silk flowers

Modelling the finished headpiece.

making a headpiece

I got another request to make a bridal headpiece recently.

This one was for Ari's sweet teacher.... and she loved it ♥

A Beautiful Book

This has to be one of my all time favourite illustrated books but

it comes with a rather hefty price tag. I only own a diary version.

If you are feeling particularly affluent today it is available from

 Amazon.com

...lucky you! xox

stealing beauty

How beautiful is this lace curtain that Elisabeth's

putting together for her little swedish cottage?

I think I might have to steal this idea away

for some corner window in our house...

perhaps this one? The staircase is beautiful, but 

this corner of the room could use a bit of help.

little hexagons

 patchwork flowers made by Tina 

found via Fine Little Day

take a look at Ratzer 

(Tina's lovely emporium of graphic woolen bliss)

the dollybird

You can view all their links via this treasury

which I put together a few days ago,

and you can view my other treasuries here 

pretty things

I love the styling and photography of many Etsy shops, 

just as much as I love the vintage they have listed...  

the shop: Clever Nettle 

the blog: CLEVER NETTLE  

the shop: The Loved One 

the blog: Hannah and Landon 

the shop: Vera Vague 

the blog: into the vague 

all via ETSY 

I love reading the blogs and the background to each shop 

update and about the inspiration behind the beautiful images.

Much time and heart goes into these photo shoots and often 

the sellers do it all themselves with a tripod and a self-timer. 

Many of these girls are so multi-talented, being makers as well 

as vintage sellers, stylists, photographers & bloggers to boot!

cane toads and butterflies

This lovely embroidery was listed on Etsy a while ago.

It reminded me so very much of Henry Darger's work,

and it wasn't very expensive, but I just couldnt afford it.

Sigh.  It ain't easy being a struggling artist.

For more vivian girl inspired embroideries

take a look here at the work of Wendy Huhn

FLY ME TO THE MOON

LET ME PLAY AMONG THOSE STARS

Karen Elson 

via Karen Elson 

Irina Graewe

via all the mountains...

billy und hells 

via thought patterns  

Nathalie Lété

Anthropologie 

also have a lovely selection of 

Nathalie Lété 's work available here 

...how I wish they shipped internationally...

The Dress Up Box

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╱╲
╱            ╲
╱     HELLO!    ╲
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╱        Yesterday Ari           ╲
╱        dressed up as a clown.         ╲ 

╱       He made the cute hat himself        ╲

╱      and asked me to paint his cheeks red.      ╲
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The other beautiful image is from Small magazine  

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I love the way that children will utilise the dress up box...

( or whatever happens to be lying around the house)

and bring their fantasies alive.

 Some of my favourite memories are of playing dress ups 

with the other kids in my neighbourhood.  

Dancing about in my mum's old polkadot

 nighties and flowing velvet empire line dresses. 

( hmmm... it seems that not much has changed)

My father is german and I have a dear little collection 

of Heidi dresses with matching aprons and beautiful capes 

that I would often wear as a little girl.

 my mother, my brother, and I... 

admiring my lovely reflection

  As I outgrew each set, a pretty new folk costume 

would arrive in the mail from my relatives, 

(often just in time for the Octoberfest) 

....and just perfect for re-enacting fairytales.

dolly LOVE

I love dollies, it's true. 

Not the hideous collectible kind that one might find in the back 

of old women's weeklies, but 1960s pose dolls?   yes please!

Justine's collection of reproduction Blythe dolls?   hell yeah! 

And dismembered vintage bisque dolls or parts there of 

always provoke a strange kind of yearning in me.... 

a yearning for what, exactly, I'm not quite sure, but there is something so strangely beautiful and disturbingly alluring about decrepid old porcelain ladies, that I  find  myself trawling far too often through the... 

Etsy vintage doll listings 

I could go on and, as my blogging progresses, I probably will, but for now I'll leave you with the above link and the handmade eye candy below

let's not forget the homely beauty of the traditional cloth doll

via wovenplay  

makers of beautiful sustainable children's wear, 

and on occassion doll clothes,

and Jess Brown : the doll maker

SO

because I love dollies, and I most probably like princesses too 
(as I am a girl) my thoughtful little man drew these for me today...

'prince and princess dolls"

standing outside their palace

(the signs say 'PALACE' and "enter here")

'princess dolly in polka dot dress'

(these are very much responsible for the above dolly ramblings)

TODAY

We did loads of drawing, then we watched Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (but we covered our eyes during the scary bits) 


We ate vanilla plum jam on crusty bread ( jam made from the fruit of a wild cherry plum tree that grows in our garden ), we rescued a beautiful black and white moth from a spider's web, we played with Sneaky, our crazy kitten and chatted to our budgies Coo Coo and Loco. 


Then Ari had a bath with his new favourite sailing ship (Batman's boat-mobile) and I watched the sun set over the distant hills while I cooked pasta in our country kitchen and drank sweet chai tea.

Somedays life is just good, 
and I am thankful to be mama to such a 

precious little soul.

Flower Head: wunderkammer

The Picture Book 

This is an image that I photographed today of a shelf display in our
  
WUNDERKAMMER

The curiosities are listed from left to right and top to bottom as follows...

a pair of celluloid swans found in an antique store many years ago, porcelain doll parts left behind by previous tenants of our house, paper flowers made for a long lost love but never given to him, a souvenir medallion presented to every school child in Australia in commemoration of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953, vintage keys to cupboards and bureaus long gone, silver seahorse brooche purchased at the Esplanade Market in St. Kilda, a cameo portrait of King George? bought at a junkshop in Westgarth, soviet medal purchased at Check Point Charlie Berlin, korean coin donated by a patron when I was busking as a living statue, Australian 2¢ copper coin c1975 (no longer in circulation) picturing a frilled neck lizard and displaying a tiny dead black beetle found in the garden here, minature heart-shaped wall plaque and copper kitchen utensils that I bought as a child at the most incredible antique dollhouse shop when we visited Nuremberg, Germany (home to this wonderous  toy museum )... I was allowed to choose one single thing (I believe it was an incredibly expensive shop), silver maori charm a gift from a friend, tiny gold crown button discovered at Camberwell Market, wooden hexagonal-shaped game piece from unknown source, 1970s flapper hat pin purchased on Etsy, 1940s metal printer's plate of a  shoe found in an Adelaide curiosity shop in the nineteen-eighty four 

...ah, the collecting of wonders never ceases at our house.

-M-i-n-n-i-e- -M-o-u-s-e-

Much Love (Black) 

Lula magazine

forties shoes via unknown

RockZombieOldies

Raββity Mσσȵ

Etsy  

little shop of 

Spotty Rabbit Pendant by and O Design

Kooky Spooks 

german bunny lamp aviliable here 

for more easter goodness check out these bunny delights 

pretty little maids

via ETSY, of course 

never has the relentless nature of household chores
seemed so sweet