The theme for "Smile on Saturday" on the 1st of April is "reflection in a spoon". The day before the announcement of the theme, I had been shopping with a dear friend in a Japanese paper shop. Both she and I bought papers to use in our photography, since we are both avid photographers. One piece I bought was of stylised Japanese chrysanthemums in mauve green, blue, gold and white which have been gilded. It is this piece of paper I decided to use for the theme. Taking up a soup spoon from my canteen of best cutlery, it was only by accident that I discovered that by holding it on an angle over the paper, it created an effect of making the blooms appear smaller and smaller until disappearing entirely. I really liked the effect, creating a secret garden on the underside of my spoon. I do hope you like my choice for this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile.

This delicate and fragile Easter egg has been painted completely by hand in a beautiful Art Nouveau style, known as Arts and Crafts Movement or “Style Liberty” in the United Kingdom. The egg has a background of rich cobalt blue which is decorated with a mixture of stylised white and blue flowers in a William Morris style and then overlaid with tiny gold flecks. The egg is then covered in a varnish to protect the fragile hand painted surface.

 

The theme for "Looking Close on Friday" for the 31st of March is "a single egg". This egg, perched atop a small porcelain rest, has a small puncture at both the top and the bottom, indicating that it was “blown”, a tradition where one blows the white and yolk of the egg through the hole in the bottom by way of exhaling into the hole at the top. A time consuming method, egg blowing must be done gently so as not to break the fragile egg shell by applying too much pressure. It can take well over an hour to blow a single egg. The paper I have chosen for the background is William Morris’ 1875 “Marigold” pattern which I thought suited this Style Liberty Easter egg. I hope you like my choice of the theme this week, and that it makes you smile.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is well recognized by its pure color, as it is clad with SIVEC marble from Macedonia. Every artistic design element was carefully considered and fits into the overall vision of the Mosque.

The majestic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque by night.

The theme for “Looking Close on Friday” for the 29th of July is “different shades of green”. If you follow my photostream, or observe some of my entries for colour themes for “Looking Close on Friday” you might imagine that I would choose pieces from my Playmobil collection. However, as I have done that before, I found inspiration elsewhere. In my dining room, which is also where I keep my laptop, I have a beautiful French Art Deco china cabinet full of Carlton Ware from the 1920s and 1930s. My top shelf consists of “Rouge Royale” Carlton Ware, and the second shelf consists of “Vert Royale” Carlton Ware, and that is where I took my inspiration from for this week’s theme.

 

I love and collect many different kinds of porcelain, so it didn’t take me long to gather just a small selection of green coloured pieces in different shades. I hope you like my choice for the theme this week, and that it makes you smile.

 

The pieces in the front row from left to right are: a Carlton Ware 1920s gilt eau-de-nil jug and bowl, a Wedgwood Jasperware thimble of “The Spinner” in sage green and a salt and pepper and milk jug in may green from the “Wild Rose” cottage ware series produced by Carlton Ware in the 1930s.

 

The pieces in the second row from left to right are: a small bottle green Victorian transferware posy vase (one of a pair), an ornamental Victorian transferware spill vase in graded shades of green and two pieces of gilt jade green “Vert Royale” Carlton Ware vases from the 1930s.

 

At the back: a Carlton Ware 1920s gilt eau-de-nil bon-bon dish.

Alocasia Amazonica

This delicate and fragile egg has been painted completely by hand in a beautiful Art Nouveau style, known as Arts and Crafts Movement or “Style Liberty” in the United Kingdom. The egg has a background of vibrant aqua blue which is decorated with a mixture of stylised blue flowers and foliage in a William Morris style and then overlaid with tiny silver white flecks. The egg is then covered in a varnish to protect the fragile hand painted surface.

 

The theme for “Smile on Saturday” for the 6th of May “Blue for You – ME 2023” which is in honour of ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia International Awareness Day which happens to fall on May 12th. May the 12th was chosen as it coincided with the birth date of Florence Nightingale, the celebrated English social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale became chronically ill in her mid-thirties after returning from the Crimean War; the M.E.-like illness often left her bedridden during the last 50 years of her life.

 

As the theme for “Smile on Saturday” this week was open to subject but required a lot of blue, I thought I would submit another of my ornamental eggs, all of which just happen to be blue! This egg, perched atop a small porcelain rest, has a small puncture at both the top and the bottom, indicating that it was “blown”, a tradition where one blows the white and yolk of the egg through the hole in the bottom by way of exhaling into the hole at the top. A time consuming method, egg blowing must be done gently so as not to break the fragile egg shell by applying too much pressure. It can take well over an hour to blow a single egg. The paper I have chosen for the background, which also just happens to be blue, is William Morris’ 1875 “Marigold” pattern which I thought suited this Style Liberty Easter egg as well as the blue theme. I hope you like my choice of the theme this week, and that it makes you smile.

Many thousands of finest marble pieces make up the design of the courtyard including beautiful floral elements and mosaic. The designs were illustrated by British artist “Kevin Dean”.

As the moon progresses through its cycle and becomes full, so does the lightning effect become more brilliant. There are twenty-two light towers consisting of an efficient number of light projectors to achieve this creative effect.

And with a wave of her wand, the blue faerie produced a beautiful blue egg decorated with irises from a scattering of blue faerie dust.

 

The theme for "Smile on Saturdat" for the 8th of April is "eggs-periment". For this challenge, the main subject must be eggs and one has to 'experiment' with post-processing the photo. Now this is a real challenge for me, because as a general rule, I don't like to do a great deal of post-processing to my images. However in this case I have made an egg-ception! I hope my post-processing using a bit of colour saturation and different lens flare images from Be-Funky will be enough. I must confess that it really does make this a rather magical egg! I hope you like my choice of the theme this week, and that it makes you smile.

 

This delicate and fragile Easter egg has been painted completely by hand in a beautiful Art Nouveau style, known as Arts and Crafts Movement or “Style Liberty” in the United Kingdom. The egg has a background of rich cobalt blue which is decorated with a stylised cobalt blue irises in a William Morris style and then overlaid with gilding. The egg is then covered in a varnish to protect the fragile hand painted surface. This egg, perched atop a small porcelain rest, has a small puncture at both the top and the bottom, indicating that it was “blown”, a tradition where one blows the white and yolk of the egg through the hole in the bottom by way of exhaling into the hole at the top. A time consuming method, egg blowing must be done gently so as not to break the fragile egg shell by applying too much pressure. It can take well over an hour to blow a single egg. The paper I have chosen for the background is one of William Morris’ most popular patterns, “Strawberry Thief”, created in 1883, which I thought suited this magical Style Liberty Easter egg.

MALACHI: "Oh look, Mutzli! A whole basket of pretty chocolate Easter Eggs in a basket, just for me!"

 

MUTZLI: "And I received a large foil wrapped Easter Egg! I'm so lucky!"

 

MALACHI: "Oh I do love Easter, Mutzli! I think it's my favourite time of the year!"

 

MUTZLI: "Even more than Christmas, Malachi?"

 

MALACHI: "Well..." *Considers.* "Maybe as much as Christmas!"

 

MUTZLI: "Happy Easter everyone!"

 

MALACHI: "And happy Easter everybear!"

