Twas the Day Before Christmas…
… and all through the flat…
‘Santa’was very quietly going nuts keeping small monsters amused whilst smuggling-in some last minute wrapping i.e. desperate snipping, rustling and mad taping in the bathroom, in the laundry, in the wardrobe… you get the picture.
Yes it is cloak and dagger, but the prize, if I pull it off, is a gorgeous Christmas Eve curled up on the couch next to a pile of waiting pressies with my Mr… and not a poppet stirring. Oh I can see it now; me, him, bubbles in hand and a satisfied smirk on my face. Well worth the dramatics!
Wishing you all a beautiful Christmas full of sparkle and laughter. Thank you so much for coming to read my little blog. I get such a thrill out of reading every lovely comment left here. I adore being part of the blogging community and have made some gorgeous friendships since I started that I’ll always be grateful for. I’m also really looking forward to the New Year. Can’t wait to attack my loooong list of resolutions, show you some new work and make some yummy blog changes.
Much love to you and yours. Hope you have a lovely, chilled break and see you full of va va voom in Jan.
x Alisa
10 comments December 24, 2009
A Peachy Party
Hello, hope your weekend was lovely and relaxed. Ours was completely chockers with poppet parties. What is it with all the December birthdays? Sheesh!
Television and the weather must be woeful in March.
Our littlest turned a big three on Sunday. Wow! I still can’t get my head around where that time’s gone, anyway, thought I’d share some pics. It was a very small family affair but she had a ball.
The ‘baby’ and the little quilt were a huge hit as was a pint sized stroller from a clever aunt. Needless to say, baby doll Ruby was cuddled, fed, taken out, wrapped, fed, changed, undressed, fed, wrapped, unwrapped, dressed, fed… etc. All day!
Hurray for me! Can’t say Ruby shares my joy.
I had great fun playing ‘event’ co-ordinator, with the quilt’s colour scheme in mind. I didn’t make any invitations for this one but I’m itching to do it for the next. I’d love to put together a party with the style of this über talented gal. Maybe basing a party around a favourite book or toy could be fun and helpful for game, invitation and food ideas. Hmm, perhaps a Slinky Malinki party in the future… Aaaaaw too cute!
As luck would have it, chocolate was in my scheme and it’s ‘her favourite and her best’. I used a Nigella recipe to make Choc Cherry Birthday Cupcakes. Oooh! They were so, so rich and every inch a guilty pleasure. I heartily recommend them.
Every last cupcake morsel was scoffed in appreciation.
And when all the sweets had been gobbled,
the presents had been ransacked
and the guests had set sail…
… the wild rumpus began.
Red food colouring will do that!
7 comments December 9, 2009
Goodness
Recently I was asked by the very lovely Shirley to participate in an International Art Exchange and no sooner had I said yes than ‘bing bong’ gorgeous art on my doorstep from two brilliant artists. Ooh, I so love that!
The first two images are of the four artist trading cards Shirley sent me, even though I was not on her list. She’s such a sweetie like that. This lady can work magic with watercolour. These ATCs all feature her dapper ‘Monsieur Olivet’, a gentleman mouse with a very refined palate. What a little cutie, thanks Shirley.
And these two are from the amazing Sarah aka Flossy P. How lucky am I! She sent two beautiful cards (check out that delicate line work) and a fabulous hand-painted mono-print of Sydney terraces which will look just gorgeous all framed up. Thank you Ms Flossy, I love them.
And now I have a confession. I haven’t sent mine off yet, and it is late. To my poor Exchange recipient, I hope you can forgive me. I did so badly want to share my swap in this post with these lovely goodies, but alas disaster struck (in the form of an ever curious small person) and I have to start over. Mind you, some might say that the extra wash (ie. jar of sludge brown water) has added a certain vitality to the piece, sadly I am not one of them. I will definitely post about it when I’ve finished it. That’ll be me, all by myself… with nobodies ‘help’… bless them.
10 comments December 2, 2009
Of Light and Shadow
Over the great bridge, with sunlight through the girders making a constant flicker upon the moving cars, with the city rising up across the river in white heaps and sugar lumps all built with a wish out of non-olfactory money.
The city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world. ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
Pinch and a punch, it’s the 1st of December, already. Sheesh! Blink and the whole year’s gone, just like that. Sometimes I wish I could slow it all down. And have more moments of pause; more moments to breathe life in.
