Today, we bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, Dragonfly Toys . In Tracie's words:
"At Dragonfly we believe that childhood is an important
time – a time that should be treasured, nurtured and cherished. The world of
the child is a magical place, and as parents we can help to keep this magic
alive by providing our children with opportunities for open ended, creative,
imaginative play.
Dragonfly Toys is the love and effort of Tracie O'Meara and Linda Lodue. We
have six children between us and many years of choosing what we would like our
own children to play with. We endeavor to bring this experience and interest in
beautiful children's toys and art supplies to you via Dragonfly Toys.
We also have a small tailoring workshop based in India called Kokonor. The workshop is ethically run, employing Tibetan refugees living in the Indian Himalaya. We currently employ six women on a full time basis to make clothing for us and other small items. It is our wish to make this project (still in its infancy…) sustainable and to keep these women in employment. It is hard for Tibetan women living in exile in India to get full time work. We hope that production continues and that we can employ many more women living in Dharamsala."
SouleMama: Tell us about your background. What path led you to the work you do today?
Tracie: I am a trained high school teacher and have taken additional Steiner Waldorf training to be able to teach in Steiner schools. I have always had an interest in what grabs a child’s attention and moves them into a beautiful internal world of make believe and imaginative play. My major influence on my work however has been my own three children. Watching them all grow and change has taught me so much about what allows children the freedom to really play and what hinders the creative process of imaginative play.
Tracie: My children all go to school at the local Steiner school just down the road from my office. We are lucky enough to be located within an Organic whole foods shop. My business partner, Linda, owns a whole food café here as well so it is a beautiful place to work and the hub of our community. I can hide away to do Dragonfly business or can go out into the shop to socialize. It’s very lovely.
SouleMama: Tell us about your customers.
Tracie: Dragonfly’s customers are really just like me. Some have just stepped onto the parenting path and I can see myself in their explorations of natural toys and Steiner education. Many of our customers home school and come to us for art supplies. Others have older children and are constantly looking for alternative gifts to what the main stream shops offer that age group. I can see we are all just finding our way through the sometimes very difficult roles as parents of young children and we are all just really doing our best.
For today's giveaway, Dragonfly Toys is generously offering the following gifts to TWO winners:
~ Winner #1: one large Steiner doll~ Winner #2: one small Steiner dollOur beautiful Steiner dolls are also made in a workshop that employs Tibetan women living in exile in India. Like our workshop, these women are learning valuable skills and are able to earn money in a fair workplace. Each doll in made by hand from beginning to end by one woman.The dolls are made from natural materials. The hair is made from natural wool and each doll is stuffed with 100% sheep’s wool. The skin is made from cotton knit. All the gorgeous and unique clothing is totally removable. Being hand-made each doll will vary slightly. The small dolls make for beautiful first dolls or as companions to the larger dolls.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8am EST on Monday, and announce the winners, chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after. Comments closed! The winners are:
I love these dolls! Would love to give one to our wee grand-boy!
Posted by: Ona
Lovely little dolls! And a lovely interview, too. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Rachel Kate
Thank you, Dragonfly Toys!