 

The theme for “Smile on Saturday” for the 19th of April is “free theme”, where any photo is admissible. It was suggested that if I have a photo somewhere in your photostream or archive that you would love to showcase, then this is the perfect time to do so! I have hundreds of photographs that have never seen the light of day, and I could have used any number of them, but as it is Easter, I have decided to stick with the seasonal theme commenced yesterday with the “Looking Close on Friday” theme of “Easter Greetings”. In this case, I have used two of my 1:12 miniature bears, Malachi and his cousin Mutzli who are sitting inside half of the rather charming Russian papier mâché egg I acquired a little while ago from a Russian gift shop in the city, which opens up and is hollow inside, lined with a pretty stencilled pattern. Another little Russian hand painted wooden egg featuring a folk art floral pattern I picked up at the same time can be seen to the right of the egg Malachi and Mutzli are sitting in. The other delicate and fragile Easter eggs that surround them have been painted completely by hand in Turkey in a beautiful Art Nouveau style, known as Arts and Crafts Movement or “Style Liberty” in the United Kingdom. The eggs all have a solid background over which a stylised pattern of flowers in a William Morris style has been painted. The decorated eggs are then covered in a varnish to protect the fragile hand painted surface. The eggs are all painted in Turkey by one family, and then shipped to Australia. The family also make stylish wooden spherical Christmas ornaments with similar Style Liberty design. I hope you like my choice of this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile!

 

Malachi I acquired in mid-March 2020 (and mid Coronavirus) from a wonderful Melbourne stalwart toy shop: Dafel Dolls and Bears, when I went looking for a present for one of my goddaughters. Malachi is designed by Mary and hand-made by Wendy Joy in Australia. He has articulated arms and legs, and an extremely sweet face. Malachi was the name he came with, written by hand on his little tag.

 

Mutzli was a lovely surprise gift from a dear friend in Britain who kindly slipped him into a parcel of other delightful gifts for me. Like Malachi, he is mohair, has articulated arms and legs, and an extremely sweet face. Mutzli got his name from the tiny gold tag around his neck. He is made by Mutzli, a Swiss bear manufacturer since 1949.

Free outfit, free nail applier, free eyes and a whole room of 1L gifts from Opulien for their group members. #fabfree #sl #secondlife

 

Come check out my latest blog post on Fabulously Free in Second Life. See the FabFree blog for credits, LMs, and details about the items featured in this post. The blog is posted here.

 

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"On the table stood the most exquisite cherries, and Gerda ate as many as she chose, for she had permission to do so. While she was eating, the old woman combed her hair with a golden comb, and her hair curled and shone with a lovely golden color around that sweet little face, which was so round and so like a rose." - The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson.

 

In the faerie tale, as Gerda happily eats cherries, the old woman, who understands magic, brushes Gerda's memories away with each stroke of the brush, not out of any malice but simply because she is lonely and has always wanted a child.

 

The theme for "Smile on Saturday" for the 2nd of July is "berries and cherries". As I posted a blackberry a few weeks ago for the "Looking Close on Friday" theme of "a single berry or cherry", I decided I had better do cherries for this theme. The only problem is that aside from glacé cherries, there are none to be had in the middle of winter here. Luckily, in the warmth of November last year, I was given some cherries by a friend and being a photographer I had the presence of mind to put them on a decorative antique saucer and photograph them before I ate them. I knew this shot would come in handy one day! Now that day is here! The central cherry particularly caught my eye because it was a lighter, redder colour than all the others, which made it the focal point.

 

I do hope that you like my choice for today's theme, and that this makes you smile.

These delicate and fragile real Easter eggs have been painted completely by hand in Turkey in a beautiful Art Nouveau style, known as Arts and Crafts Movement or “Style Liberty” in the United Kingdom. The eggshells all have a solid background applied to them, over which a stylised pattern of flowers in a William Morris style has been painted. The decorated eggs are then covered in a varnish to protect the fragile hand painted surface. These eggs have a small puncture at both the top and the bottom of them, indicating that they were “blown”, a tradition where one blows the white and yolk of the egg through the hole in the bottom by way of exhaling into the hole at the top. A time consuming method, egg blowing must be done gently so as not to break the fragile eggshell by applying too much pressure. It can take well over an hour to blow a single egg. The eggs are all painted in Turkey by one family, and then shipped to Australia.

 

The theme for “Smile on Saturday” for the 12th of April is “painted/painting eggs”, and I couldn’t think of a better choice to offer up for this week. I have packed them in a nice soft and protective nest of straw to keep them safe and show how fragile these hand painted beauties are. I hope you like my choice of subject for this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile!

This wonderful glass mosaic brooch with its shades of red, green, yellow and blue is Victorian, made in Italy in the 1870s. The pieces have been painstakingly put together to create the beautiful image of flowers you see. It would have been a tourist piece, purchased as a souvenir by a visitor to Venice perhaps, and the glass making island of Murano.

 

The theme for "Looking Close on Friday" for the 7th of March is "jewellery on a paper background". As soon as I saw the theme, I knew what I wanted to use as my submission. In one of my books – “Glass: Pleasures and treasures” by George Savage, published by Weidenfield and Nicholson in 1965 – there is a beautiful colour plate of a tazza of millefiori glass made in the First Century, AD. I felt that with its shades matching the brooch so well, it would make the perfect backdrop for this stunning piece of Italian jewellery! I hope you like my choice of subject for this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile!

The theme for “Looking Close on Friday” for the 7th of October is “a combination of soft and sharp”. This sounds like it is a soft and sharp focus theme, but in fact it is a combination of soft and sharp objects or plants. I immediately thought of roses, as I have some beautiful roses with soft petals and sharp thorns in my garden, but whilst spring is here, it is a cold and wet one, so I have no blooms yet. Luckily, I had another idea that also came to mind when the theme was announced. Anyone who follows my photostream, or knows me, knows that I love Art Nouveau. It is my favourite design movement. This even extends to my wardrobe, which is full of shirts made from beautiful and unusual Art Nouveau patterned fabric, mostly from Liberty of London, where I have shopped since I was a young teenager. Recently I acquired several metres of a number of new Liberty Art Nouveau fabrics to have made into shirts for summertime. This particular Liberty pattern is called “Nouveau Poppy” and is from their “Deco Dance” range of soft cottons. Thus, I have put a sharp needle used for sewing through the soft Liberty cotton as my combination of soft and sharp. I hope you like my choice for the theme, and that it makes you smile.

The theme for “Smile on Saturday” for the 10th of May is “Blue for You – ME 2025” which is in honour of ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia International Awareness Day which happens to fall on May 12th. May the 12th was chosen as it coincided with the birth date of Florence Nightingale, the celebrated English social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale became chronically ill in her mid-thirties after returning from the Crimean War; the M.E.-like illness often left her bedridden during the last 50 years of her life. I have friends who suffer with ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia, so this theme has a personal connection for me, even if I do not have it myself.

 

As the subject for “Smile on Saturday” this week was open to personal choice but required a lot of blue, although I usually create a blue themed Playmobil tableau, I have broken with tradition this year, as I recently was given a rather lovely blue hand painted resin Nostalgia Shoe which I felt was perfect to feature in a photograph. I have paired my slipper which features red and gold accents with a blue Art Deco “Charme Caressant” Rachel powder box from my powder box collection which features stylised red and pink flowers on it. I have photographed them on a piece of hand made and printed paper featuring a William Morris pattern in blue. I hope that you like my choice for this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile!

 

"Charme Caressant" is the name of a vintage Dalon face powder, produced in both Paris and Sydney from 1924 into the 1930s. It was a popular French beauty product known for its Art Deco style and various colour shades.

