Ignore the title, this post has nothing to do with nonsense or balderdash, I just like the sound of the word. This post has everything to do with The Poppies, a virtual awards ceremony to celebrate the handmade community, over at Poppytalk. Click here to nominate your favourites. I have voted in some of the categories but I am not finished yet, it is so hard to choose! Here are my nominations so far, do add your voice to mine if you agree.

Margie Oomen of Resurrection Fern
Nicole Licht of Astulabee
Jessica Marquez of Miniature Rhino
Belinda Kemp of Gretchenmist
Julia Pott
Lizzie Stewart

and the nominations continue:

Mathyld of Encore Petite
Diane of Hibou Caillou Chou
Maya of Designs Maya Made
Maria of Psarokokalo
Regina of Every Eskimo
Melissa of Acts of Kindness

There is just enough time left to nominate if you haven’t already, quick, quick!

Here is a peek at a bit of embroidery work, I have some others along similar lines in (slow) progress, I thought they might be nice for Valentine gifts but I’m not sure if they will make it into the shop in time.

I can’t stop looking at Elisabeth Dunker’s blog Fine little Day. I think it is the light.

The first day of advent, I must rush to the loft and get down Ishi’s Advent House. As is the norm this year, we are woefully unprepared to mark the beginning of the festive season. The 1st of December is a special date for me for another reason, it marks my 1 year Etsy-versary, can it really be a whole year since I listed the first items in the Lou Lou & Oscar shop? Another shop is celebrating its one year milestone today as well, what an incredible year it has been for Margie and Resurrection Fern. Happy Anniversary Margie! In case you didn’t know, Margie was the first person to make a purchase from Lou Lou & Oscar, a Catty Catty, really who could ask for a more generous and appreciative customer. I didn’t know it that day but Margie would become such an important presence in my life, supporter, confidante and most wonderful of all, a very good friend. I am going to stop now before I get all teary!

There is someone else I must mention today, really a huge source of inspiration, incredibly generous and an all round good egg, did I forget to mention that she also makes some of the most beautiful pieces of art it is possible to find, ok, now you know who this is! Thank you Nicole, Miss Astulabee, I don’t think Margie would have found me on day one without your sweet blog shout out about LL&O.

Nicole was also responsible for bringing another amazing person into my life, lovely Mathyld, aka Encore Petite, it is true to say we bonded over our love of all things Astulabee, happily the first meeting of the Astulabee Appreciation Society (European Branch, don’t you love our acronym!-Ha) went swimmingly, pictures will arrive here at some point soon.

So, a happy day to celebrate the wide web of connections and alliances this year has brought. Hello to all of the lovely people I have *met* since LL&O began. Now I am a little teary! There will be quite a few changes coming up in the next few months, our family circumstances are changing, I need to become more *professional* and self-aware, fresh starts all around. Urgh, price rises too, I hate to do it but if I stand any chance of keeping LL&O viable I have to. I know that pricing is an issue many of us struggle with, undervaluing our time and our work. As a UK based maker it is hard to be competitive in North America, I will do my best. I hope that our change in circumstances will allow me to try out other ideas and avenues to keep LL&O running smoothly, this is so exciting and a little nerve wracking, more about this nearer the time. Oh, secret squirrel!

I’m sorry not to have any big celebration or giveaway planned for today, when my new plans come to fruition I will make up for my lack of planning then. I do have a special little interview coming up later though. Be sure to check back to see who is joining us. I will be taking a break from LL&O over the next few weeks to prepare for christmas, spend some proper time with my boy , catch up with long overdue email and get those images of Paris up. And yes, that is another work by Lizzy Stewart at the top of the post, I am so obsessed! Happy December my friends.

