Somehow I got hugely distracted this weekend, which is never a good thing. No lesson planning has been done (yet!), since I was without internet for most of yesterday, and the little bit of time I had online was spent shopping, eek. However, the end result was several lovely new Etsy purchases, so I can't exactly complain.

First, I gave some thought to a setting up a proper nature/seasonal table. Even though the kids are older, I think it is still something that we will enjoy. Maddie, in particular, greatly enjoys collecting "treasures" outdoors and is always bringing me little gifts. I'm particularly inspired by KnechtRuprechtDolls' tables on Flickr. They're simple, yet enchanting.

To begin with, I purchased this simple twig structure from Syrendell:

Then, several gnomes from Luna Farm Creations. This is Sprout:

Midnight (for use during the full moon each month):

Lastly, the four elements: Earth, Air, Fire & Water:

Naturally this is only the beginning and I've already spent hours browsing on Etsy for ideas, trying to narrow down decisions. My absolute favorite gnomes come from PaintingPixie, here are some of her past creations:

They are absolutely breathtaking, each is such a work of art! Sadly, she doesn't have any for sale at the moment, but I'll be watching her shop carefully for new listings or I may custom order a few (though they're all so adorable, I wouldn't even know where to begin!).

We also purchased this gorgeous Earth Mother doll (inspired by one of our favorite Elsa Beskow books, Children of the Forest) from Nushkie:

And lastly (for now!), some adorable wooden figures from Mama Kopp:

Restoration Place has many lovely ideas for a Nature Table:

As does Maya*Made:

From good + happy day:

Waldorf-inspired nature tables by KnechtRuprechtDolls at Flickr:

And another, from SlowCat at Flickr: