Toc, toc, qui est la? It seems fitting to start this post with an inviting door knocker, which we saw many examples of around France. Here’s the last selection of miscellaneous photographs I took last fall during our trip to Provence and along the Canal du Midi. There are doors, gates, grape vines, mermaids and vegetable gardens that somehow touched my fancy. I’ve enjoyed bringing you along on this visit to beautiful France!
I am excited to be included in Margaret Bloom’s blog tour for her new how-to book, Making Peg Dolls & More: toys that spin and bring sweet dreams. This charming hard cover volume joins the author’s popular first book, Making Peg Dolls, with new projects that act as imagination boosters for children, parents and teachers. To enter a Giveaway for a copy of Making Peg Dolls and More, please follow the directions at the end of this post, just before the nifty book trailer.
Although we haven’t yet met in person, Margaret Bloom and I have developed a mutually supportive online friendship. We share an interest in designing and showing how to make little play figures which are influenced by the wisdom of Waldorf Education. Our approaches are different; Margaret’s peg dolls are perfectly suited for children to make, whereas my wee folk dolls (Felt Wee Folk) require more handwork skills and are geared toward adults. Margaret’s books fill a void in the craft and toy world and I recommend both of her books to anyone who has children in their lives.
In her new book, Margaret takes the concept of a simple peg doll to another level, introducing projects that animate the static wooden figures, sparking active creative play. The book sets the stage with a thoughtful Foreward by kindergarten teacher, Shaifa Oppenheimer, who writes, “Unlike many other sense-depriving toys, interactive screens and other products marketed to young children, which actually stand between the child and the true exploration of our beautiful green earth, this little book is an antidote and a balm.”
The book is very well organized and written in a friendly conversational tone, like the author is personally explaining the process to you. Poetry and familiar stories linked to the peg doll characters begin each chapter, adding lively and poignant narratives to the projects.
There are clear step-by-step directions for painting with non-toxic colors, dressing and decorating a variety of peg dolls that take the form of mobiles, tops, marionettes and other toys. She also shows how to make felt wall hanging scenes, with pockets for the peg dolls to call home. Helpful tips appear alongside the general directions and each project is clearly marked with one, two or three leaves, which indicate the skill level. The book’s simple, charming designs include just the right amount of detail to make the little figures eye-catching and engaging.
Margaret’s Peg Doll books stand out as more than simply another series of craft how-to’s. They symbolize the reclaiming of childhood in today’s technological world and encourage the creation of toys that will be appreciated and admired long after the children are grown.
Margaret’s books are available at all of the usual online booksellers like Amazon as well as shops that also sell craft supplies for the book’s projects, such as Bella Luna Toys, A Child’s Dream Come True & Castle in the Air.
To enter the Giveaway for a copy of Making Peg Dolls & More, please leave a comment (on this post) which mentions your favorite childhood toy. The contest is worldwide and the winner will be picked at random on Feb. 15th. Here’s the book trailer:
You can follow the Blog tour and enter more book Giveaways by linking to these specially selected sites:
February 2nd :: The Crafty Crow
February 3rd :: Clean
February 4th :: Castle in the Air
February 5th :: Salley Mavor (Wee Folk Studio)
February 7th :: A Child’s Dream
February 9th :: Forest Fairy Crafts
February 10th :: Bella Luna Toys
Febraury 11th :: Ben & Birdy
February 12th :: Twig & Toadstool
February 13th :: Wee Wonderfuls
We’re in the middle of the snow storm, with lots of wind gusts. I thought I’d better write this post while we still have power. I love this time of year, snow or no snow, because the outside isn’t as alluring and you can stay inside and get something done. I don’t think I could handle living in a constantly warm climate, where nature doesn’t force you to hibernate!
So, I’m taking advantage of this less distracting time and have been happily working on a piece that’s been on my work table for more than 6 months. This is a sneak peek at “Face Time”, which I’m not ready to show and tell much about yet. I want to wait until it’s completed and professionally photographed before fully sharing it. I’ll tell you this much though — it’s not my personal family tree, but a broader interpretation of humanity through time. My goal is get it finished this winter and the weather is cooperating nicely!
I’m still organizing pictures from our trip to France last fall. Here I am, taking photos of the many picturesque buildings we saw in Provence and in the towns and villages along the Canal du Midi.
Castelnaudary, France
Avignon, France
Villesequelande, France
Villesequelande, France
Avignon, France
Millepetit, France
Castelnaudary, France
Bram, France
Toulouse, France
Bram, France
This month, I’ve had the pleasure of making a special doll who represents one of my family’s ancestors. The “Desire Doll” personifies Desire Howland Gorham, who was born in Plymouth Colony in 1623 to John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley, who both came to America on the Mayflower.The doll was raffled to raise funds for my sister Anne Mavor‘s ground breaking art project, I Am My White Ancestors: Self-Portraits through Time. Her project involves much more than a genealogic study with a list of names and dates. She is striving to understand our ancestors’ motivations in a historical context. I am glad to be a part of Anne’s fundraising efforts and applaud her thought-provoking vision.
