knock! knock!

Arabella has a few hide-outs and depending on her mood, and the time of day, she is either In or Out!

Today she was Out!

I bought this nifty little tent for Arabella a couple of months ago at Ikea. It was pretty cheap, £5, and in the kiddies section of the store. As soon as I saw it I thought it would make a nice 'day bed' for her to lie up in.

Arabella took a few weeks to get used to hers then a week ago started to sleep inside it for the first time.

Then the other day I was at Ikea rummaging around and this time I bought one for Wesley and as soon as I put it down in his room he was straight over, head in, bum out, and before I could pat him - voila! - fast asleep!

... and he's not left it since! well, er, maybe for his kitty litter visits, but only briefly!

I also did some rummaging in my favourite thrift store a couple of weeks ago, The Cat and Dog Home charity shop in Edinburgh, and I came across a delicate cotton quilt cover with pink roses on it.

I could see nothing but tiny hares ....

Even the un-rose areas are beautiful with a cobweb of hearts and flowers

So as the sewing machine hummed away and Arabella slept in her day bed these little hares came to life

5 bounders and 4 observers, all in my etsy shop and waiting for their own day beds now.

Uh oh! we have a tea maid I see!

this little hare wanted to make sure my earl grey is not too strong incase the swan objects.

I got this elegant drinking vessel a little while ago from Sabine at Kultur on etsy. As soon as I saw this cup I was in mug heaven!

I'm rather attached to my tea holders and I have every mug I have ever bought from the last 20 odd years. I usually collect a new one every year or two if I come across the right one, and this swan is indeed very right!

Sabine has some very lovely pieces in her Kultur etsy shop and I'm so glad I now proudly own this cup! many thanks Sabine!

Ofcourse I'm not precious about my furnishings so I don't use coasters to 'protect' as I love worn and used furniture but instead I have them to 'look at'.

I bought this coaster whilst I was at Edinburgh airport of all places! in their tourist shop, where very little is actually from Scotland, and mainly made in China.

However, this coaster is Scottish and has a painting on it by a Scottish artist. I, er, bought the mug there too with the very same picture on it! Love these colours! the artist is Lesley McLaren and the mug is on display in my glass fronted slim-line display cabinets in the kitchen. Why buy beautiful crockery if it cannot be admired at all times?

Most of my old mugs now hold precious this and thats in elaborate displays, like mini shop windows (before the chain stores sucked the creativity out of window shopping).

These incredible little wooden every-day snowflakes will be adorning my old mugs soon. I thought they looked rather nice here greeting swan and tiny coaster hare.

They came all the way from America and were handmade by Kimi from Grahtoe Studio on etsy. The photo really does not do them justice as they are so delicate yet tactile and I love the visible wood grains.

It will be very satisfying to admire these snow flakes all year round. I like every day to be like christmas day here, just no wrapping paper or ribbons to clear up every evening but plenty of beautiful items to rest my eyes on.

I don't need High Street window shopping with the displays in my kitchen glass cabinets! (oh, they are from Ikea too!)

and here are a few things too big to fit in my cabinets - Mother Hare Venus with Baby Hare Matrix

and Venus again with Baby Hare Task and his bright amber eyes.

A while ago I'd mentioned about black silt on the beach here and I wondered whether it might be pollution. Well, a very lovely lady who also lives in Edinburgh put me straight and said that it is in fact from ancient forest coal deposits on the sea bed! and on those 'coal days' tiny bits of amber get washed up too. Now isn't that amazing!

If you would like to look for some amber then keep your eye out for a black silt surf day and try the Wardie beach area. Little Task may even meet you there!

Yup! Still In! and fast asleep! shhhhh ....

ps - Ms Rabbit is making her way to Humphrey and Charlotte's .....