A Sappy Love Story

The Orchard Princess comes to say goodbye, telling Forest Guardian Apple and Forest Guardian Pear that she is moving away to the kingdom of fifty states. Bushels and bushels worth of fruits need looking after there.

Guardian Apple is deeply troubled. Having kept his feelings to himself since the beginning of time, is it finally the moment to spill it all out?

Ah! But old habits die hard. (And the forest kings did say that it wasn't entirely ethical to date those with whom you work.)

So with a deep, deep sigh, so deep it shook him to his very--where else?--core, the Guardian turns away and lets his Princess go.

* Find the guardians here and here.

The Forest Guardians

Once upon a time, you could find them everywhere, each with a vivid flock of butterfly consorts flying them high over the forest canopy as they took care of their verdant realm. These days, like many of the other creatures they watch over, they are an endangered species.

The hardy few that are left are now accompanied by only a single butterfly each.

Guardian Apple.

Guardian Pear.

My Latest Treasure

Browsing through boxes at Aigues Mortes's Saturday brocante*, I found this inventory book kept by a shopkeeper in the Herault in the year 1832. I haven't begun seriously deciphering the contents yet (Who owed him? He owed what amount of money to whom? Questions for which the answers only I would actually care to know.), I've just been enjoying his meticulous handwriting. Beautiful, isn't it?

* brocante - secondhand goods market

Happy Customer

Floribunda, the baby pillow doll, originally uploaded by Deep Indigo.

Although I love all my customers, I have to admit that this little guy, squishing his Floribunda Swaddled Baby, just stole my heart away!

A New Shop!

Images from some of my collaged books.

Reporter, editor, writer. These have been who I've been most of my adult life. Recently, I've added "toy-maker" to the list, but even over at my online shop for fanciful plush goodies, half the compliment I've received have had to do with my product descriptions.

So why fight it, I recently asked myself. I've always wanted to have my stories published in books anyway. And while my progress over in the actual publishing world has been steady, it is a bit slow. So I decided to give things a bit of a push by making myself my own books.

Yep, I started a second online shop for my fairy tales. Click here to see. The shop is called La Pomme Stories--this is self-publishing, the handmade way!

P.S. About the previous post: The last of the free Headache Dolls were given away last week. Watch this blog for future freebies!