Time to say Goodbye

 Hello,

here we are again... gentlebearies as always who have helped with updating the calendars - but also blogbearies having something official to announce: After a lot of debating, exchanging arguments, searching for pros and cons as well as endless trains of thought we're saying goodbye today.

But before anybody might start to get a bit sentimental now... we didn't say anything about leaving blogland, did we? *wink* But from today on we're saying goodbye to publishing text in red letters... and that was no easy decision. Our blog started of course in German many years ago but is bilingual since a long time. And although the many German followers we used to have got lost on our journey our posts still appeared in German... most of all as a special service for our dearest reader aka the silent blogreader. But even after our Mom's / Granny's passing Birgit, Rosey and I did not want to stop writing in German. It's our language, it's the language we're speaking and in which we think... and of course the language in which we can express ourselves naturally.

However, less people are visiting our blog... and even less visitors take the time to leave a comment. And all the time and effort it takes to write posts like ours twice ('cause that's what we actually do... we write our posts first in German and after that one more time in English) is after all wasted if nobody reads the German version anymore... So with a little tear running down but totally convinced that we're doing the right thing we're now saying: Welcome to "BiWuBearies on the Blog" - from now on run in words supposed to be English as we are of course still Germans doing our best in another language. *smile* But our layout is still run in German as we did not dare to change this - and we really hope the translator gadget in our sidebar will get along with our poor English skills! *gulp*

Anyhow, this is not the only goodbye today's post is about. But before it comes to this other goodbye we need to say "Hello!" first... to some very special being we happened to meet in our garden some days ago. And yes, you guessed right... skipping the German text doesn't mean we're throwing our beloved *cough cough* series "And once more many pictures of BiWuBearies in the garden" overboard... no... so let's also say "Hello!" to volume 93937. And in the first part of today's episode you're going to meet apart from familiar blogbearies also a mysterious stranger wandering through our garden... a visitor from the fairy beary emporium, a guardian of nature... and a true connaisseur of the loveley scent of spring violets. 

(Just a little side note - these photos of part 1 were taken March 17th... we would like to turn your attention also towards the small green patches surrounding the violets in the first photo. These are growing forget-me-nots... and we can already promise you'll see them again in part 2 with pictures taken April 15th. Nature is for sure as incredible as it is powerful...)

Perhaps we should get a little closer?

We may proudly present the newest member of the BiWuBeary family - FLOREENA!

It was no surprise that she was excited to explore our awakening garden *smile*:

Floreena was a special request... a big wish... and as this came from one of our dearest friends Birgit gave it a try despite her increasing difficulties to still hold her bearymaker's needle with her knotty fingers. And this special friend was Betsy... who asked for a special BiWuBeary for a very special person in her life who fell in love with the Cloud Palace Gang during a visit. There were a few requests... or should we call them suggestions... no, for sure we need to call them wishes: It should be a dark green forest fairy beary with luna moth wings being a guardian and protector of nature. Well, not all wishes can come true... sadly Birgit would have needed a wishing star or two from Blue when it came to dark green fur... but instead of this she used two different shades of green mini bear fabric and earthbrown for the soles. But when it comes to the rest... you're welcome to decide for yourselves:

Link to Betsy's blog: https://aboutmydollhouses.blogspot.com/

And the guardian part... well, Floreena's magical staff and knife are not for decorative purposes. She will use them next to her magical powers to protect nature... and she has a trusted companion at her side who is called RENA. 

And just a little explanation for anybody who might wonder... Floreena is of course a reference to the Goddess Flora... and Rena was taken from the French word "renard" for fox.

Rena is a fox by the company of Safari Ltd. who received a touch of metallic paint from Birgit as he is the companion of a powerful fairy beary. But even magical foxes can cause trouble... a discovery not that much surprising after all because trouble is what you'd expect whenever a magical fox happens to meet a magical goose... and this magical goose was no other than our dear feathered friend Abby coming all the long way from the North Pole in search and need for a little bit of... ehm... peace and tranquility.

