betty bib's fairyware, hand made fairies and fairy paintings

End of alphabet and new website !

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:28:00 +0000

At last I have reached the end of what has been a very long project ! Have really enjoyed painting these plants with their letter frameworks but have had to have a break every now and then as it has been quite intensive ( especially as some letters have been more difficult than others and I've had to do them more than once ! ) 'X' is a depiction of Xanthus ( cocklebur ) and seems to be the only plant that begins with that letter - a bit of a cheat as I have used the common name for all the rest of them.
The above is 'Y' for yarrow and below is 'Z' for zinnia and I don't know if I have mentioned that I have slogged dutifully to the end as they are due to be made into a range of cards for Cherry Picked For You and will be launched in May.

Here are some of the dolls that have already been printed up and will also be officially launched with the alphabet. They are available on my New Website ! bettybibdolls.com it has fairies on it as well ( I shall be updating this part with my new collection in April / May. )

Must away now to try and work out how I put a link between this blog and the web site !

Other New Years Resolutions are to join Face Book and Twitter to get the news out there and try and find like minded doll, teddy and fairy lovers ... please spread the word !

Christmas venues

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:16:00 +0000

I shall be at the following venues this Christmas season ; Joy Fox's house ( see above )

and at 52, Carlysle Road , Hove for the Open House ritual ( the last week end in November and the first two week ends in December. ) I shall also be at the Great Dixter Christmas fair which will take place in the beautiful Hall there, this week end and sharing a stall with Belen Gomez

www.belengomez.com . It is open between 10 -4 and here is a sneak preview of some of the fairy wares that I shall be showing ! Please note that at Festive Fox I shall be exhibiting my water colour alphabet prints and some garden embroideries. At Carlysle Rd there will be fairies and also my dolls and the greetings cards that they feature on will be on sale for the first time.

Here are some new hanging fairies that I have made in a much more fanciful style this year. (£15.) They are 9cms in height.

And in a box with their secret name inside they are £17.

Couldn't resist making some fairy bears ... £20 in a box with their name - this one is Tatiana.

Meet Custard who decided he didn't want to dress up !

Followed by Bluebell.

Last in line is a tree top fairy measuring 18cms high , She is £30 and I have made this range to be very ornate with embroidered dresses in lovely silks and organdy fabrics with frills and furbelows - to hopefully be handed down as a family heirloom for the top of the tree. I always remember when the tree fairy came out of her tissue wrapping once a year - it was always the most magical part of the fun of dressing the tree and I have found it hard to find anything that is precious enough to fill those shoes in more modern times - which is what got me making fairies in the first place !

Is it too soon to say ' Happy Christmas ' ?!

Mermaid Mad

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:59:00 +0000

After returning from a trip to Cornwall recently I have been embroidering mermaids madly ! Here are some of the loopy ladies ... Above is 'Blue Maid'. She measures 15x11cms

( embroidered area. ) Below is a detail of a bigger piece.

'Marina' is holding a tiny looking glass fashioned from a sequin and pearl beads. I just love getting this tiny ! She is 12x6cms.

Waiting in line is 'Sea Bed', so named after the sea urchins and star fish around her ( this one seems to have got caught in a current of threads ... she is 15x9 cms.

And this 'Lorelei' is 7x10cms and has a pearl in a shell for company ( I did beachcombe

the tiniest shells whilst I was there and have got some lovely big mussel shells which I have filled with tiny blue and white maids - yet to be photographed. )

One of my newest lines are these little mermaids sitting in slipper shells which I have painted and decorated with little sparkly bits - they come in a box with their secret name written on a scroll in the lid and I am selling them from here at £1o each plus 50p for p&p, multiples , the same postage. Please just specify a colour if you are interested.

More news soon of where I will be showing my work in the lead up to Christmas ... now back to the sewing machine - it's red hot at the moment !

PS Thank you for all the lovely comments you have written to me ... always lovely to receive when working from home- alone !

Alpha Betty !

