Fresh from the sketchbook

On my most recent trip to Wonderlandia I was fortunate enough to meet up again with the faeries of brandysnap forest, they really are the most generous and hospitable of all the faeries but despite this, I still found myself shocked when they chose to make me privy to one of thier most important secrets...

No, Gwendolen isn't the secret, but unfortunately she is burdened with keeping it; which means she hasn't been able to leave the forest in more than 10 years, thankfully she has the faeries to tend to her needs and provide company but it's just not the same as the loving arms of the family and friends she had to leave behind all those years ago.

Meeting Gwendolen was a unique experience, and not just for the obvious reasons - this softly spoken creature has the thoughtful composure an ancient philosopher, but despite all her manners and refinement, nothing can hide the overwhelming melancholy and longing that seems to lie just beneath her surface.

I'll fill you guys in on Gwen's full story when I post the completed pic, hope you like my sketch so far!

Up and coming market dates!

Why not break out your most adorable tote and come check out our Wonderlandia store live and in person!
Oh and if you don't have the adorable tote (or you want another for your collection) - SashaSews has you covered with her adorable Metro Chic tote pictured above - you can check out her etsy store here.

Wonderlandia's February/March market dates are as follows:

• Saturday 13th February 2010
  Allies Attic Baby and Kids Market Mosman Art Gallery & Community Centre Cnr Art Gallery Way & Myahgah Rd Mosman visit www.alliesattic.com.au for more information
  
• Sunday 21st February 2010
  Coffs Harbour Beachfront Market Outdoor market located at Coffs Harbour Jetty opposite the Yacht Club Selling handmade goods of all types
  
• Saturday 28th February 2010
  Coffs Harbour Beachfront Market Outdoor market located at Coffs Harbour Jetty opposite the Yacht Club Selling handmade goods of all types
• Saturday 7th March 2010
  Coffs Harbour Beachfront Market Outdoor market located at Coffs Harbour Jetty opposite the Yacht Club Selling handmade goods of all types
• Saturday 14th March 2010
  Coffs Harbour Beachfront Market Outdoor market located at Coffs Harbour Jetty opposite the Yacht Club Selling handmade goods of all types
  
• Saturday 20th March 2010 Allies Attic Baby and Kids Market Sharkies - Cronulla Sutherland Leagues Club 461 Captain Cook Drive Cronulla - Parking on site visit www.alliesattic.com.au for more information
• Sunday 21st March 2010
  Narrabeen Villiage Market Outdoor market directly opposite the Narrabeen Shopping Centre on Pittwater Road, Narrabeen Selling a variety of items including handmade items and plenty of food
  
• Sunday 28th March 2010
  Coffs Harbour Beachfront Market Outdoor market located at Coffs Harbour Jetty opposite the Yacht Club Selling handmade goods of all types

If you do happen to come along - be sure to stop in and say hi!
Manda :)

Look who the wind blew in...

Does anyone still remember this post?

http://tales-from-wonderlandia.blogspot.com/2009/08/still-waiting.html

Yes I know it's a little overdue but I am pleased to finally present Veronica – in all her Polychromo splendour!

Now she certainly did take a long time to come to life but I think she was well worth the wait. I am so pleased to have captured almost every detail as it is in my memory – except of course it was very hard to show all the dust and debris that had been whipped up into the air, making me wonder if I shouldn’t be wearing some sort of mask to avoid ingesting foreign objects...

Veronica will be available at Wonderlandia’s Etsy store from 1^st March to celebrate the arrival of Autumn, or at least commiserate the departure of Summer... (for me it’s the latter).

Let me know what you think!

Manda :)

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

So I thought it was about time I dedicated a blog post to one of my all time favourite movies (and books) and a seemingly never ending source of inspiration to me – Alice in Wonderland of course!

When I first joined Etsy I couldn’t believe the number of people who were also inspired by Alice’s adventures and I spent ages trawling through hundreds of works just mesmerised by different peoples interpretations of the characters. One of these days I really want to organise a wall in my house to dedicate to my collection of Alice themed artworks and other trinkets...

