Miss Ermentrude Mouse

May I introduce to you ...little Miss Ermentrude..complete with cheese...if you please!

She is quite a keen cook and always pays particular attention to the quality of her ingredients. She only steals cheese from the most 'well to do' houses in town. As you can see..she is already sniffing the air trying to find her next ingredient...tomatoes!

She takes great care to keep her kitchen neat and tidy and has to be super organised in her cooking. She lives in a little dresser with her 9 children. It's tad small for them but they find it very homely.

 She likes to place fresh flowers in the kitchen. It's a little indugence that she very much enjoys.

 Her children are quite shy but can always be lured out from their hiding places with an offering of cake. Christmas pudding is an all time favourite in the mouse household.

Miss Ermentrude has been most helpful in designing the apron for her friend Henrietta. Henreietta is new in town and did not have much in the way of clothes. Ermentrude believes one should always try to look ones best...even in the kitchen! She's an old fashioned sort!

Well, there you go....the story continues...

..at present, Henrietta has gone to live with friends in Tideford, Cornwall and Ermentrude is awaiting the arrival of more relatives (ooh there are so very many!!) in the near future. It is thought that Uncle Alan, a great Pirate and Master of the Seas is coming to stay soon. he is such a swash buckling man of a mouse!
 

To be continued....

(Miss Ermentrude and friends are made by me, Lisa..the dotty bird, in my little craft room in my little house, in little ol' Cornwall...if you would like to have a little mouse of your very own, please send me a message and 'll send you the details...thank you)

Today's make...

I got completely carried away making this little lady this afternoon...I spent hours sewing and modelling clay etc but she is all made up now and is such a help...gathering up all the little nests and eggs strewn about my craft room and getting them ready for me to sew! Such a clever little mouse!

Ermentrude helping out

 and here is some random clay objects I've been making...including cheese, beaks and eggs!

Air drying clay

Ermentrude in the making

I'll post a pic of the finished piece..mounted on her mouse trap with cheese as soon as it's all painted up! I was planning on making her to sell at my upcoming stall on Sunday...but I've grown quite attached to her already..so might have to try and make another one too!

Take Care...and keep crafting

Love Dotty 

xxx 

Mad Hatters Tea Party!

Hello lovelies....hope you are all well!? We have had the most glorious few weeks of sunshine here in Cornwall...such a rare treat! It's been super baking hot but I've been hiding out in the shade and trying to do as little as possible! (not so easy with two little kids!!)

I had a stall with two fellow crafters at the Cowslip Studio Mad Hatters Tea Party Craft fair yesterday. I met so many fabulous artists and crafters and hopefully there will be some interesting collaborations to follow! This was the somewhat unusual hat I made!

Needless to say it drew quite a bit of attention.

The latest venture is a stall sharing crafty cooperative with two friends of mine, artist Chloe from Woolly Soup and  Ceramicist Sue Newell. We are collectively called 'Fox & Finch' and we are hoping to run a few stalls together. Unfortunately the sales yesterday were really poor, I'm not entirely sure why, but we had a fab day anyway!
Here are some snaps of our stall...

brooches by me..vases by Sue Newell

Our vintage case display

Pinch vases by Sue Newell

Bird Folk Dolls by Woolly Soup

I was also lucky enough to meet up with the lovely Kirsty Elson, Teresa of Willapark Designs, Emma Stead, Sian of Lancaster & Cornish to name but a few...so many wonderful stalls!
I was coveting this beautiful little cottage by Kirsty Elson...her little creations are just dreamy..

and I just LOVE the work of mixed media artist Teresa Dunne

 and finally I must mention the lovely folk at The Flower Mill, they kindly let me snap a few shots of my butterfly brooch in their gorgeous flowers! He looked so at home amongst them!

Phew...sorry for the photograph overload! There was just so much to see and I wanted to share it with you all! :)

Well, I'd better be off...got more nests to build! and butterfly wings to sew! (and tea to drink ...and rubbish tv to watch...ahem...and biscuit tins to raid)

Take care my lovelies xxxx

Love Dotty

Butterflies butterflies everywhere!

I have been a little butterfly obsessed lately..they are appearing on my cards, brooches and arty things all round.  As you can see.....

yikes!!

My new hand stamped packaging ♥

I've been tinkering around today with making an arty patchwork picture and I think I'll frame it in a box frame. I need to get a mount made for it..but I think it's rather pretty!

Yikes...I've got to dash...I'm off to dance...hope you are all well...so sorry I've been a terribly neglectful blogger lately..it's all busy busy busy here at dotty headquarters!

Take care my lovelies and I'll be round to visit all your lovely blogs soon xxxxx

Hibernating..

