Little Dolly

Greetings friends. It's been a while since I fluttered by and I confess not a great deal has been happening here at the 'patch'. As it's horribly dull and wet today, and taking photos would be impossible, I thought I'd show you the dolly I've just finished making. But first, a little verse that I'm rather fond of.

Tabitha Meg has a head like an egg,

And her body is short and squat.

Though her legs are thin and her hair is straight

She's the beautif'lest dolly I've got.

She's a kind-of-a, sort-of-a homemade doll,

And a birthday gift for me,

For my Granny is clever at things like that,

And 'Tab' is her work, you see.

I shall always love my Tabitha Meg,

And when I am old and grey,

I shall keep her safe in a cardboard box,

And give her a cuddle each day.

Whilst creating new characters I like to imagine the many knitters around the world all putting a great deal of love into making little dollies for children.

Inspiration for my latest little girl came from the drawings my daughter did when she was very small, and so I made her with tiny tots in mind. She's very easy to knit and extremely huggable with a 'soft as a pillow' body. Her arms, legs, hat, hair and eyes are all firmly stitched on. Should she enjoy plenty of jammy kisses and falls from the baby buggy then she would be washable (with care) in warm soapy water. The knitting pattern for her is now in my Dollytime Etsy shop.

The very last thing I add to a dolly is cheek colour (in this case done with a beeswax crayon). I thought I'd show you pictures of before and after rosie cheek treatment. Just look at the difference it makes.

Dolly has now taken on her own personality and this little girl is very definitely a rascal. See what happened when she found my box of coloured pencils.

Thank you for dropping by today. Over the past few weeks I've watched on TV the many disasters and weather events that have occurred around the world and I sincerely hope you have not been badly affected by any of them. Wishing you the Very Best for 2011.

Seasons Greetings

Wishing you all a Happy and Peaceful Christmas

Let's play in the snow

Rosy cheeks and tingling toes....... how well I remember that 'snow play' feeling.

This delightful picture is on the front cover of the 1951 Lucie Attwell Annual. Don't you just love it.

Do read this little verse as I think it speaks for children everywhere.

This little tot's wishes have certainly been answered here in Britain as Mr Forecast Man has been warning us all week about imminent 'normous falls of snow. And now the white stuff has well and truly arrived for the second time this month. Children everywhere will be whooping with joy whilst their unfortunate parents are most likely snowbound with no hope of reaching the shops for all those last minute Christmas essentials.

Fortunately I acquired my Christmas tree from a local farm yesterday before this recent snow fall but I won't be bringing it indoors for a couple of days (it's currently staying warm and dry in the garage).

I hope your Christmas preparations are going well whatever your weather.

Until next time.

Images of Christmas by Ferrandiz

In 1960s Britain, Christmas cards depicting scenes by Spanish artist Juan Ferrandiz began to make an appearance and they proved hugely popular. I wonder how many of you remember pictures like this? I found them so appealing that I squirreled away any that I came across and have just rediscovered them in a box in the attic.

My Mum bought this Woman's Own magazine in 1965 and once she'd finished reading it I was allowed to remove the cover.

The picture below appeared in a Sunday Times colour supplement in the late 1960s.

The Ferrandiz style of painting children with softly lit faces is instantly recognisable.

The cards above and below date from the mid 1970s

Juan Ferrandiz was a Spanish illustrator specializing in stories for children and Christmas cards. He was also a sculptor and writer of poems and stories for children. He was born in Barcelona (Spain) in 1918 and died in August 1997 at the age of 79.

To see more Christmas pictures by this artist try searching for Jaun Ferrandiz in Google Images.

The glow of candlelight

I received this Christmas card in this morning's post and was immediately transported back to Christmases of long ago. More about the card at the end of the post.

Meanwhile, I couldn't resist gathering together a few of my 'treasures' and using the card as a background for this little candlelit scene. At this time of year what could be more evocative than the glow of candle light on polished wood.

The candlestick, inkwell and wine glass are Victorian, the letter is older and dated 1779

For more Christmas inspiration I needed to look no further than the wonderful scenes created by Dutch artist Anton Pieck? He was born in 1895 and lived to the grand old age of 92. His work has always been a great favourite of mine and several of his prints hang on the walls around my house. I just love the attention to detail in every picture and the muted colours and dark interiors give each scene a very Dickensian atmosphere.

 Toyshop

Clockmaker's shop

Bakers' shop

Bookshop

During Britain's current freezing conditions our poor garden birds are looking very bedraggled and are devouring any food I put out for them. Sadly my feathered friends were not prepared to pose for my camera this morning so I took a few pics of our garden plants prettily laced with frost and snow. How they survive such conditions is a mystery to me.

Finally, back to the card. Because I've been a returning customer over the years I receive a similarly beautiful card each Christmas from a company with the splendid name 'Lovers of Blue and White'.  They sell blue and white china (old and new) and their web site is well worth a visit if, like me, you are a lover of the stuff.

I couldn't go without showing you one more little scene that I put together using my early Georgian teapot and tea bowl. Accompanying the card was a blue and white 'Christmas wish list' and it definitely is!

By the way, in case you were curious, that isn't tea in the little bowl it's cinnamon and clove scented pot pourri which I like placing in the dining room at this time of year.