London Zoo 1927: Iconic Photo with Toy Elephant

The Authentic Photograph: A young visitor and her toy elephant find the Elephant House at the London Zoo closed for the winter holidays, January 1927. 

©Getty Images. Photo found on Flickr.

Popularized Version. Still adorable!

Teddy Bear Portrait

This is an old jointed teddy bear that usually sits in an antique child's chair in my cottage. I didn't notice that his left ear was turned back until I got back in the house after his photo session. I was just playing around with Portrait Mode on my iPhone 7+ and it is so easy and so much fun. It's an overcast gray day here at the cottage and pretty warm (55°) for February with rain coming this afternoon and continuing for a couple of days. Maybe I will get caught up on the three episodes of PBS programs I missed on Sunday night: Howards End, Sanditon, and Vienna Blood. I am enjoying all three. 

4 Stuffed Animal Sewing Patterns to Download

There's still time to make a stuffed toy. Luckily this is a digital download so there's no waiting or leaving home to get all four patterns. Just pay for The Dear Ones and download patterns here.

Cutest Handmade Bear

The hand stitching makes this bear so very lovable and adorable. Some lucky child is going to be thrilled with this huggable stuffed animal. Handmade toys and gifts are the best! via

Vintage Pull Toy Rescue Today

I rescued this darling vintage pull toy in the original paint from a chance garage sale today. It has an original paper label on the bottom too and it was made in Bayshore, New York by A MERRY MAKER. It could be a baby duck but I'm calling it a baby chick because of the pointed bill. A small child would probably have more fun pulling it and making Quack Quack sounds though. I put it on Instagram too -- See all 6 photos here. I am looking forward to the final episode of ENDEAVOUR tonight on PBS. See you tomorrow. xo

Asprey Campaign Photo: Old Westbury Gardens Long Island NY

Asprey Campaign, Old Westbury Gardens (New York) shot by Bruce Weber via Google Images. 

At first I thought this might be a very spoiled child's birthday present but it turned out to be a photo shoot for Asprey

Needle Felted Grey Hare / Rabbit

So charming. This was made from a kit.

No, I am not going to make one but I love this.

From Etsy.

Elephant Slide: Girona Spain 1975

Have a fun Sunday.

What a great beach jungle gym for these lucky kids.

Boy, I'll bet that metal slide is hot!

via

Prince Phillip Playing with Young Prince Charles and Princess Anne

via

This is animated gif is so fabulous. A young Prince Phillip is riding tricycles with Princess Anne while Prince Charles follows on a pedal tractor with a plow on the front. Great royal family fun!

Vintage Beatrix Potter TOM KITTEN Plush Toy Cat Circa 1973 For Sale on Ebay

I am selling this adorable Tom Kitten doll with no reserve on ebay. It isn't getting much interest so I thought it might be a good idea to blog about it again. Click here to see my no reserve auction. It ends on Sunday afternoon in case you want to bid. There are 12 photos posted for you to view so you can see him from all angles.

This is an old picture from an 2009 blog post about him.

He is sitting in one of my favorite antique side chairs.

I used to have him on the high chair shown in the first picture along with two antique teddy bears until Webster grabbed him one day and started giving him puppy love bites. He managed to rip one side of the little jacket before I could get Tom away from him. I mended it on the reverse side with light blue iron-on tape that I luckily had in my sewing basket. 

I just took this photo of him leaning on a pillow on my living room sofa. I forgot to position his tail so you could see it.

He's all dressed up and ready to go to a loving home. Thanks for helping me say goodbye to this adorable character doll. The Tale of Tom Kitten is a children's book, written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter. It was released by Frederick Warne & Co. in September 1907. The tale is about manners and how children react to them. Tabitha Twitchit, a cat, invites friends for tea. She washes and dresses her three kittens for the party, but within moments the kittens have soiled and lost their clothes while scampering about the garden. Tabitha is "affronted". She sends the kittens to bed, and tells her friends the kittens have the measles. Once the tea party is underway however, its "dignity and repose" are disturbed by the kittens romping overhead and leaving a bedroom in disorder.

