and the winner is...

Janine, myself and little Finley stayed up super duper late on wednesday night,

taking our time to read all the wonderful inspiring books you live by,

here and in my inbox...

actually that doesn't sound quite right,

obviously we did not stay up super duper late reading all the books you mentioned,

for that would be quite impossible,

a night not being long enough

and the results of such an impossible task

could possibly led to madness.

so what i mean is,

we stayed up super duper late reading your comments,

on the wonderful inspiring books you live by!

thank you most kindly for taking part in our book bundle giveaway

and for also, as always, leaving such words of inspiration.

i do not think i have ever had a give away when i am not left with so many new things to discover,

and now i have a book list as long as my arm of new and wonderful reading material for me to work my way through.

i realized, i had not told you the book that inspired me so.

quite clearly for me, it was Pippi Longstocking and her adventures.

i do not recall how many of her adventures i read, although i have a well thumbed copy from my childhood,

what i do know is, Astrid Lindgren taught me to use my imagination

and for that i am most thankful

so we have a winner

and here she is

da da da da dah!!!!

my grandfather gave my sister and me,

the Readers Digest Great World Atlas back in the 1960's.

books in our house were few and far between.

this book to a small child, was HUGE.

its pages felt thick and luscious.

having not been in possession of this book for 3 decades,

i could still identify it by smell alone.

my sister took it off to college with her.

i found a substitute in a junk store a few years ago.

it still gives me the feeling the world

is a huge and incredible place

hurrah! hooray! for the lovely Kim,

her tale of childhood

and her inspiring wordly book

had Janine and myself most warmed,

congratulations my dear!

next week i have plans to tell you what Janine and myself got up to during her visit

and as if that wasn't thrilling enough,

i am also working on a little 'high hopes' tutorial which involves

not Mr Hook,

nor Dr Hook

but the ever-so-lovely

quite robust,

no nonsense,

let's just get the job done,

Mrs Hook

till then, she is wishing you the grandest of grandy weekends ~ Tif

book week... day six

and so we come to the end of book week,

but do not be sad dearest readers,

nor hang your heads and weep,

for it may be coming to an end but it is a peachy end.

as i mentioned yesterday,

when this sunday rolls around,

the lovely Janine and her little clan

will be insitu at Mossy Shed.

we will be doing what we do best,

which i don't actually quite know what that is yet,

but i am quite sure it will be

the bestest of besty things.

so's whilst i am away from my shiny place

doing besty things with Janine,

we thought it would be nice to have a little giveaway,

and even nicer,

since it being book week and all that grand stuff,

why not give away a book!

for indeed there is nothing quite like a beautiful inspiring book...

and so without further a-do, i must tell you

through the generosity of Janine and UPPERCASE

today's spiffy booky giveaway

is none other than the fabby book bundle from UPPERCASE.

hip hip hooray!

four wonderful books from a brilliant publisher

are looking for a home!

i actually felt a little giddy upon knowing this knowledge.

the peachy winner will receive one of each book,

'as and when' they are hot of the press.

da da da da dah!!

book one:

'the elegant cockroach' by deidre anne martin

and illustrations by stefanie augustine.

a charming storybook

for whimsical grown-ups and sophisticated children,

beautifully written with stunning pictures

book two:

'work/life 2' a directory of illustration,

designed and written by Janine vangool.

featuring talented artists from around the world,

highlighting their personal stories,

insightful interviews and compelling images

book three:

'a collection a day' by illustrator lisa congdon.

being a collector of the utmost kind,

lisa set out to document her collection on January 2010,

embarking on a year long project

resulting in this special book.

book four:

'the suitcase series, volume 2'

the second book in the suitcase series

(the first being the lovely camilla engman)

explores the thrifty, crafty, peachy life of Tif fussell

and her alter ego dottie angel

(in other words, me)

so now to the nitty gritty,

and please be sure to read the nitty gritty bit

cause it is tres important to follow the rules

NITTY GRITTY STUFF

1. you can leave your comment (please see #4)

here or email me tif@dottieangel.com.

be sure to leave a way for me to get hold of you.

it does not matter where you live in the world,

this give away is open to all peachy folks

who love beautiful books and wish to give

these pretty four a loving, forever home

2. the winner will be picked by myself and Janine.

however we will, if need be

rely upon Finley's expert opinion

in this matter of great importance

3. the competition will CLOSE on Wednesday 20th Oct, 10am pacific time.

the winner will be announced on Friday 22nd Oct

at some random time depending on when little olive takes her nap

(gosh this all sounds very professional,

i am thinking i must have my professional hat on today)

4. now this is the bit that needs a thinking cap,

no panicking though,

for there is plenty of time to think and ponder.

to be in with a chance of winning all four books,

you MUST answer this simple,

but 'oh so interesting' question...

