Happy May

Chilly cloudy days to enjoy :). I turn 24 this month, my husband turns 27 and my guinea pig Marmaduke and one of my mice, Yasha, turn two!
24 sounds like a nice age! I look forward to it.

Opp Shop Finds

$2.50 pair of vintage Taiwanese rabbits. Adorable!

No I didn't find this exact American Apparel skirt at the op shop, but the one I got is so close it's not funny. Black calf length with accordion pleats. Considering I was going to buy the real deal tonight, I'm so glad I went to the op shop at lunch. Saved myself $80! Yeah!

The Wind in the Willows

It would appear my Charming Mr. Frog brooch has been getting a bit of love already on Etsy treasuries. Here he is featured in a wonderful treasury inspired by 'The Wind in the Willows' by theVerdantGarage. I think this captures Wind in the Willows perfectly! Look at the little motorcar! I loved Wind in the Willows as a child, it brings back so many memories. If I watch the opening credits to the 1980's show on YouTube - I can't help but cry!There is also another frog based treasury taking isnpiration from a children's book by Arnold Lobel called 'Frog and Toad' by mkissel. Lots of froggy happiness. Enjoy!

Custom Order - Charming Mr. Frog

I received a custom order from a returning customer. She wanted a picture which usually features in my necklaces to be put in a brooch. It was for her mother in law for Mothers day.

I happened to make two - and now one is available on Etsy.

I'll have to fight the urge to keep it myself!

Little bits of Adelaide

What did you do on your long weekend? Our roadtrip went really well! Here are some pretty highlights from our fun filled trip! Enjoy.

Nic and I at the big balls in Rundle Mall - Adelaide city centre
Prominent Hay Jays

Roadside stop
Sean & I on seaweed mounds in Glenelg
Sean & I - Barossa Valley
A snapshot of my favourite town - Angaston

Pretty kangaroo at the zoo

Adelaide Road trip Treasury

click above to view full size

So.. on this 5 day weekend I am going on a road trip to Adelaide with some friends. I have never been before!
I have created this treasury to celebrate - with some Adelaide inspired pieces and sweet things from Adelaide based Etsy stores! It's what I envision the weekend will be like.
What do you have planned for your weekend?

Florentius The Gardener

Some illustrations and words worth taking a look at - from Kęstutis Kasparavicius, Lithuanian illustrator of children's books. Here are a couple of illustrations from one of his 48 books, Florentius the Gardener.

I think that a good book for children must also be a good book for adults. I try to write so that one would want to read the same book over and over again. Books should be such that one wouldn't want to throw them in the corner after opening the first page. Such that one could turn the pages for a long while, look at the drawings without reading the text, or, quite the opposite, read without paying attention to the illustrations. Such that one could start reading right from the middle or actually try reading from the end. Such that there would be points in them at which one wants to pause and think for a while and, certainly, not rush.

Courtesy of Lithuanian Children's Book Exhibition 'Illustrarium'. Click the link to find many more wonderful illustrators.

Rabbit Treasuries

Recently I have been lucky enough to be featured in a couple of rabbit themed treasuries on Etsy. My Tea Sipping Rabbit cameo brooch appeared in this April Tea Lovers Treasury - Lemon Bunnies by battic Also my dearest Samson necklace was featured in this Hippity Hoppity treasury by Tib44 Click the images to see these wonderful treasuries full size! I wish I had more time to make treasuries. It is so fun!

Friend named Autumn

Hello dear friend called Autumn. Your breezes cool us, your sun warms us. Your crunchy leaves make us smile and shorter days make us sleepy. Thank you.

Happiness print by bomobob on Etsy.

Autumn my dear, your already half gone - how can that be? My, how time flies!

German Film Festival

It's that time of year again- the German Film Festival is on!

From April 7 to April 18th various German films spanning a broad range of genres are being played in Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. I have been to see various films there over the past 3 years and been absolutely delighted, laughed, cried, even covered my eyes. There was one film that went way over my head, but another I loved so much that I dragged my friends along to see it with me few days later.

It's just so exciting - I find European films in general are so refreshing compared to mainstream American films. Like me, this may be a great chance to get in touch with your German heritage. Or if you're not German, why not just pretend? I mean who doesn't like chocolate, pretzels and beer? (All things you get for free on opening night, and all things I'm not allowed to have... haha!)

Click here for more info. Auf Wiedersehen!

