Today we'd like to give a big HUGE Twig and Toadstool Welcome to one of our sponsors
Rebecca of
and
Creator of beautiful Waldorf dolls, quality doll clothing and children's clothing, felted purses and other natural handmade treasures.
Please tell us a bit about yourself.
Rebecca: I live with my husband and 9 children in the "back woods" of
the Ottawa Valley. I grew up here, and I love it. I love that I can sit out on my back porch
in the early morning and hear silence. I love that I can walk down the road to a sparkling,
clean lake to swim. I love the drama of the seasons.
My father and mother instilled in me a deep love for all things handmade. My dad was a
Luthier. He built gorgeous one of a kind guitars. My mom was the type of "self-
sufficient" woman who would make her own granola, hand-smock each one of us dresses
for Easter, always had a knitting project on the go, and wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty
in the garden. She had me sewing my first outfit when I was six years old. I'll never forget
it. So many seams sewn and then ripped out....and then sewn again. Did I mention she
had the patience of a saint!?:)
Creativity was always encouraged in our home. It was a very "organic" process. We had
trunks of fabric scraps, yarn and craft supplies always at our disposal and we were en-
couraged to just "try stuff". My mother would teach us the skills necessary, and then give
us free reign to design and create. Of course she LOVED every single project even more
than the last! A woman can always use another pot holder, right?!
Recycling or "upcycling" as some now call it, was and is just a part of life in a big family.
Things are passed down...re-used and re-purposed. We often shop second hand. There is
something so ultimately satisfying in taking someone else's "junk" and making it into
something funky and useable all over again!
What inspired you to open your Etsy shop "Handmaiden Canada"?
Rebecca: After six months of my husband
being off work with ulcerative colitis and awaiting imminent surgery, I started to rack my
brain, trying to think of a way I could make some sort of an income from the home. I
have been a stay at home mom for the past 18 years, and though I'm so grateful I've had
the opportunity to be home with my children during these tender years, I do feel I am a
little behind, with very little outside work experience under my belt.
So what to do? I decided to start a business from the home. As soon as a friend of mine
introduced me to the website www.etsy.com, the lightbulb went on. This was something I
could do! I could make things and sell them on the internet. I opened a shop and called it
Handmaiden Canada.
Now, what to sell? I started to experiment. I started knitting bags and then felting them. I
then started making things with recycled, felted sweaters and that was a lot of fun. Then I
discovered Waldorf Dolls!!
Her daughter Megan.... with her luvkin doll, modeling the doll & child matching dresses (a beautiful line made by her mother!) available in her shop.
I have always loved dolls. I think I actually played with them until I was about 12 years
old. Shhh...don't tell anyone...everyone thought I was just dressing them for my younger
sisters. So I thought I'd give it a try.I ordered enough supplies to make 2 dolls, and I was
hooked! What fun it was to dream up ideas for eye and hair colours, fabric
combinations...oooh the possibilities were endless! I spent more than a few sleepless
nights with visions of dollies dancing through my head.
I made those two, and then went on to order more supplies...and more and more dollies
were born.
One beautiful thing that has come out of all of this, is that I am starting to see it turn into a fam-
ily endeavor. My girls know how sew, and can help with the stuffing. My husband does some of
the shipping, my 14 year old son is great with the camera, and I have cute models of almost
every size from ages 2 to 18! This business seems like a perfect fit for our family, and I look
forward to seeing where things go.
Thank you Rebecca for telling us about yourself and your business...we wish you SO much success in this fabulous business of yours.
Now...onto the giveaway.
You can win this beautiful wool felted toadstool purse made with love by Handmaidencanada!!
You have until next Friday at midnight to enter. We will announce the winner next weekend. Good luck to all who enter!
The winner is Jill...we'll be in contact with you for your shipping info soon.
Thanks to all who entered.
(fyi...we use random.org to pick our giveaway winners)!
Thank you for helping us support such a great mama run business!!
xo maureen and shanti
