Posts Tagged ‘handmade’

Sometimes the most simple is the best! We have pure cotton velour Taggy Teethers here at Little Sparrow. With lots of ribbon and braid, and a birch teething ring these Taggy Teethers are fun and practical!

Shelley has been hard at work on these beautiful crochet hook holders. Hand sewn from luxurious pure wool felt, these practical storage pouches would make an ideal gift for the crochet fan in your life.

These pouches fold down to an ideal handbag size, and tie up with some matching satin ribbon. And did i mention the pouches are sold complete with a high quality set of Japanese bamboo handle crochet hooks? All you need is some yarn and you’re all set! Pop in and grab one today, there are just a handful so these won’t be around for long!

Old or young, everyone loves snuggling under a blanket when the weather calls for it! Our shelves are stocked with lovingly handmade natural fibre rugs and quilts: perfect for newborn babies, ends of beds, creaky old knees and cozy sofas.

I’ve been busy crocheting in preparation for Easter treats! If you’d like to learn some tricks to fill your family’s Easter baskets with a bit less chocolate, enroll now for our March workshops. Everyone 10 years + welcome, from absolute beginners to those of you in need of a refresher. For full information visit our classes page.

Wednesdays – March 6th-27th

Waldorf Toy Making, 10-12pm

 Crochet, 1-3pm

Thursdays - March 7th-28th

Knitting, 10-12pm

Machine Sewing, 1-3pm

We are excited to share with you the beautiful handmade candles of Queen B beeswax, new to our shelves! Made with 100% pure Australian beeswax, a pure cotton wick and copious amounts of hand made love. With Queen B candles you experience the longer burn times, natural honey aroma, beautiful golden light and superior burning experience of pure beeswax candles and you’ll understand why beeswax candles are said to be the best candles available.

Queen B uses 100% pure Australian beeswax in their candles – because it is Australian and of the highest quality in the world. Burning beeswax candles is better for your environment – your immediate environment in the room where you burn your candles, and also the planet’s environment. Unfortunately, over 98% of candles sold in the market are made from paraffin – a petrochemical by-product. While a paraffin candle emits toxic smoke when burning (similar to the smoke coming out of a car exhaust), a beeswax candle will purify the air you breathe through ionization.

Choose Queen B and support the environment, beekeepers and the talented artisans who create these beautiful candles.

“The Children’s Year” written by Stephanie Cooper, Christine Fynes-Clinton and Marije Rowling is 180 pages jam packed with straightforward, well-illustrated instructions demonstrating how to make children’s clothing, toys and gifts using natural materials.

Organized by seasons and including fitting poems and verses, the craft activities include knitted Easter chicks, spring flower fairies, summer leaf prints, cosy slippers and pumpkin lanterns, Christmas calendars and indoor forts and cubbies. As well as festive crafts more practical projects are included, such as headbands, rucksacks, baby jumpsuits etc. Small toys such as a tooth fairy purse can be made in an hour or two, while bigger projects can be enjoyed over a weekend or longer.

“The Children’s Year” has everything you need for the first 8 to 9 years of a child’s play life, and the satisfaction that comes from making things by hand makes this book a must-have – and an ideal gift for a new parent.

I’ve been on a tiny toymaking kick lately! In the recent weeks I’ve made the little bend dolls and felt animals above. Its so satisfying to be able to finish a project in a day, and despite what you’d think – they’re not that hard. If you’re interested in trying your hand at some felt toymaking, needle felting, or Waldorf doll making why not join our Waldorf toymaking workshop? All levels are welcome and you can find the complete rundown of dates etc on our workshops page.

Remember the thrill of getting new pencils at the start of the school year? Let us help you prepare for a new year of school or kindy. We have a great range of Lyra and Stockmar products in varying sizes and combinations, including individual Lyra pencils.

If you’re in need of a new pencil storage solution, why not choose one of these beautiful handmade pencil rolls?

Color their world with a new set of vibrant watercolors or watercolor pencils!

And new paints might call for a new waterproof oilcloth apron from Messy Essy.

Or maybe there’s a little artist who needs some sturdy crayons to work with – these Stockmar crayons are virtually indestructible! And don’t forget we sell them individually as well as in tin sets.

A drawstring bag is a handy accompaniment – use one for books, gym shoes or a clean change of clothes.

Need a new lunch tin and drink bottle? Take a look at these cute Blafre options we have in store.

And don’t forget a hat! Our range of Loco Felix and Loco Lily hats are reversible, so they can change their hat depending on their mood!

As well as the magnificent folk tale puzzles we showed you recently from Acorn Toys, we are also stocking their beautiful nativity sets. These handcrafted figurines are made in Russia, from natural wood and hand-painted using non-toxic eco-friendly paint. There are 16 pieces in the set, and each nativity figurine is roughly 10cm tall.

Looking for interesting presents for the older kid crowd? Why not consider a craft book. We have a few select titles from our shelves to share with you today that are ideal for beginner crafters!

Meet a mischievous piggy, dopey panda, rambunctious little bunny, a passel of monkeys, a proper penguin, and many more soon-to-be best friends of all shapes, sizes, and personalities in this irresistible guide, Make Your Own Toys. With simple-to-follow instructions and hand-drawn illustrations, artist and designer Sue Havens will help you make 22 unique stuffed toys that will endear and charm adults and kids alike.

This is a new edition of the best-selling Usborne Art: How to Knit! Perfect for beginner knitters both young and old, this book covers all aspects of learning to knit, from selecting the correct needles and wool, to casting on, the basic stitches and finishing off techniques. It also includes projects to tackle as knitting confidence grows, such as scarves, bags and mobile phone cases. The step-by-step instructions are clearly illustrated and easy to follow.

From DK’s top-selling crafting author, Jane Bull, Made By Me contains more than 30 homespun craft projects for young crafters. The book is divided into three sections, on knitting, sewing, and embroidery, and each one begins with a primer on basic techniques and stitches. Then lots of simple and sweet projects help children master needle skills while making bags, dolls, bracelets, hats, and more. Kids will love giving their creations as gifts, or keeping them to enjoy!

Teach your children all the basics of knitting with this easy-to-follow guide. In Knitting for Children, Claire Montgomerie shares the secrets of her successful knitting classes that show little ones how to create their own toys, accessories and clothes. Packed with great projects suitable for children aged 7-12, and with each project just a little more advanced than the one before, kids will eagerly progress through the 35 easy-to-follow patterns and variations. The ‘Getting started’ section gives essential guidance, covering not only all the knitting basics, but also how to finger knit, French knit, make tassels, put together pompoms and more. Claire has chosen yarns that are smooth and simple to knit, with the weight suitable for smaller hands. Start with the snake scarf – it’s a fun but easy project that teaches the basics, and once they’ve mastered this piece, your child will be straight onto the next challenge. They can try the cosy mittens and then move on to a pretty ragdoll, or stitch the cute and colourful v-neck cardigan before making an MP3 player cover. This book provides the perfect way to introduce your child to a fun craft that will be useful for the rest of their life.

In Kids Learn to Crochet by Lucinda Guy children can quickly master basic crochet stitches with this cheery book that features simple language and clever animal cartoon characters. Excellent step-by-step instructions with photos take young beginners from crocheting chains to learning single and double crochet techniques—and then they are off to squares, circles, and half trebles. Projects along the way include a striped toy cat, a small stuffed bear, a cute bag, and a bunch of fabulous flowers. A section called When Things Go Wrong offers humorous advice about dropped stitches, sewing troubles, and other frustrations.