Below are just a few of my favourites currently on Etsy... ENJOY!

Tweedledee and Tweeledum - ODDandWhimsy

Drink Me Art Print - melissaloves

The Queen of Hearts - The Nebulous Kingdom

And she grew ACEO - Matchstickgirl

Finding Wonderland - The Dreamy Giraffe

If you'd like a closer look at any of the above click the link below to visit the artists shop on Etsy!

Manda :)

Pinafores to die for!!!

I am so infatuated with our new Autumn/Winter clothing that I couldn't help but put our Pinafores up on Etsy early!

Are they adorable or what?

Each dress is 100% handmade to order, has a hardwearing denim outer (perfect for play) and is fully lined in brightly printed 100% cotton. I just fell in love with these bright patterned prints and I know you will too!

Oh and I haven't even gotten to my favourite part yet - the animal applique! These are individually hand drawn, cut out and appliqued on with fusible webbing and satin stitching - so they'll be on there firmly for the lifetime of the dress, and with a diagonal pocket sporting cute ric-rac along the top, how could they get any cuter???



You can wear these dresses alone, with a tshirt or a long sleeved tee depending on the weather oh and team them with some white or bright leggings and you've got a showstopper of an outfit!



So far the range includes elephants, sheep, whales, giraffes and owls with a few more to come yet and Mum (who is obviously off her rocker - lol) is selling them made to order for only $40 each - head into our Etsy store to check them out www.wonderlandia.etsy.com

WEAR ME!

Now the little Diva's and baby Studmuffins in your life can stand out for all the right reasons thanks to our new Wonderlandia inspired clothing...

When working on our new clothing for Wonderlandia we were focused on two things first and foremost - quality & comfort then of course, style and indiviuality.

The features of Wonderlandia clothing includes:

• All garments are overlocked for a professional finish
• interfacing is included where required to assist the clothing in holding it's crisp shape
• Any applique are attached with both fusible webbing and fully satin stitched to achieve maximum durability
• 100% cotton fabrics have been chosen for comfort and breathability
• elastics used are as lightweight as possible whilst still providing the support needed to keep little pants and skirts in place
• All our clothing has been created to be as long wearing as possible with adjustable sizing where practical and larger cuts to allow your ever growing little ones to get the more wear out of each item.
• all our garments have excellent results when cold machine washed and line dried... so they are ideal for us busy Mums!

Creating the same thing over and over again is definitely not our thing - Mum and I love to put our creativity and love into each garment. In fact, most Wonderlandia pieces so far have been created as one offs or in very limited numbers which makes them all the more special.

We really hope you love what we've done so far, we've had a great time working with really fun bold bright prints and then changing it up with some sweet shabby-chic-esque floral prints...

Here are a few examples - please visit our Etsy store for more!

Where to start???

OMG! I haven't blogged in ages and it really might seem as though I haven't been doing much but it's actually quite the opposite...

Probably the most noteworthy things that I've done have been:

1. Collaborated with my very talented Mum to start a handmade Wonderlandia clothing and accessories range (including Jewellery, hair clips & room decor) - we are so proud of this and how it's evolving.
2. Had my first market stall with Allie's Attic at Hunters Hill on November 14th
3. Completed many new artworks
4. Decided to make my web and print media design business formal by quitting my day job and working only for myself (my old work has now become a client which is really nice)

Now you can see why it's been so hard to blog! Not to mention trying to balance all of this while looking after my little 8 month old son Jet - insane!

I can't wait to show you guys some pics and other info on our new creations - but rather than cramming it all into one novelesque blog I'll just do a series of little ones to get back up to date! I really hope you love what we've been working on please let us know what you think - feedback is a great source of inspiration and motivation!!

Oh and don't forget to check out our Etsy store I have added some clothing already and will be adding to it over the next few days!

Hey - how do you like Wonderlandia's new logo I made for our clothing tags?