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 13:07:00 +0000

A is for Acorn
Having enjoyed my 'Fox' painting so much I have now embarked on the rather ambitious project of painting an alphabet of plants. I have since realised that one starts a series like this in good heart and with plenty of enthusiasm but by the time you have reached ' l', 'm' and ' n'

that energy starts to burn itself out ! I also set out to diligently work my way through letter by letter in sequence but that didn't pan out either !

B is for Buttercup

C is for Campion

Well I didn't quite jump this far ahead ... but have decided to work these 6 inch squares of water colour up in batches that I intersperse with doing other work. Eventually I think they will be printed up in to cards and I'm hoping that people will be inspired to buy them by seeing them as friends and family's initials ( as well as to keen gardeners ! )

W is for Wisteria

R is for Rose

S is for Snowdrop

Yes, Winter is round the corner, though I can't believe this as I type in 30 degrees of heat !

Other news is that I am having a web site designed to sell my dolls and fairies from. I'm very excited by the prospect but it has been a lot of hard work to get the work photographed and the site designed to have the right atmosphere - and then there is the small matter of learning how to manage it when it is up and running . More stress no doubt but I'm hoping it will be worth it in the end. It will be linked to this blog and I'm hoping to have more news on it when I next write. There will also be a card section and I can't wait to reveal my doll cards to you all !

New Illustrations

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:43:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I was given a lovely commission through my agency ( Central Illustration Agency in London ) to produce a water colour for a very prestigious car company ( can't show you the image until it's been published - suffice to say I was very happy that I didn't have to put a car in it ! ) I was so pleased with the result that it has inspired me to make more images and update my presence on the CIA website. I have been feeling guilty for some time that I have been concentrating on the dolls and fairies to the detriment of my illustration career ( which pays a lot better than craft ) so with the incentive of money behind me I have dusted down the paint box and here are some of the results. The fairy above is an example of the kind of image that got me the job in the first place. .. I had quite a few fairies representing my work and knew that I had to widen the net a bit for a better chance of more varied illustration work. I have mostly shied away from depicting animals but for some reason I can't explain I've been having a bit of a run on them and I am happy doing them.

Sea Horse, water colour, 15 x12 inches

Partridge 9x12 inches ( might use this as my Christmas card this year .)

Crab 13 inches square

Fox 16x12 inches

Had such fun with this one that a friend suggested I work on a floral alphabet ... will keep you posted

Playing with my dollies

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:58:00 +0000

Daisy , 7 inches high Well the festival is over and good fun it was too. In the meantime I have been making some new dolls ... I have called this batch 'Plain Janes' , as their dresses are made from plain cottons and I have simplified their faces ( I've realised that they can look a bit 'spooky' with too much detail in them. ) I have given them glass beaded eyes and softly painted lips and eyebrows ... they are all properly dressed with white cotton knickers ( no one can seem to resist looking up a dolly's dress ! ) Their socks and shoes are painted on ( the latter in a shiny 'patent' black.

The first two girls have one jointed elbow so they can hold their teddy ( which I have made from needle felting. ) Playing with them seems to have brought out my ' inner child' ... being made from polymer clay they have a very satisfying weight about them and feel very nice in the hand.

Trixie , 7 inches high

Rosie , 4.4 inches high

Minty , 4 inches and Meg , 4.5 inches

Milly , 5 inches high

Lucille , 5 inches high

Meg and Smarties

Dora , 5 inches high

Hove Festival House

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:25:00 +0000

Here are the details of the new Open House in Hove where I'm showing all things fairy !

Nina Green who has set up Cherry Picked For You is using the Festival as an opportunity to show people some of the work she has on her exciting new web site and I'm looking forward to meeting some of the makers. I'm splitting myself in two with showing in two houses, so May will be even more hectic than usual, but good to get work out of the studio and have an airing ...

and me too for that matter.

My dolls are being let out again ...

And the folk fairies are going out for the first time ...

Also showing will be some of my embroidered pictures ...

So do came along and say 'hi' , if I'm there !