You must all have heard about the amazing craft market lovely Mathyld has organized. If you will be in Paris on Sundays the 6th or 13th of December get yourself along to Supervente. There are so many wonderful artists taking part including Encore Petite, Resurrection Fern, Hibou Caillou Chou. Check out the flyer above for some more names. Oh, did I forget to mention that I will be there too, well, my work will be! Supervente will be my first craft fair, I am nervous and excited all at the same time. You can check out some of the offerings in advance via the link above, Supervente also has its own Flickr group here. I would love to do all of my Christmas shopping at the event, here are a few of my picks from the show.

I was lucky enough to see some of the work in person when I visited Mathyld last week, photographs really can’t do it justice, stacks of beautifully made animal silhouette cushion covers like the one above, rows of pretty owlettes, necklaces, brooches, all manner of gorgeous things. If I had a pair of ruby slippers I would click my heels together and wish myself in Paris. Of course I am building up to blogging about my visit to the French capital, I have a weeks worth of hoops to make and then I am taking a little time off to prepare for Christmas, visit my lovely K and her new baby (who isn’t actually out in the world yet!) and, yes, get all of the Paris images off the camera and into the computer. Phew! There will be a few changes at Lou Lou & Oscar in the new year, including price rises, this makes me so sad, but I need to start charging more realistic prices and taking the exchange rate into account (come on dollar rise against the pound!). I feel that LL&O needs a little freshen up for 2010, new photos, a more coherent feel, the depth that comes with a little extra experience. My most recent work has streamed itself into two ‘collections’: Natural History and The Stars Down to Earth (thank you Mr.Adorno!). More about this tiny development soon I hope. Paris was so inspiring, I can’t wait to share it with you. I am going to leave you with a couple of images to whet your appetite, sources of inspiration for the Natural History collection.

Ok, so it is a huge cliche but there is no place like Paris in the springtime, except maybe Morocco, but this is spring week so I am not going to bypass the overstated! I hinted that there would be some special events and exciting developments here at the LL&O blog and today I can reveal that I am going international! In fact *I* is becoming *we*. I am stupidly thrilled and uncharacteristically teary eyed to introduce you to Mathyld, aka Miss Encore Petit, our Paris correspondent and brand new contributer at LL&O. Yes, yes, yes!

I know Paris fairly well and thought it would be wonderful to delve a little deeper into this magnificent city. I think Mathyld is a super star, she lives in Paris; what could be more perfect? I knew that Mathyld would make a superlative Paris correspondent as she approaches everything from such interesting and unexpected angles, she also has a finely tuned aesthetic sensibility and writes so engagingly. I am jumping up and down with delight at the result. Mathyld’s first article for LL&O is coming up a little later today, it makes me want to jump ship to Paris. Enough of me, let’s embark upon a fantastic voyage of discovery now with lovely Mathyld.

Hi there! First, I’d like to say that I’m honoured to be a guest here at Lou Lou & Oscar. Lisa was my very first Etsy customer and I’m pretty proud to now call her a friend. My name is Mathyld, I am half French, half French-Canadian. 19th century (mostly British) Art is my ultimate passion. If you come across a girl screaming and/or weeping in front of a Preraphaelite painting or a piece of Arts & Crafts furniture, that might be me! Also, I love riding my bike and attending punkish gigs on stiletti.

I moved to Paris twelve years ago. I always knew that it would be the case. So did everybody around me. I love London & England more than anything else. But Paris is my town. It’s the place where I sigh in wonder every time I take my bike and cross the river Seine through one of its many bridges. It’s the place that makes me stop doing things when the sun comes right after the rain. Just to watch. It’s the place that makes me cry when I wander by some monument at night. As for crafts, I’ve always been into crafts, but it’s very recent that I dared to show my ‘creations’ off to the World!
x x x
___mathyld___

You can visit Mathyld in these places too:

Etsy Shop
Encore Petite Blog
Flickr

*Print at the top of the post from Labokoff.

From Paris Nord, it can only be from Miss Mathyld aka Encore Petite.

