Walnut toadstool house

Walnut Toadstool house is an accessory for the Walnut Woodland Playscape. This house is handmade from New Zealand wool.

Approximately 14 cm high and 7cm diameter

Kids LOVE collectibles! As we now know, the research on plastic toys tells us they are not good for our kids or the environment. Walnut Friends are the world’s first collection of eco-friendly sustainable collectibles, playscapes and accessories for 21st century kids and parents. There is real attention to detail and all my Walnut Friends and accessories are subject to approval by my 8 and 11 year olds!

We strongly believe in giving kids the chance to use their imagination and creativity. Walnut friends are high quality and well made. They come out of their walnuts and can be used on the Walnut Friends playscapes and with Walnut Friends play accessories.

Here are some of the things we love about Walnut Friends that we hope you will love too:

● We use 100% New Zealand Merino, Romney and Corriedale from sheep farms all over New Zealand.
● As well as being a parent, I’m also a former teacher and I know that imaginative play has been proven to develop key skills vital for intellectual and emotional growth as well as social success. We all want that for our kids and Walnut Friends promotes this, I’ve seen this from my own kids!
● We only use wool from non-mulesed sheep. It is a cruel practice and we take special care to make sure that our wool comes from sheep that are treated with love respect.
● Wool is naturally fire retardant and antibacterial so it is healthy for your kids
● We support New Zealand made and local New Zealand businesses.

What is wet felting?

Wet felting is a process starting with washed and carded fleece which is then laid out in layers. Warm water and natural olive soap is then applied and it is gently massaged to get the fibres to start to stick together. A pattern is then laid out using different coloured fleece to create a wool painting. The wetting and rubbing process is then continued until the wool is no longer coming apart and all the fibres are meshed together. Then the really vigorous part of rolling begins. Felters are known for having strong arms! Sometimes it can take hours to get a really thick tight piece of felt.

By using this technique and something called a resist we are able to make 3d items with no seams so this hot water bottle is seamless. They are also completely unique, as with any type of art, you can never completely recreate something identically and the same is true for painting with wool.
To get some of the further details I then use a needle felting technique to put in some of the finer details. This involves using the carded fleece and a barbed needle which pushes the wool together and makes the fibres become entwined.

Please remember that computers show colours differently so sometimes the item might be slightly different than it looks on the screen.

Walnut friends and playscape sold separately.

Customisation
We can make customised walnut friends and accessories. We have had many requests from racoons to flamingo’s! We understand everyone likes different kinds of creatures so get in touch and we are happy to discuss your needs.

Safety
The safety of Walnut Friends collectors is very important to us. These felted items are meant to be gently handled by older children and adults. Not suitable for toddlers and children who still put things in their mouth due to choking hazard. We recommend these for five years old plus.

Refund and return and shipping
If you are not happy with your product I will offer a refund within 7 days of receipt. The customer will be responsible for postage costs both for outward and return journeys.
Items will be posted 2-7 days after payment is received.
The customer is responsible for any customs duties at the receivers end(international). Walnut Friends takes no responsibility for items lost in the post.

Cleaning
Spot clean gently with warm water