The theme for “Smile on Saturday” for the 6th of July is “tasty texture”, where the image used must be a photo in which the texture of the food is clearly visible. I must have known this theme was coming, as in May, my partner came home with some home made Italian biscuits from one of the people he is a care giver for. Now, my partner has a very sweet tooth (unlike me) and biscuits don’t last long in our household. He was given about ten, and I just managed to snatch one away, which I put aside, before the rest were hoovered up and eaten in one sitting. A few days later, I decided to try my one salvaged biscuit treat with a nice cup of tea. It was delicious! As I put the partially eaten biscuit down on my Royal Albert “April Showers” square cake plate, I noticed how beautifully textural the biscuit’s innards was, so I decided to photograph it. You know me! Always have your camera handy. You never know when the photograph you took may come in handy: like now! I hope that you like my choice of image for this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile!

  

My friend BKHagar *Kim* bought a “mystery tub” of china from an auction, all wrapped in old newspaper. She sent me a photo of the box as she had received it from the auction, and I pointed out that she had a Royal Albert teacup from the 1930s amongst them. You can see her beautiful 1932 Royal Albert "Petit-Point" teacup here: www.flickr.com/photos/bkhagar_gallery/54482268384/in/phot... or in the first comment below. She asked me how on earth could I know that just from seeing half a cup and a handle sticking out of some newspaper. My answer to her was that I had a teacup in a different pattern with the exact same cup shape and handle in my decorative china collection, and this is it.

 

This is a Royal Albert trio decorated with the pattern "April Showers" featuring a transfer that was then over-painted by hand. "April Showers" was produced from the 1920s through to the 1950s in a range of colours (I also have a blue variation), featuring a different style of teacup for each decade. This cup shape has the delightful name of "Hampton" and was used during the 1930s. The trio features a square cake plate, implying that this set was made in the early part of the 1930s.

 

Another friend of mine’s Aunt said that “drinking tea from a thick pottery mug was as good as receiving a slap in the face”. Whilst I don’t necessarily feel quite so strongly about drinking tea from an alternative, I do believe that there is nothing nicer than drinking tea from a fine porcelain cup. I think it is elegant, and keeps alive the fine tradition of taking elevenses or afternoon tea in a gracious fashion. In a world of utility, there is a certain charm in taking tea from a beautifully designed cup, painted with beautiful flowers.

 

In 1896, Thomas Clark Wild bought a pottery in Longton, Stoke on Trent, England, called Albert Works, which had been named the year before in honor of the birth of Prince Albert, who became King George VI in 1936. Using the brand name Albert Crown China, Thomas Wild and Co. produced commemorative bone-china pieces for Queen Victoria's 1897 Diamond Jubilee, and by 1904 had earned a Royal Warrant. From the beginning, Royal Albert's bone china dinnerware was popular, especially its original floral patterns made in rich shades of red, green, and blue. Known for incredibly fine, white, and pure bone china, Royal Albert was given to the sentimental and florid excesses of Victorian era England, making pattern after pattern inspired by English gardens and woodlands. With designs like Serena, Old English Roses, and Masquerade and motifs inspired by Japanese Imari, the company appealed to a wide range of tastes, from the simplest to the most aristocratic. In 1910, the company created its first overseas agency in New Zealand. Soon it had offices in Australia, Canada, and the United States. Willing to experiment with the latest in industrial technologies, the company was an early adopter of kilns fuelled by gas and electricity. Starting in 1927, Royal Albert china used a wide variety of more stylized backstamps, some with the crown, some without, and others stylized with script and Art Deco lettering. Some of these marks even had roses or other parts of the pattern in them. Patterns from the years between the wars include American Beauty, Maytime, Indian Tree, Dolly Varden, and Lady-Gay. The '40s saw patterns like Fragrance, Teddy's Playtime, Violets for Love, Princess Anne, Sunflower, White Dogwood, Mikado, Minuet, Cotswold, and the popular Lady Carlyle. Royal Albert incorporated as a limited company in 1933, and in the 1960s it was acquired by Pearson Group, joining that company's Allied English Potteries. By 1970, the porcelain maker was completely disassociated with its T.C. Wild & Sons origins and renamed Royal Albert Ltd. Pearson Group also acquired Royal Doulton in 1972, putting Royal Crown Derby, Royal Albert, Paragon, and the Lawleys chain under the Royal Doulton umbrella, which at this point included Minton, John Beswick, and Webb Corbett. In 1993, Royal Doulton Group was ejected from Pearson Group, for making less money than its other properties. In 2002, Royal Doulton moved the production of Royal Albert china from England to Indonesia. A few years later, Waterford Wedgwood absorbed Royal Doulton Group and all its holdings, which currently makes three brands, Royal Doulton, Minton, and Royal Albert, including the Old Country Roses pattern, which is Royal Albert’s most popular design.

The theme for “Smile on Saturday” for the 26th of April is “presented on a plate”, where the presentation of a plate and its contents are the main theme of the image, and the rule is that it can be anything except food. The other day, a dear friend gave me the sweetest little slipper pincushion as a gift, because they know that I collect vintage haberdashery, and it was that shoe pincushion that gave me the thought of presenting some of my sewing bits and pieces on a plate. Thus the slipper pincushion is presented with a Dewhurst’s Sylko Red salmon reel of cotton which date from between 1938 and 1954 from my private collection, as well as a spool of vintage embroidered ribbon. The plate they are presented on is a Paragon “Wallflower” patterned tea plate with a single Royal Warrant, indicating it comes from somewhere between 1920 and 1936. I felt with its pink and gold colourings, it was perfect to present these pieces from my vintage haberdashery collection. I do hope you like my subject for this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile!

 

The Paragon China Company was a British manufacturer of bone china from 1919 to 1960, based in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, previously known as the Star China Company, and more recently part of the Royal Doulton group. Paragon was noted for producing high quality teaware and tableware, and was granted royal warrants of appointment by several members of the British Royal Family.

 

Belle Vue Mill, commonly known as Dewhurst’s, was built by Thomas Dewhurst in 1828. It opened in 1829 as John Dewhurst & Sons and was one of Skipton’s largest spinning and weaving mills. The mill’s position next to the Leeds Liverpool Canal meant that raw cotton could be shipped in by boats from Liverpool. Finished goods would then be sent back the same way ready for distribution. Coal to power the machine’s steam engines was also delivered by barge. In 1897 Dewhurst’s was bought by the English Sewing Cotton Co. It continued to produce Sylko, one of the mill’s most famous products. It was produced in over 500 colours and sold throughout the world. Sylko cottons are still available at haberdashers today.

A friend of mine’s aunt said that “drinking tea from a thick pottery mug was as good as a slap in the face”. Whilst I don’t necessarily feel quite so strongly about drinking tea from an alternative, I do believe that there is nothing nicer than drinking tea from a fine porcelain cup. I think it is elegant, and keeps alive the fine tradition of taking elevenses or afternoon tea in a gracious fashion. In a world of utility, there is a certain charm in taking tea from a beautifully designed cup, painted with elegant flowers and gilt.

 

The theme for "Smile on Saturday" on the 13th of May is "mugs & co.", and I have opted for the "&co." by photographing a selection of some of my English china trios. I thought a selection of fine English bone china tea cups, decorated with beautiful flowers, would suit the theme. These cups are dedicated to the memory of Bella abella7460236 who was my beautiful and kind Flickr friend, with whom I first bonded over these very teacups. I hope you like my choice for the theme, and that it makes you smile!

 

Top row, left to right:

“Harvest Bouquet” made by Royal Albert, “Royal Vale” made by Colclough, “Minuet” made by Roslyn China, “Tulips” made by Royal Doulton and “Foley Tulips” made by Foley China

 

Second row, left to right:

Unnamed pattern made by Royal Stafford, “Flora” made by Royal Doulton, “Trixy” made by Royal Doulton, “Hydrangea” made by Paragon China and “Sweet Romance” made by Roslyn China.

