How to use this Page

Truly scrumptious, they really are. Delightful!

They are so sweet and how clever of you to put all those ideas together and come up with a new toy.

My three year old granddaughter had "Mrs Mouse`s Cupcakes" for her birthday this week. She loves the book and wants to hear the story again and again!

As ever, the simplicity belies their clever and very effective design.

Oooooooeeee!!! These are "MEOWWWVOLUS"!!!! Purely PRRRRRfect!!!! Heee
Blessings Linnie

OMGosh Gretel...they are simply stunning!!!!

Those little faces..too cute.

Janet xox

mmmm Sherbert Lemons, love them.
The kittens are great I love the idea of sweets and felting names.

Just as well your favourite sweets are sherbert lemons - you might have had a bit of a time designing someting based on my favourites .... midget gems!!

Such a simple design Gretel but all the little touches are so sweet, the little heart, stitching around the tummy, the collar and little 'flower' by the ear. Just gorgeous
A shape which you have tinkered with over the years in various forms and "Sherbert Lemon" sounds and looks yummy.........

A sunny morning here, looking out one window it's blue sky and out the, other grey clouds and threatening........typical SPring weather.

Claire :}

Congrats on getting your kitties in the catalogue, they have a Japanese simplicity too them. I adore the pink one on the card.

Lorraine :>}

Sherbet Lemons, oh my, can you still buy them?
What dear little kittens. I hope you make sure that they each go to a good home.

Now here's a funny thing, Gretel. This post of yours has led my memory back many decades...6 of them for the technically inclined, to a time when I was a little girl longing for a kitten.

I used to clip pictures of kittens out of magazines and concentrate and concentrate on those pictures, willing them to actually come alive, giving me a lovely little kitten.

Well. No kitten sprung from those clipped out pictures in my scrapbook. I learned to read, took up with words and lessened my sole obsession with pictures, and actually fell in love with a beautiful beagle puppy...my very first pet.

Still never had a kitten or cat for a pet. This in now way keeps me from greatly admiring your lovely feline creations. xo

When I first saw your new kitty creations I thought that they looked Japanese inspired, maybe you took in the influence from your lovely old dolls without knowing it?

They are as sweet as the confections they are named after. Maybe we will see them in book form one day?

So simple and oh so sweet-little lemony kitties! ♥

Purrrrfect! (Sorry!) As you say - I can see your influences but your kitties are definately from the "Middle of Nowhere". x Jo

Little lemon colored wobbly-headed kittens, what a sweet treat they are! I love the way you are able to express so much personality using simple forms. It is not an easy thing to do. But these are just charming.

I promise to come to the Oxford one - get a date and I'll spread the word!

Ah well....one to put down to experience I suppose.

I`m sure you will have more children and parents to meet in Oxford. I recently spent a wet day in several Oxford bookshops and they were teeming with young ones, choosing books.

Your two lovely books are now wrapped up in my cupboard, ready to be birthday parcels on my Granddaughter`s third birthday. I know that she will love them.

Good luck for your next signing.

Your characters look fabulous, you are so talented! I notice you have a cloth over your felting pad, can I ask why? does it stop the fibres tangling with the pad? or are you just hiding it? Xxx

Oh what a shame ... hope the Oxford signing has a queue out the door and round the corner! I tried to catch your interview on my day off last week but I think I was too late as there was a mention of you in the text but no interview sadly. I need to be quicker off the mark next time!

Chin up, happens to all authors - walked past Waterstones in Cheltenham once to see Mary Wesley (Camomile Lawn, anyone?) sat all on her ownsome. Felt dreadful, went and bought 3 of her books to make it better.
Have only ever seen massive queues for Terry Pratchett signings - and he is a god after all.

Of course, Oxford one will be better with queues to rival Pratchett's!

Dear Gretel, the lack of "fans" has nothing to do with the artistic merits of your book! People maybe didn't know about the signing hours, but I'm sure a lot of children will like the book and will receive it as a gift, because it's so interesting and unique, that's calling: "Buy me!":0)
I wish I was there to feel the excitement of meeting you and being in this fairy shop. I wish you a queue of future admirers in Oxford!
By the way, if I have luck, I'll have your book delivered from England this summer!!!
I like how your felt heroes looked like on the new place!:)
Don't you worry about anything! You've created something beautiful with all your heart and children will love it. Just wait a little...