WHAT BOOK HAS INSPIRED YOU?

it could be either fiction or non-fiction,

it could be the front cover or pictures within,

it could be a character or the story its self,

or it could be the author that penned the book...

anything at all to do with one particular book

you recall reading, perhaps have read many times over

that has inspired you, in your head and your heart.

give away now CLOSED

so there we are,

a perfect end to a lovely book week

courtesy of my peachy publisher Janine,

how splendid indeed.

she is wishing you a lovely week and will return next friday with a winner ~ Tif

book week... day five

today i am busying myself with busy things around the shed,

and ignoring the glass jars and their need for woolly jackets.

for in three days Janine and her little clan are coming to stay.

part of being an artist in the suitcase series

means the lovely Janine and her little clan

pack up their suitcases and come for a visit!

hence the name 'suitcase series'...

here in mossy shed,

we are getting a little exciteable about the whole thing,

especially little olive and used dog.

however, i am thinking of giving each of my clan members

a note card with 'do not dos' written upon it,

1. do not bicker

2. do not leave wet puddles upon the bathroom floor

3. do not pick your nose unless it is in private

and while we are at it,

4. do not sniff, blow your nose

5. do not leave a trail of crappity crap

6. do not ignore me so i have to repeat myself 5 times

before you are spurred into action

7. do not do anything other than marvel at my orange meals

and the list goes on,

anyone living with a clan of aging children and a man

will know exactly what i am talking about...

however i have decided not to write my 'do not dos'

no sirree, i am going to throw caution to the wind

and trust my clan will rise to the occasion

showing their 'best shiny' sides for 4 whole days.

i fear this could be a moment

for clinging onto 'high hopes' like never before

now to book number five of book week,

and it's a goodie!

hooray hurrah!

my soul sister kindly gave me Orla Kiely's book for my birthday,

we share a mutual love of Orla and all her goodness.

so it was with great excitement i received this wonderful book,

okay so i was totally giddy, for i am a huge Orla nut!

the book is everything it promises to be

and a whole lot more,

page after page of Orla's world is revealed

in all it's colorful, patterned, retro glory

she tells about the early days, how she got started.

she talks about her creative process,

her inspirations, resulting in her stunning patterns

and how the scale and rhythm along with the color,

all play a part in creating her wonderful range

of clothing, bags and soft furnishings.

right at the back of the book is a little chapter on blogs,

where Orla talks about blogs being an endless source

of amazement and inspiration for her.

seeing how others interpret her patterns and color

within their own homes is wonderful.

this is the bit when i got super giddy,

a little lightheaded even and Miss Ethel felt the same.

for in the back of Orla's lovely book

is none other than mossy shed and Miss Ethel.

now of course many of you will be seeing once again

there is irony when it comes to Tif and her tales.

for indeed this would be the very wallpaper i am in love with,

still am to this day,

but alas the love affair came to an end within the shed.

i can actually hardly bare to mention it

so i have said that last paragraph in a whisper.

but not to worry, for upstairs in mossy shed

Orla's patterny wonders still continue to grace our walls

i have high hopes,

if ever Orla happened to be passing by the shed one day,

perhaps she may indeed knock upon our door

and despite gasping 'thee gasp'

at seeing our walls without blossoms,

she will be most happy to see the upstairs bit of the shed,

thus immediately forgiving me

and my wicked wallpaper stripping ways

if there is one book

to recommend for your wish list this holiday season

then Orla Kiely's book would be it,

not because of Miss Ethel, nor mossy shed,

but because it is a tres peachy read

and indeed totally Orla

she is thinking tomorrow would be a peachy day indeed for a grand give away ~ Tif

book week... day four

yesterday i was distracted by Miss Ethel and Miss Margery,

i do not often speak of Miss Margery

and there are reasons for this.