 

Third row, left to right:

Unnamed pattern made by Vale Bone China, “Gillian” made by Royal Doulton, unnamed pattern made by Colclough, “Moss Rose” made by Royal Doulton and “Ivy Lea” made by Royal Doulton.

 

Bottom row, left to right:

Unnamed pattern made by Tuscan China, unnamed pattern made by Royal Albert, “Lavender Rose” made by Royal Albert, “April Showers” (blue variation) made by Royal Albert and unnamed pattern made by Colclough.

JAGO: *Reading.* “Whilst Cinderella was sitting beside the Prince in a lovely alcove, and looking at the moon from under a bower of orange blossoms, she heard the clock strike the first stroke of twelve. She started up and fled away as lightly as a deer.”

 

DAISY-MAUD: “Oh my!” *Puts paw to mouth.* “Cinderella forgot her Fairy Godmother’s warning!”

 

JAGO: “Indeed she did, Daisy-Maud.”

 

DAISY-MAUD: “Oh! Please keep reading, Jago. I want to know what happens to poor Cinderella!” *Concerned.*

 

JAGO: *Reading.* “The Prince followed, but could not catch her. Indeed he missed his lovely princess altogether, and only saw running out of the palace doors a dirty little girl whom he had never beheld before, and of whom her certainly would never have taken the least notice.”

 

DAISY-MAUD: “Well! I like that!” *Offended.*

 

JAGO: “What’s wrong Daisy-Maud?”

 

DAISY-MAUD: “The Prince is perhaps not so deserving of Cinderella as a bride, if he cannot look beyond her rags and recognise her! Look! There is a picture of Cinderella mid transformation from princess to servant girl.” *Points paw to illustration.* “She still looks beautiful, even in her rags and tatters.”

 

JAGO: “I know, Daisy-Maud. Don’t be too quick to judge the Prince. The tale isn’t over yet.”

 

DAISY-MAUD: “I’m certainly glad that my bear prince, Benny likes me for who I am, and not just when I am wearing pearls and jewels!”

 

JAGO: “Oh yes, Daisy-Maud, Benny loves you just as you are, and so do I!”

 

DAISY-MAUD: “Oh I love you too, Jago! You are the best big brother anybear could have! I love spending time with Benny, and I love spending time with you too! You read so beautifully, and story time with you is very special and precious to me.”

 

JAGO: “That’s so lovely of you to say so, Daisy-Maud! I love story time with you too. I missed our story time whilst you were still living with Mummy June in Norfolk and I was here with Daddy.”

 

DAISY-MAUD: “Well now we need never be apart again, my wonderful big brother.”

 

JAGO: “And thanks to the magic portal, you don’t have to be separated from your prince, Benny!”

 

DAISY-MAUD: “Oh yes! I am so grateful to Fairy Mum for making the portal between here and Mummy Marian’s house! We are very lucky bears to live the good life we do, aren’t we Jago?”

 

JAGO: “Indeed we are, Daisy-Maud. Not all bears get such a nice home to live in, or books of faerie tales to read, or Mummies like Mummy Marian and Mummy June, or Daddies like ours.”

 

DAISY-MAUD: “I’m glad we are lucky, Jago.”

 

JAGO: “Me too, Daisy-Maud. Shall I keep reading now?”

 

DAISY-MAUD: “Oh yes please, Jago. Let’s see if Cinderella gets to live as happily ever after as us.”

 

JAGO: “I think she will, Daisy-Maud.”

 

Jago and Daisy-Maud are reading my first edition 1920 copy of Cinderella or the Little Glass Slipper published by George Sully & Co., illustrated by Margaret Evans Price. Margaret Evans Price was a U.S. toy manufacturer. With her husband, Irving Price, and Herman Fisher, she co-founded Fisher-Price Toys in 1930.

 

Jago was a gift from a dear friend in England. He is made of English mohair with suede paw pads and glass eyes. He is a gentle bear, kind and patient who carries an air of calm about him. He is already fitting in with everyone else very nicely.

 

Daisy-Maud is Jago's little sister and was made by the same friend in England who made him. She is made of German mohair with floral fabric cotton paw pads that match her pretty sunhat, and glass eyes. A sweet and loving little girl bear, she is happy to be reunited with her big brother, Jago, and enjoys being spoiled by her Daddy.

DADDY: "Are you settling in well, Edgar and Benjamin?"

 

EDGAR: "Oh yes, Daddy!"

 

BENJAMIN: "Thank you Daddy!"

 

DADDY: "That's good, my darlings! I am pleased to hear that."

 

BENJAMIN: "It's especially lovely when we get to take tea together."

 

EDGAR: "And enjoy such delicious macarons!" *Licks lips with cute little pink bear tongue.*

 

BENJAMIN: "Grumbly tummy, Daddy! Grumbly tummy!" *Rubs tummy vigorously.*

 

EDGAR: "Grumbly tummy, Daddy! Grumbly tummy!" *Rubs tummy vigorously.*

 

DADDY: "Oh dear!"

 

The theme for "Looking Close on Friday" for the 17th of January is "plush toys", which is the perfect theme for me, as I have a lovely collection of soft plush bears who quite enjoy being in front of my camera and under my lens. Both made by Merrythought Bears in Ironbridge, Shropshire, Edgar and Benjamin are the two latest additions to my ever burgeoning bear family. I hope you like my choice of bears for this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile.

 

This beautiful Willow Pattern nursery tea set was made in England by the Shell China Company in the 1920s. It features four cups and saucers as well as a tea pot, coffee pot, milk jug and sugar bowl. Each piece is gilt edged and decorated with the Willow Pattern in blue, just like the life-size equivalent. It has two sister sets: a 1920s Shell China Company nursery rhyme tea set that I was given as a gift some years ago by a close friend who knows I collect nursery ware and children’s tea sets and a faerie tale set from the 1930s Shell China Company faerie tale tea set that I have built up from various sellers over time.

 

Handmade at Merrythought in England from warm-gold tousled mohair plush, Edgar is a cheerful companion who has terracotta pure cotton velvet paws, and wears a delightful floral cotton bow tie. He is number 2 of a limited worldwide edition of 200.

 

Benjamin is made by Merrythought in England too. A friendly character, he has been handmade from soft, caramel-coloured mohair plush featuring a chocolate-coloured base that beautifully complements his pure wool felt paws. He wears a traditional, satin-lined waistcoat made from the finest British tweed and secured with brass studs. He is number 110 of a limited worldwide edition of 150.

"Art is the flower. Life is the green leaf." - Charles Rennie Mackintosh (Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist).

 

The theme for "Looking Close on Friday" for the 8th of November is "creative with leaves", where a simple picture of leaves is not enough for the theme: it has to be creative. Luckily for me I am short of neither leaves, nor creativity, and as soon as I saw the theme, I knew that this was the image I wanted to create.

 

This leaf flower is made up of different leaves from specimens in my garden. The leaves that make up the outer circle of “petals” come from my Evergreen Alder which grows in my front garden and provides shade to the bay windows at the front of the house. The leaves that make up the inner circle of “petals” comes from a Murraya which grows in my rear garden and is a survivor that has survived fallen trees on it twice. The flower centre is a Nasturtium leaf, the likes of which find their way into my salads, as I like their hot and fresh taste, and the stem is a tendril from the old Wisteria that grows the entire length of one side of my properly in a magnificent hedge. Once I had taken the photograph, I then searched for a quote to accompany it. I was delighted to find that the one above which I chose comes from one of my favourite architects and designers, Scotsman Charles Rennie Mackintosh. It made me smile. I hope that you like my choice for this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile!

