Growing Is Forever.

Wait until you have a nice quiet 3 minutes all to yourself and then give your spirit the gift of watching this beautiful, breathtaking, poem.

And remember... growing is forever!

Blessings and magic,
Donni

New Places.

Our surprise is going to take a little longer than anticipated... I'm so sorry for the long wait.

The exciting news is that we are working on a new site for The Magic Onions, a beautiful new site that will let us do all kinds of fun and interesting things. I can't wait to share it with you all! And, I'll let you know as soon as it's ready.


In the meantime, while we wait, I'm going to share some lovely places I've recently found.

A Lifetime of Days is a beautiful blog I stumbled across the other day... her essay On Writing, quite literally took my breath away. And I'm sure you'll enjoy her other writing too... her words flow like a river.

Photo : A Lifetime of Days

Enjoy!

Blessings and magic,
Donni

A Surprise.

Hi Friends,

I'm sure you've noticed that this page is looking a little different... don't worry, it's all under construction! The Magic Onions will return to full capacity on Monday even more beautiful than it's ever been before. And, on Monday, I'll have a wonderful SURPRISE for you all :-)

Stay tuned!!

Blessings and magic,
Donni

Magic Sponsors :: September 2012

Please join me in celebrating my Magic Sponsors for September ::

Featured Sponsors ::

Sparkle Stories introduced their new site this month... you must check it out! It looks wonderful and is full of so many treasures. And, getting the hang of how it all works is easier than ever. Fridays, when Kitty's new stories arrive in our inbox, remains Kitty's favorite day of the week. She has LOVED every single story she has listened to and many are listened to many times over. Thank you, Lisabeth, for bringing your wonderful stories into our home.

Please welcome NEST !

This is a truly beautiful toy shop filled with stunning natural and Waldorf inspired toys. With the holiday season fast approaching, I have my eye on quite a few of their beautiful toys. They have such a wonderful selection for boys and girls, young and old... so many gorgeous wooden, woolen, silken and crafting playthings to enchant any child for hours!

And welcome The Waldorf Exchange. The Waldorf Exchange is a marketplace for new and previously owned Waldorf items such as wooden toys, musical instruments, craft supplies, educational materials and Waldorf dols. What a super concept this is... if you are looking for Waldorf goodies and buy into the idea that it's a gift to own gently pre-used treasures, please pop straight over to this wonderful place. And, if you've been wondering what to do with your own gently used Waldorf toys, consider becoming a seller on The Waldorf Exchange too.

A BIG welcome to a new Magic Sponsor :

Enviro-Cakes ::

 Enviro-Cakes carries a large selection of Fairy Garden kits. Browse through their magical options to choose the Fairy Garden of your dreams and they will send you all you will need to plant it and enjoy it's magic! What a fabulous idea!

A hearty welcome back to my other wonderful Magic Sponsors:

Super Skivvies ::

Super Skivvies cloth training pants are convertible training underwear that aid in potty training and bed wetting. Super Skivvies cloth training pants feature one layer of soft 100% cotton interlock in the body, a rayon (from bamboo)/organic cotton velour liner in the crotch area, 100% cotton interlock waist and thigh bands, and no-roll elastic encased in the waist. The waist band is extra wide so that little fingers can get a good grip helping to pull them up and down on their own. Included is a removable insert consisting of three layers rayon (from bamboo)/organic cotton fleece. Just tuck the insert into the crotch lining, and your undies are trainers!

Waldorf Essentials ::

Waldorf inspired mentoring and homeschooling essentials. Here is their mission statement, "Our mission is simple: to provide the best products and service to our customers at the lowest prices possible. We take great pride in our company, our commitment to customer service and in the products we sell. Our online store is designed to provide you with a safe and secure environment to browse our product catalog."

Melisa recently shared her life and work in such an interesting interview here on The Magic Onions... here's a link to the article.

Stubby Pencil Studio ::

Offering eco friendly art materials and school supplies like crayons made from soy - not petroleum; stationery, greeting cards, sketchbooks and journals made from 100% post consumer recycled paper - not virgin trees; pencils made from sustainably harvested wood and recycled newspapers - not dying forests. 

