We are two aunties located in a small town in South Bulgaria. We love play, art, crafts and knowledge, so we spend most of our time learning, carving, painting, knitting, cooking, savouring beauty, admiring other people’s craftsmanship and working hard to improve ours.
We are curious and constantly getting to know more and more about how children play and learn. We believe that children deserve all the joy, meaning, and beauty they can get while playing or studying, so we do our best to offer them artistic handmade toys crafted in our little workshop, as well as other products of our own creation.
Lydia studied and practiced woodwork as a high school student, and then returned to it when she co-founded Mr Fox Crafts. She worked in education for over thirty years — as a teacher of English language and literature, school manager, and educational counsellor. She studied developmental psychology and pedagogy as part of her master’s degree and has homeschooled her own children. She is the writer of all our website and social media content.
Elitsa studied art and engineering and has designed many beautiful and useful objects, including children’s playgrounds. She is a mother of a toddler and a dedicated aunt to several other children.
For several years, we volunteered at a refugee camp, running English and art classes and helping organize other educational activities. Working with children in difficult circumstances and watching what learning and play actually do shaped how we think about what we make.
As we are raising kids ourselves, we feel for parents too. We are aware of their need to spend meaningful time with their little ones as well as their need to be left alone. We try our best to help parents keep their children happy away from screens for as long as possible and raise them as independent, responsible, knowledgeable, and creative individuals who never lose their sense of wonder.
We will be sharing our thoughts, knowledge and products with you in our BLOG and on our FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST pages. We hope you enjoy shopping at our ETSY SHOP.