Spring blossoms are abundant at the moment, even here in Brooklyn. I noticed them floating down onto the subway lines, through the grates in the sidewalk, a plesant thing to watch while waiting for the train to arrive. Here are some I photographed a few weekends ago while the sky was blue (its grey and morose today)
Some merry blossom Etsy finds...
Cherry Blossoms in Toyko circa 1910...
Merry Spring!
Is it time to don warm overcoats? ...
... Cook delicious soups? ...
... Go ice skating in the park? ...
I hope so!
Tilly
xxx
This one is frame 2, with an Emily Dickinson quote in French Script.
Custom Necklace $26 at TillyBloom.Etsy.com
And now for some lovely Etsy finds...alas, the wonderful things hands make!
1 Paper Bird
2 Bird Vase
3 Kimono Coat
4 Padded Tote
5 Tea Cozy
6 Pod Print
7 Man Spider
8 Sweater
This one is Holyrood Palace, founded as a monastery by David I of Scotland in 1128, it has served as the principal residence of the Kings and Queens of Scotland since the 15th century. The Palace stands in bonnie Edinburgh at the bottom of the Royal Mile.
Palace Necklace @ TillyBloom.Etsy.com
A few of the most ridiculous British laws...
# 1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament
# 2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British king or queen's image upside-down
# 3. It is illegal for a woman to be topless in Liverpool except as a clerk in a tropical fish store
# 4. Eating mince pies on Christmas Day is banned
# 5. If someone knocks on your door in Scotland and requires the use of your toilet, you are required to let them enter
# 6. In the UK a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet
# 7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the King, and the tail of the Queen
# 8. It is illegal not to tell the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing
# 9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armour
# 10. It is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls of York, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow
I just love number 7.
A Strange & Spooky Festival of Samhain and All-hallow-even to all.
I hope you are all dookin' for apples, carving neeps, biting at treacle stones suspended from strings, guising, and celebrating the end of the harvest season.
These are the Celtic traditions from which Halloween arose.
Some photos of my shine and ode to Halloween, the Autumn and Oddities...
Clicking this one will take you to it's Flickr page, where many notes tag each item.
And now for a little Robert Burns....
by Robert Burns
Upon that night, when fairies light
On Cassilis Downans dance,
Or owre the lays, in splendid blaze,
On sprightly coursers prance;
Or for Colean the route is ta'en,
Beneath the moon's pale beams;
There, up the cove, to stray and rove,
Among the rocks and streams
To sport that night.
Among the bonny winding banks,
Where Doon rins, wimplin' clear,
Where Bruce ance ruled the martial ranks,
And shook his Carrick spear,
Some merry, friendly, country-folks,
Together did convene,
To burn their nits, and pou their stocks,
And haud their Halloween
Fu' blithe that night.
The lasses feat, and cleanly neat,
Mair braw than when they're fine;
Their faces blithe, fu' sweetly kythe,
Hearts leal, and warm, and kin';
The lads sae trig, wi' wooer-babs,
Weel knotted on their garten,
Some unco blate, and some wi' gabs,
Gar lasses' hearts gang startin'
Whiles fast at night.
Then, first and foremost, through the kail,
Their stocks maun a' be sought ance;
They steek their een, and graip and wale,
For muckle anes and straught anes.
Poor hav'rel Will fell aff the drift,
And wander'd through the bow-kail,
And pou't, for want o' better shift,
A runt was like a sow-tail,
Sae bow't that night.
Then, staught or crooked, yird or nane,
They roar and cry a' throu'ther;
The very wee things, todlin', rin,
Wi' stocks out owre their shouther;
And gif the custoc's sweet or sour.
Wi' joctelegs they taste them;
Syne cozily, aboon the door,
Wi cannie care, they've placed them
To lie that night.
... it does go on for quite a few more verses, which you can read here...
Take note of this coupon for free shipping on spooky oddities in my Etsy shop.
Good evening to all, and goodnight!
I love making Time Beans, they are so tricky and full of surprises - you know know how they'll turn out. Each has his own unique clock-face physiognomy. Though they show behind and beyond the face, to the watch mind, and mechanism of their thoughts.
Did you ever notice that spines look like little Eels?
'Tis near the end of October and time for the buying of boots.
Boots! Hurrah! None of that sandal nonsense for me.
But what kind? Black boots are the most versatile, they must be comfortable and well-made, with a heel, but not too high.
I'd like lace-ups, but with a hidden zipper so that I don't have to spend and hour getting in and out of them.
A nicely shaped foot - not clunky. And not too dear.
After much looking I found these Born 'Wickham' boots, they fit the bill perfectly.