I love the hazy filmic quality of these Polaroid images. They seem to capture small moments of quiet in the midst of the ceaseless city. It’s the New York that lives in my memory, coloured with scenes from wonderful movies and novels. I love the long, lanky shadows and the warm palette; they feel just like stills from an ethereal ‘film noir’. So wonderfully lyrical.
Image Credits: ToTR ~ Edward Kimuk. Spectra 7/10, NYU-01, SOHO-08 and Greenwich Village-01 ~ ToyBox. Please click on image titles for licence details.
4 comments December 1, 2009
Happily Crumpled
I can’t believe it. It’s finished. My first teensy quilt is done and dusted; crossing the finish line before the littlest poppet’s birthday. Oh so totally chuffed with that!
If I’m dreaming please don’t pinch me.
I can’t stop staring at it’s rumply, crumply surface amazed that we, my walking foot and I, actually created something that looks like the real deal. Imagine that?!
I’m happy to report there were no tears to speak of thanks to Denyse’s book, Liesl’s sanity saving info, and Fii’s fab binding tutorial. And the freeform approach inspired by this clever gal and this yummy book worked like a dream. In fact I found that playing with the colours and textures of the prints was hugely enlightening. I’m sure the discoveries made there will start showing up in my drawings as well, some how.
But at the end of the day it’s a doll’s quilt for a doll, so I had to try it out on a test subject. There were a few nail biting moments…
But what-do-ya-know, Foxy, who can be surprisingly hard to please, loves it.
Who’s the Mummy!
Head on over to Kirsty’s to peek into many, many more creative spaces.
You’ll be so glad you did.
17 comments November 26, 2009
Visions of Sugar Plums
Aren’t these images beautiful. They’re from Noa Noa Miniature’s Christmas collection, and have such a gorgeous vintage storybook quality to them, they make me wriggle in anticipation. Look at those plums and jewel blues.
Christmas is going to be huge at ours this year; I can’t wait! We are already stopping to examine every single Christmas decoration on route to everywhere. Along with having many animated discussions about how Santa could get inside when you don’t have a chimney. And trying to work out how ‘good’ does one need to be to make it onto Santa’s List.
When you have a three and four year old to share Christmas with, it can only be completely magical.
(Credit: All images used with kind permission of Noa Noa.)
9 comments November 17, 2009
Making Hay
… is what I’ve been doing.
The whole family is well and happy so I’m nudging projects forward…
… and trying, but failing dismally, to resist starting a new one…
The apple pie above is from a newly discovered village bakery and was wickedly good with vanilla yoghurt. So good in fact that I couldn’t help taking several pics, and taunting Mark with them when he arrived home, apple pie is his favourite, hehe.
I enjoyed every crumb whilst contemplating these freud-esque ink blots that I make when I’m testing new inks. So there I sat… I wondered, I thought, I dreamed a little and voila! An idea, a cunning plan, a wicked scheme sprang to mind on how to use them. Gotta love when that happens!
…or two.
It’s ‘christmas on a stick’ when all your books arrive from Amazon and the postie actually waits at the gate to give them to you rather than flicking a card at your letterbox and legging it like an Olympic sprinter. Fantastic! Ok time to get cracking on that teeny quilt.
For lots more crafty peeps throw yourself into the creative space mosh pit over at Kirsty’s. It’s *awesome!*
16 comments November 5, 2009
Oh Constance!
The first time I laid eyes on ‘Constance’ it was love at first sight. What a babe!
It’s true, I’ve fallen for the whole vintage van story, hook line and sinker.
But I ask you, what red-blooded woman wouldn’t want to run away with their beau for a quirky, romantic escape. Letting the road take you wherever it will; stopping wherever you please.
Only I wouldn’t want to take ‘Constance’ anywhere. I’d want to tuck her at the bottom of my beautiful wild garden and have her all to myself. Sorry beau!
Just look at her, she’d make the perfect little retreat and a fab creative space. I’d be in fine company too; Roald Dahl had a ‘writers hut’ at the bottom of his garden, as did George Bernard Shaw.
I could see myself happily scribbling away at this table, my work bathed in light, hearing birds flit in and out of the foliage just outside my window and enjoying freshly brewed coffee and home made cookies from the sweet kitchenette.