I bought this gorgeous Meadow lingerie bag from Mathyld’s Etsy Shop and it is even lovelier in person, beautifully made, delicate and pretty with the most adorable embroidered detailing. It is a shame that the embroidery doesn’t stand out in the images I took, it really adds a very special touch. Before going into raptures over my new bag I should also say that it was packaged so inventively and with such obvious care that I almost didn’t have the heart to open it.

Also the most wonderful little gifts, including a perfectly lovely teapot brooch, I can imagine the Dormouse from Alice poking out of the top! The brooch went straight onto my coat (pictures later!).

Thank you so much Mathyld, I hope that you are sewing up some more lingerie bags, they would make the perfect gift for the discerning lady (which I most certainly am!) this Valentine’s Day, or any day in fact. Because this is a day of self-revelation for me I am going to show you my knickers now!

Isn’t my lingerie enhanced by its proximity to my bag from Encore Petite? I am looking forward to seeing more of Mathyld’s work, get over to Encore Petite for some Parisian Chic; lovely cushions, bags and brooches-swoon!

It is one of my dreams that I will one day have my own little bricks and mortar shop where I can bring together all of the beautiful handmade treasures I have come across. I love Etsy and my expectations are always exceeded when I get to meet the item I have purchased in person. Sometimes I wish that photographs could offer the complete tactile experience! Sometimes a photograph misses the perfect little details. How wonderful to guide a customer around my imaginary emporium and encourage them to explore the delights on offer! Beginning to sound a bit racy now! Carried away by my little shop dream! It is so exciting however to hold an object and discover tiny detailing you couldn’t see in the picture. This is always the case with (Oh, it is so difficult not to fawn!) Nicole’s work, everything I have received from Astulabee has been a revelation. Today’s delivery was no exception. I received these-Hooray!

Hello Sweet Valentine card and Wolves In Love print.

Here they are together, you can just make out the pretty, red jewels on the Valentine! I am so in love with Nicole’s Wolves, probably my favourite representation of these beautiful creatures ever, yes, *ever*. I’m going to stop now before I get carried away again! Thank you so much Nicole!

Oh, lovely, lovely Margie! Thank you, thank you, thank you ad infinitum! I had to order these stunning prints from Margie’s shop Resurrection Fern because I love them but also because I keep missing shop updates and Margie’s work flies out in seconds.
It is no wonder, such rare, fine and beautiful art indeed.

Felt, Lace-covered and Natural stones print.

Matryoshka Stones in a Frame print.

Especially for Ishi, The Polar Bears Are Turning Green print.

Oh, and a wonderful surprise! Who is nestled safely inside but Merfish Feste, the tiny, capering swimmer, plus a lovely print of Feste and his friends. I was overjoyed to see him and his colourful, intelligent and happy spirit brought a big Chesire Cat grin to my face.

Thank you so much Margie for your wonderful generosity and marvelous friendship.

I consider myself so lucky to be surrounded by objects and artworks made by such talented and special women, you are all such stars!

Kitty card above from Frantic Meerkat for insecure types everywhere.

I have been tagged by Nicoletter and Encore Petite, hello Nico & Mathyld! I am going to tag Eerika and Maria, you don’t have to do it unless you really want to loves!

