View from the Zoo

Francois Chetcuti waited over ten years to see his paper toy project published. His first publisher in Germany went bankrupt in 1999 just before it was scheduled for production and the project was shelved until this year when H.F. Ullmann picked it up. Comprised of 8 superb toys to build yourself, the sturdy cardboard cards come packaged with a detailed instruction book in a beautiful tin box . The toys actually have moving parts and require a bit of patience to build. The difficulty levels and the estimated time required to complete each toy is indicated.

Francois is inspired by illustrators Tibor Gergely and Richard Scarry and the Little Golden Books series from the 1950s. He has been collecting vintage toys and children’s books for over 20 years. Francois Chetcuti lives in Lille, France. He has a website-game that shows his work as an illustrator and sculptor.

Montrealer Melanie Favreau has a great sense of humour that can be seen in her sterling silver jewelry that she sells on Etsy and on Supermarket.  «Everyday things that are around me inspire me, says Melanie Favreau, like those plastic tags on breadbags.» Among my favorites are the owls, top, and the heart, not the usual shaped heart, but a real one with the arteries with an inscription in latin that reads «From the bottom of my heart» (Ab Imo Pectore - see below).

 Why owls?
«When I started selling on Etsy I noticed that it was a popular theme- everyone was doing them. So I started with my Sweet Owls, followed by my Crazy Owls in resin and most recently the Three Musketeers series (top image). I didn’t think they would sell so fast! Now I have to rush to make more for Christmas! The latest thing is moustaches. I don’t know why they are popular but I find the trend very funny.»

Melanie is also part of the EtsyQ team - a group of Quebec artists on Etsy and they are having a great giveaway worth over 200$. You have until the 29th of November to participate. 

Today I present to you Minnie the Magnificent! (Applause, please). Minnie, who is part Chihuahua and part Papillon and all circus is the creation of Moira McLaughlin from California. Moira, a fellow blogger (Dog Art Today), does collages featuring all kinds of dogs. I love the combination of flat color and pattern (plus Minnie’s personality) of this calling card which reminds me of Ludwig Hohlwein’s posters of a century ago. «This Father’s Day I made a movie of Minnie and my dad performing and added it to Minnie’s website. My dad loves telling people about it, so I made him business cards for Minnie’s website. Actually, the image was from a set of cards I made for my mother for her birthday. It’s all about Minnie.» says Moira.

Order your very own 8×10 print of Minnie from Etsy.

This cat is a summer creation by my friend Ronna who created him during a folk art workshop with her friends. Made up of leftover bits and pieces of wood and hardware, his name is Google, as in googly eyes. See the process on her blog on July 22nd. Great job, Ronna!

And look at this cute tea set, painted by Ronna. Who wouldn’t want to share cookies with these cats?