Sweetie-Day Bags

I sewed some new bags for Mary's Marvellous Market last weekend, which sold almost straight-away, so I'm really pleased I remembered to take some pictures.

The bags are made from a beautiful soft, off-white linen-cotton blend, lined with lovely stripy fabric and trimmed with vintage lace.

Heidi LaLarge: The Original Flapper

This one features a print of Heidi LaLarge – an elephant who has exquisite panache on the high-wire (with a little help from Bumblewick Beesting's Weightlessness Tonic). Heidi was a star performer of the 1930s, and always dressed to perfection in the era's latest styles. Indeed, some say that the motion of her beautiful elephant ears lifting and falling with the rise of fall of her tricycle on the tightrope, was the origin behind the term "flapper". 

Underneath Heidi  is a panel of fabric I printed with the Butterscotch & Beesting circus pattern. This is then sewn into vertical sections so that you can slip in your lollipops.

Inside, the bag is lined with lovely red stripy fabric, and has lots of space for candy: confectionery: sweeties. Yum!

Betty Butterscotch Sweetie-Day Bag

The other bag has a print of the delightful Betty herself, and also has a little purse at the front for keeping your sweetie-day coins safe. 

The purse pocket is closed by a gorgeous turquoise button from my (naughty and ever-growing) stash of vintage buttons. This one is from the 1950s (I think) and almost looks like it's made from sugar. It's one of my favourites.

The top of the Betty Bag is trimmed with vintage Japanese lace from the 1960s. The lace has a gorgeous natural colour and delicate, slightly squared-off design, which I think complements the linen fabric really well.

I am thrilled, but also a bit sad, that they've both gone. I hope they will make the Sweetie Days of their new owners, Sophie and Anna, even more special. (Although I happen to know Sophie and Anna spend their sweetie days in the wonderland of Cocoa, so what could be more special than that?)

Mary's Marvellous Vintage Market

Butterscotch and Beesting will be at Mary's Marvellous Vintage Market this Saturday. 

I am extremely excited as I hear they serve excellent tea and home-made cakes. Always a treat, I find. And Betty (bless her cotton socks) has been tirelessly making more batches of sweets to ensure there are enough to go round...

It will be open from 11am until 4pm, on Saturday 24th September at St Mary's Church, Bramall Lane

Sheffield, S2 4QZ. (It's the big church on the roundabout, so it's really ever-so very easy to find.)

New Creature Alert

A new creature is about to make his way into the Butterstings Circus troupe. He was created in one of Solomon the Simian's magical wand sprees. (Such a difficult monkey that one, yet again causing a terrible kerfuffle, running around the circus casting spells on the poor animals, muddling them up in the most unexpected ways. So terribly trying for all involved.) 

This creature, however, is a very fine specimen. Indeed, he was so enamoured by his new mixed-up self, that he decided not to rectify things with a spot of Betty's antidote. 

Here are some clues as to his identity. 

He's part Tiger...

... part Caterpillar.... 

... part Peacock...

This interesting combination has gifted him with a quite dazzling (and somewhat death-defying) talent.

All will be revealed shortly. 

In the meantime, here are a few Tiger/Caterpillar/Peacock-related things made by other people which I think are really rather remarkably brilliant.

Tiger Tattoo by Julia Potts

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62120332/tiger-tattoo

I've been a huge fan of Julia's work for a while now and this week I bought an illustration of a bear from her film for The Decemberists 'Here Comes  the Waves – The Hazards of Love Visualised'. (You can see an extract of the film here http://vimeo.com/9086660). She's just graduated from the RCA, and you can read more about her and her work at http://juliapott.blogspot.com/ She's really really rather brilliant.

Katie Pillar by Cart Before The Horse

www.etsy.com/listing/61807781/katie-pillar-contemporary-folk-art

Cart Before The Horse make the most incredible toys and dolls that are so much more than that: they're a whole world of crazy imagination and talent. Katie Pillar makes me think this is how most caterpillars would choose to travel if they could, using wheels instead of having to steer all those pesky feet. I love visiting their Etsy Shop to see what new creations they've come up with. Their blog is definitely worth a visit too. 

