Christmas in July Special......

How is everyone,  

It is that time of the year in Australia, where everyone seems to Hibernate, and enjoys the company of their family and loved ones: I know the rest of the world is probably looking forward for a break and the Summer Holidays.

School Holidays are upon us and most of you will be busy entertaining your kids...and enjoy their company at the same time.

Most dads would have celebrated Father's day around the world, in Australia Dad's have to wait for September to do so...

In Australia and I believe some other countries around the world Celebrate Christmas in July...on the 25^th July...I think it is more to do with the weather as it is very cold at that time of the year right in the middle of winter, in Melbourne you find certain places like Olinda up in the Dandenong hills all cafe's and shops are decorated in a Christmas theme.......
This time of the year I offer you all my loyal customer to place your Christmas Orders in my Christmas Section and you will receive a 10% discount off the total of your Christmas items...(PS this does not apply to postage or any other voucher offers that you might have). Please note that this is the only time in the year that I offer this Discount...

 I am sure like many most of you did in previous years take the opportunity and place your orders this offer lasts till the 25^th July

You have a great of design to choose from and also the choice of having your own images... Just a reminder, you have a choice of the following:

1. One of my designs or yours
2. Colour background
   
3. Colour ribbon
   
4. Personal message
   
5. Gift Box
   

These are not only great for Christmas but they make a beautiful gift for so many Occasions, Wedding favors, Christening and Baby Keepsakes,

Memorial Ball, Baby's First Christmas....your creativity is endless!

As you can see Pet Lovers,
Australian Lovers, great for Souvenirs to take overseas an actual product that is Individually Designed and Handcrafted in Australia by me...















I am sure I will hear from you soon...

Marthese

Featured on Connect2mums Print Magazine

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Pinocchio Marionette .......who doesn't love The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

  Pinocchio Story

Some info that I found for you on how the story evolved which I think you will find very interesting......

Pinocchio (pronounced [piˈnɔkːjo] in Italian) is a fictional character that first appeared in 1883, in The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi,

 and has since appeared in many adaptations of that story and others. Carved from a piece of pine by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a small Italian village, he was created as a wooden puppet, but dreamt of becoming a real boy. The name Pinocchio is a Tuscan word meaning "pine nut" (the standard Italian term is pinolo pronounced [piˈnɔːlo]).

Pinocchio is known for having a long nose that becomes longer when he is under stress (first half-dozen chapters), especially while telling a lie (chapter 1)

       

Nearly 60 years on...the film industry took over.......
Pinocchio is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the story The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. The second film in theWalt Disney Animated Classics, it was made after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and was released to theaters by RKO Radio Pictures on February 7, 1940.

The plot of the film involves a wooden puppet named Pinocchio (voice of Dickie Jones) being brought to life by a blue fairy (Evelyn Venable), who tells him he can become a real boy if he proves himself "brave, truthful, and unselfish". Thus begin the puppet's adventures to become a real boy, which involve many encounters with a host of unsavory characters.

The film was adapted by Aurelius Battaglia, William Cottrell, Otto Englander, Erdman Penner, Joseph Sabo, Ted Sears, and Webb Smith from Collodi's book. The production was supervised by Ben Sharpsteen and Hamilton Luske, and the film's sequences were directed by Norman Ferguson, T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, and Bill Roberts. Pinocchio won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for the song "When You Wish Upon a Star"

I am very biased as I love this story...and up until today I love watching the Pinocchio Movie on occasions that I would want to return to CHILDHOOD....one day I continue this tradition with my grandchildren.

With my never ending love for puppets, I do stock in my On Line Gift Shop all the main Characters in Pinocchio's Story...

You do not need a puppet theater, you can create one by just cutting a window in a big box,  color the box using some of your great imagination or let the kids come up with their own ideas...This is a great idea for a Child's Birthday party... they can come in dressed up in one of the characters and also dramatize the story with these gorgeous Marionette or String puppets as one might refer to them. Finally you might hire the movie, or you might have it already and finish off with a quite down period to watch the movie together as a group and offer some nibbles as if they were at the theater.......You might also finish the night by discussing the messages that come out through this gorgeous fable.

I hope you enjoyed this  Pinocchio Theme Post as I had lot's of fun myself researching and writing it. Would love to hear some of your experiences......! 

You might also like to read my Post Educational wooden toys

Doctor sets ~~ Lets play and pretend

Who is looking for Doctor Sets?


I think you would agree that this would be one of the most interesting  and gorgeous Doctor Set around.....

With this Hospital Busy Box pretend play could not be anymore fun. Want to be a doctor or a nurse?
This includes Doctor, nurse and patient wooden dolls. These dolls arms and legs are flexible... Comes with loads of accessories & furniture...

With furniture that unfolds to create the scene the possibilities are endless.

When Play is over, just fold it back into the box for neat and tidy storage....

This set is beautifully crafted in wood, and opens to reveal a collection of dolls and accessories that will delight any child and stimulate their imagination.

I love pretend play, what a great way to imitate mummy and daddy if they happen to be a doctor or a nurse, or perhaps to prepare a child if they need to have surgery in hospital. Let's face it all children have to go to doctors in their young age for one reason or another...a great way to talk  and discuss their visit to the doctor.....

As everything is stored in the Busy box~~folds and closes like a box...(with a Hospital image in the front)....this Doctor set can be taken anywhere on Holidays, when visiting someone or even as play when travelling long distances, in the car or otherwise...

