Belle and Boo are the creation of talented British artist Mandy Sutcliffe. Whilst spending time in France and sketching Parisian children in the park Belle and Boo slowly evolved and have very quickly become a British lifestyle brand. I'll give you a link to their web site at the end of this post.
Meanwhile here are a few sample pages from this beautiful book.
Don't you just love the little pull-along elephant (pattern in the book).
The clever mix of photographs and tiny painted characters is a delightful idea don't you think?
This is Belle. Her bobbed hair takes me straight back to my own childhood when many of us had this style. Sadly it isn't often seen in the UK these days as most little girls want to grow their hair long. I love the bobbed look.
And here is Boo. What a little sweetheart. (Pattern in the book).
You'll be pleased to hear all these delightful ideas have inspired me to get my knitting needles out again and I have made a start on a new doll. I never begin with a fixed idea but just experiment and hope for inspiration and so far all I can confirm is that the next dolly will be slightly bigger than most of the others. Two funny felt eyes are pinned in place and I have a tangled bundle of yarn that I position on top of her head to give her a bit more character! It doesn't sound very promising does it but I can assure this is the way I always work so hopefully something cute will eventually emerge. Meanwhile I'll leave you with a link to the Bell and Boo website. You'll find it by clicking HERE.
Wishing you all a happy weekend.