1. The chat up line with which I snagged Adam, my husband, was “you’re so pretty” (I can’t believe it worked-I am so smooth!)
2. I think that said husband looks just like The Medici Madonna by Michelangelo. I had a picture of this sculpture hanging on various walls for years before we met! (Adam asked me not to include this random fact incase everyone imagined him to be rippling with muscle, when I reminded him that the sculpture is a representation of a woman he was fine!).
3. I am terrified of birds, especially dead ones
4. A famous British playwright taught me how to tie cherry stalks into knots with my tongue (not as hard as it sounds)
5. I swing from being horribly shy and unconfident to excesses of over confidence and gregariousness. This can be very confusing and annoying for others.
6. I have always wanted to live in Paris. My French is terrible.
7. I am lazy. My best friend is half french and bilingual, I have had my opportunity to learn!
8. My son Ishi was inadvertently blessed by the hand of Iggy Pop during a stage invasion at a Stooges gig, I was 3 weeks pregnant and didn’t know it! (I hope he loves The Stooges when he is a bit older so that I can amaze him with this information!).
9. I developed an aversion to having my photograph taken in my early 30′s. I still find it excruciating and avoid at all costs. See below!
10. My first cat was named “Hera” as we thought our beautiful tabby kitten was a girl, over the course of a few months it became very obvious that ‘she’ was in fact a ‘he’. Hera kept his name though.
11. I spent the whole of my twenties and the first half of my thirties proclaiming that I never wanted to have a serious relationship or children!
12. I once ate ciabatta, mozzarella, tomato and basil sandwiches everyday for nearly 6 months.
13. I am quite obsessive
14. I am often described as being ‘frosty’ and intimidating by people who meet me for the first time. People who know me will tell you that I am a soft and fuzzy kitten and a jelly-head!
15. I always wanted to have my hair just like Debbie Harry’s circa 1978 (Heart of Glass specifically!).
16. People often tell me that I “remind” them of… insert the name of various random actresses and singers in this space… none of whom resemble each other, let alone me, in the slightest!

A note on the ancient pictures! See random fact #9-The photo above is the last picture taken of myself that I can stand to look at. I look fairly relaxed, natural and happy (I’m in Paris, who wouldn’t!) here. Around this time, my early thirties, I went through a period of being horribly shy and self-conscious, I am still this way sporadically. Since then, in every single photograph I have seen of myself, I look stiff and uncomfortable and unnatural. I do let people snap me but with extreme reluctance and I ask not to be shown the results. I am awaiting the arrival of my wedding pictures with a mixture of hope and trepidation. I feel very silly that this is such a big issue for me and no I don’t dislike the way I look and I’m not afraid of the aging process either. I wouldn’t want to look like any one else (OK except maybe Marianne Faithfull or Anita Pallenberg in the 1960′s). Perhaps I should start posting those horrid, stiff checked, stretched-mouthed photographs as a kind of aversion therapy. I should also say that I’m not ‘blonde’ any more, can you believe that the roots in my hair you can see in the pictures above are artificial, yes, I let the hairdresser paint in roots because it was ‘cool’ and oh so ‘street’ at the time.

Ok, before we have a little look at what I look like with dark hair I have to say that I whacked the contrast up on this in Picnik, so that the terrible “mirror” face I am pulling is not so glaringly obvious. I took this a couple of weeks ago and this is why I can’t stand having my picture taken, I don’t look ‘natural’ because I am so self-conscious and always end up with that awful, stiff expression. I may take this down quite soon by the way!

Here is an image of The Medici Madonna incase you have never seen it.

Marianne Faithfull & Anita Pallenberg.

Whilst I am being so self-obsessed I thought I would share two small landmarks for Lou Lou & Oscar with you. I wasn’t able to post about them when they actually occurred so now seems to be the perfect time.

My little Etsy shop clocked up its 600th heart the other day. Hooray! I am so happy that people are finding my creatures, a big thank you to everyone who has hearted Lou Lou & Oscar.

Image above: Polaroid Land Camera 1000 by Angel Caido on Flickr.

Good news for my fledgling blog too which has now had over 1,000 visits! I will be celebrating 1 month of blogging on February the 1st and I am so grateful to everyone who has contributed to making this such a fun and rewarding process. Thank you all so much for visiting, commenting and cheering me on, it means so much knowing you are taking a peek every now and then. I have some incredible interviews coming up over the next few weeks, please do join me for these, they are the highlight of my blogging week. Who knows who I will be badgering next with my 3 little questions?!

I am sick of myself now and off to watch some more Planet Earth with Adam (thanks to lovely Margie for inspiring me to revisit this series). See you all soon. X