What do you think of this Doctor Set?

Educational wooden toys

Educational Wooden Toys

I am going to try and give you a few basic hints as to what you should be looking for when making your choice for purchasing or sourcing out Toys for preschool age kids.

Firstly I a firm believer of offering kids toys made out of natural material and echo friendly toys.

I am not a lover of plastic toys. My first on the list is Educational wooden toys, and also if they are painted make sure that paint is non toxic. All toys in my store are painted with non toxic paint.

Now the following are some food for thought to think when making your choice..

• manipulative skills
• pretend play 
• sorting, lacing, threading
• imaginative play
• language skills
• story telling
• learning difficulties
• behaviour  problems
• social problems
• co-ordination
• fine motor skills
• building, designing
• colour recognition
• mathematical concepts

With a toy you might be able to cover one or many concepts of the above...so think what do you really want to achieve, or what are you trying to develop or encourage more in your child.

When you are buying a gift for your child being your child or otherwise, I encourage choosing something that has a purpose behind it as well....kids get bored very easily, so it is great to have in mind that while they are playing, they are also enriching or developing their skills...

I hope you find this  helpful in choosing the right Educational Wooden Toy for your child...below are some of the range of products that you will find in my store... I would also like to hear your input...would love some feedback or comments....always love comments!

    

Miniature Tea Set

Miniature Tea Set for young and old..........

Quite a few of us are fascinated with Fine China ~~ teapots,cups and saucers.

Since we are kids we play pretend role of pouring Tea from a Teapot into a cup and then offer it to our Dolls. It used to be lots of fun.. and a great social interaction activity.

As we grow older we still enjoy a cup of Tea..and there is nothing better than having a nice brew in a china tea cup...poured from a China Tea Pot. It just feel so special. Personally, there is nothing worse than having a cup of Tea in a plastic cup.

On the market you will find a large variety of designs from modern to vintage. A design that appeals to the individual. Teapots cups and saucers come in all shapes and sizes.

There is also quite a few people who collect Teapots,cups and saucers or Miniature Tea Sets. Doll house Hobbyist look for Miniature Tea Sets for using with their miniature dining table in their doll house. Others use them for various craft projects, I had a jeweler who designed bracelets and used the miniature teapot and saucers as charms on bracelets, and the little trays turned into broaches. It is amazing what one's imagination can do with a "Miniature Tea Set"

Kids are ready to play with a Miniature Tea Set by the age of 8 or perhaps earlier depending on the child.

I have for you quite a few miniature tea sets ~~ selection to choose from in my store have a wonder...they are all in 1:12 scale

Love to hear your if you enjoy a cup of Tea in a china cup?

Clowns.......entertaining.....dramatizing...relating to people emotionally... Theater Puppets!

                      Clowns are comical performers, stereotypically characterized by their grotesque appearances: colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, red-nose, etc., who entertain spectators by acting in a hilarious fashion. The types of their acts varies greatly. Although some find clowns to be scary, their intended purpose is to entertain people, especially young children.  For this reason, clowning is often considered an important part of training as a physical performance discipline, partly because tricky subject matter can be dealt with, but also because it requires a high level of risk and play in the performer

The above is a very good explanation of the Word CLOWNS...We all had some great experiences of seeing clowns at some stage or another, at a Circus Ring, in a festival or a special party....You may also dressed up as a clown for a dress up party...I find most adults love introducing their kids to clowns...Some kids will find them very funny and can see the funny side that a clown portraits others are actually scared away...What was your experience?

Apart from dress ups ...reading or watching a show, one can introduce Clowns through puppetry which as probably my readers know by now I find it very fascinating...

Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance which involves the manipulation of puppets. It is very ancient, and is believed to have originated 30,000 yearsBC.^[1] Puppetry takes many forms but they all share the process of animating inanimate performing objects. Puppetry is used in almost all human societies both as an entertainment – in performance – and ceremonially in rituals and celebrations such as carnivals.^[2]

Most puppetry involves storytelling. The impact of puppetry depends on the process of transformation of puppets, which has much in common with magic and with play. Thus puppetry can create complex and magical theatre with relatively small resources

I think the freedom of dressing up or pretending by using puppetry, one can bring out their inner emotions and free himself of things or certain issues, that perhaps are troubling someone being a child or an adult...

What do you think, what were your experiences?

1. Have you dressed up as a clown before...how did you feel...happy, emotional, fun, relieved, embarrassed?

2. Did you ever had a go or played with a puppet...?

3. Out of all the puppets that I have in store...the clown seems to be the most popular...Is there a reason why?

Would love to have your input in this and leave some comments to see what you come up with it..

Thank you for sharing...

Australian Certified.....

        This week, I have gone through the process of certifying my On Line Gift Shop to be Australian Certified...this will give my customers with more assurance as to whom they are dealing with on line.

If you want to know more about ~~ The Australian Certified Website Gold Certification please check this out here . I sincerely recommended.

Healesville Racecourse Harvest & Craft Event

Looking forward to catch up with you...

Sunday 6th June  I will be exhibiting at the ~~ Healesville Racecourse Harvest & Craft Event

You will find all details of event here....

This is the last one before the winter Closure..come and see my Australiana and Christmas range that I have on offer...you will be able to purchase or order for Christmas in July..

See you there, come and say hello!