Hand-tufted Peacock Rug by Rice

 from www.olivelovesalfie.co.uk

This beautiful Peacock Rug is made by Danish design house Rice, and you can get yours from Olive Loves Alfie – my all-time favourite children's shop in London, owned by the absolute icon of cool, Ashlyn. She finds wonderful clothes, books, home accessories and all sorts of loveliness from all around the world. Everything I have ever bought from there is something that I want to keep and treasure forever. 

And if you want to find out more about the new Tiger-Caterpillar-Peacock hybrid joining the Butterscotch & Beesting clan, come back soon when all will be revealed x

Stickers, Snails & a Pelipus

The circus has returned from the south of France and is now up and running again. Hurrah! As a welcome back, I've added a few bits and pieces to the Etsy shop.

So you can now brighten up your stationery with some Stickilicious Stickers...

Adorn yourself with snails...

Or pin a Pelipus to your pocket...

The Circus Is Off Travelling

I'll be away for a little while from today, but I promise to be back in September with heaps more Butterscotch & Beesting goodies.

I imagine if Betty and Bumblewick were going camping, they would stay in this perfectly circusy tent...

Sadly I am not. 

But if someone would like to buy me one, you can get them from here... The Glam Camping Company. Sigh. Have lots of beautiful days in the sunshine until then xxx

Siplicious Straws

Between the rain showers yesterday I took some photos of the new Betty Butterscotch and Magical Menagerie straws. The paper straws are very strong and totally biodegradable, with die-cut toppers attached. The toppers are scalloped and feature an illustration from the Butterscotch & Beesting Circus clan – I've attached one to both sides of the straw, so it looks nice from every angle. Each pack of Siplicious Straws comes with four straws features four different characters.

I'm a bit of a fan of old-fashioned paper straws and also a big fan of stripes, so I was ever-so excited to find these straws in perfect Betty and Bumblewick colours.

A Rinx straw from the Magical Menagerie pack

(A 'Rinx', of course, is a 'R'abbit muddled with a Flam'in'go and a Fo'x' by a flick of Solomon the Simian's most troublesome stolen wand)

A Fleabit straw ('Fl'amingo, P'ea'cock, Rabb'it')

with a Froocan ('Fr'og, R'oo'ster, Tou'can') 

and Poucan ('P'enguin, T'ou'can, Peli'can') sneaking into the background 

A snail from the highly talented McSwirl troupe of acrobatic brothers, and Cyril the Performing Kangaroo in a sundae glass, with Betty and Froghopper straws below.

I imagine these straws would work quite well as cake toppers, and I'm working on some matching cupcake wrappers too. They'll be available to buy from my Etsy shop shortly.

www.etsy.com/shop/butterscotchbeesting

Red Lips & Victory Rolls

The Vintage Fayre at Kelham Island was really rather fabulous, and I was blown away by the effort everyone made to dress up – including my five-year-old daughter (known as 'Middle') helping me out on the stall in her vintage-style blouse, bright-red YSL lipstick and victory rolls (as good as I could manage in the manic morning rush). Not even sure if she knows what the 1940s are, as when we arrived she saw all World War II uniforms, looked confused and checked with me: "Are soldiers 1940s?"

The stalls were all upstairs, where we were treated to music and (even spoon-playing) by Radiolympia, who were quite brilliant, and Miss Ivy Walters has a truly mesmerising voice.

Have a look at their website at www.radiolympia.com and I'll see if I can upload a video at some point.

Brightening me up in the quiet lulls with his remarkable sales banter and sleeve-full of vintage watches was Joe, who looked mighty dapper on his vintage furniture and bric-a-brac stall opposite. On Saturday afternoon I finally caved in and bought three beautiful china bowls for "the special one-off price of only two quid." Quite a bargain really. I might take try taking some casts from them, and make some more sweetie bowls.

Here are a few shots from the Butterscotch & Beesting stall...

Betty Butterscotch's Twirly Whirly Lollipops

Some Really Rather Marvellous Wands and Bumblewick Beesting's Secret Ingredient

New Magical Menagerie Siplicious Straws...

 ... and Betty Butterscotch Siplicious Straws

Soft, buttery, crumbly Coconut Fudge Ice and super sour Fizzy Wizzibees

Betty's fine porcelain Sweets and Treats Bowls, handmade by me. 

And because I can't resist, another picture of Middle all dressed up in her forties finery stealing some Butterscotch & Beesting stickers packs.