Miss Margery belongs to Our #1

and on many an occasion i have sat in my studio

hearing the floorboards above shake with her usage.

i feared for Miss Margery and the sewing traumas she endured

at the hands of Our #1

actually, her name isn't Miss Margery,

Our #1 gave her a name quite unsuited to her lovely stitching ways.

so upon discovery of Miss Margery holed up in the back of the closet

after Our #1 left the shed for the bright lights of old blighty,

i took her out,

dusted her down

and called her Miss Margery.

she travelled alongside of Miss Ethel, to the big city

for our grand dottie angel workshop weekend.

upon returning to the shed,

i have placed Miss Margery in my studio

and yesterday she showed me her coat of many stitches,

let us just say, i was smitten.

together a threesome of the utmost kind,

(not seen since the days of dorothy, mr hook and dr hook)

resulted in handcrafty goodness

soon to be hanging in my little shop window.

but for today, we will continue our grand book week

hip hip hooray!!

Lotta Jansdotter needs no introduction i am quite sure,

she is a crafter, designer and artist extraordinaire.

Lotta appeals to me,

in the way japanese craft books appeal.

in all their pretty, handcrafted, inspiring goodness

combined with the clean lines i look for,

when living with handcrafted.

most of all she appeals to me for a particular reason,

many moons ago,

when i first stumbled across Lotta Jansdotter

i read a little bit of blurb

and the blurb told of Lotta being a self taught crafter.

i gasped 'thee gasp'

and knew right then and there,

i wished to hug Lotta on the spot,

thank her for saying it with pride.

it is interesting to look back now, quite a few years on

and see it was a defining moment for me and my crafty soul.

to know Lotta had succeeded with her own crafty soul,

wonderful aesthetics and beautiful self taughtness,

gave me the confidence to start up my little shop on Etsy,

to ramble upon this here shiny place

and

to continue along the righteous and goodly path of handcrafting.

Lotta's lovely book Handmade Living opens the door to her world,

showing how she creates her signature scandinavian style

within her beautiful home and studio.

allowing the reader to truly get a glimpse into her handmade world,

highlighting her inspirations,

her family traditions

and her decorating style,

page after page of a handmade life is revealed,

it truly is a lovely book indeed

she is trying to muster up some of that same confidence and drive to the big city on her own, gulp! ~ Tif

book week... day three

for day three of book week,

i have a wonderfully fabby book to share

which may indeed be known by quite a few of you.

it is a brilliantly inspiring book

full of 'handmade crafts for a cause'.

yes indeed, it is the peachy Craft Hope book by Jade Sims.

dadadada dahhhhhh!

Jade is a buddy and a dearie,

a dearie of the utmost kind in more ways than one.

i met Jade when she came to Seattle

a few weeks back for my dottie angel camp.

i think now you can see why i was a little nervous,

the standard of my dearies was tres high!!!

a little while ago Jade was inspired to start Craft Hope,

an organization that combines a love of crafting with a desire to help others.

such was the success of Craft Hope there are now

tens of thousands of crafters in over 100 countries

following the Craft Hope site

and making handmade goods for causes all over the world.

the Craft Hope book is chocker block full of charities

and peachy ideas, crafters can make for them.

many talented designers, artists and crafters

have donated their time and their tutorials

to make this book the wonder it is.

having spent a few days in the lovely Jade's company

i can tell you she is one incredible person.

she is a mother and a crafter,

she is funny and silly,

she is kind and generous

and

she is thankful to the many who have,

and continue to make,

Craft Hope the success it is.

this book will warm your crafty heart,

leaving you marveling at the crafting community

and what it does for the greater good of others...

she is thinking at this rate, book week may turn into book fortnight ~ Tif

book week... day two

the book i am sharing on day two of this thrilling book week

is one that appeals to the magpie within moi.

42 years ago i was born into a magpie nest.

being born of collectors of the utmost kind

i did not stand a chance.

despite my denial for many a year

i have now embraced the magpie within me

and learnt to live with my gene to collect,

doing so in little vignettes with plenty of space inbetween.

forsaken little souls

vintage doilies

retro linens

children who talk back

peachy clogs

quirky stools

winter boots

pesky critters

anything pretty

anything kitsch

and now it would appear

jam jars

and that is why i am attracted to this lovely book,

it talks to the magpie within

Detaljer Hemma (details at home)

by Annika Huett and Ulf Huett Nilsson

it is not so much a book about collections

but a book highlighting how the everyday in our lives

can be beautiful and what really makes a house become a nest.

from bathroom taps to light switches,

the authors have travelled around Swedish homes

full of eclectic details and wonderful bits 'n' bobs

recording their findings in all it's colorful glory

Detaljer Hemma is a picture book of pure eye candy

for anyone that has magpie tendencies like myself

and now i stop to think about my magpie genetics,

i see the magpie gene has been passed on to another generation in our family.