Although from my research there is no traditional tale like Cinderella in Indian culture, an unusual thing considering that there are so many versions of the famous story worldwide and the oldest version of the tale ever recorded is of Chinese derivation, when I looked at this beautifully brocade Indian shoe, I felt that it could be a slipper given to a beautiful dusky maiden by a God to wear to an Indian festival and win the heart of a prince.

 

The theme for "Smile on Saturday" for the 7th of September is "get (to) the point", where the photograph must feature the point of an object. I considered various ideas like pencils and knives, but when my eyes fell upon my pair of beautiful brocade Indian shoes (a gift from a friend to me) with their pointed toes and pointed uppers, I felt they were perfect for this week’s theme! I decided to set one slipper against a wonderful orange silk sari I also have. As I was setting this up on my sofas in the sunroom of my house, a burst of sunlight flooded the space and gave me this wonderful golden light to work with which enriched the colours of both the slipper and the sari silk. I hope you like my choice of the theme this week, and that it makes you smile!

Close up of a multi colored daisy petal ,generative artificial intelligence

“Breakfast without orange juice, is like a day without sunshine.” – Anonymous.

 

The theme for "Smile on Saturday" for the 23rd of November is "observe the O", where the requirement is that I take a picture of something (person, animal, plant, object) that begins with the letter O, with the idea that just adjectives that start with O are not sufficient for it. I had plenty of ideas, but I settled upon oranges. Now oranges are an obvious choice for the theme, so I decided to make mine a little different. Anyone who follows my photostream knows that I love and collect 1:12 size miniatures which I photograph in realistic scenes. The artifice of recreating in minute detail items in 1:12 scale always amazes me, and it’s amazing how the eye can be fooled. Therefore, whilst this still life with oranges and a jug of orange juice may look life sized, it is in fact made up completely of 1:12 miniature pieces, even the tiny silvers of orange on the chopping board! I hope you like my choice for this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile!

 

The oranges come from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering and have been hand made using polymer clay by an unknown artist. The jug and glass of orange juice, both of which are made from real spun glass, also comes from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures, as does the wooden chopping board. The juicer was made by Warwick Miniatures in Ireland, who are well known for the quality and detail applied to their pieces. The knife comes from Doreen Jeffries’ Small Wonders Miniatures Shop in the United Kingdom. The orange slices came from an online stockist of miniatures on eBay.

A friend of mine’s aunt said that “drinking tea from a thick pottery mug was as good as a slap in the face”. Whilst I don’t necessarily feel quite so strongly about drinking tea from an alternative, I do believe that there is nothing nicer than drinking tea from a fine porcelain cup. I think it is elegant, and keeps alive the fine tradition of taking elevenses or afternoon tea in a gracious fashion. In a world of utility, there is a certain charm in taking tea from a beautifully designed cup, painted with elegant flowers and gilt.

 

The theme for "Smile on Saturday" for the 17th of August is "capture the C", where you must take a picture of something that begins with the letter C. After the announcement of the theme, I had several thoughts. I took some lovely photographs of some camellias recently, and some early cherry blossom. I also recently took a shot of a black cat (my favourite type). In the end I settled on photographing some cups from my collection of antique trios. However, in the spirit of alliteration I have not just chosen any cups. I have chosen pieces of Colclough China, and I then made my four images I took into a collage, so I have a collage of a collection of Colclough China cups! I hope you like my choice for this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile!

 

Colclough Bone China was founded in Staffordshire in 1890 by Herbert J. Colclough, the former mayor of Stoke-on-Trent. Herbert loved porcelain and loved the ordinary working man. One of his desires was to bring fine bone china, a preserve of the upper and middle classes, to the working man. He felt that it would give them aspirations and dignity to eat off fine bone china. Colclough Bone China received a Royal Warrant from King George V in 1913. Colclough went on to innovate the production of fine bone china for the mass market in the 1920s and 1930s. They produced the backstamp brands Royal Vale and Royal Stanley. Colclough Bone China merged with Booth’s Pottery and later acquired Ridgeway China. Eventually they amalgamated with Royal Doulton in the 1970s.

These delicate and fragile Easter eggs have been painted completely by hand in Turkey in a beautiful Art Nouveau style, known as Arts and Crafts Movement or “Style Liberty” in the United Kingdom. The eggs all have a solid background over which a stylised pattern of flowers in a William Morris style has been painted. The decorated eggs are then covered in a varnish to protect the fragile hand painted surface. The eggs are all painted in Turkey by one family, and then shipped to Australia. The family also make stylish wooden spherical Christmas ornaments with similar Style Liberty design.

 

The theme for "Looking Close on Friday" on the 22nd of March is "eggs and reflections", as a tribute to Easter in the lead up to it. The day the theme was announced, I was out shopping and went to buy these eggs, which I will give as gifts this Easter and Christmas to a select group of special friends. It was wonderful to return home at the end of a pleasurable day of retail therapy, and a trip to the pictures, to read what the theme was. I immediately unwrapped them from their tissue paper and set them up on a large mirror I use for photography purposes. Each egg has a small puncture at both the top and the bottom, indicating that it was “blown”, a tradition where one blows the white and yolk of the egg through the hole in the bottom by way of exhaling into the hole at the top. A time consuming method, egg blowing must be done gently so as not to break the fragile egg shell by applying too much pressure. It can take well over an hour to blow a single egg. I hope you like my choice of the theme this week, and that it makes you smile.

SCOUT: “Hullo Paddy!”

 

PADDY: “Err… hullo Scout.” *Looks with consternation at Scout as he spies Scouts blonde curly wig.* “Oh! No! No! No! I’m not playing the witch in Scoutpunzel, Scout! It’s too, too demoralising!” *Prepares to leave.*

 

SCOUT: “Oh Paddy! I’m not Scoutpunzel today!” *Giggles behind paw.* “Please don’t leave!”

 

PADDY: “You aren’t, Scout?”

 

SCOUT: “No Paddy!” *Shakes head vehemently.*

 

PADDY: “Oh! That’s a relief!” *Fans face with paw.* “In that case I’ll stay.”

 

SCOUT: “Good, because I will need your help, Paddy!”

 

PADDY: “My help, Scout?”

 

SCOUT: “Yes Paddy!” *Nods seriously.* “Oh and today… ahem!” *Clears throat.* “I am not Scout.”

 

PADDY: “But you promise you aren’t Scoutpunzel?”

 

SCOUT: “Of course I promise I am not Scoutpunzel, Paddy! How could you even think such a thing?”

 

PADDY: *Points to Scout’s curly wig.*

 

SCOUT: “Oh Paddy!” *Giggles again.* “You are so funny! This isn’t my Scoutpunzel wig. Its much too short, except for my one long strand which is my special curl that Daddy gave me especially when styling it because I asked him to because it was very fashionable at the time.”

 

PADDY: “And what time, Scout? Who are you being today if you are not being Scoutpunzel?”

 

SCOUT: “Well I should have thought it was obvious, Paddy! I have a pretty muslin lace frock on, and a cameo…”

 

PADDY: “Yes, I noticed you wearing Daddy’s very special cameo of Prince Albert I hope you asked Daddy before you took it!”

 

SCOUT: “Of course I did, Paddy, and I asked if I could borrow Daddy’s very special writing slope from ye olden days that is even older than when the world was black and white!”

 

PADDY: *Sighs.* “I keep telling you Scout… err… whoever you are playing today… that the world wasn’t black and white, only the telly!”

