The Pine Cone Gnome Giveaway!! (closed)

 These dolls are sooo adorable, aren't they!? Shannon over at The Pine Cone Gnome hand makes them! I came across them one day and grabbed one for my daughter for Christmas! She loves gnawing on it. Shannon is giving away one of these cute teether's to a lucky reader! First let's learn about Shannon!

Please tell us a little bit about you and why you started your business.

One day, when I was about seven years old, a family from the Netherlands came to visit us. I remember the little boy and girl hugging onto two beautiful cloth dolls that were dressed in perfectly knitted outfits done made from a Nordic pattern. I can still see those two dolls in my mind to this day! It took twenty-two years before I learned those dolls were called "Waldorf" or "Steiner" dolls, and better yet, I could learn how to make them!

 I grew up sharing my childhood years between the great bush of Alaska and the beaches of Hawaii. My parent’s homesteaded land on a small private island located within the Lake Clark National Park in Alaska.

After a lot of hard work, they started a summer fishing lodge that brought wonderful guests from all over the world into our home. I was constantly surrounded by wilderness and amazing plants animals and couldn't have imagined a better way to live.

 Spending most of my summer days barefoot, running on the slate rocks that covered the beaches and swimming in the glacier fed lake. I was quickly given the nick name "leather-foot" because of how tough my feet became. 

I had a few friends that would visit me, but only when they flew out in float planes. They would often stay with us for a week or two at a time.

My mother home schooled my brother and me until I was in the fourth grade. She had promised my brother that he could go to a traditional school starting in the Ninth grade at which point we moved to Hawaii. I started attending a wonderful Montessori School there and that was just what I needed for a very gentle transition from my home school life.

Hawaii fed me a whole new type of nature. Although at first glance it seemed completely different to me. I still had amazing plants and animals that surrounded me and I still choose to leave my shoes at home, but the water was a whole lot warmer!

I moved back to Alaska in 1996 where I currently live with my husband and two wonderful boys. All of them have been very supportive of my creative outlets and give me continued inspiration for my work.

I hope to be able to continue making dolls and toys for a long, long time and hope to never stop learning new techniques so that I can keep growing with this loving craft.

Where can I purchase these dolls?

You can find my shop through http://www.pineconegnome.com/ or directly at http://www.etsy.com/shop/thepineconegnome.

What do you love about Alaska?

Alaska is more than just a place to live for me, it truly is a part of who I am and no matter how long I live here I will never take for granted how blessed my family and I are to be able to wake up each morning in such a beautiful state. I love the diverse terrain Alaska offers us; from the beaches to the mountains and from tundra to the rain forests of S.E., each holding within natural miracles both large and small. It was a wonderful place to be brought up as a child and now I am enjoying being able to see Alaska through my own children’s eyes!

Thanks Shannon!!!

My daughter loves her teether! The velour is so soft and she goes to town on the ring! I love knowing that this doll was all handmade from natural materials.

Now onto the giveaway, wahoo!!! I will pick a winner randomly on SUNDAY night. Here are the rules, please follow them!

1. You must live in Alaska.

2. You must be a follower of the blog. Your profile should link up to a page to contact you or leave your email address.

3. Please one entry per follower, if you have to make another one, delete the previous comment.

4. Anonymous comments will NOT be counted!

Good luck!!