Potter's career as a children's author and illustrator was launched in 1902 with the release of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. She continued to publish, and, in 1905, bought Hill Top, a farm in Lancashire, with the sales profits from her books and a small legacy from an aunt. Her tales were also inspired by the farm, its woodland surroundings, and nearby villages. Work began on Tom Kitten in 1906 and its setting became the Hill Top farmhouse. Illustrations depict the interior of the house and the gardens, paths, and gate at the front of the house.

Twenty thousand copies of the book were released in September 1907 and another 12,500 the following December. Potter composed a few miniature letters for child friends as if from the characters in the tale, and, in 1917, she released a painting book under Tom Kitten's name. In 1935, two books of piano pieces and piano duets for children were published with one piece inspired by Tom Kitten and another by the Puddle-Ducks. Tom and other characters in the book have become the subjects of a variety of merchandise over the years including porcelain figurines and plush toys. The tale is still in print, and has been translated and published in several languages.

Did you sew as a child on a toy sewing machine?

I did and I had a similar toy sewing machine. I can vividly remember sewing doll clothes on the screened porch in the summer before I graduated to my mother's Singer in the sewing room. That was also at a very young age. We always had a sewing room too which was wonderful. I am selling this one on ebay. I photographed it in my guest room. This built-in cupboard with shelves above and drawers below has a pull-out slide that was perfect for attaching the clamp on this vintage child's sewing machine.

Webster, Tabitha and I worked outside all afternoon yesterday and into the early evening getting the yard ready for fall. I weed whacked and they watched. Really! They love to watch me work and they give me lots of moral support just by being close by. Our street was repaved this week and it looks so nice. Now both entrances to my circular driveway are nice and spiffy too. 

Cat pulling Toy Cat

My cat never plays with anything. This is adorable. via

Napping with A Friend

I put Webster's elephant squeak toy in Henry's cone so he could have a little pillow for his after-breakfast nap.

Sleeping with A Loon

I had a real estate closing this week and found this used dog toy in the house, left behind by the previous dog. Score for Webster. He carries this loon around with him and sleeps with the squeaky toy too. It's only a little worse for wear with a damaged beak but Webster doesn't seem to mind at all. Have a great weekend.

Virtual Road Trip -- Wonderful Video

Address Is Approximate from The Theory on Vimeo.

Story: A lonely desk toy longs for escape from the dark confines of the office, so he takes a cross country road trip to the Pacific Coast in the only way he can – using a toy car and Google Maps Street View. Have a great weekend...use your imagination the way this desk toy did!!

Trio of Holiday Mice with Free Knitting Pattern

© Barbara Prime
Free pattern -- Download PDF Here.
Details here.

Hierarchy of Punishment

I guess they are all on Santa's naughty list. Wonder what they did? via

1639 German Doll House

Stromer House

One of the oldest known intact doll houses is in the Germanisches National Museum, Nuremberg, Germany. Known as the Stromer House, because it was presented to the museum by Baron von Stromer, its original owner is unknown, but it is dated 1639.

Like other famous doll houses which followed it, the Stromer House offers a fascinating view of upper-class life for the time and place it was made. This doll house has 15 sections, with everything from stables and servants’ quarters, to elegant bedrooms and a reception room and hall with intricately paneled walls. via Monicamo on Flickr...click for more views.

A Toy Tiger Makes Such A Good Pillow

Pretty soon I'm going to find a toy tiger to tuck under my head at the close of a very busy day. I keep this special toy here for Piggy's visits. He loves it and generous Webster is always willing to share. Sleep tight. I'll see you in the morning.

From The Hundred Acre Wood To Midtown – Winnie The Pooh at The New York Public Library

From The Hundred Acre Wood To Midtown – Winnie The Pooh Exhibit in New York Somehow it never occurred to me that the characters in Winnie The Pooh were real [stuffed] animals. They are in New York now. Have you seen them in their own little room?

The one and only original Winnie The Pooh

1950 - author A.A. Milne's son, Christopher Robin, sitting at home with his teddy bear. Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS

The original Piglet

The original Tigger 

The original Eeyore

The original Kanga

All of the Original Pooh Characters Together At Last in New York City in their permanent home at The New York Public Library. These are the very animals Christopher once played with in Ashdown Forest (inspiration for the Hundred Acre Wood), patches, rips, dirt, and all. Some characters, like Rabbit and Owl, were made up for the stories, while little Roo was lost long ago. Read more.