dragonfly toys + giveaway

When I started blogging, back when Che was a little bubba, I loved visiting The Story Hour - the blog of a Newcastle mum with three boys. It was one of those blogs that was beautiful for its simplicity and honesty - a peek into the world of gumboots, bugs and school paintings. A few recipes here and there and glimpses of a much-loved family home. I was a little sad when its creator, Tracie, decided to stop blogging. The Story Hour may have been small but it was definitely memorable.

Tracie emailed me last week with news that she has recently, with her friend Linda, become the proud owner of online store Dragonfly Toys. Dragonfly offers a plethora of magical children's and baby products - sourced from ethical companies across Australia and over the oceans. Inspired by a handmade, mama-made, Steiner philosophy, it offers parents a beautiful alternative to the plastic mayhem so readily available in department stores.

Tracie and Linda were keen to promote Dragonfly Toys here, in this space, and as thanks are offering one of my readers a Baby Patchwork Quilt and a pair of the cutest little Tibetan koko booties, both from Kokonor, a brand the women created. All the products in the range are handmade by Tibetan refugees living in the Indian Himalaya.

For your chance to win simple leave a comment on this post. For two entries, you can become a new follower or blog about the giveaway in your blog space. Plus, if you 'like' Dragonfly Toys on facebook and mention you came from Che & Fidel, you will also go in the running to win a Story CD.

I'll close the comments next Wednesday the 6th July.

Tracie and Linda kindly agreed to be interviewed for this post, a glimpse into the lives of two inspiring creatives. Read on to learn a little more about their families and Dragonfly Toys.

Jodi: You are both mothers. How many children do you have?

L: I have 3 children - Nyima and Yeshi (11 and 7) are my gorgeous big boys, and then we have Pema, our lovely little girl who will soon be 3.

T: I also have three children- all boys, Arki (8), Jude (6) and the youngest is Ezra (3). It’s nice that we have children of similar ages; we understand each other’s commitments and our need to have balance between work and home life.

Jodi: Your children are educated at Steiner schools. What do you love about the Steiner way of life?

L: I love so many aspects of my children's school it is hard to list them all.... you really have to spend time there to understand it - but some of the standouts for me are - the incredible passion that every teacher has for their role as teacher and the genuine love they have for their students.... I love that my children get to be with their primary teacher for a full seven years.... I love the strong community there - that every year the entire school from Kindergarten to year 10 all go on one huge big winter camp together for one night and the big year ten children are there alongside the tiny kindy's helping carry bags, set up tents etc...

T: I love it all..I’m so happy dropping them off there in the morning. The school is aesthetically beautiful but it’s not just that...there is a spirit about the place. The school is a beautiful community and I am so confident that their days will be filled with joy. I teach at the school casually and seeing how the days flow and watching the children be completely engaged in whatever activity they are doing makes me completely confident in our decision to send them there. I love how innocent the children are; how full of song. I love that I often have to tell my 8 year old at bedtime “Ok Arki...you can finish knitting that row then lights out”.

Jodi: What inspired you to purchase Dragonfly Toys?

L: Dragonfly Toys began for me around 4 years ago when I purchased a tiny little business from a friend... Caitlin was selling a small selection of Steiner art and craft materials through an organic shop in our local area. I had been collecting ideas for a business like this for years - so when Caitlin said she was planning on closing down and having another baby, I offered to buy Dragonfly from her.

My original inspiration came from finding that there were so few places in Australia that you could find all these beautiful toys - so starting something online seemed an obvious solution.

T: I have only recently joined Linda with Dragonfly. I have been friend with Linda for a few years, having met her at the school’s market. It was an important meeting for me..it was Linda who inspired me to look into Steiner education, she was so confident and down to earth about it all. I was thrilled when she asked me to join her as a partner as I have always loved what she did and enjoyed working for her. It seemed like a great way for Dragonfly to build...having the energy and enthusiasm of the two of us. After teaching in public high schools for the past ten years going to our office for the day is such a blessing.

Jodi: What is your criteria when selecting products for the website?

L: They need to be unique - I never want to sell anything that you can find in your average local chain of toy shops.

They must be made under fair work conditions - this certainly stops us from stocking a lot of things that we know people would like to buy, but we want our customers to know that they can trust our choices and that we are always putting ethics above sales.

They need to be beautiful or wonderful in some way... things that we truly love ourselves.

Jodi: What do you love about owning an online store?

L: The fact that it fits in with family life.... I have never had to miss a single school picnic or performance.. things take care of themselves even when you are off hanging washing on the line, cooking dinner or reading a bedtime story. When Pema was a baby I used to love that even though it was 10am and I was lying in the bath with her for half an hour, the shop was open and customers were still shopping..

T: I love the flexibility of it all as well...I’m still home most of the week with Ezra and if I get called into work at the school I can go. Linda and I can swap days when we need to, leave early, do work from home at night; it’s perfect.

Jodi: What are your dreams for Dragonfly Toys?

At the moment we are planning to put a lot of energy into Kokonor, our little tailoring workshop in India. We employ 7 women there full-time, all of whom are Tibetan refugees living in exile in the northern mountains of India. We would love create the majority of what we sell ourselves, and the idea of being able to bring all of our ideas to life, while providing ethical jobs for women is such perfect combination. So I would love to see that part of Dragonfly continue to grow - eventually allowing us to travel to India with our families each year and creating employment for more women in India and eventually in Tibet...

Comments now closed. Random Number Generator picked #17 - Madeline. Congratulations! xxx