Okay, I've been holding this little project under wraps for a while now, waiting for the advent to start and not wanting to spoil the surprise for a certain friend of mine. But I got the all-clear, so here goes.
This is Ollie, a little elf who came straight from the North Pole to stay with us. See his elfy hat? And his jingly legs? And his official elf badge? I had a little too much fun making this guy. This was my first chance to make a doll (*ahem*) for my own family that wouldn't be completely snubbed by my son. And I jumped on it.
His entire body, as well as his hat, was created from recycled wool sweaters. His head is basically a Waldorf design that I found instructions for in the book The Children's Year. I twisted wool yarn into a rope and then stitched a few together to create the scarf. Sew on a few jingle bells, and voila! A festive little friend to join us for the holiday season.
The best thing, though, is that Ollie has a brother who has found a home, also. That's Pippin on the right. And the two of them have cooked up a fun holiday tradition. Every night (or maybe every day in Pip's case) in December, they play a game of hide-and-seek, and the kids get to do a search for them. And maybe, if we're lucky, they'll leave us a little note with an idea for a simple game or craft or activity that we can do together to brighten up our holiday.
They even have their own blog, where Kirsten and I will share our adventures with you. Please come see us... Pip and Ollie. And feel free to play along, if you like. I'd love to see some more elves make their way into other families' traditions.
love them!
Posted by: ayelet (nishale) | 03 December 2008 at 02:44 AM
Glad to see that Pippin has a name now.
--Mom
Posted by: Mom | 03 December 2008 at 06:44 AM
what a brilliant idea, girls!
Posted by: Alicia A. | 03 December 2008 at 07:37 AM
How do you make such cuteness?!!!
Posted by: Renae | 03 December 2008 at 08:18 AM
I absolutely love (!) those two little friends!!!
Posted by: Karen | 03 December 2008 at 11:19 AM
hi!! (coming here from kristencan) to say i absolutely LOVE your ollie and pip...dolls, ideas and well everything! well done amy :)
(oh, and their own blog...how cute is that?)
Posted by: kristin | 03 December 2008 at 05:02 PM
That sounds like a great tradition for when my kids are little older. QQ would probably be scared of the little elf at this point ;)
Posted by: Timpani | 05 December 2008 at 10:38 AM
This is the best thing ever!
Posted by: Annika | 08 December 2008 at 05:14 PM
They are fabulously sweet! I love the sweater clothing. So wonderful...
~Emily
Posted by: Ravenhill | 25 January 2009 at 04:25 AM
Wow. these are just beautiful!
Posted by: larissa | 28 July 2010 at 08:27 PM