Festival Flyer

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 12:11:00 +0000

Well May is fast approaching and with it the Open House season. This year my work will be in two new venues and this first one is part of the Dyke Road trail and I'm at 53, Kingsley Road in Brighton. It's my friend Joy Fox's house ( queen of the button jewellery scene ! ) Her house is a lovely Victorian one on three floors with wonderful far reaching views over Brighton at the back. Other exhibitors will be Jonathan Alden; art boxes, Tina Balmer ; paintings, Carol Butler; hand embroidery, Joss Davis; ceramics, Judy Dwyer; Dangerous Dolls, Sarah Lock; painted lamps and shades, Peter Neuner; wooden sculptures, Victor Stuart Graham; driftwood boats, and Jo Sweeting; sculpture. Joy will also be showing her new textile pieces made of felted wool.

The house for brochure purposes is called the Artful Fox and so some of us are including some foxy pieces ... as a natural development of my cats and dolls here is a sneak preview of my contribution ... they are all approximately 7 inches high, fimo bodied, button jointed figures , dressed and sporting wired and brushed felt tails !

Fennella Fox

Fennella is joined by Rita ( they both wear vintage lace bloomers ) and Rita has soft red leather boots ( Fennella's are brown velvet. )

Here come the boys ... Oscar on the left and Arnold on the right.

Oscar sports a blue flowered waistcoat with pearl buttons, a wool check coat and velvet breeches. Arnold wears a kingfisher blue silk velvet suit, paisley waistcoat with glass buttons and a flower in his button hole.

They all get a little work with the paintbrush ...

As well as my foxy friends I shall be showing my oil flower paintings and some large garden embroideries. Just so there is no confusion I am under my proper name of Lesley Buckingham at this venue and all my fairy friends are going to be showing in a house in Hove under the name of Betty Bib. This will be the home of the Cherry Picked For You website that I talked about in a previous post ... more of that next time ! Happy Spring days in the meantime !

New fairies

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:23:00 +0000

Have recently got back from Thailand where I fell in love with the bowls of floating flowers the hotel regularly refreshed. What colour and attention to detail - just my kind of thing !

People often ask if I get inspired in my work by going away to the Far East and of course it is all wonderfully stimulating but I think that fairies seem so quintessentially English and all my other influences like afternoon tea and gardens are also so rooted here that I have to say that, no I'm not particularly, though I'm sure that all the colour soaks in somewhere.

This Christmas tree-like Buddhist shrine does though share a passing resemblance to some of my things !

And here is a green fairy to prove it !

I have been making some new fairies with the thought of the May festival coming up. These

little ladies come in a box with their name in the lid and are £18 each.

I have embroidered the net of their dresses on the machine and then embellished them with sequins bought in Thailand.

The newest of my girls are these 'folky' fairies. They are made from cotton ribbon, silk organza wings and their hair is made of silk too. They also come in a box and are £15. All featured fairies are approximately 8cms high. I am particularly pleased with their long socks !

Oops !

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 11:29:00 +0000

Well at last I have managed to hobble up to my studio and make a post ... slipped own the stairs at home three weeks ago and broke a bone in my foot ! Jolly painful at the time but since then it has been mostly frustrating as first I spun around on crutches ( literally ! ) and then I mastered the art of manoeuvering up two steps which got me into Brian's studio where I camped out for two weeks and now crutch free I can hop up the garden path back to my own patch and very nice it is to be back ! For just a very small bone I have a rather large cast which is coming off tomorrow and I can't wait ...

I must say the perks to having to slow down or even stop altogether have been to discover the delight of scoffing sweets on the sofa whilst watch Deal or No Deal - a late afternoon habit which I must be prepared to quit soon . The pretty petit fours below were given to me at Christmas by a friend who hand made them herself - I meant to put them up in the last missive and forgot. Have also caught up on some reading and have been much entertained by Mapp and Lucia by E F Benson, South Riding by Winifred Holtby ( a classic that I've long been meaning to read ) and Moby Dick by Herman Melville - another hefty read but well worth it.

Had my longest walk on the week end and bought these treasures in a junk shop. I love Honiton ware with it's lively little spots and stripes and this hand dyed ribbon poking out from it will be put to good use in making some fairy skirts.