 

SCOUT: “Well, I am too young to know what it was or wasn’t like then, Paddy!” *Preens.* “The world has always been colour since I was around, but that is because I am young and beautiful!” *Preens more.*

 

PADDY: “Well, I still don’t know who you are, Scout. Who are you being today?”

 

SCOUT: “I am being Scout Austen, Paddy!”

 

PADDY: “Scout Austen, Scout?”

 

SCOUT: “Yes Paddy!” Nods enthusiastically.* “You see, after we watched that documentary about Jane Austen on the telly the other night… which was in colour., so not from ye olden days, Paddy.”

 

PADDY: “Yes, I know it was in colour, Scout! I was sitting next to you.”

 

SCOUT: “Well, I was so inspired by Jane Austen’s amazing determination to write a book as a young woman during a time that women didn’t write books, that I have decided to write my own book as Scout Austen!” *Proud.* “It is going to be a best seller!”

 

PADDY: “Really Scout Austen?”

 

SCOUT: “Yes Paddy! See, I have my ink bottle and quill pen ready to go!”

 

PADDY: “And what is this best selling novel penned by you going to be called, Scout Austen?”

 

SCOUT: “Ahem.” *Clears throat importantly.* “I have given it serious consideration, Paddy, and after much del… delib… deliber… after lots and lots and lots of thought, I’ve decided to call it, ‘Bear and Bearability’.” *Proud.* “It is going to be a bearmance!”

 

PADDY: “Oh that sounds wonderful Scout Austen!”

 

SCOUT: “Yes, I thought so too, Paddy!” *Claps paws with delight.* “I’m glad you approve!”

 

PADDY: “One thing puzzles me though, Scout Austen.”

 

SCOUT: “Oh yes, Paddy. What pray, is that?”

 

PADDY: “Why do you need my help?”

 

SCOUT: “Well, I know that novels can be very, very, VERY LOOOONG!”

 

PADDY: “Some can be, Scout Austen.”

 

SCOUT: “Yes, at least ten pages or sometimes more!” *Flaps face with paw dramatically as he rests against the edge of writing slope. “And I only have small and dainty little paws.”

 

PADDY: “But what has that to do with me, Scout Austen?”

 

SCOUT: “Well, I also know that some writers have secretaries, and I thought you could be my secretary, Paddy!”

 

PADDY: “Me Scout... err Scout Austen?”

 

SCOUT: “Yes Paddy! You!” *Nods seriously.* “You have much bigger paws than me, and ones that are more used to hard work, whereas mine are little, gentle and soft.” *Strokes soft woollen paws gently.* “You are also very good at writing big words, Paddy, much better than me! So, I will dic… dict… dicta…”

 

PADDY: “Dictate, Scout Austen?” *Helpful.*

 

SCOUT: “I will tell you the story of ‘Bear and Bearability’, a sweeping and heartwarming bearmance set in the Regency era, full of heaving bear emotions, love, and the eternal battle to defeat the grumbly tummies over a nice high tea of scones and little deadly cakes!” *Sighs dramatically.* “And you can write it all down for me as I tell it to you!” *Nods and smiles.*

 

PADDY: “Well… I….”

 

SCOUT: *Pushes ink bottle and quill towards Paddy hopefully.*

 

The writing slope you can see in the photo is a black japanned lacquered mid Victorian papier mâché example with a red velvet lined slope. The ink bottle with is metal lid is original to the writing slope.

 

The Victorian cameo Scout wears at his throat is of Prince Albert’s profile. It has only recently been acquired by me. Made in 1862 of shell and set in an ornate gold frame, this tiny cameo is only two centimetres in length, yet it is superbly and intricately carved with his undeniable likeness. This cameo would have been in the top range for its fine details considering its size.

 

My Paddington Bear came to live with me in London when I was two years old (many, many years ago). He was hand made by my Great Aunt and he has a chocolate coloured felt hat, the brim of which had to be pinned up by a safety pin to stop it getting in his eyes. The collar of his mackintosh is made of the same felt. He wears wellington boots made from the same red leather used to make the toggles on his mackintosh.

 

He has travelled with me across the world and he and I have had many adventures together over the years. He is a very precious member of my small family.

 

Scout was a gift to Paddy from my friend. He is a Fair Trade Bear hand knitted in Africa. His name comes from the shop my friend found him in: Scout House. He tells me that life was very different where he came from, and Paddy is helping introduce him to many new experiences. Scout catches on quickly, and has proven to be a cheeky, but very lovable member of our closely knit family.

“Couples stood aside and stared at Tilly, draped in a striking green gown that was sculpted, crafted about her svelte frame. It curved with her hips, stretched over her breasts and clung to her thighs. And the material—georgette, two-and-six a yard from the sale stand at Pratts. The girls in their short frocks with pinched waists, their hair stiff in neat circles, opened their pink lips wide and tugged self-consciously at their frothy skirts.” – The Dressmaker (1996) written by Rosalie Ham.

 

The theme for “Smile on Saturday” for the 2nd of November is "needles or spines". Being a collector of vintage and antique haberdashery pieces, I have opted for the needles for this week's challenge. These needles, all of which are plated in gold, come from a deluxe antique needle case from the 1930s made of the most beautiful marone leather with hand tooled gold lettering identifying which types of needles they are. To show you just how small they are, I have photographed them against a sterling silver beehive thimble made by James Fenton & Company in 1904, and a spool of Rose brand buttonhole silk twist in a lovely shade of moss green. I decided to give the image a more vintage look by stripping out a bit of colour and adding a slight sepia tone. I hope you like my choice for this week's theme, and that it makes you smile!

If you know me, or follow my photostream, you will know that I am a collector of many things. Amongst other objects, I love to collect vintage accessories. This includes antique fans, of which I now have a sizable collection. My favourite fans are those from the Victorian and Edwardian era. Fans from these eras are extremely ostentatious and beautiful, but at such advanced age are often very fragile. Such is the case for this French one from the 1870s, which is made of black silk which has then been hand painted with a sprig of dainty pale pink roses. If you look closely, you will see there are a few places along the folds where the delicate silk has perished opening a gap in the fabric and in one place breaking a hand painted rose in two. The splays of the fan are made of ornately carved ebony. European fans like this were predominantly used as a symbol of wealth, with many portraits of the era depicting this item in the hands of aristocrats. European fans typically have sticks made of wood or ivory, whilst the leaves of the fan were made from many different materials such as lace, silk or feathers. Being so fragile, this fan, like my entire fan collection, is kept carefully in acid free paper, and stored out of the light, to help avoid any further deterioration of the material. In spite of its damage, considering this fan is around one hundred and sixty years old, it is in remarkable condition. I have photographed it against a backdrop of a piece of machine embroidered floral fabric that I recently acquired from an upmarket fabric shop, which sells fabrics by the quarter metre, which is just the perfect size for my photography purposes!

 

The theme for "Smile on Saturday" for the 21st of September is "focus on F…", where a photograph of something beginning with the letter F is required. English words that start with F are preferred and adjectives are not: only nouns. Thus, whilst this fan is fragile, which is an adjective, and it is floral, which is also an adjective, I actually photographed it because it is a fan! The fact that it is photographed on some floral fabric that fills the frame is an added bonus, and only done to show off the delicate fan itself. It is lovely to be able to share with you a piece of my collection of fans you will not have seen before, even though I have had it for several decades now. I hope you like my choice of image for this week, and that it makes you smile!