Perhaps because of pumpkins and Halloween, I do quite like the orange stitching.
Hurrah, boots!
And now for some splendid Etsy Boot finds....
1 - Victorian Boot Purse
2 - Wellies T-Shirt
3 - Bat Shoe
4 - Little Wool Boots
5 - Girl with Skinned Knee Print
6 - Boots Etching
7 - Cowboy Boot Pouch
8 - Brown Boots Print
All the best on your boot-finding missions!
Have a splendid Saturday and try not to worry about Magnetohydrodynamics
Hello Fine Fellows!
I hope you are all fine and dandy and enjoying the bonnie colors of Autumn. I'm back from my trip to the mountains & forest and have caught up on my orders. It was a splendid trip, with many a charming view...
... amusing animals...
... I picked juicy apples from bountiful trees ....
... and drank delicious local beer .
I ♥ Autumn
Hope you are all having a lovely one!
♥♥♥ Tilly ♥♥♥
I have been tagged by ZudaGay to list 6 weird and wondrous things about myself.
6 Things about Tilly
* My favorite way to make cookies - half-bake them and spoon the hot, part crisp, part chewy, part slimy chocolate chip cookie substance onto vanilla ice cream. Yum!
* The only magazine I read is the NewScientist. 'Tis the best subway reading material in all the land, particularly if, like me, you cannot concentrate on 'real' books in the subway.
* I prefer to take photos of people looking at <insert monument, artwork, zoo animal, etc here>, rather than the thing its self.
* I have an enormous collection of arms and and legs. (Antique porcelain doll ones, not humans ones)
* I don't understand peanut butter.
* My favorite opera is Die Zauberflöte
My poor old electric kettle, my simple black Ibis, my companion and boiler of tea water for these past 4.5 years has died.
In his old age he had become grumpy and reluctant, requiring one day a spanner on his lid, the next a paint brush tilting him back. Yesterday he boiled his last boil, an unpleasant whiff of burning plastic and a wheezy death-rattle signaled the end. It was quiet and dignified, and as I drank my coffee I bade him farewell.
Now comes the task of finding a new kettle. A breif search on Amazon did not inspire me as far as electric kettles go. There are few to choose from, and of those many are small, ugly or badly reviewed. So I'll turn away from those, and focus on stove-top ones.
A brand named Copco seems to have a wide variety in attractive designs and shades, and at resonable prices. Here is my shortlist:
This Michael Graves Design in pale yellow is quite pretty, but it doesn't seem very ergonomic and I've heard bad things about the quality of his tea kettles. $25 @ Target
The Bellini Teakettle in Robin’s Egg Blue is a lovely shade, with happy curves. $20 @ Target
I like the old-fashion shape of this Copco Cambridge Stainless-Steel one, it's elegant but not at all fussy. It looks like it would do its duty for many years without complaint. $30 at Amazon.com
This charming Red Delicious apple kettle has a 2.5qt capacity, which is great as I drink lots of tea. I love the 'stem' on top. $26 @ Amazon.com
This brings to mind tea and buttered toast. The Copco Bristol. $30 @ Amazon.com
I particularly like the simple design on this one, and it comes in lovely shades of pale green, blue and red. The Copco Midori Enamel $20 @ Amazon.com
The Copco Avanti, a bold, modern design. $25 @ Amazon.com
Well. I have no idea. I'm going to boil some water (in a pot) make some coffee, and have a thing about it. Do share your opinions!
Best,Tilly
My Fine Fellows,
Due to a hand injury, the hand-drawn jewelry
isn't on sale at the moment. It will be back soon, when my hand is
better or when I'm fitted with a splendid bionic arm, whichever comes
first.
Sometimes I wish I were a cyborg.
In the meantime do have a look at my splendid prints & bracelets.
Every day I take a break from making things, to rest my poor fingers and enjoy a pot of green tea. Today I had some Chinese cakes with my tea; they were quite similar to Fig Newtons, only with pineapple-like goo in the middle.
After eating the first one I still wasn't sure whether I particularly liked it or not, so I ate another.
Four cakes later... I still haven't decided.
Good morrow dear reader, I hope you are feeling fine. I welcome you to my typings and hope they will keep your eyes filled with merry images and your mind filled with good knowings.
If there is anything you would like to find here please leave a typing of your own in the comments section and I will do my best to oblige.
I'm in the process of reworking my Madethings, my presence on The Internets and myself - indeed, I may even get a fringe cut into my hairdo.
Its an odd process, it feels large and maze-like, but I hope to have it finished by the end of the summer, before the leaves become many-colored. When all is complete, we shall have a grand party with paper hats and pipes for all.