Now I must confess life hasn't all been about languishing and snacking - once I got myself set up in my old spot in the other studio I managed to get back in to some painting and found I'd loosened up a little in the time in between. There is a fine line between lively painting and it just looking a mess and then I always have to stop myself from bering too literal and yet I want to be true to what is in front of me - all very absorbing and frequently frustrating stuff. I'm painting in oils by the way and rather like the time you have to allow for layers to dry a little before applying the next layer - it curbs my tendency to keep on going when I should step back from it and take stock.

This painting of gerberas is 8 inches square - I'm working my way up to bigger pieces as there are even more problems to juggle with as you go up in scale - composition being one of the biggest for me ... I'm enjoying the jewel like quality you get with this size - it's scary to start something bigger !

The winter jasmine in a slip cup is 9x7 inches.

The anemone in a Honiton vase is 7.5 inches square and I felt a had a bit of a breakthrough with the surface of the canvas in this one - I fell the the paint has got a more brilliant quality.

This the one I'm working on now and will post it up when it's finished.

I rather like the very simple sketchy beginning but am not brave enough to leave it there and call it naive !

This last one is one of the series that I did early last year and having had the space to look at it again I have continued to work on it with a little more confidence ... how strange that you can think a piece is finished and then see it as flat and lifeless after an interval and fresh eye. I think Bonnard was known for never feeling a piece was finished and touching it up even when it was hung on somebody's wall !

Lacecap in glass 7x5 inches.

One last thing before I go is that I have recently joined a gift website called cherrypicked for you it's got lots of lovely work on it and it will be building up it's numbers of artists this year as it is relatively new, so do check it out.

Time out of the studio

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:52:00 +0000

And here are those fairy pies - well rather gnome pies ... ( he's there just to show the scale and his olde worlde charm. ) These little mini pies actually looked like mushrooms with their round toppings. They are yummily made with a shortbread pastry which I recommend you try as everyone wants to know the recipe when they've eaten one.

You mix 4 oz caster sugar into 12 oz plain flour then rub in 8 oz butter and keep on going until the mixture comes together ... then just roll out - I tend not to put a whole lid on the pie

as it is rich and I think just a cut out shape keeps it all a bit lighter and less calorific too !

Moving on to a couple of wintery scenes taken over the Downs during the last batch of snow - it had just started to melt but the remnants of this heavy frost was quite magical. Just waiting with bated breath for this next forecasted snowfall ... at least we have pies in the larder

should we get snowed in.

And so I wish everyone a very happy Christmas and thank you for all your support and lovely e mails since I've got back to my blogging. My New Years Resolution is to keep up the blog and make lots of nice work to post up on it !

Fairy tree and well dressed cats

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 11:29:00 +0000

It's time to hang fairies on twigs and let them float , twinkle and do their fairy thing !

These ones are hanging around in the studio waiting for homes to go to.

I did promise cats in dresses and here they are ... 3 inches tall , they come in a box and are

£16 including postage.

This last feline fairy is a commission from a lady who wants to give it to her daughter for her tree and measures 5 inches high. Am planning to re-open my Etsy shop in the next few days and will have some felt mice on there - packed with English lavender and stocking fillers at £6.

Hope all your Christmas preparations are in full swing ... I'm personally looking forward to de camping from the studio to the kitchen and making fairy sized mince pies ...

Open House

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:43:00 +0000

Jo's Open House was looking as beautiful as ever this year - all twinkly and filled with sumptuous art works. Let me take you on a tour ... below are her carved letter pebbles.

Next is a sarah Young print , do look out her new Greek Myths book , just out and published by Walker Books , it's full of wonderful illustrations.

Carrying on downward we have Joy Fox's new wreath made from stitched and felted wool and

hanging beneath that a wall piece in the same materials.

Here are also some of her new scarves with felted flowers attached.

Another of Jo's carved pieces.

Sharon Scofield jewellery.

Now we are moving out to Jo's lovely studio at the bottom of her garden and where she holds carving courses.

This the view back to the house ...

And here are the tools neatly laid out ...

