French Connection - Madame Chacha exclusive

Morgane of Madame ChaCha (online childrens designer boutique based in Paris) commissioned this exclusive range of Flying Star Toys Home Away from Home to reflect real French houses. She's just launched them on her website (available to be read in both French and English) Madame ChaCha.  These are some of the gorgeous images she's taken of them recently posted on her blog.

Sail Away Boats - series 2

Holiday at the Seaside is the second series of Sail Away Boats. I've called it "Holiday by the Seaside" because the colours remind me of sun-shiny days watching sparkling water and seeing the blithe boats sailing serenely in the distance.

Currently series 2 has three limited edition variations: Sunlight Blue, Nautica and Sunlight Red.

Dimensions: 16cm (6 1/2 in) high, 15.5cm (6 1/4 in) wide. Eash boat is weighted to stand independently.



Sail Away boats series 2 is now available both on the Flying Star Toys Etsy shop ($USD) and Bigcartel ($AUD)

Introducing Home Away from Home

Please welcome Home Away from Home to the Flying Star Toys collections. Their story goes: Take a piece of home with you wherever you make go, to keep you safe in love's embrace who knows your sweetest wish.

A little home to call your own. These little friendly homes have chimneys with soft, curling smoke that look like clouds. This is how you know someone is at home and thinking of you, keeping the rooms all snug and warm.



Using limited edition designer fabrics and hand embroidered with sashiko cotton they are backed with grey cotton velvet. Available in four sizes: small A, small B, large A (chimney side) and large B (chimney middle). Weighted to stand independently.

Dimensions: each stands approximately 26cm (10 1/4 in) tall. The base widths are; small A 5cm (2 in), small B 6.5cm (2 12 in), Large A 10cm (4 in), Large B 11cm (4 1/4 in).



The Home Away from Home in the image just above have been made as an exclusive set for Madame Cha-Cha in Paris, France.

For more images of Home Away from Home see their Gallery page.

Sunday Morning

Laying back on the veranda lounge, eyes closed, wasting my time imagining the day's work.

Then pow! open eyes! the intensity of light, such blue, such white...truly colour is God's delight.

gifts

Gifts from Margaret B. Thank you - they're so very beautiful!

flower girl

Read some interesting things about Ikebana today. This little miniature not really connected but seeing it again I thought I would share it with you. I used it to illustrate the Chinese tale "Princess Lily" on my folktale blog Crackle Mountain. I haven't written anything there for a while....maybe I'll get back into it one of these days. Seeing this painting reminds me of all the wonderful art works I found to illustrate the tales.

The piece is refered to as Young Ladies Seated at a Table, shown here is one half of an attached pair of miniature glass paintings. Qing Dynasty, 19th Century.

She reminds me of the butterflies I posted about previously.  I love the blue of her gown, the lace details of her cuffs, the intensity of the red in the table cloth, the glow of the white jade vase holding the upright flowers that rise in the air in companionship to her sweet and demure little face....oh, and what about those bold stripes on the ends of her pants?! lovely!