Meet Mademoiselle Frenchy and Gigi, her poodle

Wee are happy to introduce our friends from around the world. Frenchy is the resident Parisian who, along with her adoring Gigi, enjoy the lovely and beautiful Paris this time of year. With serenading birds, blooming flowers and unforgettable sites to see; you will want to join Frenchy in the springtime. Pack your bags and begin this adventure, but don’t stay long or you might miss the next exciting stop on our trip around the world.

Little Likables

What do you get when you blend Liddle Kiddles with It’s a Small World? Wee are what you get! I have been developing this collection in my head for a number of years, and finally is has become a finish collection. It is Wee Are the World and it is finally ready for the world.

It all began over 30 years ago when I visited Disneyland and sat in the little boat traveling around the world, the Small World, that is. I immediately fell in love with the adorable children from all over the globe and the artist who designed them, Mary Blair, the amazing one. So, needless to say, I’m a huge fan of Small World.

Now, go back another decade from that 30 years, and you’ll see little Sheri Berry playing on the floor with her teeny tiny Kiddles. These were the tiniest little dolls of the time. And they even had tinier little caged animals, called Zooleries, as their pets. I had a few, wish I’d have saved them. I know the appeal for me was in the minuteness of these little people. They were compact and just as cute as they could be. Well, that’s my opinion anyway.

These two childhood experiences, along with a song I learned before I could even read, All the Children of the World, have stuck with me, so much so, that I could hardly stand it until I could create my own version of all the little children of the world. Well, at least eight little children anyway.

As you can see at top, the children are Mukluk, Frenchy, Tajie, Poncho, Sushi, Dutchy, Bongo and Aloha. I have also been sending these little guys to the girls, the college girls I postcard at each week. The scene art above is of those postcards.

Over the next few weeks I will share the collections of each of these sweet children and the accessories, if you will, for each. What I’m referring to is the patterns which accompany each person. I have learned a bit about the regions and culture to give each their own identity.

So, while my identity may be wrapped up in Small World and Liddle Kiddles, hopefully the identity of these wee people will wrap around your heart and find a place to stay.

Woodland Tails are going global

Today I received a shipment from the other side of the world. My little Woodland Tails animals have finally arrived. They are here for you to see in baby products: baby boy and girl clothing, bibs, melamine dish set (complete with storage box), boy and girl growth charts, receiving blankets and burp rags, and even little woodland stuffed animals. I didn’t get samples of each item, but this will give you an idea of what is out there, or about to be out there in the land of woodland products.

I don’t know exactly where to send you to find these finds, but I have been told that they are going global; going to Australia and possibly Europe, and some of the items (the dishes and the baby clothes and bibs) can be found in the states. Here is the place to start your search for products in the US. As soon as I have more information about items is the rest of the world, I will let you know. If any of my peeps down under site any of the woodland animals in your walkabout, please let me know and we can share it with the globe dwellers on the upper half as well.

Here are some images of the melamine dish set (plate, bowl, cup, fork and spoon) with the cute storage case that the set comes in. I’m especially excited about the dishes and the footie sleepers. Too bad I can’t stuff my grown up kids into the pj’s tonight. But, guess who’s having supper on the woodland plate? :)

Bon appétit for the petite!

Simply Charming

When something is precious it seems to be all the more precious if it is teeny tiny. And so it is with the charming set of characters from the My Deer, My Darling collection. Just make them itty-bitty, put them on a charm bracelet and see how adorable they become.

I created with the wonder product, Shrinky Dinks when I was a kid and thought it was wonderful. So, when I recently learned that they now have a plastic that can be printed on with ink, that’s all I needed to know and suddenly everything I get my hands on is being shrinky dinked. What a fabulous invention. I love, love, love it! So, I took my little creatures, miniaturized them, and strung them together for some little charming bracelets.

These bracelets remind me of a 1950’s baby bracelet, given at a baby’s birth. I never received one, but have been collecting vintage charm bracelets over the years. I have always loved miniatures, and charm bracelets are perfect for that interest. Now I can start my own charm bracelet collection thanks to Shrinky Dinks, my library of art, and my ever dependable printer.

Paper Dolls have met their match

The joy of cutting out paper dolls was never quite the end result I always wished for when I would meticulously cut out a chain of them. The truth is, they would typically look like the ‘universal bathroom symbols’ when finished; very stiff, very contrived and with no individual style. You can see what I mean in the design above as to the little regimented soldiers and soldierettes, perfectly lined in uniform fashion.

Well, those days of boredom with scissors, paper and uniformity are about to end. I present Kate and Nate with their very own Cricut Cartridges, filled with hours and hours of paper-dolling and limitless possibilities. All you need is the ProvoCraft Cricut machine, Kate’s ABCs cartridge, Nate’s ABCs cartridge, and four or five years to craft it all into amazing, personalized products.

I see that Nate’s ABCs cartridge is now available, and I bet Kate’s ABCs cartridge is trailing right behind. To learn more about these fun products, designed by yours truly, go to Nate or Kate on the Cricut website and look for the Sheri Berry seal of approval on the cartridge covers (that’s shop talk for look for my logo, bottom, right corner:).

Here’s a little sneak peek of what you’ll find when you get your very own cartridges and believe me, they go far beyond the world of paper dolls and alphabet stencils your mother used to make.

Kate’s ABCs and Nate’s ABCs cartridge covers.

Sample of images on the Kate cartridge.

Sample of images on the Nate cartridge.

For those interested in getting more Kateified or Natefied you may want to pick up some fabrics from Northcott of these same designs. Or, if that’s not quite enough for you, go ahead and get a wall mural personalized for your favorite little Katish or Natish kids at Murals Your Way, and keep that Sheri Berry spirit with you all the livelong day!