Etsy Around The World: merrydaledolls

Etsy Around the World takes us to our neighbor to the north this time to visit with a wonderful shop for kids. Merrydale Dolls are inspired by the Steiner/Waldorf education tradition of dollmaking, are designed and handmade from natural materials.

Who are you?
I’m Chris and my etsy shop is Merrydale Dolls

Where are you located?
I live in Toronto, Canada

What do you create?
I make cloth dolls.

Have you ever visited North Carolina?
Unfortunately, no, but I have heard there are some beautiful places to visit there.

What is your favorite place to visit in your hometown?

One of my favourite places in Toronto is the Music Garden on the waterfront. The cellist, Yo-Yo Ma and landscape designer, Julie Moir Messervy, worked together to create a garden inspired by a Bach suite. It is a beautiful and peaceful place to sit in away from the bustle of the city.

What inspires you?
I‘m inspired by the wonders of the world of nature, by the imagination of the child (however old!) and by stories.

Why did you choose your shop name?
As I create “little people”, elves and fairies and gnomes, I wanted a merry fairytale place where they could live, and what better than an imaginary place in my native country of Yorkshire, a valley below heatherclad moors, with a bluebell wood of course. One of my sons painted a picture of Merrydale for me and my other son used bits of it to create my etsy shop banner.

What is the most time consuming part of your craft?
Most of my work requires handsewing and that takes time -especially the eyes of my dolls!

How do you envision your creations being used by your customers?
I hope that my dolls are used by children in imaginative play and that they will be good companions.

Why did you choose your medium?
I try to use natural materials – especially wool for stuffing- so that the dolls are pleasant and safe for children to handle. I love working with the textures and colours of cotton velour and wool.


What is your favorite or most cherished handmade item that you own?
I cannot choose one between these three:
A handmade book of poems, chosen and beautifully illustrated by one son as a gift to me, when he was 11. A wooden box made by my second son when he was 15. It has a painting of me as a queen on the front! I cherish these two because I know how much patience, creativity and love went into making them. And they remind me so much of the individual character of their makers.
A silver and malachite bracelet my dear late husband brought me from Prague. I know he was really thinking of what I would like when he chose this and, of course, it will always remind me of him.

Chris is a proud member of the etsy Natural Kids Street Team too!

Attention NCTriangle members: If you've spotted a wonderful Etsy shop else where in the world, contact me for the questions to interview them with and you can get them in the spotlight or on our blog!

Etsy Around the World: funwallart

This week our Etsy trip takes us to Toronto to find some Fun Wall Art.

Who are you (actual name and/or shop name)?
My name is Janice and my shop name is Funwallart.

Where are you located?
I live and work in the fantastic city of Toronto, Canada.

What do you create?
I create a little bit of everything. I just love to work with my hands. When my hands are idle I can assure you that I am asleep. Mainly I love creating functional art, but I do dabble in a lot of different areas.

Have you ever visited North Carolina (if so, what was your favorite part of the trip)? I have been to North Carolina and I thought it was beautiful and elegant just like the people who live there. True hospitality.

What is your favorite place to visit in your hometown (and why)? Toronto is very multi cultural and a true joy to experience. One of my favorite places to visit is the St. Lawrence Market where you enter into a world of fine foods and fresh produce like nowhere else. This is one of many fabulous Toronto landmarks that make this city so great.

What inspires you?
I get inspired by the beauty of texture. I love it so much. The look of cement and time weathered metals are my favorites. Copper patinas, old brass, peeling paint are all among my favorites.

Where do you create?
I am lucky enough to have an office in my home that has been transformed into a studio. I am surrounded by everything that I might need should an idea arise. I feel so comfortable in this room, sometimes I just don’t want to leave.

What is the most time consuming part of your craft?
For me the most time consuming can be shopping for supplies. I don’t really enjoy that process very much and I usually can’t wait to get home so I can start creating. I wish supplies could magically appear. I do however tend to buy enough to tide me over for a while, making it a little less painful.

When did you start creating?
I have always loved crafting. When I was a little girl I would spend countless hours making things, it always made me feel good and always made me happy. As I got older and had a family to raise I was not as involved. I recently stopped working and have had a lot more time to use my creativity and I have never been happier.

What is your most popular item that you create?
My trinket boxes are loved by a lot of people. They are pretty and elegant and can work in pretty much any décor scheme. They are also the most fun to make.