Jen's Wee Softies

Just a quick note and a Postcard

Time just seems to have disappeared and it seems my blog has been a bit neglected. We have had a few visitors with us over the last few days so I have been a bit distracted, going out and about in London.

I promise to be back next week with lots more posts. I have been working on some new brooch designs and making some more birdies but they are not quite ready for me to share with you yet.

I just wanted to show you the postcard I received on Friday from Erwin and his friends. I have already told you all about his adventures in Nepal but don't you just love getting postcards? I certainly do. I like to see the stamps from different countries and you sometimes learn something new about a country. I never knew Rhododendrons were the national flower of Nepal.

No wonder Erwin had to have his photo taken with them.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I will be back next week with some new work and news from Erwin's travels in Thailand!

Erwin's Pictures from Nepal

As promised, here are some pictures from Erwin's travels in Nepal.

After a very long bus trip from India, Erwin and his companions finally arrived in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. After a much needed rest after over 22 hours on busses there was time for some sight-seeing. Here is Erwin at Boudhnath Temple.

Boudhnath is one of the largest Buddhist shires in Nepal and is acknowledged to be the most important Tibetan Buddhist monument outside Tibet. Constructed in the 6th century, the base of the temple is built in a mandala form. Erwin observed many locals coming to the temple for their daily prayers and maybe even a gossip as they walked round the giant stupa.

After a few days of visiting Kathmandu it was time to head towards the Himalayas and the start of the Annapurna trek. Erwin and his friends spent three weeks doing the trek and even managed the Throng La Pass 5416m. I think Erwin was safely tucked up in a rucksack for most of the treking part though!

Here he is in one of the cabins on the route and enjoying the rhododendron bushes towards the end of the trek at Poon Hill.

I had hoped to show you some more photos but internet connections have got bad again and all attempts to send more photos have failed. So that is it for now. Hopefully I will have more news from Erwin soon, but for now I hope he is enjoying Thailand!

2nd Annual Softies Awards

A little while ago I came across Softies Central, a great blog about all things Softie related. Then last week I read that Therese at Softies Central was holding the 2nd Annual Softies Awards. (More information on the awards can be found on the Softies Central Blog.)

I thought this was a great idea and have entered some of my Wee Softies. Meet Milly, she has been entered in the 'pink or plaid' category.

These Wee Softies have been entered in the 'cutest face' category. They are: Oscar, Bonnie, Bailey and Erwin.

All the Wee Softies I have entered so far have already been adopted. I hope they are enjoying their new homes. I certainly know Erwin is enjoying his adventures. (I will be sharing more about Erwin's travels in a post soon.)

I have also entered some of my little Mousies.

The closing date for entries is the 18th April, so there are still a few days remaining. If you are a softies maker get your Softies entered quick! I may add a few more before the time runs out.

The awards have also been a great opportunity to see what other Softie makers have been creating. To see all the Softies that have been entered into the awards, visit the flickr pool here. Enjoy!

Meet Ainsley

Here is Ainsley, the latest Cat 'wee softie' to make it to my etsy shop. Doesn't he look smart with his blue ribbon.

If you would like to find out more about him and see more pictures of him, head over here to have a closer look.

Erwin's Pictures from India

Uploading issues have been tackled and I have received some news and pictures of Erwin from his time in India. It looks like he had a great time visiting lots of sights.

He arrived in Delhi after a long flight from the U.K. and spent some time relaxing at his hotel studying his well read guide book and planning some of the places he wanted to visit.

His first stop was Humayun's Tomb in New Delhi. Built by Haji Begum, the wife of E. Humayum, it is an early example of Moughal architecture in India.

He then went off to explore the state of Rajasthan. On his way to Jaipur he stopped at the Amber Fort.

While he was in Jaipur he visited Jantar Mantar. A collection of architectural astronomical instruments built between 1727 and 1733, it is the biggest stone observatory in the world. Here he is in front of Samrat Yantra, the giant sundial.

From Jaipur, Erwin headed to Agra and was very excited to see the Taj Mahal. Unfortunately he wasn't allowed inside but here he is seeing it from afar.

Erwin and his friends L and B then started their long journey to Kathmandu in Nepal. I have also been given some news from their adventures in Nepal but I will keep those for another day. It is lovely to see how Erwin's trip is progressing and I hope you enjoyed seeing his travel snaps.

10 Little Birdies sitting in a Tree

My first flock of birdies are now finished and are happily sitting in a tree waiting to fly away. Their beaks have been changes slightly from the previous birdies to make them stronger. After road-testing the original i realized that the beak was getting a little bent and needed reinforcing. A few of these will soon be journeying over to my etsy shop.

This little fella didn't even make it into the group picture as he has already flown away to a new home!

Echino Fabrics

Look what arrived in the post the other day - these lovely Echino fabrics by Etsuko Furuya. (Along with a few surprise japanese sweeties - thanks superbuzzy!)

I have been waiting for these fabrics to arrive from Superbuzzy for a while now due to a few post problems and I am so pleased I have finally got them. Superbuzzy have a great site with lots of fabrics and other bits and bobs imported from Japan.

As soon as I saw the Echino fabrics range, I knew I had to get some of the quirky prints for myself. Now I just need to decide what I am going to do with them. I think I may just admire them for a while before I make any decisions.

In other news, I have been kept busy over the last week updating my website so all the information on it is now current. My Spring newsletter is also now out after a few email headaches over links not working! If you didn't receive my newsletter but would like to get a copy, send me an email and join my mailing list and I will get a copy to you.