Lookout Third dimension here I come!!!

Whilst working on Veronica (pics coming soon) I have accidently fallen in love with art that can be touched and admired from all angles and have consquently begun work on a prototype for a new line of Wonderlandian Dolls!!!

So how did this new fascination occur?

Well it's simple really, my mother (who is an amazingly talented woman, most often found sewing, knitting, crocheting, watercolour painting or lost in a book) came to visit a few weeks back.

On her visit we went on a shopping trip to collect beautiful fabrics for a patchwork quilt she was working on, when by chance I came accross some amazing doll making supplies! Now of course I visit craft stores all the time but this time for some reason the doll stuff really fascinated me and I think it's because I watched this lovely handmade portait of Sarah Faber on Etsy a few days before:

http://www.etsy.com/storque/handmade-life/handmade-portraits-black-eyed-suzie-3452/

Which led me to watch this;
http://www.etsy.com/storque/handmade-life/handmade-portraits-stacey-rebecca-3639/

Then this;
http://www.etsy.com/storque/handmade-life/handmade-portraits-mimi-kirchner-4405/

So, stocked up with fabric, ribbons, paint and some fake hair from a novelty store we set out to create Cindy from "A Lovely Surprise" (if you haven't seen it check out my etsy store).

This is what we made:


I wish I had a better pic to include where her clothes aren't all rumpled and you can see her sweet little shoes but my camera is out of battery and I have no idea where my charger got too!!

Mum (who did all the sewing) thinks I should paint the dress too so it really has the look of a 3D painting - I like the idea so I am going to give it a go and I also think I might try needle sculpting the face to get a bit more life into it...

I'll post the results as soon as I am done!

I completely agree...

Just a quick post - I stumbled upon this old article on Restyled Home's delightful blog and it really put my opinion on childrens decor into words more succinct than I could manage...

http://restyledhome.blogspot.com/2007/07/when-did-babies-stop-being-babies.html

P.s - How crazy is this little girls room - I love it!

Handmade Heaven is on it's way...

I am very excited to be able to let everyone know about Allie's Attic; a brand new boutique market specialising in all things baby, toddler and child related - including gifts, homewares, clothing, toys, art etc.

Behind the wheel of this amazing market is the very passionate and inspiring Allie Duval; who believe's that style has nothing to do with labels or how much you spend; and is tired of the great glut of generic, mass produced and souless kidswear out there.

I was delighted when Allie approached Wonderandia to be a part of her market and then for a second time when she asked if I would consider building her website and designing her cards and flyers (I am a marketing manager for my day job)... we are both really happy with the results; you can check them out for yourself below; and of course you can check out the website at http://www.alliesattic.com.au/

Allie's Attic Flyer (Click image to enlarge)

Allie's Attic Business Cards (Click image to enlarge)

The first market is to be held in Hunters Hill NSW on the 14th of November this year, then Paddington in December and Mosman in February; and I am going to be having my first ever market stall at Hunters Hill - so come down if you aren't too far away and say hi!

You can find out more about Allie's Attic or apply to be a stallholder in their upcoming markets at http://www.alliesattic.com.au/ - best get in quick as stalls are filling up.

Oh and by the way - if you are in need of any design work from a new banner for your blog to a full website, please contact me at nicemanda@yahoo.com.au and I'll get back to via phone or email with a quote.

Burning the candle

My apologies for seeming a little MIA (missing in action) of late! In addition to my regular job I have actually been working on a special project for Allie Duval of Allie's Attic. I'll post some pics and info on that a little later today.

So back to the real reason for this post - I am delighted to show you the finished Elvira! I really hope you find her as magnificent as I did when I first saw her.

Although, I must say my real fascination came about only after meeting her - Elvira explained so many amazing things about her race to me, for instance; Did you know that butterfaeries don't need to eat? Apparently they drink moonlight through thier wings and turn it to food (in a similar way to plants). However, the compound they utilize can only be found in the light of the Wonderlandian moon so they can never leave! (Not that they seem to want too anyway).

Having a moonlight diet affects so much of the butterfaeries way of life; in fact each full moon they have great festivities with dancing and games; as this is when the moon provides them with the greatest feast of it's cycle and they find themselves very powerful and energetic. However, when the moon wanes the butterfaeries generally won't wake or leave their beds during the day, as they prefer to conserve their limited energy until the moon grows again.

Oh I could talk about Elvira all day, but this post would end up a novel, so I'll leave the rest to your imagination... for now :)

I'll be adding Elvira to my Etsy store as a limited edition A4 print later today so be sure to go on and check her out!