The blessings of my work and of my reflections.

Waldorf Doll Toy

 

Perry is my newest Waldorf Inspired Needle Felted Wool Horse

Thanks to Missy for the suggestion of the name Perry for a Waldorf horse!

 Penny is our Waldorf doll who adores horses and you can imagine how happy she is to have so many horses to love right now!! 

 

 

From left to right: Phoebe (purple horse), Pippie (pink horse) and Perry (blue horse) are handmade, organic and all natural. They are made from sheep's wool batting which I wrapped and needle felted to a wire armature that allows for gentle posing while playing and adds to the strength of his construction. 

 

Perry is covered in light  blue Merino wool roving from New Zealand. The bottoms of his hooves are light yellow. 

He proudly wears his new blanket that was woven from medium blue and green roving and needle felted together and then placed on Perry's back. The green "straps" across his chest and belly completes the look. His mane and tail are braided from merino roving in the coordinating colors of light yellow, green, white and medium blue. 

Both are solidly attached to his body, allowing for safe play from the young to the old. There are no small parts to cause choking, however it is best to supervise very young children as they play with him. He is solid and firm, but feels soft. 

It took a full 3 oz of wool to create him. Perry is  6 inches tall from his head to his hooves. He is 8 inches long from his nose to his tail. You can buy Perry, and all my Waldorf inspired dolls and toys on my Etsy shop. Check it out!

I am very busy in my fiber arts studio with new dolls and toys. Here is a peek at one of the happy new creations that I am working on this week. It will be listed one day soon in my Etsy Shop

It started snowing again today where we live in New York  and by tomorrow they are forcasting up to 12 more inches of snow!

I stopped working around 4pm to admire the new fallen snow and to take some pictures. 

 

To my delight there was this bright red cardinal on our little feeder just outside the kitchen window! 

Since I was a teen, cardinals have had a special meaning for me. There were several times during my teen years that I experienced extreme hopelessness and was filled with fear. In times of utter loneliness more than once, I was made aware of pairs of cardinals that had landed just outside my bedroom window in my dad's vegetable garden. As a child I was taught  the scriptural truth that "not even a sparrow can fall on the ground without our Father in Heaven  knowing and caring...
 

Seeing cardinals so close to me in those difficult times, made me have a sudden awareness that God's eyes were upon them. His heart was for them. That was not hard for me to believe. Then I would remember the rest of the passage: 

...Even the very hairs of our heads are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10:29-31


Thoughts of the tender mercy and protection of a merciful Father in Heaven and of His heart of love towards me would begin to change me. If He loved His creation (and He did!) then how much more did He love me, a person made in His likeness? (much more!) Fear would melt away and the unmistakable love of God would warm my heart and give me new found hope! When scriptures come to life for me, well those have been defining moments in my life. 

When I spotted the cardinal on our little bird feeder this afternoon, I had no thought of my own need on this day, but thought instead of our little 2-year-old grandson Nathan.

That's him in the picture above with his mom - our daughter - on a happier day, before he inhaled a nickel into his trachea a few days ago.

The x-ray shows the coin lodged tightly, but mercifully it was on it's edge and air was able to move around it! 

My thoughts this afternoon were of how God protected him and made a way for him to get by ambulance through heavy Atlanta rush hour traffic to a medical center where the coin was safely and successfully removed from his trachea through surgery. 

The edge of the coin can be seen in the front of this throat in this neck x-ray. It is a thick white tilted line. Doesn't it look so big in his little body?

Here he is in the ER after receiving his IV for general anesthesia.

Seeing the provision and protection of God for those I love gladdens my heart mightily. 

As I moved to another window I saw our flag blowing in the snowy wind. My husband and I are both United States Air Force veterans. Our two sons, now in their mid to late twenties, are currently serving our country in the United States Air Force following after our example. My sons are never far from my thoughts and prayers. Seeing the majestic flag just moments after seeing the cardinal made me realize anew God's protection for our sons and their family's. God's loving protection and presence is real in their lives, too!


Scripture tells us God never tires and never needs to sleep. This comforts me so much! I know this doesn't mean that no harm will ever touch us. Every moment of everyday I am aware of harm that caused the ever burning pain in my foot. Even the morphine (prescribed by my doctor at New York University Medical Center) can not silence the screams of this hateful pain. 

And yet. 
And yet I breathe a prayer of gratitude to my God because He never leaves me. He knows that I suffer and He lifts that suffering with His love and gentle presence. How marvelous to know it!

Our house sits within the snowy, peaceful woods. And I find peace within my heart and mind.

I am eagerly anticipating spring like everyone else,

but I also realize that this is time to prepare my soul for the coming of the Glory of Easter and the Beauty of Spring. I refuse to wish this time away or to rush through it. As I contemplate through-out the day upon Scripture  and meditations for Lent 

and as I fill my mind with songs of Praise and Worship from my iPod as I work,

I cannot help but be deeply moved by the beauty of the sacrifice that Christ made for me and for you upon the Cross. 

All these things complete my sense of gratitude today for the many, plentiful blessings of my life. 

~debbie :)