And unique gifts for children, non-toxic toys, classic games, educational books, children’s craft kits, and reusable bags. Planning a party? Stubby Pencil Studio also offers party favors and décor, and many other creative products that kids will love.

Sarah's Silks ::

Sarah's Silks believe in the magic of creative play! Their playsilks, dress-ups, canopies, and playthings are natural fiber toys that stimulate a child’s imagination, and capture the magical soul that lives in young children. Children love to dress up with these beautifully dyed cloths! With an inspiring palette of playsilks, children will spend many hours exploring their limitless imaginations.

A Child's Dream Come True ::

Debbie offers natural crafts, toys and more to nurture the child's sense of life and imagination. In fact, the nurturing of imagination doesn't stop with children... it was a result of the BEAUTIFUL wool and fiber I found at A Child's Dream Come True that I first fell in love with needle felting. Looking through their gorgeously colored wool, I'm like a kid in a candy shop!

Curvy Board ::

Curvy Board invites you to consider putting a different kind of toy in your home.
A Waldorf Inspired Creation. Curvy boards are teeter totters, balance beams, slides, and... anything else your child can dream up. This unlimited range of possibilities is what makes Curvy Boards an ideal learning toy for 21st century learning skills. Teddy LOVE his curvy board!!

 click here to see the curvy board in motion.

Thank you to all my wonderful sponsors. I know I am not alone in being dedicated to finding the local alternatives to shopping at big department stores. We, as consumers, have more power and control than we think!

If you are thinking of becoming a Magic Sponsor for the Holiday Season, we still have a few spots available. Check out my 'Sponsorship Page' for more details.

Blessings and magic,
Donni

Tribute in Light

Tribute in Light

Photo by Gold Street Photography

Blessings and Magic, 

Donni

What Have We Been Up To?

What have we been up to?

Well... we've been enjoying Granny who is staying with us for the month.

Our training wheels have come off and we are riding our bike like a pro.

We have been spending early mornings down at the Lagoon, playing ball in the parking lot and then diving into the cool, clean water when we are hot.

We have been playing UNO with Granny.

We had our first day of 3rd Grade!

We have painted.

We have climbed the Avo tree in the back yard.

And we have had many happy cups of coffee, deciding where to put what in The Sunny House.

Aaaah... happy days!

Blessings and magic,
Donni

Inspiration

Love isn't always perfect. It isn't a fairytale or a storybook. And it doesn't always come easy. Love is overcoming obstacles, facing challenges, fighting to be together, holding on & never letting go. It is a short word, easy to spell, difficult to define, & impossible to live without. Love is work, but most of all, Love is realizing that every hour, every minute, & every second was worth it because you did it together.

 ~ unknown

Photo from Tumblr

Blessings and magic,
Donni

Winner Spotlight :: Fairy Garden Contest 2012

Fairy Garden Contest 2012 winner spotlight :: Quiet Domesticity.

We all adored this Fairy Garden, but Kitty in particular was drawn to the gorgeous colors that radiate from this garden. "Oh, Mom," she gasped, "That's where the Rainbow Fairies live!"

Isn't that birch bark 'Welcome' sign something?? It made me want one just like it for in front of the Sunny House.

And, who would want a white picket fence after seeing a rainbow one?

Logs in the log pile, ready for a warm winter's fire.

And a pet ladybird swinging on the porch swing!

A rainbow felt garland... how wonderfully festive.

And Mr and Mrs Rainbow eating rainbow food in the garden!!!

 "Yes," I replied to Kitty. "It's definitely where the Rainbow Fairies live".

Congrats Rainbow Fairies on winning our 2012 Fairy Garden Contest. Here is what you have won ::

Three adorable little felted mice from MudHollow.

Here's a link to see the Fairy Garden from last week's Winner Spotlight.

