Fingers Crossed!

After the MOST eventful beginning to 2012, (both in very bad ways and in very good ways), it looks like hopefully there is soon to be some stability! Hoorah! We've been tucked away here, in our hidey hole since the dark days of February and now, just as summer seems to be coming around the corner, we're packing up the ol' car and are off again! I wish I could tell you we were off to France, but alas, we didn't find anything for us. Not on that visit anyway, but we are still looking. No, we're off somewhere a bit more familiar...I'm just keeping my fingers and toes crossed that everything goes the way I want this time.

Toujours un fruit-loop...

...just because that's the best way to cope with life :) For the first time this holiday I visited my favorite proprietress, in my favorite shop, in my favorite place in France. I wasn't disappointed. I rummaged through old wooden drawers and dressers, finding treasure after treasure, all the while she was sat behind her sturdy wooden bureau puffing on her cigarettes and telling me about how tired she was. Sienna flitted in and out, helping herself to Madame's stash of 'gateaux' in the drawer with which to feed the ducks in the river that winds by the shop. Madame allowed me to measure out my own lengths of antique lace with her wooden metre rule, all the while saying - "en plus, en plus ma cherie", giving me much more per metre than her prix suggested. I love her to bits :)

Limited!

I'm a bit limited lately as regards to sewing and making. Practically everything I own is in storage and I have been living out of a suitcase for nearly eleven weeks now. This time has been dedicated to writing and working and the amount I've achieved is amazing compared to 'normal life' and I'm very, very happy with the amazing opportunities that have arisen from this time! More to come on that soon...

But now, I want my stuff back. I want my little tin boxes full of antique french buttons and lace, my jars of ric-rac and ribbon, my pile of vintage handkerchiefs that is as tall as Sienna. I drove for nearly an hour on wednesday to visit the nearest 'good' haberdashery, and although I came home with a bundle of goodies, I've discovered that without my sewing machine, I'm limited to tiny things. So, it looks like my plans for re-stocking the shop will have to wait a little bit longer. My mind is BURSTING at the seams with dollies and other little bits but I know it shouldn't be too long before we're all settled again and I'm reunited with my precious sewing machine!

Red Bicycle

Yesterday Mr Nick, Sienna and I made a trip to the bicycle shop. Mr Nick enjoys throwing himself down the sides of mountains upon two wheels so I decided to join him in a little Saturday afternoon bicycle browsing, that's about as near to mountain biking as I will ever get. I'm more the 'pootling around town with the newspaper, a baguette and a bottle of Bergerac in my basket' kinda bicycle rider so I was instantly smitten with my new love - The Pashley Princess. They had two, one a very sweet fifties baby blue, and this one, the red one...my one. It was over six hundred pounds, but I want it so, so badly. I can't wait to get settled again in my very own studio and re-stock my shop, then maybe after I've sold about 300 dollies I may be able to afford it! As you can see I wouldn't leave its side. Even while Sienna was tearing around the shop on some pink and purple tasselled atrocity, threatening to knock over the entire shops stock, I was glued to it and it's very informative pamphlet. It had all sorts of useful information including Bicycle etiquette. It was just adorable. All of it. Including the pamphlet. So, even though this was only taken yesterday teatime, it feels like a thousand years ago. I'm longing for the day when we can be together everyday.

And in other news! Just as I was feeling particularly and spectacularly down in the dumps, at about eleven O'Clock on Friday morning, I looked up from my drawing board to see the postman shuffling his way down the garden path carrying a BIG BOX! I knew instantly what was inside the box and my spirits instantly lifted. I'm so happy and so lucky in so many more ways than I sometimes remember.

If there be Dippy Eggs....

...things are usually okay.

Things are getting quite exciting around here just now, but as with exciting things, they always seem to be 'just around the corner'. Now once upon a time this would have driven me quite mad, but I take a more relaxed view on life these days.

A trip has been booked. We have our boarding pass for EuroTunnel. The gîte is booked and this time in two weeks I will be winding my way down to my favourite little corner of this planet with my two favourite people. And the most exciting part of this little trip is that we are going to find our new home.

We've got a shortlist, (long list) of properties to view. Some are ready to move into, although not 'our dream'. Some are old barns or farmhouses which are about as far from ready to move into as you can get, but 'could' be 'our dream'.

So, I'm busy meeting my deadlines before we go, as well as some other little bits and bobs that I will share soon.

Oh, and before I forget! These two NEW Candy Fairies books by the wonderful Helen Perelman are now available for pre-order...I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE illustrating this fabulous series, long may it continue!!

St Patrick's Day

I'm still stowed away in my secret hidey-hole, waiting for stuff to 'happen'. These gorgeous wee buns turned up on the table this lunchtime, they didn't last long....

It's actually raining and sunny at the same time today, so I'm enjoying the soft spring sunlight as it's filtered through the rain. I love that.

My copy of the World Book Day book that I illustrated f-i-n-a-l-l-y arrived yesterday, I'm really pleased with how it looks.

So, back to work for me this afternoon in my make shift studio....I have twenty mattresses to paint. Can you guess which fairy tale I'm illustrating?

Nina and the Travelling Spice Shed

I'm just putting the finishing touches to roughs for the inside illustrations to this lovely story book. It's a gorgeous story, written by Madhvi Ramani and will be available to buy later this year!