Oh yeah I'm having a sale for the very first time!

So I'm having my first sale! Yeah thats right, prices on these elephant and bee mugs have been slashed!

Swans in Sudbury

Went to Sudbury last weekend to visit my sister and got real close to some swans.  I have been blessed with some awesome animal encounters lately and getting so close to these magnificent birds was really something else.

One amazing thing about seeing swans on dry land is their feet (in Hyde Park they usually stay in the water - and who can blame them with so many people constantly around)... they are so big, powerful and scaly... kinda like dinosaur feet.

Dinner at Ilana's ...and my latest inspiration

So Lily and I had a beautiful evening meal at Ilana's Central London flat the other day.

We had an amazing mushroom and carrot soup (who would have thought those two things would go together so well???) and I was inspired to make the next guest in my animal pictures database a ladybird!

Ilana is a total ladybird addict and has a whole bunch of ladybird stuff in her flat (cuddly ladybirds, ladybird stationery and so on).

Some quick ladybird facts:

• In Yiddish, the ladybird is known as "Little Cow of Our Sage Moses"
• In English, the ladybird was originally called "Our Lady's Bird" and has a history of association with the Virgin Mary
• There are more than 5000 species of ladybird
• According to one Italian custom, it is said to be good luck if ladybird flies into a bedroom.

An ornamental ladybird from Barcelona

Huge cuddly ladybird

Ladybird clip thing on a spring

My Cat Shop is Online :-)

Ok so I got my cute cartoon cat pictures shop online! 

Cats against orange sky

Cats' Tea Party

Took me the whole evening though... hot dang!!

Our Trip to Portmeirion

So in order to get some inspiration for my forthcoming Green Man Shop, Lily and I went on a trip to North Wales.  Our idea was to spend a few days with my mother who lives in a cottage by the Berwyn Mountains.

I felt that in order to create art about something like The Green Man... who is, according to the tradition, an intrinsic natural force, I had to get us out of London.  So over the course of 4 days, I managed to make two great designs for Rainbow World Art ... but that's not what I want to blog about today...

On the third day of our excurision, we went to the other-worldly village that is Portmeirion, which is doing a promotion whereby you can print off a voucher from their website that permits free entry!

Being in the village was quite an experience.  Pretty awe-inspiring, really.   The whole place feels so organic... so wholesome...  Portmeirion's designer, Clough Williams-Ellis, designed the village in almost perfect harmony with the landscape.  From almost wherever you stand within the village, there are incredible views to behold.

Outside of the village, there are a number of short but outstanding nature walks to be had in the woods (which contain some VERY unusual trees) and on the beach.  

Lily and I decided that next time we go, we want to spend a week there.

Lily looking out over the lake

Strange tree flexing its muscles

James in a little stony round place

James and the Buddha

James securing his hat in the village

James thinks he's the lord of the dance

Lily in an archway

Teddy Bears' Picnic Launch Party

In order to celebrate the launch of Rainbow World's new Teddy Bear Shop we held a little teddy bears' picnic in Hampstead Heath.

Humans are not usually invited to teddy bears' picnics but we managed to sneak an undercover photographer into the park to witness the proceedings.

The bears are gathered around and ready to start their picnic

Gurgi goes for the cake

Hinndle pecks at the cake

Pikachu sips hot tea

The tea is all gone??  Pinky wants to make sure!

At the end of the picnic, two of the tired bears take a nap under the banner!

The picnic went well in spite of the brisk November weather. All the bears headed home full and happy!



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