Our #4 is doing a grand job at becoming a collector extraordinaire

there is a lovely interview on FromSTHLM

where you can find out more about the authors and this peachy book.

actually can i just say i am really excited to have found this interview.

obviously i own a dectective hat i did not know about, until this moment

and i am wondering what other lovely things i may unearth with it upon my bonce.

going back to yesterday and my obsession with jam jars

since being inspired by Shelley's lovely knitted ones

shown in Covet Garden

i thought perhaps it might be nice if i mentioned

i am working on a tutorial for the gleeful season...

now i know it is only the beginning of October

and usually i am never ever prepared.

however Our #1 is coming home for christmas

and so i have gleeful things on my mind.

my gleeful tutorial week will involve jam jars of varying sizes

along with yarn and other fabricky things from one's stash.

so instead of just springing it upon you in middle November

and then perhaps sending one or two of you into a jar finding frenzy,

i am alerting those that may be interested, ahead of time

to avoid frantic frenzies.

she is quite sure there was an easier way of saying it, but when did she ever make her ramblings easy to read ~ Tif

book week... day one

gosh i am tres excited about this week being book week.

i am thinking, there is nothing quite like a lovely book...

first up for day one of book week

is a perfectly peachy book all about crochet trimmings.

Our #3 gifted me this book on my birthday a few weeks back,

i can tell you it is probably one of the most loveliest gifts

i have ever been given by one of my clan.

to know my teenage son can walk into the local bookstore,

head to the crafting department

and find amongst all the beauties resting upon the shelf,

the one book most suited to my crocheting needs is quite extraordinary.

until i unwrapped my gift i had no idea as to this books existence

and yet it is perfectly suited to me,

which truly warms my mothering crafty heart.

upon seeing my lovely red book

i exclaimed to Our #3

how wonderful it will be to have other options

beyond my usual picot edging

delving into the world of fancy crocheted trims

all because of his thoughtfulness.

this is perfect timing as fall is on its way

and with it i am getting all nesty

and with nesty, i am getting all crochety

and nothing says 'nesty and crochety' to me

like a blanket with pretty edgings.

as perfect timing would have it,

i have just finished off a lappity lap blankie

and will be picking a suitable trim from my new book.

i have high hopes and will do my utmost,

despite predictable hiccups along the way

not to resort to my picot stitch,

i am most fond of my picot

but it is time expand my crochet trim horizons

aided by my trusty new red book and Mr Hook.

fitting in nicely with my 'nesty crochety' mode

is the need to clothe random jars around the shed in little winter jackets.

i did not know i needed to do this until the lovely lynda wrote to me,

telling me of Covet Garden, a beautiful online magazine,

which she produces with the help of some lovely creative folks.

i clicked,

and one click led to another click

which in turn

led to my obsession with making little jackets for jam jars.

the 'how-to' is for knitted little jackets,

which you will find on page 21-22 of issue 2

and on close inspection of the article

it looks to me this lovely book also contains brilliant how-tos.

how fabby is that, even more nesty things to inspire!

for a moment i was tempted to break out my needles

having laid idle for many a year,

but i could not do it dearest readers,

no i could not.

Mr Hook is my constant companion these days.

so by friday afternoon i was raiding the fridge,

tipping out contents in jars well past their sell by dates.

this was a grand moment for me,

made me feel my kitchen crappity crap ways, have a silver lining.

by friday night one jar was proudly on the mantelpiece

soon to be followed by another.

my clan actually marvelled at the jars and their little winter jackets.

now let me just say, my clan rarely marvel at anything i make,

it is one big blur of crocheted doilifying stuff and passes them by.

but i have discovered, much to my glee

a simple little crocheted winter coat on an old food jar

appears to be worth a marvel.

she is thinking little jars with winter jackets would make the most loveliest gifts this coming gleeful season ~ Tif