Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The New Puppenstube!

I wanted to introduce you all to one of my favorite people, Christine Schreier, the proprietor of The Puppenstube. As many of you know, The Puppenstube is the only US online retailer for Buntspechte wooden toys, but what you may not realize is that it is also home to some very magical dolls that Christine creates with much love and joy.

Christine has been doing handcrafts since she was a small child in Germany. When she became a mother she made her first soft bodied doll for her son's first Christmas, which is still around today- 33 years later! When he enterred the first grade at San Francisco Waldorf School, she learned how to make a "Waldorf" head for the doll and through the years has developed her simpler, less complicated way of creating them. She has shared this knowledge of others over the past 15 years with her Waldorf doll making workshops.

This is one of Christine's pretty little flower children that has been featured in Living Crafts Magazine.

Christine was the first person in the US to sell the Buntspechte toys ten years ago after she convinced the small company during a a trip back home to Germany to entrust her with the sales of the beautiful figures across seas. My boys love the gorgeous farm and woodland animals and I have been so grateful to Christine for carrying them. I know a large part of my fondness for these figures is knowing we have received them from such an incredibly lovely person!

I first met Christine at a Waldorf school festival a few months ago and I have to say how blessed I feel to now call her one of my friends. She has this generous, beautiful spirit of so much joy and light. I love our email exchanges and the wisdom she imparts so lyrically.

One of my favorites of her dolls

Christine has recently launched the new Puppenstube site and I wanted to invite you all to visit it! She can now upload photos of the beautiful dolls she has stocked and you can also see what Buntspechte figures she currently has available. For the month of March, she is also offering 10% off purchases with the coupon "March" as a celebration for the long awaited completion of her site.

I hope you all will join me in wishing Christine much success with the new Puppenstube!


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'll take one of everything (including that beautiful Christine)!! I'm so glad that you've found such a lovely friend and toys for your tribe :-)

Jenna said...

Yay Christine!!! She is lovely to talk to on the phone--so sweet. I only wish I lived closer to attend one of the faires.

Anonymous said...

Christine is the best!...I love The Puppenstube...Her dolls were featured in an earlier edition of Living Crafts magazine...

RunninL8 said...

TOTALLY OFF TOPIC!

No! I've got it!!! The Jerky Boys!!! Those 2 guys who put out cds of their prank phone calls! And with a quick Wiki search I see that you were right as well about Radiohead:
"The title comes from a Jerky Boys prank call skit in which the prank caller says, 'Pablo, honey? Please come to Florida!' to his victim. This snippet is sampled by the band in "How Do You?".

And i found it here! Give a listen!:http://www.themadmusicarchive.com/song_details.aspx?SongID=23724
Tee hee HEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! I LOVE those guys!
And thanks for the Puppenstube heads up!

Alicia said...

Christine is lovely isn't she? I just placed my first Buntspechte order with her on the weekend, and it was too easy! Can't wait until they travel over the seas to our home!

carolee said...

Ah, such a small world we live in. I count Christine as a dear, dear friend though we now live on opposite ends of the continent. We shared making art together for many years when she lived in Florida and I miss her to this day. Especially a day with lunch of Blueberry Bread and Cream Cheese. Her dolls are magnificent and just continue to get better. (I have several) I thank you for your blog that will put me back in touch. Tell her I'm still making Gnomes. Many blessings to you and your boys,

Jenne said...

Another fan of Christine here! I had the honor of meeting her at the San Francisco Waldorf school's winter faire where I bought some gorgeous Buntspechte Figures for my children's Christmas gifts, and then again at my children's Waldorf school festival where I got this great knit hat that she made - it's so cute you would not believe it! At least I think that was hers - LOL! So glad to see her new site - thank you for sharing.

Victoria Velting said...

What gorgeous work! I just read the lastest Living Crafts magazine, and already I'm a fan! I would love to take a doll making class. Thanks for sharing!