ULLABENULLA

Doll House From the North!

I adore this Scandinavian Styled DOLL HOUSE found on Ada Och Emil! Truly Beautiful!

The Magic Wonderland Of Paul Busse

Paul Busse makes fairy tales come alive with his magical creations sized for model trains! He works from photographs of the buildings, using sand, glue and tile grout for the stone facades and berries, seeds, pods and vines to add texture and detail. Then he travels with his art presenting his 'little world' at garden shows and festivals. It takes almost 20 people 10 days to position the buildings, lay out the 1,200 feet of track, get the trains running, construct the trestles, tuck in the hundreds of plants and place the lights. What a delight it must be to see these creations up close!!! See More Photos Here

And now back to SHOES...

These tiny beauty's are by Lucy Arnold.

Fairy Shoes!

Annette Emms teaches a workshop on how to make 'Fairy Shoes' in England! Wish I could be there...

'Fairy Coaches' Class At The Castle

A parade of beautiful FAIRY COACHES were created this weekend at the CASTLE! I love the sense of imagination the students showed. Wouldn't you just love to ride in one of these magical coaches??? WONDERFUL!!!

Some Friday Inspiration!!!

Here are a few things I found this week, that I found wonderfully inspiring!


First, Elisabeth had a Birthday, and invited all her guests to join her on 'The Moon'! I just love what she created and the Party Photos are truly wonderful! Check out her Moon in progress photos too!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELISABETH!

Next, Apartment Therapy recently posted this Gender Neutral Nursery Wall Painting, created by using an Art-o-Graph opaque projector to enlarge a fabric design onto the walls and then paint it in! I love the whole idea, skulls and all!!!

I also thought Design Sprout's post on Recycled light bulb hanging vases was wonderfully inspiring and simple! Can't you just see a dozen of these hanging from the trees in the summer?

And last but not least, Judy sent me the link to Arthur Millican Jr.'s site Sleepy Hollow Enterprises, showcasing his wonderful Fairy Houses, and dolls. His 'T' Pot cabin is my favorite, but they all make me want to move right in! HAPPY FRIDAY!

Paper Carousel Class Sample!

Here is my sample for the upcoming CASTLE class PAPER CAROUSEL, to be held Monday April 14th! Students will create a 'Woodland Animal Carousel' that spins on a 'lazy susan'. I've used some fabulous vintage hand-colored animal prints that came from Germany, as well as a combination of other paper-theatre images, gold dresden and green metallic crepe paper. The little gold saddles are actually dresden crowns - turned upside down! This should be a wonderful class, and I am already thinking of other 'themes' to use for future Carousel's!!!

For initial inspiration I found this wonderful 'Paper Circus' print-out online! As easy as it looks, it still took me about 2 1/2 hours to cut and assemble, and I didn't like how the spinning interior functions. Great idea, but hard to make it look good. (I'd recommend stiffening all your paper before you cut the pieces out.) Still, if you want to make your own 'Paper Carousel' and can't take my class, THIS is a fun one to try!

A Visit With Stephanie Blythe, and the Possibility Of A FAIRY Doll CLASS!

Yesterday, my dear friend Jocelyn, who is visiting from L.A., Lea and I set off for the Bay Area in search of magic and inspiration! Our first stop was the home and studio of Stephanie Blythe, who lives just north of San Francisco. Stephanie for those of you who may not know, is the Master of porcelain fine art fairies! With her nimble fingers she has been creating teeny tiny little creatures, dressed in magnificent finery since 1977. Her background in textiles and love of Children's book illustrations formed a firm foundation for her career in Fairy art! The piece above, called 'One World, One Heart', spoke to all of us on many levels...

While visiting we brainstormed the possibility of Stephanie doing a FAIRY DOLL WORKSHOP someday soon. A very special opportunity for you to come and make your own magical fairy doll, in Stephanie's studio using one of her amazing molds. IF THIS TEMPTS YOU, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT HERE, AND OR EMAIL ME PRIVATELY, and I will let you know what we can come up with!

So many steps are involved in creating these little treasures, and we delighted in seeing hints of each process. From initial inspiration, to boxes filled with tactile delights; a cozy corner devoted to sculpting and painting, and a vintage cabinet filled with dyes in many fairy colors... Here I will leave you with a photo album of our amazing visit, filled with whimsy, magic and plenty of fairy dust!

Stephanie and Jocelyn share a moment discussing the lifestyle of fairies...

While Lea bonds with one of the studio mascots!

A huge 'Inspiration Board' fills one wall of the studio...

While boxes with labels such as 'Sweet Peas' and 'Big Roses' or bursting with beads and baubles tempt from every corner...

Tiny Fairies asleep in teacups, hide in cupboards...

And Walnut Babies rest on our fingertips!


Bits and pieces of porcelain 'body parts' wait for new incarnations...

While dozens of handmade molds hold surprises inside!

Mother Natures Inspiration sits on the windowsill, and ancient trees covered in moss and spider-webs beckon outside!

Surely this little 'Shadow Box Fairy' once lived just outside Stephanie's door...

My personal favorite fairy lay quietly within a tiny antique embroidered purse, her beautiful little legs peeking out...

We couldn't resist holding one of Stephanie's new Madi the Magical Fairy Play Doll, seen here as a whimsical little bumble bee!

And of course, drooled over the many wonderful past creations Stephanie has produced! It was truly an amazing and magical visit being with the lovely Stephanie and her little fairy kingdom! Thank you Stephanie for letting us peek in your wonderland!

ENJOY!!!!!!!

More about our wonderful trip coming tomorrow!

Off To Points Yonder...

Going to a doll show this morning, and wishing I were riding in this Pink Antique Roadster Pedal Car!

Susan's Wonderland Of Toys!!!

Last Friday a friend and I visited Susan's Store Room in San Anselmo. If you are in the Bay Area, and need a 'WHIMSY' fix, let me tell you, this is the shop for you!!! For 30 years, Susan, the lovely proprietor of Susan's Store Room has delighted and thrilled all who visit with not one but three huge rooms filled to the brim with toys, dolls, bears, miniatures, gifts and all things magical and whimsical! Not a space is left bare, and no corner empty, truly a wonderland of delights!

Susan is also known for a delightful series of books, "The Travel Journals of the Steiff Reggie, Pansy and Clarence Bears". Our visit just happened to coincide with the arrival of her newest book: "Clarence goes to The Chelsea Flower Show". This wonderful book (illustrated by the very talented Maryjo Koch) tells the tale of Clarence visiting England! Clarence, designed by Susan and created by STEIFF takes us all over the Queens Kingdom, journaling about his adventures as he goes. Here we see Susan and Clarence posing at Beatrix Potters home!
(Book and Bear available from Susan's Store Room)

You need to plan on spending a good amount of time when visiting Susan's Store Room, there is sooooooo much to see! look around and you will find Noahs Ark - filled with Steiff animals of every kind; Jolly Gnomes hiding behind a forest of trees; dressed Mice having tea-parties; King Tut holding a conversation with a giant ostrich and Elephants playing Safari! Doll Houses filled with delicious miniatures of every kind, tempt us to join in the fun. Every Holiday has its place all year round here, with Halloween and Christmas sharing space with Easter and Valentine's. Shelves are crowded to overflowing and Dolls and Bears peek out where ever you look! A visit to Susan's Store Room makes us walk back in time and be children again! Truly an adventure not to be missed!!!