgotten… to meaningful.
Now fully painted, sealed, and ready to be released into the wild 🌼✨
#handpainted #learningthroughplay #woodentoys #spring #bird
Blessed Beltane to those who celebrate 🌸
A time of fire, flowers, and the gentle turning into summer.
I always feel this shift in my work—
in the colours, the stories, and the sense of new beginnings.
If you’re out this weekend, come and say hi at the market 🤍
#beltane #mayday #handpainted #seasonalliving #waldorfinspired
Getting everything ready for this weekend 🌿
Each piece is packed up and waiting to find its new home.
If you’re local, come and see them in person —
there’s something special about choosing the one that speaks to you 🤍
Friday @ruralandwest 5pm - 9pm
Sunday @clevedonsundaymarket 10am - 2pm
#makersmarket #handmadeuk #woodentoys #supportsmallbusiness #handpainted
It’s never really about what the toy is.
A pirate can sail any sea.
A mermaid can live in any stream, puddle, or imagined world.
What matters is the space the toy leaves for a child to create their own story.
This is the kind of play I’m always drawn to—
open-ended, imaginative, and led entirely by the child.
🌿
#openendedplay #imaginativeplay #waldorfinspired #woodentoys #natureplay
Beltane is a time of fire, fertility, and the quiet magic of things coming back to life 🌿✨
The May Queen blooms…
The Green Man rises…
And deep in the woods, the tree spirits stir.
I’ve been painting these figures as a way to hold onto that feeling — the moment the world tips fully into spring.
Which one speaks to you most? 🌸🌿🌳
#beltane #mayqueen #natureinspired #Waldorfinspired #paganart
A quiet moment before the day begins…
With the children heading back to school,the house feels a little still again for a while.
Coffee in the garden,a deep breath,and then back to the work table.
There’s something comforting about returning to familiar rhythms,even if it takes a little while to find your pace again.
Starting gently 🍂
#waldorfinspired #montessori #handpaintedtoys #makersofinstagram #slowliving
There’s something about seeing these little works of art in little hands that just feels right ✨
Today they sparked a new idea too… apparently the pirate must have a parrot 🦜 — and quite rightly, that means the mermaids need their own companions. Seahorse pets are now officially on the work table 💙
I love how children don’t just play with these pieces… they help shape them.
#handpainted #artist #pegdoll #learningthroughplay #mermaid
They’ve been asked for so many times… and they’re finally here 🌿✨
My beloved seasonal characters, reimagined on classic dolls – keeping all the magic of my Yumyum style, but with a simpler, timeless feel.
Each one celebrates the turning of the year – from blossom-filled springs to golden harvest days and cosy winter nights. Hand-painted, full of tiny details, and rooted in nature, just as always 🌸🍂❄️
These were such a joy to bring to life… thank you for nudging me to make them happen 💛
Which season are you drawn to most?
#handpainted #woodentoys #waldorf #season #learningthroughplay
Thank you so much for all your lovely orders – it truly means the world to this little business 💛
There’s still time to treat yourself (or someone special!)… use code EASTER10 for 10% off everything 🐣✨
Go on… grab a little Easter treat 🌸
#handpainted #heirloomtoys #woodentoys #artist #learningthroughplay