I haven't been around much lately as I've been feeling quite poorly for a while now. Unfortunately my crafting has temporarily ground to a halt....and I'm not a happy little bird when that happens :(

But... I have had a few lovely crafting projects over the past few months that I haven't shown you yet so I can show you those. But before all that..look at this beautiful little egg! It's a house sparrows and we found it half eaten on our garden bench...my mum nearly sat on it in fact! The nest belongs to a Goldfinch, I found it in the hedge a few months ago after the hedge cutter had brutally chopped it all down.

I've also been trying my hand at painting furniture, I started with this printers tray and I'm painting an old kitchen dresser..they are all unfinished...but I can't be ill forever right...!? So hopefully I will continue to glam them up in the near future.

I was busy making stock for Summer craft fairs, including these butterfly brooches, made with the most scrummy vintage fabric.

 and my most lovely new venture was into quilt making. I went on a day workshop a few weeks ago and it was soooo lovely! A whole day of just sewing and chatting and making something just for me :) it is also unfinished but I will get round to finishing off soon. The course was at the Liskeard Craft Box shop.. I thoroughly recommend it!

and is the the suspected culprit of my latest illness...I used to think they were so beautiful..I'm not such a fan now. There is a down side to living on a farm sometimes :(

Sorry this has been a bit of a 'poor me' post..I admit I am feeling rather sorry for myself lately. I'm glad to say that the Doctors may have found out why I've been feeling so exhausted and run down. I can't quite remember what the doctor said but it was something to do with having inflammation of the lungs and a few other infections...I am quite a little grotty bird at the moment. So this half deaf, wheezing, knackered little bird may not be around for a while..but don't forget about me..I'll be back. I will come and visit you lovely blogs when I get a chance later. 

Take Care my lovelies

Enjoy the Sun

xxxx

Meet Miss Hoots mystery man

May I introduce Miss Hoot suitor...a rather dapper young (ish) fellow!! Oh...I don't know what to call him!! Any ideas for a name...?

There seems to be a bit of an awkward silence between them! Maybe things will improve after some cocktails and a dance!?

I will be making another prospective suitor for Miss Hoot later in the week..I think the next Gentleowl may have monocle or a pocket watch! Watch this space ;)

A busy busy Springtime!

Hello there my lovely blogging buddies...how are you on this fine Spring day? I'm feeling mighty fine, albeit exhausted after looking after crazy kids single handed seeing as Mr Dotty chose the Bank Holiday weekend to be ill..waah! Poor Mr Dotty...I am so bad at giving sympathy!

I have been feeling very inspired lately, not sure if it's the Spring time vibe but ideas are emerging at quite a rate..but, alas,  I have so very little time to make them real!

But first...i must show you the most lovely little transistor radio I found at a carboot on Saturday. It cost all of 50p and I thought it would make a fab prop on my stall at craft fairs. I was even more happy to find out that it actually works and I now have to it tuned to a fabulous French radio station. ♥ I love it! ♥

and now on to some of my makes since the last post...

I was asked to make a tea cosy by my sons teacher. It is the first one I've made and I'm rather pleased! I think it may the first of many. I must make myself one next!

next..I was asked to make an owl cushion by a friend... meet Miss Hoot!

and I'm making a window panel for another friend..

and a crocodile tail for a little birthday boy! (a last minute pressie!)

and a card for my father in law...

and finally a new little project I'm working on!!

and LOTS of washing fabric while the sun is out

phew...

I am starting to panic a little though because I've booked in for quite a few craft fairs over the Summer and I really need to get making some stock. I just can't stop myself from taking on random orders though!

Well I hope you have had a lovely sunny bank holiday weekend too! Do let me know what you are up to...are you feeling inspired too?

Take care 

Love Dotty

xxx

Barn Owls and bugs!

Hello lovelies, I just realised its been 2 weeks since I last posted ..waah how time does fly! I thought I'd take this opportunity to write a quick post as I'm lying around feeling rather sorry for myself :( I have a tonsillitis and its horrid horrid horrid! 

Here are a few pics of projects I've been working on...

 A Barn Owl for my Mama's 60th Birthday! The pattern is adapted from Abilgail Glassenbergs 'The Artful Bird'. A very lovely book indeed and a very lovely Owl too!

He took quite a few hours t make, but he is a handsome chap and he looks lovely in their house. They are going to mount a piece of driftwood in the corner of the room and stand him on there.

I've also made a few more leaping fox brooches.

and finished off making some nests, hearts and bird feet...a random collection! It's surprising how productive I can be when I'm away from home, this lot got finished when I was babysitting!

and finally...I recieved the most beautiful papercut from Kirsty M as part of our craft swap. I made her a blackbird, a brooch and I am still thinking up a third piece to send her. She is s incredibly talented, I cannot believe how delicate and detailed the papercut is. I honestly don't feel worthy! I have had it framed, sandwiched between to sheets of glass and it now lives over my Rayburn. I am a happy happy bunny!

You can see the original papercut here... 'Our Love Nest'

Well, I hope you are well and happy :)

I'm back off to bed now..with more painkillers..waah! 

Take Care, 

Love Dotty xx