I’ll be honest and admit I didn’t get around to photographing the goodies I was intending to blog about today…I was having too much fun out the back enjoying the sunshine with my girls! I did manage to take a quick snap of this beauty though….

I picked up this wooden dolls cot last week, complete with drop down side. It really is quite lovely and has a lot of potential. It’s a decent size, about 60cm long and 36cm wide and nice and high. Sometime between now and January 25th I plan to sand it back, paint it and make coordinated bedlinen as a special present for Caitlin’s 2nd birthday. She is hitting that ‘play house all day’ stage and loves rocking her babies to sleep and covering them with layers of blankets and giving them little friends to cuddle. It’s perfect!

I’m always rifling through the bookshelves. I always make a beeline for the books. I love discovering new (to me) illustrators, authors and wonderful stories to fire up the imagination and share with my girls. I always wonder which will become firm favourites. Lately I have gathered these wonderful 1960’s illustrated books. They’re all ex library books…and as long as they’re all intact I don’t mind. As you can see I do gravitate towards that aesthetic, so these will have many uses on my bookshelf (and the girls might enjoy them too!).

Be Nice to Spiders – Margaret Bloy Graham (1967, World’s Work), When Will My Birthday Be? – by Letta Shatz, pictures by Richard Bergere (1962 World’s Work), Amelia Bedelia – by Peggy Parish, Pictures by Fritz Siebel (1970,6th Printing Scholastic)

I’ve also been finding a lot of ‘garden/nature’ inspired books lately. Very appropriate given the gorgeous warmer weather we’ve been having, Spring is definitely in the air! These are three of my favourites.

Mary Margaret’s Tree – Blair Drawson (Orchard Books 1996), The Enchanted Garden – Susie Jenkin Pearce (Oxford University Press 1988), One Hungry Spider – Jeannie Baker (Andre Deutsch 1982)

I have always adored Jeannie Baker’s work. Her three dimensional worlds are so magical to look at and even more incredible to see up close and in person. After seeing an exhibition of her work, she became a big inspiration to me throughout my school years. This was when I first started to explore various forms of collage. This is one book I didn’t already have, so I was pretty excited to find it! Eloise is particularly taken by it. She’s entering the ‘lets use the bug catcher and catch everything that moves and keep it as a pet’ phase of life and spiders, butterflies and bugs of all descriptions are of particular interest!

I must say, it’s no secret I adore children’s fictional characters. I have many many favourites. I also like collecting associated licensed product.

How excellent is this Pippi Longstocking T-shirt? Eloise is going to love it…especially when we start reading the book. And the red robbin Raggedy Ann & Andy socks? They are dated 1978 and they look awfully familiar. I had a wave of nostalgia when I saw them and I couldn’t leave them there (and for 50c why not?). I remember wearing this style of knee high character printed nylon sock as a kid….I know I definitely had some Holly Hobbie ones. What shoes does one wear with knee high socks? Knowing the era most likely sandals! Nice. Knee high socks with sandals. (I think I might go scour the old photo albums! Hopefully it was a nice pair of Mary Janes instead!)

I also found these sewing patterns. Look, it includes a Holly Hobbie bonnet! The Raggedy Ann one also includes the doll pattern…..and both are Eloise’s size. Perfect! Ha! I might even sew yet!

I’ve been spending way too much time op-shopping over the past few months. By default it’s become a great way for me to destress. Strange! Please tell me I am not the only one that finds it therapeutic? I live within five minutes of our local Savers and St Vinnies. It is dangerous. Savers is open late two nights a week…what a treat to pop out after the kids are tucked up in bed!

More opshopped goodness tomorrow when I kickstart Thrifty Thursday!

My Mum found this treasure for me at Berkelouws on the journey home after their last visit to Melbourne. Isn’t it wonderful? It was published in 1951 by Merrill Company Publishers, Chicago. There are 4 dolls on the cover (Little Girl, Little Boy, Pink Fairy and Green Fairy) each with perforated edges, and 6 pages of clothes to cut out inside. It is in near perfect condition. Amazing considering it is around 57years old.

I adore paper dolls. It all started when I was seven. There was a girl called Helen who lived at the end of our street. She was a few years older then me and she used to hand draw little paper dolls and clothes to match and I thought she was so very clever! I wish I still had the one she gave me. Unfortunately I have no idea what happened to it!

Featured Gem 18
Real Photo Postcard
‘The Fairy Float’

Date: Unknown
People pictured: Unknown
Postcard Back: Blank

Notes: Unfortunately I don’t know anything about this photo except that it possibly originated in the USA. The detail on the float is incredible and the costumes and star speckled fairy wings are simply wonderful. The more you look the more you see! See the dog on the front porch? (Don’t forget for a limited time you can see a larger version of the image by clicking the thumbnail in the top right column)

BOO!!! A certain little spooky almost five year old has had a wonderful weekend complete with plastic spiders, dress up, spoooky feast and a plastic pumpkin full of lollies (and an apple juice and some Wiggles biscuits!).

Would attempting NaBloPoMo be absurd….considering I’ve only made half a dozen posts in 12 months!?!!