Lastly here is my latest doll , Evie ... will be showing cats in dresses next post !

The Open House Season

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 17:34:00 +0000

Well here we are again - it's time set up shop once more, drink mulled wine and meet fellow artists and customers. I took time out of the May Festival this year so I'm feeling fresh

as we approach the Christmas Open Houses. I will also be showing as usual at the Dragonfly House , 48 , Ditchling Rise Brighton on 27th and 28th November and 4th and 5th December,

11am - 6pm. I will be taking my girls to both venues but I will be sad if I sell any as I'm feeling particularly fond of them ( that won't pay the bills I know, but always a good sign that the work is good I suppose. Sometimes I will make something and have to talk myself into it's quality but that piece will eventually get cut up to be used in the future or if it's REALLY bad then chucked - even if long hours have been spent on it. )

Anyway having assured myself that all is well with the dolls I have been sewing their labels into their outfits, ' A Betty Bib Dolly' with the number penned with indelible ink after it.

From the front view you can see I have named them ( great fun ! ) and tied a tag round the wrist with information on the inside about the materials used and the fact that they are collector's dolls and not suitable for young children.

Rosebud £30 6 inches

Betsy 8 inches £120

Gwendoline 8 inches £ 140

Violet Angel Beatrice 7 inches

I'm particularly pleased with these three ; I've dressed them for the party season in silk organza and calico dresses, diamante buckles and cashmere cardigans and they are all £ 95.

I wouldn't like to totally ignore the fairies on this post - here are a batch of the tiny boxed ones who have their secret name on a scroll in the lid - they have diddly little fairy names like Dimity, Pippin, Twinkle etc though sometimes one comes along that needs a much more substantial name like 'Esmerelda'. These are £8.

Last but not least the mermaids and their names are suitably salty like Sandy , Pebbles,

Marina and Shingle. Also £8.

Back to my Blog !

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 15:52:00 +0000

Well long time no see ! I've taken most of the year off from writing this blog and have taken the time to play and just see what turns up. I have been painting in oils - illustrating some new ideas for a children's book , embroidering and just lately making dollies !

I will be showing some of the above over the next few weeks but at the moment am enjoying making the dolls so much I've just got to talk about them.

Below is the first one I attempted and like anything else it takes a while to to get to grips with new materials - in this case it was polymer clay ( fimo and sculpey ) and this was after trying my hardest to get my hands on the Paper Clay they sell in the U.S but not it seems over here - well not in the pre made up form that you can see Martha Stewart use. You can get a crude form of the paper mix which air dries but then needs lots of sanding afterwards - great for larger projects but not for dainty dolls.

So I'm hoping that one day we will be able to get the super smooth mix available over the pond but in the meantime the stuff you have to bake will have to do. The flower head doll below was my second attempt and as you can see I'm experimenting with the style of face to paint on. All these figures are button jointed which means getting the holes in the bodies and joints in the correct place and big enough to thread the elastic through. All extremely fiddly but then I never seem to pick the quick and easy option !

What I particularly enjoy is the use of all my long collected fabrics , trimmings and buttons. The cameo brooch on the red doll at the top of the page was from a tiny pair of earrings found in an old button tin and proved perfect for this job. So glad I'm a hoarder.

We are now onto the next batch of girlies who by the way measure about 6 inches in height.

The paint is more translucent on their faces but nice and opaque on their tights. By this stage I am feeling more confident in selling them !

Millie 6 inches £30

My third batch had a more wintry theme and here I've used some lovely fine woolen printed fabric that a friend must have given me over twenty years ago for the skirt - the jacket is felt and the jumper and tights are old socks ! Boots are velvet and she has a diamante buckle.

Poppet 8 inches NFS

Another piece of the woolen print , painted legs and a velvet bow.

Audrey 7 inches £50

I will be posting more up soon and opening up my etsy shop again - well Christmas is coming and it's good to be back on the blog - do hope someone is listening !

