Needle felted toys, mini birds and animals by Natasha Belova

Amazing needle felted miniature birds and animals by Natasha Belova. Each felted animal is a brooch and could be pinned to a jacket or a coat. The colors are amazing and the craftsmanship is of the highest order. All these pins and brooches could be great small gifts for your loved ones. In addition to pins Natasha makes toys. Each toy is needle felted of wool and other natural fibers and has a personality of its own.



Could you please tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Natasha and I live in a small city Zhukovsky in Russia. I work as a graphic designer in a local company. I've always loved to create with my hands. When I was in my twenties I used to sew and paint. I've discovered the magical world of felting many years ago and have been experimenting with felting ever since. I've started hand making small needle felted toys and pins about three years ago. They were small gifts for dear friends at first. Later, I began selling my felted animals at shows and through local shops.



In 2014 I've finally decided to open my Etsy shop znmystery. When I have free time (mostly after work) I make miniature bird and animal pins and brooches.



What are your main sources of inspiration?

I always get inspired by nature that offers such a wide variety of species in all shapes and colors. Nothing can compare to the world around us! My owls, finches, hedgehogs, rabbits have all been modeled on amazing birds and animals that live in nature. I try to spend as such time outside as possible. I love to travel, to take strolls in local forests and parks. I'm into mushroom picking that is quite popular in my region. I use only natural and organic materials for my pins, brooches and toys. Wool, silk, cotton, linen are an integral part of nature. By using them I try to pass a small part of nature on to whoever buys my birds and animals.

Eco friendly felted accessories by EthicStyle

I love felting for its eco friendliness and beauty. Felted items are created out of basic materials like wool, water and soap. They radiate positive energy as natural warmth. While felting an artist doesn't add any special glues or additives. The process is very straightforward and, yet, it's not easy to turn a piece of wool into an art object. The simplicity of the process is very deceptive. I've recently discovered a really cool artist Svetlana of EthicStyle who creates unique and fun looking felted accessories.



Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I was born in Latvia in a small city by the sea. I live in Germany now and create felted accessories and home decor items. I love to experiment with wool creating bags, shoes, jewelry, toys, etc. All my items are made of pure wool. I love minimalism, natural and eco friendly materials, comfort and quality. I try to create items that are different and unique.



How did you start?
I've been designing and hand making items pretty much all my working life. After I had my daughter I picked up felting. I thought it would be nice for my daughter to have unique toys that nobody else has. Wool is an amazing fiber. It's soft, comfy and durable. It turned out to be a perfect material to make baby toys. I was completely fascinated by wool as it gives an artist so much freedom to create and experiment.



What inspires you?
I'm inspired my Japanese minimalism. I like it for its simplicity, elegance and perfection. I love nature especially in the autumn and spring when air is so transparent. I love the sea. It's amazing to walk by the sea barefoot stepping on warm sand.

My daughter brings a lot of joy into my life. Her phrases that start with: "mom, did you know that..." make me wonder and think about many things that surround us. I discover and learn so much when I'm with her.



What fibers do you work with?
I only use natural fibers such as undyed merino wool, alpaca wool, silk and plant's fibers. All my children toys are stuffed with wool exclusively.
All items made of wool feel so special when held in one's arms.

Crochet and plush toys by RomeoShop

I came across bright and cute toys by RomeoShop looking for a gift. They look very cheerful and radiate a lot of positive energy. That's exactly what we are look for in toys. We all want toys to be fun, to make our children happy. Helen who makes these amazing toys and is originally from Ukraine talked to me about her own childhood and the art of toy making.



Helen: I love toys! I don't remember if I ever played with toys but I remember very well as I actually made them with my own hands. My mom had a sewing machine that I mastered by 8. For inspiration I used patterns from a magazine Burda that was available in Ukraine back then. If for some reason I couldn't use my mom's sewing machine I would crochet my toys using a simple thread and a hook. My mom still owns a few of my first handmade toys.



At some point of my life I abandoned toy making and led a life of an ordinary person. I had my full time job and all the corresponding routines. But when I gave birth to my son Romeo something has changed. I'm making toys again and that's how it should be!



My main inspiration is my son Romeo. We explore outside world together looking at butterflies, chasing cats, reading beautifully illustrated books, watching cartoons. It all helps me to come up with new ideas. Inspired I draw a picture first and then transform my picture into a toy. If for some reason I cannot sew my toy I crochet it.

I've got a lot of plans for the future. I'm a realist and perfectly understand that probably not all of my ideas will turn into real toys. I sometimes regret that I don't make enough toys for boys. That's why I plan to make a set of bugs boys could play with. When we think about bugs we have a picture of something not very attractive. My goal is to make my bugs cute and funny. I plan on making a toy chain saw and a drill.



I love bright colors and simple forms. All my toys are funny, happy and cute. Children are exactly the same. That's why children really like my toys!