Oh what a shame; I'd have love to have been one of the folk who came to support you but was unfortunately not able to do so this time around. I don't have a huge amount of followers but will also gladly 'promote' your next signing via my blog; perhaps if we all did this you'll be inundated next time around!

Kate :-)

Never mind - there doesn't seem to be any logic with this sort of thing. Sometimes I think it all depends on the way the wind blows more than anything! Hopefully Oxford will be more productive for you.

I remember doing my first craft fair - standing behind my stall all smiles, ready to have lovely conversations and sell all my beautiful things ...... and people kept just walking past, without looking!
I am sure it will be better next time! My two books are sitting on my table beside me as I type this - they are much too precious to be abandoned on a bookshelf!!

Oh honey, what a disappointment for you. I have had days like this. Fairs that have taken weeks to prepare for barely pay my costs and some to put 'down to experience'. You know you have many fans out there.

By the way, I keep meaning to send you a picture of Lizzy's nasturtiums that you sent her for her birthday. She planted them all by herself (unbeknown to us) in my Grandmother's old belfast sink which stands in the garden. They are flowering and are lovely. I think of you every time I see them :-)

I heard the interview on the radio when I was travelling around in the car. Would have come over to say 'hello' to a fellow blogger but work got in the way.

Perhaps the publicity from the interview will make more people visit you in Oxford. I'm sure you deserve it!

Johnson

Dear Gretel,
No worries...it's all part of the process. Only one way to go from there...UP!

I am sure Oxford will be great, so be prepared and see you have learned from the Whitney signing....display the toys lower ;->

janet xox

Gretel, I am a bit astounded that there weren't more folks visiting you in Witney. Keep thinking about all the children who would have been captivated.

On to Oxford!

I've done a few events myself (years ago, mostly) and have never known what to make of the results. I remember taking part in an outdoor art exhibit once and all the caring preparation of cutting mats, etc., to display my drawings and prints. Well...lo and behold the artist next to me was displaying his copies of pictures of Minnie and Mickey Mouse and ... well, you can guess the rest.

Guess I learned something from that weekend, but clearly the memory still clings to me.

Here's another exhibit tale. I was in a group show with others in a printmaking workshop. All sorts of folks turned up. I sold everything on display, and a few unframed etchings besides. But better yet, I introduced a non-artist friend to one of the fellows in the workshop crew, and ...they got on, got married, moved back to his homeland in Spain, and now have two grown children, one in med school, one studying graphic art.

You just never know. xo

The next showing will be better. Even with a little radio boost, sometimes it just needs to be in a larger venue for people to show up. But the time well may come when you look back on uneventful book signings like this one with a wistful fondness... you never know.

let us know the date in advance for Oxford and I'll put it on my blog and hopefully if we all do that then more people (more of the RIGHT people I hasten to add!) will know about it and you'll sell loads...if you were to sell a WHOLE book every hour at least it'll save tearing all those books in half....

xxx

Every one who does buy will tell ten others about the perfect book they've found ..... And that lovely window display will have caught many a child's imagination !
Oxford will be much busier , you'll see .

Wish I had been there! ;) Sadly though, maybe it's just a sign of the economic times. Certainly is here. Best of luck next time...you deserve it...I think your work is wonderful.

Oh, too bad. The shop and display look absolutely lovely, too. But I concur that between economy, summer, and other vagaries we can't guess at, this will be a blip for you. Oxford will be lovely. And I certainly would have come if it didn't take a transatlantic flight!

Hi. Don't be disheartened. This is the life of an author. I've done quite a few book signings and several of those I spent sitting on my todd, twiddling my thumbs. This is quite common according to other authors I know (unless you are someone REALLY well known like J K Rowling). Good luck with the next one.

Dawn x

It all looks wonderful! I just adore your work! Wish I could have visited you, but I'm in Florida!!!