at the end of the world

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2 days ago, we arrived in Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in South America yesterday. For lunch, we had barbecued lamb at a arestaurant/cross country skiing/dog sledding opperation. Since it’s summer, the dogs just hung around outside of their houses.

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Our boat headed out to sea last night.

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Today, Polly saw her forst iceberg! The seas are unusually calm for the Drake Passage, which makes for a happy boat load of people. Besides the iceberg, we’ve already seen spouting whales and albatross flying near the boat. This is turning into a spectacular trip!

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Santiago, Chile

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We stopped in Santiago, Chile before flying south to Ushuaia, on the very southern tip of Argentina, to catch the boat to Antarctica. Here are some pictures of poet Pablo Neruda’s house, a fish market and a winery. Polly met some locals her size. She was hot in her wool coat, but kept in on for the sake of fashion. I’ll be posting a picture a day on Facebook as long as we have internet service.

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Family Trees: more ornaments

Jack and Jill by Salley MavorBefore we leave on our trip, I want to show more pictures of my Pocketful of Posies tree. The basic instructions for making dolls similar to these are in my how-to book Felt Wee Folk. To see these ornaments in person, visit the Family Trees event at the Concord Museum, which will continue until January 1st, 2013. Time is limited, so I’m just going to post pictures. Can you guess which nursery rhymes are depicted in the individual ornaments?

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Family Tree02 by Salley Mavor

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Queen of hearts by Salley Mavor

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Crooked Man by Salley Mavor

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Old King Cole by Salley Mavor

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Etsy shop going on vacation soon

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I just wanted to point out that my Etsy shop will be closed while I’m away on vacation, from Dec. 5 to 20. So, if you’d like to order books, cards or posters before Christmas, please visit the shop in the next few days. I’ve recently added some new items: cards with a baby nestled in a walnut shell and autographed copies of my board book, Hey, Diddle, Diddle!

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“Posies” at the Sturgis Library in Barnstable

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This has been a big week for bubble wrap! I drove mounds of bubble wrapped artwork in my Subaru to Plymouth for the Fairy Christmas on Thursday and then 25 more pieces to the Sturgis Library in Barnstable, Massachusetts (Cape Cod) yesterday. Both locations are about 25 miles from where I live, but in opposite directions. The Sturgis Library was constructed in 1644 for the Reverend John Lothrop, founder of Barnstable. The house, which forms the original part of the Library is the oldest building housing a public library in the United States. If you’re interested in this kind of historical stuff, read about it here.

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My framed original illustrations from Pocketful of Posies are hung between the book stacks and displayed in 3 glass cases throughout the library.

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The artwork will be in the library until Dec. 29th, 2012. I hope that some of you will get a chance to visit the library during December!

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Fairy Christmas in Plymouth

from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010

Yesterday, I dropped off artwork at the Hedge House Museum in Plymouth, MA, for their Fairy Christmas celebration. Two originals from Pocketful of Posies and Birds of Beebe Woods will be on display during the 2 weekend event (Dec. 1,2,7,8,9, noon to 7pm). I kicked myself because I forgot my camera! First of all, the museum has a spectacular location, with a view of Plymouth Harbor and the 1809 house is full of antique charm. Plymouth Antiquarian Society Director Donna Curtin has gone all out for this affair, with  fairy houses, precious woodland scenes and fairy decorations all over the historic mansion. There’s even a special Crystal Throne Room set up for the Fairy Queen to receive visitors. I heartily recommend this event to anyone who is open to enchantment, young or old. It’s all done in a genuine, beautiful way, so leave plenty of time to take in all of the detail.

detail from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010

Birds of Beebe Woods, fabric relief, 2012