Paul Klee Hand Puppets

This is a great book (I bought it recently for my lovely friend Holly, who is a puppet maker, amongst her other many talents).

Paul Klee started making puppets for his son Felix, but soon became quite addicted to making them.  Around 30 of the surviving puppets are photographed in this book - some are creepy, some funny, some downright weird, but all very charming.

Merry Christmas Everyone

Somehow, amidst all the Christmas shopping I've been doing for friends and family, I seem to have bought a few things for me.  Like this video.  Yes, a real VHS video (why isn't it available on DVD?!  It's brilliant).  And this magazine (I do hope someone is getting me a subscription for next year because apart from everything else I love about it, I do l-o-v-e the smell of it.)  And a book.  You might remember I recently found one in the series but was keen to find Do You See What I See.  I was right to be keen, it's just lovely.  Too many gorgeous illustrations to choose from, so for now I've just picked the most Christmassy to show.  There is a great interview with Helen Borten here.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!  Many thanks to everyone who has bought from my shops or commissioned windows from me this year, I am very grateful for your support.

(And also virtual hugs and mince pies to all the lovely and super blog/twitter/instagram/pinterest friends - may your Christmasses be interesting and photogenic, as well as full of fun, love and laughter.)

See you in 2013!

Vintage Book Find - Do You Move As I Do / Helen Borten

I found this wonderful vintage book yesterday.

Gorgeous illustrations and lyrical text - it really is quite inspirational.  This is one of a series of three books that Helen Borten wrote and illustrated for children, designed to "challenge the child's senses and increase his awareness of the beauties in the world around him".

I'm now on a mission to track down the remaining two - Do You Hear What I Hear? and Do You See What I See?

Library Books

I took an obscene amount of books out of the library the other day.  The design section is always too good.  I'll never get them all finished before they have to go back, what was I thinking?!  Anyway, I've started on this one and it's great - serious eye candy and really nicely written.

Catching Up

Life seems to be rushing past so quickly at the moment, and I feel like I'm trying to crowbar everything I need to do into the last few days of child-free time before the summer holidays start at the end of next week.

Here's a quick round-up of what I've been doing...

I got my copy of Popular Crafts magazine today with the Q&A I did for them a while back.  Very exciting to see myself in print for the first time!

I bought a beautiful hardback book of Garden Flowers from my next-door bookshop.

There's been so much going on at the girls' school lately - the end of term art show was really impressive - how great do these sail pictures and shadow boxes look?

Filling my kiln up with various bits of various birds...

Buying this ace vintage chopping board - perfect for the campervan.

Making Isla's birthday cake, including a little marzipan Dobby the House Elf figure, at some ridiculous hour of the night (morning).  I always leave these things to the last minute...

Pink & Yellow

I remember finding pink and yellow such a yucky colour combination when I was little. Now I find myself seeking it out. If only "true" pink glass wasn't so very very expensive (it's made with gold!) I'd use it all the time.

I bought these bookshelves today. They're very tatty, but I couldn't resist the pigeon holes. How silly.

We are enjoying reading these books - a guilty pleasure.

Last weekend we watched Arrietty which was shown as part of the Bridport Film Festival - From Page to Screen. It was glorious. I want to watch it again and again and again.

P.S. Thanks for the nice words about my Spring/Autumn panels. You're all lovely.

Last Week...

Firing...

Reading...

Receiving...

Growing...

Looking...

 

Good Books

I've found some very nicely illustrated children's books recently.

The first two were picked up at a book fair in Collioure 

and are published by Editions Grandir.  

We were lucky enough that they had the 

English translations of the 2 books we loved.

The last one came from a car boot sale a few weeks back.

The other browsers at the stall may still have the bruises 

from my elbowing past to grab it.

I like the slightly Christmassy feel of the last image.

Which reminds me, I'd better get busy making....