In addition to the many creative toys they carry, the owners of Colorado’s own Imaginechildhood.com online toy store also make their seasonal fairies from the wool of animals on their farm.
Imaginechildhood.com is a website that offers high quality toys, tools and activities designed to encourage outdoor exploration, creativity and, of course, imagination. In selecting toys to sell in the online shop, they look for items that are made of eco-friendly materials, that promote exploration and unstructured play and can be used over and over again as well as provide learning opportunities.
This family-run small business is based on their 40-acre farm, Bryn Du Farm, which is a preserve for Appaloosa, American Cream Draft horses and Jacop Sheep. The wool from the sheep is used for the handmade flower fairy dolls—they’ll even tell you the name of the sheep whose wool was used!
“Each fairy can inspire hours of imaginative play, as well as encourage exploration of the local flora,” says Sarah Olmsted, one of the owners. The plant-dyed felt flower fairies can be pre-ordered through the Fairy of the Month Club and come with houses.
The fairies are produced on a seasonal schedule to reflect changes in flowers and plants throughout the year. For example, Mushroom Fairy is available in September only and Rose Fairy is made and sold in June. “In this way, they also function as storytelling accessories, helping guide children through the seasonal changes in nature,” Sarah says.
The flower fairies are handmade by Deb Olmsted, who was the founder and proprietor of Denver’s “Follow Your Heart” toy store in the 1980’s. The fairy dolls and their houses are sold in limited editions of 50--each numbered and signed like collectible artwork.
“By producing the flower fairies locally with wool from the farm, they are directly connected to Colorado agriculture and reflect the natural beauty of the area,” says Sarah. “Producing them here also contributes to the local economy and cuts down on our carbon footprint.”
To order the latest locally made flower fairy and her house, check out www.imaginechildhood.com.
Comments
Wow! Just went to their website and am starting a list of the wonderful learning toys I'd like to purchase. Do they only sell online?
Thanks for sharing this business with us!
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