My little Astro Dog

Since Fifi arrived in my life, much spare time of mine is systematically spent in having walks with her, and in find out places in Paris where she can meet up with other dogs. And I have to admit that it is really pleasant to look at Fifi while she is playing: she keeps always a very kind behavior, immediately able to strike up friendship with all other dogs!

  

I do not know if because of her funny, pointed, movable hears, or because of her happy and melancholic look at the same time, but Fifi remembers me Astro Boy indeed. As you maybe know, Astro boy is maybe the principal chef d'oeuvre de "Godfather of Anime", Osamu Tezuka. Created during 1950s, and turned in a TV program during 1960s, Astro Boy is a kind of Pinocchio of the future, created from the mind of a mad scientist that, after the dead of his beloved son, aimed to replicate him with a robot. The Astro Boy's anime tells the story of a boy-robot in a fictional future in which men and very advanced technologies coexist, even if not without difficulties.

Actually, his father-creator realized soon that the Astro Boy could not replace completely his son; in particular, the incapacity of Astro Boy to grow like all other children became insupportable for the scientist who took decision to sell out Astro Boy, as mere thing, to an evil circus manager. After some times, Astro Boy was "saved" from this circus by another scientist, who instead remarked his unique and special "human" behaviors and emotions, which other robots have not, such a natural inclination to be kind and warm, to be altruist, to fell happy or sad depending on situations. In a certain way, Astro Boy is a deep exploration in what human beings are and in what to be human means, told from the standpoint of a "non-human". I am sure that you have already seen the 1980s version of Astro Boy, but recently I found out also the original series from 1960s on youtube. And now I am addict!

  

Going ahead with my thought about Fifi, her pointed hears, and her similarities with Astro Boy, I get the inspiration to crave a couple of stamps with the shapes of Astro Boy: one done with the old-school version, and also another one done following the Astro Boy Tezuka Moderno, its ultra-kawaii version, which appeared recently in the comics stores. I hope you like them!

The town of Carrousels

Paris is the town of carrousels. I am often surprised by the countless number of carrousels that are scattered around both in very touristic places (such as nearby the Tour Eiffel, in Montmartre, at the Hotel de Ville, in the Marais etc.) and in the hidden corners of the town or in the parks. More than the permanent ones, which work all year long, during the Xmas period more carrousels are installed in each district. Their lights and their whistling jingles are able to bring even more romanticism in this town and to warm up the hearts of both young and old ones, in spite of the big cold. 

When I see the laugh blossoming in the children faces when they ride on a carrousel, I always think that sophisticate things are not necessary to get fun and to be happy. Also simple things, inherited from the past and built following low-tech considerations, are able to spread happiness all around: as a consequence, those things are rightly evergreen creations loved by everyones. Carrousels are maybe one of few things that are able to perfectly combine poetry, fun, and beauty.

 

 

And carrousels inspired me to create a new stamp, which I used to made a pendant necklace with shrink plastic and some stickers to embellish notebook and other stuff. You can find them on my etsy. I hope you like them!!!

My parisian rainy days

Today Paris's weather is back to its rainy normalcy. After three days in which Paris was hugged by an unusual warm and sunny weather similar to Indian Summer often described by novelists and meteorologists, a cold rain is appeared again proving that this is the most frequent weather condition of this town. And, me and Fifi will never stop to complain about it! 

 

  

Yet, cloudy and rainy conditions have also their good side. For instance, they push me, as in the past, to conceive amulets to propitiate the coming of the sun and they confine me in my studio during the necessary time to create them. 

And, during some rainy afternoons, I create those items, inspired to a smiling rainy cloud to be stamped on your paper, to be wear as a brooch on you (trench) coat, or to be get on as a necklace. I wish you many sunny days or, at least, to have an umbrella and an amulet when outside it rains. 

Likewise for the ghost presented in the last post, these clouds were made with FIMO and with a sort of cookie cutter made in metal by me with a shape of a cloud and of a raindrop. You can find all these cloudy creations on my etsy, I hope you will like them!!! 

Trick or treat? Scary cute ghosts are coming

As Halloween is approaching, I get the inspiration to produce some goods inspired to the scary world of ghosts and spirits. With some FIMO Effect Glitter and a sort of cookie cutter made by me with the shape of a ghost, I have made a cute scary pendant. And I have also carved a rubber stamp with the shape of this smiling ghost. Boo!

 

 

Yet these items are not only the perfect gadget for halloween: they could be used all the year long, to embellish your style with fun or to put a ghost presence on you paper project or on your journal. You can find both of them on my etsy, I hope you like them!

A blast from the past

This summer I had the chance to find out an amazing shop on ebay, which brought me back in the past thanks to a unique selection of vintage items that belonged to my childhood. Such, for instance, Poochies' stamps, which I get used to collect with enthusiasm and to use without moderation. I believe that they are the cause of my actual passion for stamps. I remember that my mother was less enthusiast than me because I enjoyed to stamp them out on everything was within my reach, including walls :). Anyway, tarlo-toys is like the Ali-Babà's cave for all persons that, in spite of being - like me - around 30 years old, pine for the favorite puppet of their childhood.

 

 

Here I have purchased this wonderful item: a Memole's "copier" (or "copywriter") from the beginnings of 1980s, perfectly conserved and arrived to me along with its original box. Thanks to this amazing tool, it is possible to create countless images of Memole and her friends, the cuteness of which is out of any doubt, using 22 plastic moulds. Because of this magical Memole's copier is now almost impossible to be found, I took decision to share with you the images  which you can find here, merged in four files (1, 2, 3, and 4). You can download freely these images, I hope you will have fun coloring them up and using them to decorate your journal, cards, or wherever you would like! 

 

 

Inspired by this cute elf in a red pointed hat, I have also created a series of stamps and a felt brooch of Memole and of her little fluffy friend, Pacopaco. You can find them on my etsy shop. I hope to have succeed in evoking in you too happy souvenirs or to have contributed to diffuse Memole amongst younger generations, who had not the change to grow up with her fantastic adventures!

Get a lot of cuties!

I am finally back home in Paris, and I am glad to announce that my shop is now fulfilled again with my creations such as stamps, felt creations, necklaces, brooches, and so forth... please check it out here!

And I created a special and unique listing on sale only for this time. It includes four rubber stamps (a bear, an heart, a cookie, and a drop) with four pendants, representing the same characters, in cold porcelain! You can find it here. 

Hurry up, this set will be not available again in the future!!!