Open House Over

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:32:00 +0000

Last week end I had a lovely time showing my work at Jo Sweeting's open house ( her beautiful carved work below.) Always a good opportunity to mix with friends and meet the nice people who buy your work. I probably expressed those sentiments on my last post - if I did I'm sorry, I'm feeling a bit punch drunk with working towards the next one , trying to fit in some Christmas shopping and true to form I have received a large illustration commission to do for an angel magazine in New York ... a lovely job which I will put up on the blog when it's been published - not until spring next year I'm afraid ... mind you, the way time hurtles on that won't be long !

Next up is Joy Fox's colourful button jewellery - one can never have too many of her creations ...

Victor Stuart Graham's driftwood boat and seascapes ...

Carol Butler's delicate hand embroidered shawls and scarves ...

Just sticking on the end a few more of my open boxes for sale and just to let everybody know that I shall be away from the 7th December for two weeks so I'll only be able to send off

orders up until that time - so no last minute shopping I'm afraid !

Many thanks to all who have e mailed with orders and for your heart warming comments

... they are always really appreciated , working as one does in isolation for weeks on end ( a cosy one with the radio for company maybe, but so good to hear that the magic I try to conjour up is recognised ! )

Pink gem oxo fairy £15

Pink bow oxo fairy £15

Silver thimble oxo fairy £15

China rose thimble fairy £15

Fairies For Sale

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:44:00 +0000

I now have some fairies for sale in the run up to Christmas ... I am also selling them at two Open Houses in Brighton; at Jo Sweeting's lovely House at 72, Ashford Road on the 14th and 15th of November and at the very popular Dragonfly House , 48, Ditchling Rise on the week ends of the 28th of November and the 5th of December. For everyone who lives further away here is a bit of a sneak preview and the chance to buy by post ( lets hope this postal strike doesn't go on too long ! )

The fairy below measures 7x5cms ( the box ) and has a brass ring on the back so it can be hung straight on to the wall. These open boxed tableaux are a brand new range which I have developed as an answer to how to display my little oxo box and thimble fairies.

Gingham oxo fairy £15.

Sitting Flower Fairy £15

Pink Butterfly Fairy £15

Green Butterfly Fairy @15

Silver Shoe Fairy £15.

Will put some Thimble fairies up on the next post !

Next up is another of the tree top fairies but this time with her wand ( all the ones I posted up before are still for sale , all with wands , except the pink feather fairy. )

Gold Tree Top £48

Below is a single hanging fairy, approximately 8cms high , excluding her hanger. I make lots of these and further down are some of the colourways. they are £4 each and I'm afraid I have to ask for a minimum order of £12 as I think I would go completely mad packing off individual fairies ! They are made of metallic and silk organzas and embellished with sequins, stars and fairy dust! Perfect for the tree but I know a lot of people who keep them up all year.

Red bow fairies.

Purple fairies.
Shocking pink fairies.
White on white fairies.
Silver fairies. These have got some special pink frosted feet !
Gold fairies.
Hope all your Christmas preparations are going to plan ... if you have started that is !!

Whoooops !

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:57:00 +0000

What I mean't to say back there was I am selling these fairies from this site for £48 each ! Not much of a saving at £58 ... more pictures WITH wands to come ...

Christmas Is Coming !

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:57:00 +0000

I have been developing some new and special fairies to go on top of the tree and based on the memory of the fairy that was dusted down every year at home as a child. She had a gauzy

skirt, a netted petticoat and some stiff silvery lace . The idea is that they become treasured keepsakes, so they come in a nice box with a bow on top, some shredded tissue to lie on and I have a printed label to finish the whole thing off. Oh yes and every one has her name on a scroll in the lid.

I am working on some wands for them to hold and then they should be ready for the shops.

They will be retailing at £60 but I am selling them for £58 from this site, plus postage.

Marrakesh

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:49:00 +0000

Oh dear , it has been a while since I posted, partly because I have been to wonderfully stimulating Marrakesh. All of life is there - including snake charmers, acrobats, storytellers and medicine men ... it is also a place of great contrasts with the hustle and bustle of the Medina and its myriad shopkeepers and their wares and quiet and peaceful courtyards and fountains just set back behind a wall or glimpsed through an Arabian Nights style door.

