Meridian Ariel's primitive dolls

"Eleanor"

my friend MeridianAriel has recently started making these primitive style monster dolls
i think they are great
i love the "grungified" treatment she gives them
and if you head over to her blog you can read their stories too

"Claudette and Lisette"

"Oona"

i think they are getting better with each monster doll she makes
i love Oona and her pretty doily dress
here's a bit of her story
"Oona likes spinning tales and lies spill from her mouth like wildflower honey . . . . ."

go to Meri's blog to read more

http://meridianariel.blogspot.com/

Alice in Wonderland - what i got!!!!

this was a really good swap!
look what Amanda from
http://kitschycoo.blogspot.com/
sent me
this lovely big bag made from gorgeous
"Alice in Wonderland" fabric

it's really cute!

it's lined in lovely polka dot baby needlecord fabric

and full of nom nom nom Thornton's chocolates
it will be perfect as a crafty project bag once i've finished all the sweeties!

a fantastic hand-made notebook

i love this cute heart detail

and some Wonderland crafty supplies -
beautiful Alice fabric and this lovely cotton tape with part of the story on it.

"we're all mad here, i'm mad, you're mad"

and this photograph most definately proves that sentance!
yes to top it off Amanda sent me this
crazy Mad Hatter's shower cap

I loved doing this swap - thanks again to MeridianAriel for organising it :o)

My birthday!

half-past-six in the morning
my son is stomping up the stairs shouting
"happy birthday Mummy"
but he brought me this gorgeous painting
so i'll let him off the way too early start!

the painting is of me and the baby i mind in her pink pushchair!
Derek got me a fantastic new camera
which is the newer version of mine in PINK
and a cd and a boxed set of Doctor Who {swoon}

My daughter was more civilised
and brought my gifts
{a huge tea mug and thornton's truffles yummy!}
with a lovely cup of tea at a more reasonable time!

so after a leisurely morning and a visit from a friend bearing flowers
we headed off to Bude for shopping and a pic-nic lunch
hmmm i don't like the look of those clouds

this is my favourite shop in Bude
it is jam-packed full of textiles and jewellery and nick-nacks!

after a few shops the rain started gently
and then the heavens opened!

cornish pasties in the car instead of on the canal bank!
rain or not we had a lovely time
and i got a new dress for a wedding in August
so feel very relieved that is sorted
(obviously i will NEED new shoes too!)
there is a great fabric/haberdashery shop in Bude
but we were running out of time on the parking ticket
so i did a five minute look - i will have to go back soon!

when we got home there was a lovely parcel waiting for me from MeridianAriel
with a gorgeous needle book in the fabric i've been lusting over
a lavender sachet a beautiful card
and some vintage darning thread
all wrapped up in pattern paper and baker's twine.

my Mum joined us for a chinese take out for tea
and my Aunt & Uncle popped round with more gifts of chocolate
and we all ate too many cakes and biscuits!

and to top off a perfect day it was the TORCHWOOD finale
Oh my god - did you watch it?
i loved it but am still feeling a little haunted!

mabel got framed and other stories

i found a tiny vintage frame for "Mabel" not quite sure what i'll do with her now though!

Ages ago i took part in Meridian Ariel's http://meridianariel.blogspot.com/ "fairytale swap" - i meant to blog my swap gifts from Jo Lovejoyhttp://www.things-to-make-and-do.co.uk/ at the time but some pesky little boy ran off with it! He loves the little book with the textued pieces of jabberwocky skin and wing! I managed to get the book back and photographed before having to give it back - i also got a notebook and a bookmark - Jo enquired whether this was "dark" enough a tale for my taste - oh yes it sure is, as a child i was terrified of this poem which my parent's would relish in reciting to me "don't say that JabeRwOcKy" would be my fearful response - thanks Jo!!!!

ooohh look what i got in the post

loads of gorgeous fabric covered buttons from incywincystitches http://www.incywincystitches.com/

cute cute cute little dolls

and even cuter winter wonderland creatures - which i'm going to sew on to my black winter coat.

but i might just have go buy more . . .very soon!

oh and there were some cute strawberry shortcake hair bobbles but my daughter has them somewhere in the murky teenage depths of her bedroom!!!