Marisol Spoon

Last night while Etsy browsing I found shop to dote on... Marisol Spoon. Super cute badges. Most of these prints by Marisol are also available in art prints and lockets Pretty squirrel locket! Adorable Stella of the Sea print. Enjoy your Friday people! xx

Mice friends

These are my 3 pet mice friends. They were photographed about a month ago by my husband in his new studio. This is the cuddliest, oldest, wisest mouse I have, Bear. Bear just turned 2, which is 80 in mouse years. She is a siamese texel (which means her fur is wavy) and is very pretty with her ruby coloured eyes. This is the baby of the group - kind hearted Yasha, who will turn 2 at the end of May. And last but not least Mem, the clean freak of the group. She is always so busy making house! I have had the girls nearly 2 years and seen them grow and cared for them through their ups and downs. I adore them and am quite sad that their little lives will soon be coming to a close. But don't worry, we will make the most of their elderly years!

What are you reading?

There is a film that I adore called Doctor Zhivago. The 3 hour epic was made in 1965 and tells the story of various Russians affected by the First World War and Revolution in Russia. Of course there is a love story involved.

My dad ordered me the book from the US. It is hardcover and has beautiful roughly 'cut' pages. Now to get my head around those long Russian names! So, what are you reading?

New Products March 2011 - 20% Off!

Pretty new items now available on www.brambleandbear.etsy.com and Little Shop Of Handmade in Carnegie. To say thanks to my loyal readers I am offering 20% off the entire range of bramble and bear. Simply add the coupon code ONEYEAR at checkout on my Etsy store with any purchase before April 14th. My way of saying thank you! :)

Two little blue birds sit on a branch. It is a chilly winter morning, but they keep their spirits up. Chirping away, they appear to say ‘Spring is nearly here’.

Ginger the kitten is very cheeky. On any given afternoon you may find her scaling the blossom tree in search of a dangling blossom with which to play.

Meet Samson the Mini Lop rabbit. He enjoys nothing more than a quiet evening in his library reading prose and smoking his pipe. (Hand drawn by me!)

Full bloom of summer beauty, freshly picked from a cottage garden and placed in a Victorian vase.

Meet Charming Mr. Frog. Decked in coat tails and cravat and armed with a bouquet of freshly picked flowers, he is ready to sweep you off your feet.

Little Miss Kitty. Isn’t she pretty, with her pink bow and petticoat? With one last check on those scones in the oven, she is all ready to greet her guests for afternoon tea.

This morning was a special morning. Everyone in the Deer family got up bright and early. There was a lot of brushing and preening. Now with their antlers high and proud they pose for their annual family portrait. Don’t they look grand?

Penguin cake toppers

A lovely girl at work Amanda is getting married. Her and her fiance once saw some penguins in the wild with their arms around each others back, like they were having a cuddle! So when thinking about cake topper decorations for their wedding, penguins were an obvious choice. I worked with Amanda in the design of these pretties which I sculpted in polymer clay and painted. I am pleased with the result. I wish Amanda and her fiance every happiness for their special day next week and for decades to come!


During the molding stage Final result

Celebrate with us

Wowee! bramble and bear has as of March 14 officially been around for one year. It's all gone so quickly and I am happy with the improvements and progress of this little business over the past year.
To celebrate I have done two things.


1) Pretty new banner for my Etsy store! What do you think? (click to view fullsize)

2) 20% off all in store until April 14th! Simply enter ONEYEAR as a coupon code on check out to make your purchase an absolute bargain.

Thank you to all my customers, you make this so enjoyable and worthwhile!! Could not have done it without you.

xxxx

A very pretty little tea party

On Saturday afternoon I went to a very pretty little tea party hosted by my sister in law, Leora.

A couple of weeks before hand I had received a gorgeous invitation in the mail which she purchased from Whimsy Whimsical's etsy store.
It was a beautiful sunny day and 8 lovely ladies enjoyed cupcakes, sparkling pink lemonade and delectable teas. The little shack Leora and my brother in law call their home was decorated with handmade crepe flowers and buntings. There were also plenty of lollies to go around and we each got a kikki.K. lolly bag to take home with us.
All in all a lovely afternoon!

Custom Bunnies

About a month ago I received a lovely Etsy convo from someone who had made a purchase from my market stall 5 months ago. I remember them clearly - the girl of the couple had been debating whether to purchase the necklace of polymer clay rabbit Poppy or polymer clay rabbit Rhubarb. She ended up choosing Poppy and now wanted to reunite her with her sister Rhubarb. But alas, Rhubarb had been sold! So I worked with the couple and made them some other options for friends for Poppy. It ended up they wanted the whole familly! So Pumpkin, Rose and Parsley have now all gone off to their new home in the Australian Capital Territory with Poppy.

Enjoy!