Rose petals floating in tiled troughs ...

An assortment of shiny sinks ...

More floating roses ...

A saffron dyed carpet ...

Salmon pink painted walls are the corporate look of old and new Marrakesh and they look stunning as the sun sets against them as they change from all shades of rose to purple.

Another thing that predisposes me to the place is their tradition of afternoon tea - the tea being the sweet mint variety ...

... and the cakes and biscuits nice and almondy with a hint of orange flower.

The tinkling of a fountain shaded by orange trees...

... and everywhere you look there are splendid Islamic patterns.

Another good thing about it is that if you live in England it is only a 3 hour flight away and so you are not too pooped when you get back ( which is just as well as I've now got to knuckle down to serious fairy making for Christmas ! )

Jolly July

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:29:00 +0000

Well I've had a very jolly July - it being my birthday month ... my friend Joy served up this lovely
tomato tart on her retro china for a birthday lunch and all the way from Brazil I received this pretty piece of hand crafted embroidery from a fairy fan called Silvia.

She tells me it is called file ( with an accent over the e ) work - it looks rather like our drawn thread work. Isn't the internet a wonderful thing when it brings people from all over the world closer ! Thank you Silvia.

Another delight at this time of year has to be visiting wonderful gardens and I am glad to report that I have finally managed to go to Great Dixter. For all non gardeners it was the home and garden of the great plants man Christopher Lloyd , who like myself had a penchant for dacshunds and there is a great pebble mosaic on that subject in the garden.
The amazing thing about the place I think is the profusion of flowers crammed together in the most unexpected combinations ... exubrient planting wrapped around a Lutyens restored house where he grew up and if you go earlier in the summer the wild flower meadows are really beautiful. ( I confess that I have been twice but that was only because Sissinghurst was closed because I hadn't checked and it's near enough to make a detour to to save the day from being a wash out .) It was still exciting to see it the second time a month later with all the subtle changes.
Anyway it got me into a frenzy of colour and texture and below are some pictures of his garden and some details of some new fairy garden embroideries.

I have been mixing in more of my crochet in with the stitching for a greater depth of texture ( on the lower portion. )

I will leave you with a picture of this wonderful dangly tree - anyone know it's name ?!

Summer Time Lavender Blues

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:42:00 +0000

My lavender hedge gets woodier and more gnarled every year and yet I still haven't got the heart to replace it with a younger model. It cuts across the garden in an undulating blue wave and provides me with enough flower heads to fill a hundred bags ( I should think - haven't actually tried to make that many.)

I have however made many types of lavender bags over the years, including fairies with big organza skirts full of the stuff. This year for a change, I thought I would try my hand at some lavender wands. I always admire them when I see them in trendy gift shops but usually balk at the price and now having grappled with ribbon and stems I realise why they are so priced - they are pretty fiddly to get right and as I bent to the task I also remembered why I chose embroidery over weave at college ... somehow that over and under technique doesn't flow naturally with me !

Although I'm probably not the best person to demonstrate this craft I shall attempt it and must say that I did enjoy working with the heady scent and even though my efforts are rather raggedy they will still cheer me up when I see them hanging up in my winter wardrobe.

So first you cut 14 dry stems and strip them of their leaves. Then arrange the heads in a tapering bunch that measures approximately 10cms and tie just below it with 1.5 metres of ribbon, leaving 25cms of it hanging.

Bend the stems back over the heads.

Then the tricky bit is to weave the long end of the ribbon between the stems - the shorter piece is left to hang through the heads. The weaving does get a bit easier the further down you work.

When you get near to the end trim the stems and start to wrap the ribbon down to the bottom and tie into a bow with the dangling end.

Here are my efforts - don't look too closely ! I've finished them off with the odd velvet flower and button ... you do need to let them dry out before you put them in with your undies.

I quite like this top one as the edged ribbon helped it make look more expertly woven ...

the butterfly motif seemed quite fitting as an embellishment. I wish you happy weaving, happy summer days !

