Paris in the Springtime

Have recently been to Paris for a few days for shopping and inspiration !

Join me as we walk around window shopping ... this was a lovely vintage shop with old dolls and the silk flowers in the foreground are an old hat.

These are some delightful hanging fabric babies on ribbons - the smaller ones are in walnut shells.

Two old signs found in a traditional pharmacy.

This was a great bead shop in the Marais district just behind the Pompidou Centre. They take a long lunch hour so go early morning or after 3 !

Had to buy some patisserie of course ...

Have come back with some great fabrics and habadashery from Entree Des Fournisseurs

which is also in the Marais at 8, Rue des Francs Bourgeois. It is just full of the most beautiful things ; kits, ribbons , off cuts, needlework boxes, scissors and tools and the best selection of buttons I've seen for a long time - take your credit card !

This bundle will be worked into some of my garden embroideries I think ...

These fine trimmings will make some fairy very happy ...

Will be making more of these little ladies with my finds ! If anyone has any interesting cotton reels to give away there is a free fairy to be posted ...

A flock of fairies

This wonderful Spring sunshine has spurred me on to show off some new fairies from the up and coming Spring / Summer collection ( by which I mean my collection in various shoe boxes of fairies I have been stashing away with the sunnier weather in mind ... the snowflake and frosted ones are put on the top shelf to hibernate ! )

Above we have the butterfly girls - they are 2 inches high with a wing span of 2.5 - 3 inches.

They are embroidered and bejewelled and have hand painted silk wings and are £10 each.

Next up ( and I'm really pleased with these ) are my cotton reel fairies. I think they look really cute standing up proud and true on their little wooden plinths. Their little feet hook neatly in to the hole ( and they can be prised out to hang on their silver thread hanger. ) They are embroidered with tulle and metallic lace , their wings are embroidered organza and tulle and they are carrying paper rose wands. They are £20 including the cotton reel. I shall now be raiding boot sales and markets for these obsolete objects ...

Next in line are my sitting fairies ( also on wooden reels. ) These are made with pink and white chiffon and are wired to sit and bend. They have stiff paper wings and a satin pink rose at their waist. All my fairies are made in limited editions and are never exactly the same as I have to get on to the next piece of fabric that inspires me , so there are only 3 pink and two white of these. Priced at £15 with the reel.

Latest fairy fashion is this seasons flower hats ... these girls are 3 inches high, have stiff paper wings, silk fibre hair, and are wearing coloured tights ( not easy to fit on this scale I can assure you ! ) Price £13.



Coming soon to my website bettybibdolls.com are some bigger 9 inch fairies as well as some of the smaller ones featured here.

Happy Spring days and keep on fairy spotting !