More Etsy Goodies

           I have still been so busy sorting through all of my stuff (my house will soon be half empty.) I can't believe it's February already. The quicker this year goes the better, and we will be even closer to our move to England.

    Even though I have been clearing out very large amounts I haven't stopped buying completely. Etsy continues to tempt me!

      Of course I continue to add to my Miss Bumbles collection (I now have over 90!)

        Another shop I love is Boopsie Daisy. And I thought I would share with you the four dolls I have from this shop.

My very first doll was a custom made black cat called Pawlie.

Next I was luck enough to grab Gimmick from the 2012 Halloween range.

This custom made doll is based on my cat, Ruby and her love of Malteser sweets. 

I snapped up Drippy the gingerbread girl at the same time as Ruby.

    I have yet to take pictures of all my dolls. All pictures belong to Boopsie Daisy, find her Etsy shop here.

      Although I can't start another large collection, I do have a few more dolls on my wishlist.  I'd love a Marie Antoinette doll, an all white witch like a previous Halloween doll and a little French girl. I'm sure there will be more to come this year!

12 Days Of Etsy: Curious Pip

1. Tell us a bit about yourself



I am a Bristol based textile artist and illustrator creating a unique line of dolls,brooches and illustrations all stemming from my love of old Hollywood,circus history and fairytales. I originally trained and worked as an actor for many years but I always had a desire to create a niche for my constant sketching and making. After my son was born I developed my skills and created Curious Pip.



I use a variety of new and vintage fabrics to capture the charisma and charm of old Hollywood, I guess my aim is to create work which not only evokes nostalgia but brings comfort and a smile to your face. I'm rather obsessed with tatty vintage costumes! 


2. How did you choose your shop name?


I had reams of possible names for my business but my little boy liked the word Pip and I love the word Curious. My household shelves are full of interesting finds and curiosities. Victorian wooden dutch dolls, Swedish vintage glass, old children's toys and books, even feathers, bones and fossils!




3. What do you enjoy making the most?



I love the whole process of creation, from my early scribbles and research to sitting down with a pot of coffee and drawing a more detailed sketch. I love choosing and playing with fabrics. The face and hair are an exciting stage because they then seem to develop a personality. I particularly love making my Circus Showgirls. I love the theatricality, bold stripes, stars and feathers!

4. What is the best seller in your shop?



Since every doll is unique its difficult to say. People seemed to love my Christmas fairies. There was also a lot of interest in my Pink haired Marie Antoinette doll. 5 people wanted that little candy coloured cupcake of a doll.

5. Your work sells all over the world, in which parts of the world is your work most popular?



I think its Australia at the moment, yes I seem to ship alot to Australia. U.S and UK. My blog appears to have quite a following in Bahrain - 

lots of pageviews from Bahrain. Very interesting.


6. What inspires you?



Old Hollywood glamour, showgirl routines in old Busby Berkeley musicals, The Ziegfeld Follies and circus history. I'm forever inspired by costume and its ability to create magic.



7. How long have you been crafting?



As long as I can remember I have always sketched and made things. I used to knit clothes for my Sindy dolls when I was a child (with the help of my mum) tapestry, flower arranging, sewing and making paper dolls...

8. What are your other hobbies?



Well apart from making and illustrating I enjoy dancing. I tap dance and do ballet - as a hobby. Since giving up acting 5 years ago it fills that void of what I got from performance. I did a fair bit of physical theatre but I never danced professionally during my career. I did ballet as a child but tap is totally new to me - I love it. I love going to the cinema, the theatre and reading. I've always got several books on the go. This time of year ghost stories are my favourite. Susan Hill's ghost stories are chilling! My plans for 2013 are to learn the accordion and do some Aeriel performance. We have a circus school at the bottom of our road so I've no excuse to not do a class.

9. Do you collect anything?



Not so much these days but I've had my moments. My husband and I have both been obsessive collectors in the past - chairs, glass, vintage clothes, the list goes on! Our shelves are still full of curious objects. We love flea markets and car boot sales.



10. What is your favourite Christmas tradition?



My favourite Christmas tradition has to be the fetching and decorating of the tree. I love a real tree. Nothing beats the smell and look of a real festive spruce in your household. I love taking out all the decorations that were so lovingly put away last year. My little boy thinks they're like treasures! His particular favourites are two little retro reindeers I've had for years! However I guess my answer might be swayed a little this year in favour of my little boys first nativity play! oh I love a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie too of course.



11. Do you have a favourite Christmas song or carol?



Fairytale of New York and Rosemary Clooney singing Here Comes Suzy Snowflake.

12. What is the funniest Christmas present you have ever been given?


I'm writing this several days before Christmas 2012...So I'll let you know!


Many thanks to Sarah from Curious Pip for taking part in this feature. Click here to visit her Etsy shop.

12 Days Of Etsy: Boopsie Daisy

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Missy and I'm a happy-go-lucky misfit living in British Columbia Canada alongside my merry little family of 4.

2. How did you choose your shop name?

It's a play on the old phrase 'oopsy daisy' tied in with a tribute to the First Lady of Kitsch, Miss Betty Boop. As a youngster I got hooked on a VHS compilations of old black & white Betty Boop cartoons and a love of Betty's big eyed beauty and sweet persona have stayed with me ever since. 