A picnic blanket could be thrown onto the grass outside when the day sparkles and beckons, or when the poppets are home. And when fortune smiles, there is even a spot to have an indulgent cat nap.
There’d be so many lovely places to photograph that I’d be in blogger heaven. And even though I am a city slicker, a wild garden would help make believe ‘Constance’ and I were nestled in the country. But best of all, when I wanted a change of pace, I could be back in the bustle in an instant. Oh, where do I sign!!
‘Constance’ is a 1957 Sprite caravan, owned by the lovely Lucy and Steven Lord of Snail Trail Campervans. Sadly she doesn’t do the holiday scene anymore, but she can be hired for wonderful photo shoots. If you pine for the gorgeous retro holiday, Snail Trail have a family of shiny VW Campers in mint condition. Beautifully furnished with retro fabrics and accessories and with names like Betty, Pearl and Gracie what’s not to love!
Image Credits: ‘Mini tarts’ ~ QuintanaRoo and ‘Flowers and sunshine’ ~ Darin.
All other shots courtesy of snailtrail.co.uk campervan hire
(Blankets made by Helen Fisher)
11 comments November 4, 2009
Little jobs
In my creative space this week:
A pile of prints ~ Destined to be my very first teeny weeny quilt for the smallest poppet’s December birthday. It’ll go with a little dolls cradle that I’m repainting.
I think these fabrics made up in this style will be so cute. I’m just waiting for my copy of Patchwork Style (ie: moral support in a book ) and I’ll dive right in. Yikes, did I say December?!
Yummy catalogues ~ They’re underneath the acorn munching squirrels and are the yummiest I’ve seen in forever. Freshly delivered… actually forget the ‘freshly’; I’m pretty sure if something is posted 2nd class from the UK it has spent time trudging over the Himalayas on the back of a disgruntled yak. Anyway, it finally arrived. The styling and photography is gorgeous! One quick flick through the pages and all yak spit on the packaging was forgiven. Ahh Toast! Contented sigh!
Plans and schemes. ~ We are planning a move in six months and the whole flat has to be tarted up. I love this palette. The grey background in these shots is our couch and I’m thinking that zingy mustard could be the perfecto cushion colour. Cushions don’t scare me. I’ve made them before but now Lara has posted this, it should be a total cinch.
And sketchy birds. ~ I haven’t made up my mind on what to put on the cradle ends; but birds have been the frontrunner so far… although butterflies may be making a come back, unless of course dinosaurs burst forward from the back of the pack… Oh, lets face it, it’s still anyone’s race!
Be sure to head on over to Kirsty’s for gazillions more fabulous creative spaces and crafty people.
12 comments October 29, 2009
In the jungle you must wait…
Not that I’m prone to exaggeration at all *cough* but as Mark and I sat slumped on the couch after another sleepless night with sick kids, I couldn’t help thinking that we were living in some kind of illness edition of Jumanji.
‘In the jungle you must wait, till the dice reads five or eight’
For the last couple of months it’s been one earth shattering stampede after another; asthma, influenza, misadventure, gastroenteritis… etc. etc. Each bug, in turn, has turned our lives upside down and left us sitting punch-drunk in the wreckage.
It’s true, two children projectile vomiting at the same time can be easily as challenging as rampaging monkeys!
These pulp fiction images capture the drama to perfection.
Having said all of that, the last roll of the dice must have been a good one;
the bugs have fled, our flat has been drowned in disinfectant and a huge health kick is underway. To say I’m relieved is the understatement of the entire millenium …
No exaggeration!
If you too have a penchant for melodrama and have your tongue firmly planted in your cheek, you’ll love the fantastic pulp fiction images in the Flickr streams of Micky the Pixel and Pop Kulture; two passionate collectors with wonderfully fat libraries.
And if you’re looking for more insight into the artists themselves try pulpartists.com. David Saunders, is the son of illustrator Norman Saunders, and knows the territory inside out. The images are as extraordinary as some of the action mag. buy lines, well worth a look and a chuckle. David has also written a wonderful book on Norman Saunders which is available in the shop.
Image Credits left to right: Tom Prox 198, Billy Jenkins 284, Tarzan 038 and
Tarzan 050 ~ Micky the Pixel. Tarzan by Roy G Krenkel ~ Pulpartists.com
All copyrights of the images are reserved by the publishers.
1 comment October 28, 2009
