sleeping with rabbits...

Another beautiful and strange Victorian postcard.

Not another montage, but a studio photograph.

I couldn't resist purchasing this one. It's pinned 

to the inspiration board above my beautiful old deco 

worktable. How I do love these old dream-like images.

Oh Mickey!

"I think of a child's mind as a blank book. During 

the first years of his life, much will be written on the pages. 

The quality of that writing will affect his life profoundly."

Walt Disney once said.

Following last weeks post I was reminded of this picture. 

It was a random moment. We happened to stop by this wall 

and Ari happened to be dressed just like a...  mouseketeer.  

Mickey, at all times?  No. 

We're not big on branding. 

Just another  'cute'  op shop find in my mind. 

I do like... stuff.  And, I confess, I do like... Mickey Mouse. 

Actually I like a lot of what Disney has made to offer,

I like Pixar and I like the early studio animation work. 

 But what is it exactly that appeals to me and so many 

about the 'Disney World'  and about THAT mouse? 

The mouse that roared is available here from Amazon
and this book puts forth some interesting ideas too.

Image:  Devotion by Julia Margaret Cameron 1865

I breathe you in

You smell of bilberry shampoo

and 

my child

I watch as 

in sleep you toss and turn

I watch the

gentle heaving of your chest

as you breathe in
and then 
breathe out

Your cheeks are

the softest thing

that I have ever known

Your eyes with their 

beautiful long lashes

Your nose so tiny 

and perfect

Your sweet baby lips 

shaped like a kiss

Oh how I overflow with heaven

at the sight of you now

my sleeping child

And how I long to live over again

all the days past 

that I have spent

holding you close 

on this earth

my sweet, sweet Ariel

I stroke your golden hair

and you turn to me

my hands fill with silken ringlets

as you roll gently 

into my arms

And I know

this is happiness


happy mother's day

The Blue Wall

I painted a wall in our house this beautiful blue.

Above are the artworks which now reside there,

in-between two archways.  They are as follows...

                       1. the goblin mask

                           made and worn by a friend to my 23rd birthday

                       2. 'Madam' from The Living Doll

                           (a series which I am currently working on)

                       3. The Moon by Ariel Gray (then three years old)

one of the archways is rectangular and the other is rounded;

one was carved by my grandfather and the other  by my father.

The wall itself is really a work of art,

and I would include a photo of it here

if our house weren't so messy,

ah, but mess is such a part of life for artists (and kids)...

perhaps our very world was born out of such chaos, 

perhaps

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.