Here is a link to see the other winners of the 2012 Fairy Garden Contest.
And here is a link to the Fairy Garden Page where you can find lots of Fairy Garden inspiration. And, if you are thinking about making a Fairy Garden of your own, visit one of my Magic Sponsors, Enviro-Cakes, to see the amazing goodies they have for Fairy Gardens.

Be sure to tune in next week for another Fairy Garden Spotlight.

Blessings and magic,
Donni

Friday's Nature Table

You are most welcome to share this great resource on your own blogs... (save the above Friday's Nature Table button to your desktop and then add it to your blog as a picture gadget linking to this code...

http://themagiconions.blogspot.com/search?q=Friday%27s+Nature+Table)

Welcome, Friends. I want to thank you all for the wonderfully inspiring links you share here on Friday's Nature Table. Kitty and I go through them each week and are often amazed at the super cool things you all do. You all rock!

Friday's Nature table is where we share our inspiration with each other. I can't tell you how many wonderfully fantastic ideas we have found from your links... your blogs, your creativity, your families, your loving... has touched my heart and enriched my life.

Blessings and magic,
Donni

Discovering Waldorf :: Dolls in Early Childhood

(Please feel free to add the above Discovering Waldorf button to your blog. You can do this by saving the above image to your desktop and then adding it to your blog as a Picture Gadget that links to this code:

http://themagiconions.blogspot.com/search/label/Discovering%20Waldorf )

Discovering Waldorf is a weekly series of articles written by 'everyday' Waldorf families. The contributors to this series share their 'real-life' insights and inspirations on all kinds of Waldorf topics. This series is not meant to be Waldorf philosophy in its purest form, but rather a snapshot of how we can all incorporate Waldorf ideas into our lives to help nurture and encourage the magic that is in our children. If you have a topic you wish to learn more about (or want to share) on Discovering Waldorf, send me an email at vined(at)ymail(dot)com.

 ::

The Importance of Dolls in Early Childhood

By Samantha Disch {Lodgepole Peace Farm}

The act of playing with a doll, is like no other act. Nor is it like any other type of play that happens in the early years of our little ones. Giving a child a doll, is like giving a child a tool from which he can express himself and give himself full range of the many facets of adulthood that he can mimic and weave into his learning experiences. The nurturing and caring feelings that arise in a child are also easily shared by all who are involved the child's life. Watching the sweetness that ensues after a good doll playing afternoon is like watching the soul of a child's little body uplift and arise to the many comforting situations in his childhood. For when he is ill, or is upset, what better a tool for healing than a warm and simple companion made of natural cotton and stuffed with warm and soft wool? 

The traditional Waldorf doll is made of cotton and stuffed with wool, it has simple facial features, mainly a few small stitches representing it's eyes and mouth, it has wool or mohair for hair, often it has no hair at all and a simple hat will suffice. The doll it's self is a simple open-ended play thing allowing the child to decide for himself if his companion is happy or sad, mad or glad. That is exactly the way the doll should be made and how lovely is it for the mother herself to pick up a few yards of cotton, some stuffing wool, and some embroidery floss and spend an afternoon on the floor sewing a doll while her child looks on in amazement. A friend emerges and the child now has an amazing, and enchanting friend for his adventures! Made by his mother he is happy and proud. 

 

A Waldorf doll is a great plaything for the young (and older) child alike! And of course making a Waldorf doll is a very rewarding and pleasing experience for all who those involved in the process!

::

Samantha Disch is a wife and mother to four little boys whom she home schools using Waldorf and nature based methods. She and her family just bought a farm in Colorado and is working on getting it organic and biodynamic certified, she blogs about her family's experiences and often writes about Waldorf crafts, homeschooling, farming and doll making. She is also a Waldorf doll maker.

You can read her blog at::

http://www.woodlandwoolens.blogspot.com/

You can find her shop::

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LodgepolePeaceFarm

::

Thank you, Samantha. What beautiful dolls you make!!

Please visit the other wonderful articles in the Discovering Waldorf Series.

