Sponsor Spotlight :: The Original Tree Swing

Today we welcome Rhythm of the Home sponsors The Original Tree Swing and Pied Piper Crafts, a pair of small businesses run by partners Bill and Joyce.   These shops offer beautiful handmade toys and craft kits, designed to encourage imaginative play and a creative spirit.  Read on to find out more about how Bill and Joyce began their businesses, and to enter a very special giveaway. 

What inspired you to begin in your work, and what keeps you motivated today?

In September of 2009 I was unemployed and headed back to school to finish my BA when one of my transcripts did not make it in time for the fall term. My partner Joyce, knowing I would go crazy waiting for the next term to start, challenged me to design five wooden toys, build a website, and compile a list of potential retailers. Two weeks later, on Sept. 29th, 2009 The Original Tree Swing was born. As a Waldorf teacher, handwork expert, and natural toy store owner my partner Joyce was an amazing guide into the world of natural toys and helped steer me in all the right directions. A year later, having moved from our 2 car garage into an amazing 2,000 square foot warehouse/office space, Joyce joined me, launching Pied Piper Crafts and her first 10 natural craft kits.

What keeps us motivated? It’s like we jumped on a running treadmill with no off switch. Amazing customers, the support of our retailers, and the days when we just get to create.

What is the most rewarding part about running a small business?

As with any small family run business, our children are watching, listening, and learning. They work for us in the summers, they take part as we discuss how to grow, they work hard and take part in the sweetness of building something you can be proud of. Knowing that you can start your own business, that you don’t have to go to work for someone else opens up all kinds of doors in their futures.

What are your hopes for The Original Tree Swing & Pied Piper Crafts for the future?

We hope to grow, to create natural toys & crafts that bring joy to children’s lives. Joyce has 10 more craft kits in the works and I have several prototypes that I am working on. We love what we do and our customers that make it all possible.

Thanks to all who entered. We have chosen a winner and will be in touch via email.

Bill and Joyce have generously offered a set of all ten of the Pied Piper Crafts kits for one very lucky Rhythm of the Home reader. What a wonderful addition to any family’s summer vacation plans they would make!  Leave a comment on this post to enter the giveaway, and we will choose a winner via random number next Friday, July 13th.

To learn more about The Original Tree Swing and Pied Piper Crafts you can visit their website here, or their Facebook page here.

 

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Rhythm of the Home is an online magazine for families that focuses on creating with children, nature explorations, seasonal celebrations, conscious parenting, and mindfulness in all that we do.   To learn more about us, please visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

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