Back to the Grindstone!

Well, back from a wonderful trip to Hugglets! It was wonderful to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. Seems like forever ago we were waking early to drive into London for the big day!
While I was away I was lucky enough to visit Buckingham Palace and see the special exhibition of Kate's wedding dress, tiara, cake, shoes, as well as the State Rooms of the Palace. Sadly, no photos were allowed inside, but it was a fabulous experience that I will remember for a long time.
A special treat was Afternoon Tea at Fortnum and Masons also in London. I felt like royalty, sitting back in their plush sofa and being treated to cakes and perfect sandwiches on pretty china. Spoiled!


A pretty vintage rhinestone buckle I found at an antique market near my friend Susan's house.

After Hugglets it was across the Channel in the Eurostar- or should that be under the Channel? Up to Brussels and then onto Ghent for another show. It's so interesting to visit shows in other countries! Here I mostly purchased mohairs... Beautiful hand- dyed colours! I was hoping to find lace, but most pieces, while lovely, weren't what I was after.
Then a short trip down to Paris on the Thalys train for a week.. I stayed in a beautiful wonderful apartment on the Left Bank not far from Notre Dame.. In fact I could see Notre Dame from my windows, and hear the bells. I also ventured to my first Paris flea markets! One, Porte des Vanves, is on every weekend. Here I bought laces, old flowers, old postcards and some tiny fluted metal tart tins to use with the bears.. Just HOW I am going to use them I am not sure yet! But I just had to buy them, I'll figure the practicalities out later! So many interesting things to look at, tho sadly many items were just too big to fit in my already bulging suitcase.
The other flea market I found out about accidentally, and it was less than five minutes walk away. Here the lace was much more reasonably priced and I stocked up, of course! I don't speak much French, but it's amazing how much you can understand when you have your eye on something!



Tiny pointe shoes I found at the Opèra Garnier in Paris, somehow I will use these with a bear!




The lace was a beautiful scarf I found at the nearby flea market in Paris, with a Macaron box from the best Macaron maker in the world ( in my humble opinion of course!) -Ladurée. I have researched the Macaron extensively so I feel I can say that with some authority...:) of course, the research continues... Hehe



Another Macaron gift box, too beautiful to leave behind! Have yet to figure out a use for this too, but I will! Inside is metallic gold...




Beautiful lace and another view of the Macaron box.. How 'Marie Antoinette' is that box! Ladurée made all the sweets and cakes for the 2006 movie version of Marie Antoinette, and each of their cakes is definitely something out of a royal banquet. They don't taste too bad either!



Tiny vintage metal tartlet cases... What to do with these....



Beautiful vintage flowers from Porte des Vanves market..



I'm probably going to keep these for a while before I can bring myself to use them!


Pretty cherry blossoms from a fabulous shop in London, V.V Rouleaux. A MUST visit if you love ribbons and trims!
Now, it's back to the grindstone to get ready for Woodend and the Christmas Treasures online show.... Dreaming of Macarons, elderflower pressé ( a new discovery for me, delicious! I wonder if we can get it in Australia?) and yummy French baguettes!

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Hugglets, almost here!

Firstly, apologies for the photo. It was taken with my phone so isn't the most spectacular quality! I'm worried tho that if I don't post this one I won't get to post a pre Hugglets pic at all... Only one more sleep before this wonderful show. The bears are all ready, freed from their postage boxes at last, waiting patiently for the trip into town in the morning....these two little panda ballerinas sitting in a tiny pointe shoe are ready to go and see what all the fuss is about.. Hope to see you there!

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Exciting..

Thought I best also post that the weekend after Hugglets I have the pleasure of participating in a Doll and Bear show in Ghent, Belgium. I am not sure whether I am more excited about participating in the show as an exhibitor, or being able to shop at all the wonderful stalls there for new and exciting bits and pieces to use with my bears, or meeting collectors and artists in a whole new country... I am sure there are going to be lots of hand motions and giggles when there is communication difficulty, but I am pretty confident the international language of Bears and Smiles will carry us through!

Just done uploading Lily's details onto Bearpile (for link see sidebar).. most of my smaller bears are on their way to England for Hugglets, so I will be putting a few larger bears onto Bearpile for the near future. Maybe it will get me back into making some bigger bears....

You may also have noticed the new banner at the bottom of the page and the badge in the sidebar.. I've been accepted for the Christmas Treasures Teddies Worldwide online show, and am already planning my "Christmas Treasures" for the big wekend. When I found out the theme ideas started forming in my head, snowy white, sparkles and jewels, little ribboned boxes with pretty treats inside.... I'm glad I now have reason to bring them to life! A special section of the show will be gift items which will bring out the creativity in the participating artists I am sure... The preview starts on the 4th of November, which sounds forever away at the moment but no doubt the time between now and then will fly!

Shows all over..

I hope you've had time to check out the Teddies Worldwide 'Bears on Parade' show already. If you haven't, there's still plenty of time to check it out before the Parade is over... Most of my bears have been snapped up, but little Cleo above is still waiting for a new home.
I do hope you stop by and visit with all the lovely pieces created specially for this event. Just click on the badge to the right --->
So while the Parade has been on, I've been attending a show in New Zealand organised by my lovely friend Annetta Flaunty. Craft Out West has a fabulous variety of arts and crafts for all budgets and tastes. From yummy cupcakes and fudges to handcrafted rocking horses to beautiful Pacific Island crafts like Flax weaving. On the off chance you happen to be in Auckland tomorrow, it is well worth checking out!

Up To my Ears in it!

Full steam ahead here in the workroom, finishing off critters for Bears on Parade, the lovely Daphne's online show coming- well looming actually, looming menacingly! lol.... Also 'on the workbench' bears for my trip to New Zealand and Sydney..
Unfortunately I can't show you my Parade bears yet, top secret til the big day, aside from the preview which starts today. For a sneak peek at all 75 fabulous parade pieces, click the badge at the side of the page.
Because I don't have anything new- thats finished!- to show you, maybe you'll join me in a delicious snack of Macarons... I'm afraid you'll have to have the Pistachio one, as the Rose is my favourite:)
Now back to work for me...

Little Treasures...

There are many reasons I love going to Doll and Bear shows. One is it's a great chance to catch up with artist and collector friends, and another is it's a great place to stock up on little finds that inspire *more* bears or dolls...
At the last bear show here in Melbourne, I managed to nab these little satin shoes... So tiny, they look to me like they were made for a flowergirl. A bunch of vintage milliners Roses.. A necklace of tiny pearls... What will happen with them who knows? For now they are resting on a cupcake stand here in my studio, where I admire them every time I walk past:) It's fun to imagine the story behind little bits and prices like these... Who bought them? Who wore them? When? Where? Wouldn't it be wonderful to know?