elfie & Me

Knitted Toadstool Keyrings

Aren't they cute? And before you ask, no they weren't knitted by me. You didn't really think so did you? I did sew on the name tapes and pearls which I really enjoyed sitting with my back to the stove on the little red chair while Alexei did his homework. "You look like an old lady Mummy"
Naturally, I took this as a compliment.
A lady called Jane made these for the Pixieland shop and if I lean out of the attic window and look over the allotments to the hill in the distance, I can see Jane's house on the hillside where she creates all sorts of wonderful things with wool.

Wishing you all a very belated Happy New Year

I have been like a very slow tortoise moving slowly into the New Year, complete with piece of lettuce dangling from mouth (New Years Resolution: eat more veg). Lots of projects on the go but not much finished yet. Christmas and the New Year seems such a long time ago. Look at my lovely new bag.

I'm loving it when people ask me if made it, I'm almost tempted to lie. . . I had admired it at the Country Living Show back in November and my sister sneaked back and bought it for my birthday despite the fact she thinks it is a bit "granny". You all know that I am a bit of an old lady at heart. When I am a proper old lady, I am going to style myself on Miss Marple and eat rose and violet cremes every day from a secret stash at the bottom of my handbag.

I've done a new version of "The Fairy Cat" with a different cat based on a sketch of Percy. I love Percy with his nose upturned. Anything new has to be throughly inspected and sniffed all over. That includes people. Especially the inside of ears.

I can't wait to show you my latest endevour. It involves knitting and is veeerrry cute! Wait and see!

I've got that "What now feeling?"

I always feel like this at this time of year, stuck in the no man's land of the old year and the new. Christmas Day was a blast but now I don't know what to do with myself. I'm sick of twiddling my thumbs so I've been painting a small cupboard that has been propped up, looking neglected for ages. In all honesty, I'd rather not be painting it at all but then I feel annoyed with myself for having an attack of lazyitus. Actually, my last New Year's Resolution was to "Stop procrastinating" and I've found the blog really good for helping me as I'm more likely to start and finish something if I've posted about it. Does anyone else suffer from lack of enthusiasm for things right now? Or is it just slothful me? And what's the cure? I'm moaning, so I'll go now . . . Oh, roll on January!

On thing I'm really enjoying right now is that I've started reading Alexei my favorite childhood book: "The Children of Green Knowe". Not only is it the perfect winter read, in this battered old book there are Christmas wishes written by my long departed Grandparents on the fly leaf. So I really treasure this book, dog-eared though it is. But I'm actually too scared to visit the house in the book, (Yes, it exists all right!) just in case is doesn't measure up to the one I imagined so vividly when I was seven years old.

And I'm pleased to say, Alexei loves it too.

Nearly there

Are YOU ready yet? As usual I am not! Loads of presents still waiting to be wrapped. The cake has yet to be iced. The curries for Boxing Day have not been made.

But the little tree in the living room makes my heart lift everytime I look at it as it is so small and cute and perfectly formed (unfortunately artifical though!). The real tree in the dining room makes my heart sink every time I go past as it is leaning in a tipsy fashion and Percy has run off with half of the decorations. Alexei and I just tend to bung decorations randomly and that is how it stays. I look with envy at all the beautiful and creative decorations all you talented lot seem to put together!

So as the chinese lanterns have been lit, I'm going to toast you all with a large glass of wine and wish you all a very happy Christmas. Peace, health and happiness to all of you and your loved ones.

I'm not going to wish you Happy New Year yet as I'll be back in the next few days. I do find that dreadfully flat feeling hits just after Boxing Day and I don't know what to do with myself. So I'll be popping in to visit you all.

Although, for the first time EVER, Roland has the whole week off between Christmas and New Year so we can do lots of jolly things.

But NO sale shopping.

I am so sick of shopping!

Better late than never . . .

. . to show my latest Christmas card design. Yes, I know it's late but at the moment I can't get away from THAT wallpaper design. I've put it on notebooks and canvases and I can't get enough of those pesky imps which keep cropping up on all the latest wares. Anyway, if you are still needing Christmas cards, they are now for sale on the website. I have yet to write a single card . . .

A big "Thank you" to all that supported Bizarre Bazaar on Saturday. I had a great time next to Catherine. We met some lovely people, were fortified by great cakes, coffee and mulled wine and during quiet moments we planned world domination: Cupcakes/Pixie style. Part of the manifesto was that polka dot painting would become compulsory on all objects and Pixie hats must be worn at all times.
Here is a very dark and dismal picture of my stall. It actually looked a lot more jolly in real life.

P.S. I've also got some left over Christmas decorations which are also up on the site. They are made from embroidered vintage traycloths glued onto paper mache shapes. Ideal for your Christmas tree. (I also bring out the hearts out a few days before Valentine's day as a gentle reminder! Subtle as a sledge hammer, that's me!)

Postcard from Pixieland

These are the new Pixieland promotional postcards. Not only are they printed on recycled card but they are printed with vegetable oil based ink which is jolly good, I'm sure you will agree.
I'm feeling much better this week and we braved the wild and windswept Dungeness beach on Sunday. Well, we braved it for about 10 minutes. Prior to the quick walk across the shingle, we had been celebrating a friends 40th birthday with hearty portions of fish and chips in the Britannia Inn. Well worth battling through horizontal rain for! And the sea was magnificent!

Next Saturday, I will be having a stall at Bizarre Bazaar in Maidstone. if you are in the area, please drop by and say hello..I will next to Catherine from Molly Cupcakes. Catherine's stuff is so pretty and it will be lovely to have a friendly face next door!