~ About the Desire Doll ~
Hand made by me, Salley Mavor, 4″ tall, stands on a weighted stand, extra sturdy bendable body, hand stitched, clothing made of wool and cotton, basket is made from coiled thread-wrapped wire, includes signed tag. This doll uses techniques taught in my how-to book, Felt Wee Folk: New Adventures. This is a rare opportunity to have a one-of-a-kind, more involved and detailed doll, as I usually only make them for gifts or for personal/family projects.
Anne’s art installation addresses issues of immigration, colonization, slavery and war through the personal stories of 10 to 12 of our European ancestors, going back through the centuries, as far as she can research. You can find out about Anne’s project here. 
Anne as Eugenia Buchanan (1823-1898) in Orangburg, SC
Anne describes her exhibit this way:
“I Am My White Ancestors: Self-Portraits through Time is a multi-media installation that uses my family history to explore the conflicted story of European Americans. It will consist of 10-12 life-size photographic self-portraits of me as my ancestors, printed on fabric panels and accompanied by short audio diaries from each ancestor’s perspective.”
“This idea grew out of my interest to understand how my heritage impacts me as a white person living in the United States. I was curious to examine issues such as immigration, colonization, slavery, war, and what life was like in Europe. I wanted to know how similar or different I might be to my ancestors, and what I could learn from their lives. Claiming connection to my family history is also one step towards taking responsibility for the past.”
In a recent update about her project, Anne wrote, “My research continues to turn up gems of information. I just learned more about the life of Desire Howland Gorham who will be my 17th Century self-portrait. She was born in 1623 in Plymouth Colony. Her husband John Gorham was an officer in King Phillip’s War, the last stand of Chief Metacomet and the Narragansett Nation against the English settlers in 1678. After the war, the victorious English soldiers each received parcels of former Indian lands, while the surviving Indians were enslaved or shipped off to the West Indies. Gorham died following the war and was buried on the stolen 100 acres he won on Poppasquash Neck in Rhode Island. Desire never lived there. After her death, her slave Totoo requested in his will that he be buried at the feet of his beloved mistress. War, slavery, and theft, contrasted with deep human connections.”
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St Remy, France
More photographs from last fall’s trip to France. My heart goes out to the French people this week, after the shocking attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris.
Ecluse de Renneville, France
Marsielle, France
Toulouse, France
Carcassone, France
Les Baux-du-Provence, France
Bram, France
book – Felt Wee Folk: New Adventures
I am pleased to announce the upcoming release of my newest how-to book.
Felt Wee Folk – New Adventures: 120 Enchanting Dolls by Salley Mavor, C&T Publishing ©2015, 160 pages, 8″ x 10″.
Books may be pre-ordered from my Etsy Shop here. Your order will be sent when the book is released in late February 2015. Books ordered from my Etsy Shop will include some extra goodies; autograph, a winter scene poster (folded flat) and faux flowers to make 2 fairies.
Rob and I had such fun filming the process of making a fairy doll for this book trailer:
This long-awaited all-doll version expands the wee world introduced in the original edition of Felt Wee Folk: Enchanting Projects (C&T Publishing 2003), with pictures, directions and patterns for making more bendable figures with a variety of hairstyles, outfits, and armatures.
Favorite doll projects from the first book, including acorn-capped blossom fairies and other fanciful wee folk make a return appearance. As requested by fans, more challenging techniques, such as wig making are added, making this book suitable for all skill levels, from the beginner who is learning the blanket stitch to the experienced embroiderer who relishes fine stitching.
The book is bursting with inspirational photographs of little characters set up in miniature worlds, from woodland scenes to doll houses, to fairy gardens. A certain type of person enjoys creating and looking into tiny, enchanting worlds and this book is for them! These dolls appeal to the child within you, no matter your age.
Take a behind the scenes look at photo shoots for the book here.
Upcoming book signing events (poster included with book purchase):
Sunday, March 8th at 3:00pm — Book Release party at Eight Cousins Bookstore, Falmouth, MA
Sunday, March 15th at 2:00 pm — Book Signing and short presentation, Return of the Wee Folk at the Sandwich Public Library, Sandwich, MA
poster – Felt Wee Folk
Greetings on this News Years Day. I found a quote attributed to Buddha, “The trouble is, you think you have time.” I love how the words resonate differently with different people. For my husband, it says to stop futzing about and get going. For me, it points to the concept of now, at the present moment, and our whole misunderstanding of time as something to “have”.
While searching through my photographs for one I could use for the quote, I found several scenes that pictured paths and roadways pointing toward vanishing points. The theme seems appropriate as we head into 2015.
Let’s go back to our October ’14 trip to France–this time to show landscapes, from coastal Marseille to the ancient walled city of Carcassonne to pastoral scenery along the Canal du Midi.
Marseille, France
Marseille, France
Bram, France
Carcassonne, France
les Baux-du-Provence, France
les Baux-du-Provence, France
Carcassonne, France
Bram, france
I spent a little time this week taking still life photographs. Rob is giving me tips about lighting and operating my camera. Some of the photos show seasonal arrangements and others are permanent displays around the house. While looking for things to take pictures of, I noticed that almost every object in our house has been in Rob’s or my family for a long time. It’s an eclectic collection of stuff, from a 3 ft. high bronze Buddha my great grandfather bought from a missionary in Russia in the late 1900’s to tiny silver salt shakers Rob inherited. Very few items are new or were purchased by us. Both of our families are small and we have become the keepers of the past by default.
SALLEY MAVOR 