Pom Pom Animals

When I was little, I remember seeing the cutest little Steiff ladybug in a toy shop. It was made out of pom poms, and I often wondered how it was made. These little guys were called "woolies", and Steiff began producing them in Germany in the 1930s and continued making them until the early 1980s. If you want to read more about them, read this neat article from Steiffgal's blog here.

These are a much older version of the one I saw as a kid. I can't find a picture of the 80s ladybug!

I had been searching around for vintage Steiff toy pictures to pin to my Vintage Toy Pinterest board (yes, I should have been doing something else but looking at pictures is more fun!) when I came across the most amazing Steiff woolie collection that had been auctioned off at Christie's London a few years ago. I am truly amazed by what they could make with pom poms! Here's some pics:

A bird wedding!

So I became super inspired and set out to learn how to make multicolor pom poms. I wanted to be able to make some little "woolies" of my own! I found a tutorial here which really helped. And the result is the little purplish blue birdie at the top of the page. I can't wait to try making more. You know a hedgehog is on my list!

Painted Wood Cuteness! Part One

When I was a kid, we used to go to my grandmother's house fairly often, as she lived across the bay in Oakland. Gram had an amazing 1920s era apartment that overlooked Lake Merritt. She had a penchant for holiday decorating and always created these great displays in different rooms. 

My favorite displays, however, were the dining room centerpieces. She had a large collection of Erzgebirge figures which she arranged for holiday decor. (Erzgebirge is a region in Germany that has been producing beautifully painted wood figures for centuries.) One Easter centerpiece that I remember well consisted of a manzanita branch and lots of little painted wooden bunnies, some up in the branches and some on the tabletop. It was like a little Easter rabbit workshop scene. They were kind of like the bunnies in this photo I found on UncommonEye's flickr photostream:

The only figures I have from my Gram are these two: a rather cross and prim looking lady with an umbrella and a large boy in lederhosen with a tiny balloon.

There's an incredible store in Berkeley called Castle in the Air, and if you're ever in the area, you definitely need to check it out. They carry lots of these Erzgebirge figures, Swiss and German cuckoo clocks (don't even get me started on how much I love cuckoo clocks), beautiful toys, and fine art, stationery and craft supplies from Europe. It's one of my most favorite stores, and I'm not allowed to go there very often.

But in case you're thinking you might want some of these Erzgebirge treasures for yourself, and you can't get to Castle in the Air, here's a few from online. 

Ladybird Musicians from Xvoto on Etsy

Mushroom Gnome Incense Smoker 

Flower Girl with Doll

Star Child on Moon Music Box

Next time I will blog about some American painted wood cuteness made by a company called Irmi. Until next time!