My entire body of work is heavily influenced by cherubc dolls and charming toys from back when Betty first became a world sensation. I should also mention a nod to the stirring ee cummings poem 'a winter afternoon'. The last line of this poem in particular, "I thank heaven somebody's crazy enough to give me a daisy" encapsulates all that I aspire to put out into the ether with my wacky unsual images and whimsical dolls. 

3. What is your favourite item to make?

Print work is the most rewarding for me. When my daughter was born there was a particular type of decor I yearned to decorate her room with, but it just did not exist. I set about bringing the things I saw in my mind's eye to reality and it all took off from there. Being surrounded by a large arsenal of junk food and bright kooky play things all day tricks me into thinking I never grew up! :)

4. What is the best seller in your shop?

The dolls sell the quickest and I can't re-stock them fast enough. 'Oh Deer' and 'What the Frank' are the prints purchased most often. 

5. Your work sells all over the world, in which parts of the world is your work most popular?

I'm sure there is more boopsiedaisy stuff in the United Kingdom than anywhere else on the planet. For whatever reason, my work really seems to resonate with the wonderful people there. 

6. What inspires you?

Big eyed dolls, colorful food and candy, words, dreams, fairytales, holidays, different eras of the past. 

7. How long have you been crafting?

Crafting is big in my clan. In the 80's we had a Saturday morning tradition of making breakfast people out of whatever was in the fridge & cupboards. There was always an abundance of crafting materials at the ready, handmade Christmas ornaments would be added each year to the tree, etc. My sister & I made our own 20 page magazine 'The Cheeseball Update' when we were pre-teens that always kept our friends & family in stitches. The women in our family all just seem to exit the womb with a pencil
or paint brush in hand. Crafting is in our very blood.

8. What are your other hobbies?

Thrifting almost daily, reading, writing, drawing, baking, collecting, and I can never watch enough horror.

9. Do you collect anything? 

Dolls, cameras, books, magazine clippings, Pez, vintage squeak toys and salt & pepper shakers, vintage Halloween & Christmas decorations, Snow White or Frankenstein related items. Things too numerous to mention. My husband likes to say I "collect collections".

10. What is your favourite Christmas tradition?
Wearing pajamas all day while basking in the ambient light of the tree as carols play on the turn table and the kids try out their new toys.

11. Do you have a favourite Christmas song or carol?
I like the really fun ones like "I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas' and 'Baby it's Cold Outside'. I feel like I instantly officially catch the Christmas spirit though when I hear 'O Holy Night' for the first time each December. 


12. What is the funniest Christmas present you have ever been given?

When I visited Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in New York a couple years ago my Mum snapped a shot of me with my eyes closed dreamily, puckering up to Boris Karloff's 'The Monster' for a long deep kiss and for Christmas that year she presented me with a hard bound journal with that picture as it's cover. It always makes me snort so I suppose that is the funniest holiday gift I ever got.



Many thanks to Missy from Boopsie Daisy for taking part in this feature. Click here to visit her Etsy shop.

Etsy Buys And Finds

    I have been clearing out once again. And I have been trapped in a sea of ebay items. I am now up to a total of 81 sold items. I still have plenty of stuff to go but I think it's time for a little break.       
     It's quite strange to have gone from somebody who loved shopping to somebody who loves getting rid of stuff.
    I no longer look at shops in the town centre and I never even look at websites I used to buy from all the time (ASOS, Topshop etc.)  When I decided to go on a shopping ban at the beginning of the year, I didn't think I would manage to stick to it so well and end up wanting to get rid of most of the things I own!
      It hasn't been a complete ban and I have still been buying a few things from Etsy. Most of these things have been gifts. But I have still been adding to my favourite collection (I always will).  
     One of the other things I have bought is a doll from Boopsiedaisy. I have liked a lot of the dolls from this shop but had never bought one. So I decided to make my first purchase a custom order. And I asked for (you guessed it) a black cat doll. I'm so glad I decided to get this doll made (her name is Pawlie), she is so cute. I would recommend this shop if you are looking for something cute and quirky.

Pictures belong to Boopsiedaisy you can find her shop here.

I thought I share a few other cute finds that I love but won't be buying!

I really like these anthropomorphic macarons and cookies from SandraArteagA. You can find her Etsy shop here.

And I have been quite tempted by these gorgeous vintage French knife rests in the form of cute little cats. They are From LaManche and you can find her Etsy shop here.

Shopping, Halloween and Dolls.

On Tuesday my Mum and I went on another shopping trip. We started at Matalan. They had a small amount of Halloween bits in. I made a few small purchases. I bought a ceramic black cat T lite holder £1, a black cat hair band £3 and a cardboard cake stand £2.
       Then we went to a local garden centre, we didn't buy much there. It has been a while since we have been in the shop next to the garden centre but we decided to go and get some cheese (I am a cheese addict, the hotter the better). I didn't get any cheese but they did have a stand of lovely baking goodies, which is new since we were last there. There were lots of different and unusual things to choose from but I narrowed it down to two. I bought black crystal sprinkles and purple crystal sprinkles. I haven't been baking much lately but I can't wait to use these!
          After that little purchase we had a look around the rest of the shop. I was drawn to a glass cabinet which contained some pretty cloth dolls. There was one I particularly liked...

    My Mum loves Alice In Wonderland and she has got me into it too. So it is no surprise I love this doll. My lovely Mum very kindly bought her for me! She was made by Lesley Cameron from Lesley Jane Dolls. I have discovered her Etsy shop (I am also an Etsy addict) which has lots of other cute dolls.