P.S I've hatched a cunning plan to lure my customers in with a bowl of that traditional Christmas confectionary -Quality Street. Quality Street chocolates in their jeweled wrappers just scream "CHRISTMAS IS HERE!" at me. Let's hope I haven't polished off the whole tin by Saturday.

Fever

Very early this morning I watched the light creep across the bedroom ceiling and the first birds started singing as I lay sleepless with hot pinpricks of fever running through my inert body. In my head I had mentally redecorated the house, designed another few cards and restocked the shop. I lay there listening to the bizarre snatches of early morning radio as Roland hit the snooze button several times more. I really hope I'm not getting this cold and fever that is doing the rounds. I cannot be ill now, 'tis the busy season!!! Dang and blast!

The winner of the Christmas giveaway is Angela aka Toadstoolella! Congratulations to you and your parcel will be on it's way shortly.

The sharp-eyed amongst you will recognise this little creature as the Mushroom Pixie but Toadstoolella was just such a perfect name! Thank you to everyone who shared their elfin names, they were such fun to read.

I'm starting to worry about how ill prepared I am for Christmas. I have a couple of half finished Christmas card designs which I hoped to road test on my ever patient family and friends but as usual time has run away with me . . . "I can't believe it is nearly the end of the year" I said to Roland last night.
"You know what that means, don't you?" he replied. "The years speed up, the older you get."

And for once, I couldn't think of a thing to say.

Come and get them while they're hot!

As promised, I'm doing a Pre-Christmas giveaway this week. The winner will receive a set of 6 Pixieland Christmas cards -that's 3 of each design plus a set of 8 assorted gift tags. All you have to do is reply to this post before midnight on Monday 26th November and tell me your elfin name. Everyone's got one somewhere! I'm usually the "Nice-cup-of-tea-pixie" but yesterday I was definately the Vomit Fairy as Percy was not very well. In true feline fashion, he woke us early on Sunday morning with melodramatic and copious amounts of retching. Here he is looking sorry for himself.

On Friday I went to the Country Living Fair. It was wonderful although very busy. I met my sister and we shopped 'til we dropped while chatting all the way round. Now for "show and Tell"

I bought this lovely pixie brooch which I plan to wear on Chrismas Day from Stephanie at My Sweet Fairy. Stephanie is like a delightful French Fairy herself. Another purchase was this lovely book from Caroline at Twice.

Such gorgeous vintage Fabric. Must think of someting nice to use it for.

A lovely heart- gorgeous vintage flowered fabric again.

Some toadstools for the Christmas tree. (And a few Christmas presents that I won't share in case of family lurkers!)

A Wallpaper thing

I've got a thing for wallpaper. I don't like it everywhere but I love it in small cosy rooms or on stairwells and the inside of cupboards. And designing repeating patterns is kind of relaxing but challenging at the same time.
This wallpaper has been a work in progress for months and at last I'm quite pleased with it. A small thought has been niggling away at the back of my head: shall I send it in to the great Cath Kidston and see what she thinks? Or will she think I'm some kind of stalker and Mr Kipling fetishest . . .

It's been a strange week at Pixieland. Bluebell went missing on Sunday which is really NOT like her. Her life is basket . . . food . . . litter tray . . . basket . . . with maybe a short stroll around the garden on pleasant days. We searched high and low, put notes though people's doors, poked around in bushes with torches but to no avail. Foxes and fireworks were our biggest concern (do foxes kill cats?). Alexei was inconsolable and whilst I was trying to keep a lid on it, I couldn't settle to anything.
On Wednesday while I was sitting at my desk in a desultory manner, I heard Roland exclaim "Bluebell- we thought we'd lost you!!! as he opened the cellar door.
Yes, the cellar door.
Madam Bluebell was down there the whole time.
Despite all 3 of us searching into every cobwebby corner.
Despite Roland fixing his bike down there for 2 hours.
Despite my regular trips down there to get stuff out of the freezer.
She was there all the time and none the worst for wear. Just thirsty and hungry. And as yet I haven't found any evidence of any little presents she may have left us during her exile. (Me thinks it's about time we tidied up down there).
Here she is again, the little minx.

The latter part of the week had me feeling indescribably happy. . . joy was bubbling up out of me and I've been having my one of my super-creative phrases. They don't last long so I have to make the most of them.To celebrate the return of Bluebell I'm going to have a Pre- Christmas give away next week so don't forget to pop back soon. Off to cuddle my beloved girl now. Have a nice weekend.

Delicious Devon

Just look at these cakes. . . aren't they divine? The main problem is, which one to choose . . ."Ok, you can have a piece of mine if I can have a bit of yours. . . What do you mean you're not going to have a cake? You have to . . . I'm not coming all this way without trying the coffee cake . . . Oh no! Alexei's nearly finished that chocolate cake while I've been discussing cake with you . . . can I have just a small taste, please Poppet?"
Our first stop in Devon was to Totnes. Jane told us all the best places to go and when we saw the window of Grey's Tearoom . . .oh joy! We also visited the antique market where I met Jane's lovely friend Amanda (Hello Amanda! I know you "lurk" sometimes) who has the most gorgeous stall called "Shabby Chick". I think this is one of the most useful things about blogging: we can all give each other tips on all the great places to visit and meeting nice people along the way is always lovely!
Much fortified after a large tea, we made our way to one of our favoutite haunts: Lynton in North Devon. Those sweeps of hillside that fall dramatically into the sea (not literally of course!) are amazing.
And, of course, we worry less about Alexei dramatically falling into the sea now he is a bit older. But I still have anxious moments on some of the roads . . .hope those brakes don't fail!!