Natural Suburbia Sponsor: Beneath the Rowan Tree, Giveaway

I would like to introduce you to Natural Suburbia’s new sponsor, Lori from Beneath the Rowan Tree,

Natural Suburbia:
How long have you had your Etsy shop and what encouraged you to start your business?

Beneath the Rowan Tree:
I have been in business for nearly 4 years (May). I began when my daughter was 18 months old~ having made her a wardrobe of hand dyed and painted clothing and some playsilks, I wanted to make more! So I did. Eventually the clothing gave way to felting and the silk and I emerged (to my own surprise!) as a toy maker!

Natural Suburbia:
Tell us a little about your creative process.

Beneath the Rowan Tree:
I love my creative work (I also love my full time job!)~ it has tapped into something deep within me that has wanted expression for years and this emergence as a creative person has been so exciting. I follow my muse, I am a bit of a dilettante, making what I love. That is my only rule. Make only what I want to make~ if it becomes stale or onerous, I move on or move back to something else. After over 7000 pieces of silk hand dyed in my kitchen I still love it, which amazes me, but it’s true. So, for creative process, I just follow the desire to create which is almost always paired with my love for colour. I guess that isn’t much of a process, but this is my bliss, not my work! More formally, I conceive an idea and then I experiment. Safety is a critical component of making children’s toys, so there is generally a working and reworking and testing of any new item to ensure that it is safe from every aspect and angle. And that it is natural, and ethically sourced, in terms of materials, which takes some research and patience!

Natural Suburbia:
What materials do you use?

Beneath the Rowan Tree:
Silk is my staple. And wool. But I love wood and I enjoy working with bamboo, too! There are so many amazing natural materials available and the sourcing and quality continues to improve and delight!

Natural Suburbia:
What is your inspiration?

Beneath the Rowan Tree:
Children. My child. My core philosophy in parenting and in my creations is that our children are precious, wonder full beings who should be nurtured to their full potential and allowed (the luxury, I realize, in the developed world) to grow up slowly. It hurts my heart to see my child’s peers (age 5) already shut out from their own imaginations and addicted to screens (tv, video games etc.), 5 year old girls wearing makeup to school, tattling on my daughter for lying when in fact she is playing imaginatively… so I create things to draw them back and to draw them out… even the most ‘hardened’ little boys will do amazing things if you give them a couple of playsilks and the room to run. So, while I love to work in the Waldorf niche with like minded families, I also continue to work to crossover to mainstream families, too. My inspiration comes to life, also, in our line of printed tshirts (printed in my partner’s shop) at http://www.daydreambelieverwear.com/.
 
Lori’s lovely blog
Facebook Page
Etsy Shop
 
Some of the beautiful items Lori sells at Beneath the Rowan Tree:

Giveaway:
Beneath the Rowan Tree is offering one lucky reader  a 35″ Hand Dyed Playsilk from the photo above, You Choose the Colorway.
To enter, just leave a comment on this post. Comments will close on Tuesday evening.

I love her work! Our playsilks are getting a bit ragged, so I know the kids would love one of these beautiful ones.

Sarah, please would you send me your postal details:)
xo
Linda