I had the pleasure to do an interview on Frontier Dreams. Thank You Nicole!If You want read the interview here
Here is the Interview:
Interview with Marie of Knecht Ruprecht & a Giveaway
{All photos by Marie}
Marie is the very talented owner of Knecht Ruprecht, a shop dedicated to handcrafted treasures for babies and children made from natural, organic, ecologically friendly and pure materials. I first came across Marie through Waldorf Mama and instantly fell in love with her creations. After my recent purchase of one of her beautiful lanterns, I thought I really needed to share her amazing work with all of you. I asked her is she would be willing to do a short interview and she kindly agreed.
Enjoy!
1. What is your inspiration for your beautiful creations?
My daughter Klara Alma is inspiring my work very much. She shows me in our daily life what is essential with dolls and toys in general and what is not. My claim in doll making is always to find what is essential, to limit it on that and put soul into my creations.
Also the memories of my own childhood spent in a very natural and rural countryside and also the processes going on in the cycle of the year in nature are a great source of inspiration for me as a doll maker.
2. We love dolls in our house. They are involved in everything that my daughters do. Why do you think dolls are so important to children's play?
I would like to start my answer with Words by Shariffa Oppenheimer in regards to Waldorf dolls.
"As the child nurtures & mothers the doll, he is - not simply metaphorically but also in reality - caring for himself. It is important therefore, that we offer a doll that closely resembles him/her, not so much in features but rather in proportion. The child's "felt experience" of the doll will remain with him/her. So let's keep the doll simple, proportional & tactfully truthful."
It can be said that a doll for a child is something like the "second I". Everything learned and experienced by the child can be repeated in doll play. If the child is progressing something, the doll will do the same very soon, too. If the child is sick for example and has some fever, it's doll will get in contact with the thermometer soon too.
3. I read in your Etsy Bio that you grew up in an artistic family. How do you think that influenced you?
I grew up in a family of artists, with lots of self made and handcrafted things around me. My parents made most of my toys by themselves. I was always around in the atelier of my parents and was raised to be creative very soon. Since I had my daughter, I started to make her things just like my mother did for me when I was a child. I just love all things handmade and unique and I choose to provide and surround my family and myself with beautiful and lovingly handmade goods. I think that things that are made by hand, using only natural materials, are instilled with a spiritedness that is not present in other kinds of things.
4. What role, if any, has your Waldorf education played in shaping you as a parent?
Waldorf with all its facets feels just home for me. It is just natural and absolutely no question for me to parent "waldorf" since I felt very comfortable with it when I was young.
Marie is the very talented owner of Knecht Ruprecht, a shop dedicated to handcrafted treasures for babies and children made from natural, organic, ecologically friendly and pure materials. I first came across Marie through Waldorf Mama and instantly fell in love with her creations. After my recent purchase of one of her beautiful lanterns, I thought I really needed to share her amazing work with all of you. I asked her is she would be willing to do a short interview and she kindly agreed.
Enjoy!
1. What is your inspiration for your beautiful creations?
My daughter Klara Alma is inspiring my work very much. She shows me in our daily life what is essential with dolls and toys in general and what is not. My claim in doll making is always to find what is essential, to limit it on that and put soul into my creations.
Also the memories of my own childhood spent in a very natural and rural countryside and also the processes going on in the cycle of the year in nature are a great source of inspiration for me as a doll maker.
2. We love dolls in our house. They are involved in everything that my daughters do. Why do you think dolls are so important to children's play?
I would like to start my answer with Words by Shariffa Oppenheimer in regards to Waldorf dolls.
"As the child nurtures & mothers the doll, he is - not simply metaphorically but also in reality - caring for himself. It is important therefore, that we offer a doll that closely resembles him/her, not so much in features but rather in proportion. The child's "felt experience" of the doll will remain with him/her. So let's keep the doll simple, proportional & tactfully truthful."
It can be said that a doll for a child is something like the "second I". Everything learned and experienced by the child can be repeated in doll play. If the child is progressing something, the doll will do the same very soon, too. If the child is sick for example and has some fever, it's doll will get in contact with the thermometer soon too.
3. I read in your Etsy Bio that you grew up in an artistic family. How do you think that influenced you?
I grew up in a family of artists, with lots of self made and handcrafted things around me. My parents made most of my toys by themselves. I was always around in the atelier of my parents and was raised to be creative very soon. Since I had my daughter, I started to make her things just like my mother did for me when I was a child. I just love all things handmade and unique and I choose to provide and surround my family and myself with beautiful and lovingly handmade goods. I think that things that are made by hand, using only natural materials, are instilled with a spiritedness that is not present in other kinds of things.
4. What role, if any, has your Waldorf education played in shaping you as a parent?
Waldorf with all its facets feels just home for me. It is just natural and absolutely no question for me to parent "waldorf" since I felt very comfortable with it when I was young.