Natural materials of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque were chosen for much of its design and construction due to their long-lasting qualities, including marble stone, gold, semi-precious stones, crystals and ceramics. Artisans and materials came from many countries including India, Italy, Germany, Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, Pakistan, Malaysia, Iran, China, United Kingdom, New Zealand, North Macedonia and the UAE.

DAISY-MAUD: "Ooohhh! Daddy! What is that lovely piece of blue lace and feathers?"

 

DADDY: "It’s a fascinator, Daisy-Maud."

 

DAISY-MAUD: "Ooohhh! How fascinating, Daddy." *Looks at fascinator with interest.* "Err… Daddy, what exactly is a fascinator?"

 

DADDY: "Well, it’s a type of headwear, Daisy-Maud. A fascinator is a formal headpiece, a style of millinery. Since the 1990s, the term has referred to a type of formal headwear worn as an alternative to the hat; it is usually a large decorative design attached to a band or clip."

 

DAISY-MAUD: "Daddy, it seems to me that a fascinator really isn't for a man to wear. It's fashion for a lady."

 

DADDY: "Yes, it is Daisy-Maud, but I am using it as a photographic prop."

 

DAISY-MAUD: "Please let me try it on, Daddy."

 

DADDY: "Very well Daisy-Maud."

 

DAISY-MAUD: "Yes! I think it looks much more fetching on me than on you!" *Smiles at her reflection in the mirror.*

 

DADDY: "I wasn’t actually going to wear it, Daisy-Maud. "

 

DAISY-MAUD: "That’s just as well, Daddy, because now I’m going to wear it. Very stylish and elegant."

 

DADDY: "But Daisy-Maud, I was photographing it."

 

DAISY-MAUD: "Well, I’m sure you’ll find something else fascinating to photograph instead, Daddy!" *Smiles again at her reflection in the mirror.*

 

The theme for "Looking Close on Friday" on the 23rd of February is "headwear". If you follow my photostream, you will be familiar with Daisy-Maud, as she and her elder brother Jago often feature in stories and adventures on Happy Teddy Bear Tuesday and sometimes other days of the week, such as this photo for today’s theme. I was leant a vibrant blue fascinator (formal headwear worn as an alternative to the hat) acquired from a charity shop to use as a prop for some photography. As I had the fascinator for over a month, I decided that I would have some fun with it, and photographed Daisy-Maud wearing it. When the theme was announced, I decided to use this photo as it seemed the perfect one to use. I hope you like my choice for the theme, and that it makes you smile.

 

Daisy-Maud is Jago’s little sister and was made by the same friend in England who made him. She is made of German mohair with floral fabric cotton paw pads, and glass eyes. A sweet and loving little girl bear, she is happy to be reunited with her big brother, Jago, and enjoys being spoiled by her new Daddy.

“Ladybird, ladybird fly away home,

Your house is on fire and your children are gone,” – traditional English nursery rhyme.

 

The theme for "Looking Close… on Friday" for the 29th of November is "matchsticks". At first, I was going to create a pattern on black using matchsticks to show up their red heads, but then I was suddenly struck by the old warning that "children should not play with matches" and I very quickly created this tongue in cheek tableau using pieces from my Playmobil collection. I think this is a time when we might be happy for the children to play with matches. What do you think? I hope you like my choice for this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile.

 

Two of the wonderful things that attract people, young and old alike, to Playmobil are their vibrant colours and the array of different items that are produced.

 

Playmobil is a line of toys produced by the Brandstätter Group, headquartered in Zirndorf, Germany. Production began in 1974. Playmobil began to be sold worldwide in 1975, and by 2009, approximately 2.2 billion Playmobil figures had been sold. The signature Playmobil toy is a 7.5 cm tall human figure with a particular smiling face. A wide range of accessories, buildings and vehicles, as well as many sorts of animals, are also part of the Playmobil line. Playmobil toys are produced in themed series of sets as well as individual special figures and playsets. New products and product lines developed by a 50-strong development team are introduced frequently, and older sets are discontinued. Promotional and one-off products are sometimes produced in very limited quantities. These practices have helped give rise to a sizeable community of collectors.

This is a story where something good came from something not so good. Last year, I was doing some photography out of doors using a mirror, when a sudden and unexpected gust of wind blew the mirror over, shattering it into a thousand pieces. I threw away most of the mirror, for it was beyond repair and of no use, except for a few large pieces, which I held onto with my usual British attitude of “they may come in handy some day”. And one day they did! I was given a beautiful millefiori glass teapot by a friend. The patterns were so pretty all over it that I wanted to capture them all in one shot. But how? Then I worked it out! Using two pieces of the broken mirror I managed to capture all sides of the teapot! Thus, the pieces of broken mirror came in handy in the end.

 

The theme for “Smile on Saturday” for the 5th of October is “mirror or mirror glass”, a theme where rather than being about reflections in transparent glass or reflective surfaces other than mirror glass; it's about (reflections in) mirrors and (pieces of) mirror glass. It’s about an actual 'mirror' OR 'mirror glass' that's used for a different purpose... mostly for 'artwork'. I hope that this image fits the bill for this week’s theme, that you like it, and that it makes you smile!

From the archive: leica summicron 50 f/2 on Fuji xt-3 (digital)

A few weeks before Christmas, a very dear Flickr friend of mine in America sent me a wonderful Christmas parcel full of lots of lovely presents, including a set of six Sheffield Steel knives from the early 1950s with porcelain handles painted in pink and hand decorated and gilded. She hoped that they might look good on my Christmas table, which they would have since the floral arrangement I made for my centrepiece this year consisted of pink roses. What my friend did not count on was the backlog of Christmas parcels in the post. Sadly, they did not arrive until after New Year, when I again had a floral centrepiece of pink roses in three different shades and pink carnations.

 

Well, things happen for a reason. The day they arrived in the post was also the day that I discovered that the theme for "Looking Close on Friday" on the 20th of January is "cutlery"! I immediately knew which cutlery I was going to photograph. I went and pulled out my antique linen that I set the table with for formal occasions, plucked a few remaining blooms from my New Year centrepiece that were still good and used them to accessorise the knives as I photographed them. My friend sent me these knives because she felt that they would give me joy to use them on my table, and give her joy to see me use them, and now she can see them in all their glory as they might have been! I dedicate this photo to my very dear friend, and I hope that she likes my photograph of them. I hope that you like my choice for this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile!

 

These Sheffield Steel knives are just one set of several my American friend has in various colours including blue and green (her favourite colour). The original set that inspired her to collect these style of knives were baby blue ones that were gifts on her parents’ wedding registry back in the early 1950s. One day, she found a knife in the buffet drawers just like the blue ones, only with a pink handle. She asked her beautiful Mother, who told her that the set was also made in pink and someone sent a pink knife in error as a wedding gift.

These delicate and fragile Easter eggs have been painted completely by hand in Turkey in a beautiful Art Nouveau style, known as Arts and Crafts Movement or “Style Liberty” in the United Kingdom. The eggs all have a solid background over which a stylised pattern of flowers in a William Morris style has been painted. The decorated eggs are then covered in a varnish to protect the fragile hand painted surface. The eggs are all painted in Turkey by one family, and then shipped to Australia. The family also make stylish wooden spherical Christmas ornaments with similar Style Liberty design.

 

I would like to wish all of my Flickr friends and followers a very happy Easter Sunday! May today be filled with lots of fun, laughter and if you go on an Easter Egg hunt may you find a treasured Easter egg... or two of chocolate or otherwise.

 

However amongst all the fun and frivolity and chocolate take a moment to stop and remember the reason for the season, whether it be religious, or the simple joy of being with the ones you love the most.