 

Blessings and magic,
Donni

Make A Colorful Autumn Leaf Wreath

In America, today is Monday Labor Day. American kids have been on Summer Vacation for the last 3 months and tomorrow, the day after Labor Day, is traditionally the day our kids start the new school year (Kitty is starting Grade 3 and Teddy is starting Kindergarten). And so, today, Labor Day, is unofficially thought of as 'The Last Day Of Summer'... why do I feel teary telling you this little snippet of American tradition?

Anyway (blinking back those silly old tears), we have slowly been bringing Autumn into our days. We so love the gorgeous earthy colors of the Fall and collecting all the treasures that fall from the Autumn trees.

But, in Southern California, we have to wait patiently for Autumn to arrive as she takes her sweet time to come all the way down our warm west coast. We wanted to bring her oranges and greens and reds into our home and Kitty had the idea to make a colorful garland. We used the left over paint chips from when we were trying to decide on paint colors for our new home (that's our story and we are sticking to it!)

We needed ::

• Paint chips - about 30 (hardware store)
• Hemp String (craft store - any string will do but we like hemp string as it is waxed and easy to thread through little holes)
• A small hole punch (craft store)
• A leaf punch (craft store)

Use the leaf punch to cut the colorful paint chips into leaf shapes.

Use the hole punch to punch two small holes in each leaf, just above the stem of the leaf. This was Teddy's job and he set about it with great diligence. I love watching him work on fine motor skill tasks as he has a habit of sticking out his tongue in concentration which makes my mothers-heart melt.

It really doesn't matter if the holes are skew or unevenly spaced... the randomness of how they hang will add charm to your garland.

Cut off a length of string about 7 feet long and thread an end through one hole on the leaf and back through the other. Make sure to thread each leaf the same way as the paint chips we used were only colored on one side.

Thread all your leaves onto your string.

Our mantle looks like Autumn has visited our home, leaving her gorgeous colors to tempt us with visions of her as we wait patiently for her to arrive.

Has Autumn come to you already or are you also waiting patiently? Or, is Spring your next season?

Blessings and magic,
Donni

Inspiration

Take criticism, smash it into dust, add color & use it to paint breathtaking images of unicorns frolicking through endless fields of greatness.

~ Matthew Gray Gubler

Photo by Dovie Moon Photography

Blessings and magic,
Donni

Friday's Nature Table

You are most welcome to share this great resource on your own blogs... (save the above Friday's Nature Table button to your desktop and then add it to your blog as a picture gadget linking to this code...

http://themagiconions.blogspot.com/search?q=Friday%27s+Nature+Table)

Welcome, Friends. I want to thank you all for the wonderfully inspiring links you share here on Friday's Nature Table. Kitty and I go through them each week and are often amazed at the super cool things you all do. You all rock!

Friday's Nature table is where we share our inspiration with each other. I can't tell you how many wonderfully fantastic ideas we have found from your links... your blogs, your creativity, your families, your loving... has touched my heart and enriched my life.

Blessings and magic,
Donni

Nature Inspired Jewelry

I have been working on growing my jewelry line in my shop. I love to wear jewelry that looks like it come from Mother Nature herself and know that there are so many of us out there who like nothing more than making a necklace out of that pretty shell our little one has picked up on the beach or finding a way to turn other 'nature bits' into something we can wear with pride. It's so much fun making little nature-inspired treasures!

I have lovely felted acorn necklaces in lots of new Fall-inspired colors available in Fairyfolk.

It hasn't started happening here in Southern California yet, but it is such a favorite of mine to slowly watch the Fall colors creeping into nature... the splashes of oranges and reds, the yellows and rusty browns... the rich earthy colors that sing Autumn's song.

These necklaces are made with real acorn caps that my children and I gather from the oak trees in late Autumn. The colorful acorn part is made from wool that I wet felt into tight little acorns.

The ball chain and leaves have a wonderfully rich and earthy antiqued copper finish.

Pretty little pieces of jewelry that look like they are a gift from the fairies!

All these necklaces are available in my shop, Fairyfolk. I also love custom orders, so if you would like a necklace in a different color, just send me an email and I'll make it up especially for you.

Come on Autumn... I'm waiting for you!

Blessings and magic,
Donni