New fairies

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:35:00 +0000

I have been working on a new range of fairies , with a view to making them even more special than usual ! They are 3-D with embroidered skirts, tulle underskirts , stiffened gauze wings and the usual sparkly bits scattered all over.

I'm presenting them in painted and paper lined boxes that have the fairy's secret name written on a scroll of tissue paper that is secured under the ribbon threaded through the lid.

the idea is that they are intricate keepsakes that hopefully will be treasured and kept for a long time to come.

I'm pricing them between £20 to £40 depending on the work involved - the bigger ones will go into some heart shaped boxes that I'm about to decorate - will put them on the next post.

Little green rosebud fairy.

Blue bow fairy with cotton reel for scale purposes !

Detail of purple can-can fairy.

Silver butterfly fairy with beaded net petticoat.

Pom-pom fairy. ( On her shoes. )

Rococo fairy .

Red tulle fairy.

I have been looking at Louis the 14th and Restoration fashions and would like to make some Elizabethan ones if I can face sewing the tiny ruffs ! More soon ...

On Closer Inspection

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:30:00 +0000

As I love snooping around other peoples studios I thought I'd post some close up shots , so feel free to browse around !

I know these jam pots are ubiquitous but I can't resist them and especially the little ones grabbed whilst out having afternoon tea.

Two ladies wrapped in cellophane; the japanese one is a bat and I picked it up whilst in Tokyo in the '80's - not sure how you would manage to play ping pong with her in all her finery.

The fairy is made by my friend Belen Gomez who also does lovely prints and cards ( I'll post a link up to her when she is up and running. )

The squirrel perfume bottle with the fez hat was a present from Brian when he was junk hunting in new york, the toadstall candle holder one of a set of 6 and the toffee tin has a picture of the Taj Mahal on it.

A set of woven ribbons that came in this dinky dispenser.

The sellotape man also came from NYC and my Wade bird is rather lonely now that I've broken his mate.

As promised, a better shot of the felt daschund and below is his cocktail sausage holder

companion. ( You can't see them here but there are lots of holes along his back to take the cocktail sticks ! ) A present from Victor - king of the charity shop finds.

All In Place

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:55:00 +0000

Well this has been my first purchase for the new studio - a lovely spotty broom and a very important one it is if I am to keep it looking as spick and span as it is now ( dream on - the next batch of fairies will restore my workspace back into a fluffy, fraying chaos.) But for the moment I can walk in and admire all my shelves newly arranged and still relatively uncrowded and feel in control of this particular patch of the world ... what a nice feeling; however you do have to crack eggs to make an omelette and I will have to mess up this serene scene eventually !

Some of my dolls squashed between books and an old chocolate box containing crayons.

And below at last a home for my 'Magic Baking Powder', on the back of the tin it reads,

'Poudre a Pate Magic', so it must have belonged to some French fairies originally !

Following on is the shell tea pot I made for Betty Bib's Fairy Year book - talking of spick and span earlier the fairy sisters Spick and Span usually sleep in that pot but I've lost them in the move ( sure they'll turn up , they usually do. )

I'm so happy to have this space at last, as where I machined before was tucked into a dark corner and all my bits and pieces were balanced around me on the floor ( often falling over and spilling into the sandy cracks of a brick floor - I've left Brian with a very sparkly studio ! ) Now I can reach out and grab what I need ... in theory that is as I still can't resist putting ribbons etc in decorative boxes and woven baskets and then not remembering what's in them.

More dolls and a felt sausage dog - will post a better picture of him next time as he really is a great example of '50's toy making.

Another wider shot and I've just realised I haven't shown my office chair that I've covered

( in haste ) with an old embroidered tablecloth - also next time !

Just to prove that I haven't just been titivating - here are some mermaid brooches that I have just sent down to the Sandpiper gallery in Cornwall - it's beautifully placed looking over the harbour, well worth looking up either in the net or in person if you are down there. In case you are wondering they were made in the old studio but I will confess to doing a spot of painting in the new place, which was easy to clear up - enabling me to still feel all is pristine.

I know it's really fiddly but I just love placing these sequins in just the right spot ...

Bye for now ... there's just a little more 'arranging' to do !