Anyone who follows my photostream will know that I am an avid collector of interesting and beautiful objects. Amongst many other things, I love to collect vintage accessories. This includes antique fans. My favourite fans are those from the Victorian and Edwardian era. Fans from these eras are extremely ostentatious and beautiful, but at such advanced age are often very fragile. Such is definitely the case with this fan. This is a Victorian fan of the 1850s made of black silk which has been beautifully hand embroidered with stylised red and purple poppies and blue daisies interwoven with curvaceous leaves in colourful embroidery silks. The fan has been set on hand cut and shaped gilded wooden struts. Potentially embroidered by the woman who originally used this fan as an accessory at a ball or party, the fine workmanship would have promoted this woman as a skilled needlewoman, which in the genteel times of the Nineteenth Century would have been a desirous quality in a jeune fille à marier (a marriageable young woman). Usually being left closed, and kept out of the light, the colours of the embroidery silks are still vibrant, even after one hundred and seventy years.

 

The theme for “Smile on Saturday” for the 19th of November is “man-made leaves”. I used this fan in last week’s “Smile on Saturday” theme of “part of a human face” where my sitter hid partially behind the fan, so you were given a taste as to what the fan looked like. It seemed a shame to not to use it for this week’s theme and show off its rich and colourful embroideries. I hope you like my choice for the theme, and that it makes you smile.

Come see my new post. I have a limited-time, weekend only BEAUTIFUL dress from Tastic to show off in lovely florals. Also, 5L nails, 5L lipstick, 10L poses and another view of the fab FLF hair from Stealthic (which is still only 50L!)

 

Come check out my latest blog post on Fabulously Free in Second Life. See the FabFree blog for credits, LMs, and details about the items featured in this post. The blog is posted here.

 

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Closeup white orchids on white background. High key.

When it was my birthday a few months ago, a very dear friend who enjoys photography as much as I do, and knows that I collect beautiful and vintage pieces, gave me a wonderful selection of antique ribbons, buttons, buckles, lace and other fine notions. She also gave me three follow up tins of similar delightful gifts for Christmas.

 

Those wonderful gifts are what has inspired me to create this series of "Embroider my World" images featuring my vintage bobbin collection. In this case, amongst the gifts for my birthday was a piece of wonderfully delicate antique copper coloured floral lace. I have accessorised it on a 1930s embroidered doily with some more modern gilt embroidered lace and two Edwardian Coats cotton reels in a lovely shade of warm orange.

 

In 1802 James Coats set up a weaving business in Paisley. In 1826 he opened a cotton mill at Ferguslie to produce his own thread and, when he retired in 1830, his sons, James & Peter, took up the business under the name of J. & P. Coats. In 1952 J. & P. Coats and the Clark Thread Co. merged to become Coats & Clark's. Today, the business is known as the Coats Group.

'But who is to give the prizes?' quite a chorus of voices asked.

 

'Why, SHE, of course,' said the Dodo, pointing to Alice with one finger; and the whole party at once crowded round her, calling out in a confused way, 'Prizes! Prizes'

 

Alice had no idea what to do, and in despair she put her hand in her pocket, and pulled out a box of comfits, (luckily the salt water had not got into it), and handed them round as prizes. There was exactly one a-piece all round.

 

'But she must have a prize herself, you know,' said the Mouse.

 

'Of course,' the Dodo replied very gravely. 'What else have you got in your pocket?' he went on, turning to Alice.

 

'Only a thimble,' said Alice sadly.

 

'Hand it over here,' said the Dodo.

 

Then they all crowded round her once more, while the Dodo solemnly presented the thimble, saying 'We beg your acceptance of this elegant thimble'; and, when it had finished this short speech, they all cheered.

 

“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” – Lewis Carroll

 

The theme for for "Looking Close… on Friday" for Friday 9th of May is "combination of letters and numbers". In this case, I have chosen the details of one of my favourite thimbles from my sterling silver collection. Around its rim, it features the number 16, which probably refers to the pattern number, and the letters H G & S, which are the makers’ initials. In this case they stand for Henry Griffith and Sons who were a well known silversmiths and were one of the leading producers of sterling silver thimbles in Britain. So in this case, both the numbers and letters have meaning. I do hope you like my choice for this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile!

 

This floral thimble is sterling silver and was made by silversmiths Henry Griffith and Sons in Birmingham in 1897. Henry Griffith and Sons commenced in 1850, was continued as Henry Griffith & Sons (until 1898) and later as Henry Griffith & Sons Ltd. They were well known for their manufacture of silver thimbles, and later for their silver and gold jewellery. They closed their doors in 1982. Thimble making was part of the Griffith family heritage. The father of Henry Griffith was a thimble maker and was put in charge of the thimbles departments at the beginning of his son's activity. The Griffiths became one of the leading producers of silver thimbles and were one of the only silversmiths who marked some of their thimbles with 'Sterling Silver' instead of having them hallmarked.

It was recently my birthday, and a very dear friend who enjoys photography as much as I do, and knows that I collect beautiful and vintage pieces, gave me a wonderful selection of antique ribbons, buttons, buckles, lace and other fine notions. She gave me these in three beautiful tins, including this octagonal tin covered in Edwardian beauties. The tine may be old and battered, but I think those imperfections add to the tin’s beauty. It tells a story of being well used and well loved.

 

How apt it is then that a few weeks after I was given this wonderful tin full of ribbons, buttons, buckles, lace and fine notions, Maria announced the theme for “Looking Close… on Friday!” for October 20th, as “old boxes”, which is derived from my suggestion of “old, antique or vintage”. This theme also includes old tins. I knew immediately which tin I wanted to photograph.

 

Thank you for making my suggestion into a wonderfully fun theme this week, Maria. I hope you all like my image for the theme this week, and that it makes you smile.

flowers at park Vazrazhdane

Another beautiful set of patterns inside the compound flowers. This one, given to me as a Mother's Day present shows the circular and compounds patterns so well.

Craquelure - a network of fine cracks in the paint or varnish of a painting, woodwork or tiles.

 

Last year, I rediscovered an antiques and curios shop near to my home that I always enjoyed browsing in that I thought had closed. In fact, it had simply moved locations. I love it because it is one of those places where you have to go fossicking, but if you do, you always find some real treasures! Amongst all the junk and bric-a-brac was a single, solitary, Art Nouveau tile, covered in years' worth of dust. I could see the beautiful Art Nouveau pattern through the layer of grime, but when wiped it with a tissue I saw the lovely colours. It was also covered in craquelure, the network of fine cracks that appears in the glazing of old tiles. I knew then and there, that I had to have this beautiful tile! I hope you like my choice of subject for this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile!

Wazir Khan Mosque was completed in 1635 by Nawab Wazir Khan who was the governor of the region during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan.

 

The mosque was designed to be more than just a place of worship. It served as a town center, where 22 shops were integrated in the mosque design. Other markets extended out at right angles from the sides of the mosque. Before the Badshahi Mosque was constructed, Wazir Khan Mosque served as the Royal Mosque, and Emperor Shah Jehan offered his Friday prayers here in congregation.

 

The distinct feature of this mosque is that unlike other contemporaneous Mughal buildings, the primary construction material is brick, embellished with mosaic tile work and fresco paintings. Another defining feature are the the four 107 feet high octagonal minarets impaneling floral mosaic tiles. Some restoration work has been undertaken on the structure, but this portion of the fresco artwork appears to have been left alone, & it is amazing to see the colors have remained so vibrant through the centuries.

 

For more information on the Wazir Khan Mosque, please see: sites.ualberta.ca/~rnoor/mosque_wazir_khan.html

 

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