Link to the commercial website of Safari Ltd.: https://www.safariltd.com/

Abby: Hi there, folks! I've come over from the North Pole for a little visit... and being in need of a little peace and tranquility as Soot and Crystal with their ongoing quarrels are driving me nuts. I hope it's okay if I'm inviting myself for a little chat...???

Flutterby + Rosey: *looking at each other a bit confused*

Abby (noticing the unfamiliar silence of her beary friends): Eh... is my visit unopportune?

Flutterby: No, of course not! You're always welcome!

Rosey: We're always happy to see you... it's only because... eh...

Flutterby (taking a deep breath): What my little sis' wants to express is that you did not pick the best time for a visit.

Rosey: See, we're expecting two visitors for a Goodbye-Kaffeeklatsch...

Abby: Oh, in that case I should better go elsewhere, no problem...

Flutterby: No, you're of course totally welcome... but the thing is... eh... *looks at Rosey for help who is giving him an enccouring nod * the ones coming over for a last "Kaffeeklatsch" are Floreena and... eh...

Abby (alarmed): Rena??? Oh, now I understand your reaction... my, if that fox comes over I should better...

A giggling voice coming from Strawberry Cottage's gate: Sorry, you missed your chance. Hi there, tidbit!

Abby (hissing): Call me tidbit again, flea cushion, and I'm biting your tail off!

Floreena: Hi Abby, so nice to meet you here too... and no need to worry! *And towards Rena, in a severe voice* Stop teasing Abby, Rena... I mean it! Mind your manners!

Rena (with a sly sparkle in his eyes): It's not my fault that Abby is such a yummy looking lady... (And switching to a charming smile) Hey, come on, Abby, ol' lass... it's me... you know I'm not that much into goose meat conservated by North Pole frost. And I may also remind you of the fact that magical beings are not supposed to enjoy each other for dinner... in my opinion a dumb rule... but that's how it goes...

Abby (in a cold voice): The day I would turn my back to you or loose eye contact with you... that would be THE day... *switches the sound of her voice to sugar sweet* Sorry for you, Rena, but geese are naturally intelligent and much too smart to ever trust a fox.

Rena (pretends to be affected): Your lack of trust in me really hurts... May I remind you of what one of my cousins always says? One can only see clearly with the heart; the essence is invisible to the eyes... 

Abby: That might convince me if I was a Little Prince from another planet... but you should better throw your fake you-can-totally-trust-me-looks towards somebody else!

Floreena (rolls her eyes): Okay, that's more than enough! Stop this nonsense... both of you. I'm here to enjoy a lovely Goodbye-"Kaffeeklatsch" with our friends... and btw it's totally unpolite to have these fights in front of our friendly beary hosts while the coffee is getting cold. *continues with a broad grin* However this is nothing a little wink with my staff couldn't heal. *And towards Rena and Abby* And I would like to remind you that my staff can also put a dramatic end to any fight of yours so I would recommend you to stop this at once. 

Flutterby: And so would I... because the strawberries on the cake are already waiting too long.

Rosey (laughing): So we should better take care of these sweet, red, juicy, aromatic fruits at once. 

Floreena: Sounds great - thanks for the invitation. It's such a lovely tradition and so kind of you to invite everybeary starting a journey to a new home for a Goodbye-"Kaffeeklatsch". 

And while fairy beary, flutterybeary and flower beary were enjoying their "Kaffeeklatsch" with one, two cups of tasty coffee and with one, two, three, four pieces of yummy cake but most of all with a good chat (because that's of course the "Klatsch"-part in "Kaffeeklatsch") Rena and Abby were keeping eye contact while Wuff was thinking by himself that foxes and geese were decidedly strange. But then it was time for Abby to go home and face another round of quarrel with Soot and Crystal and Floreena and Rena knew it was time for them to start their long journey across the Atlantic Ocean.

Abby: It's time for me to go home... thanks for enabling me to enjoy a bit of lovely company to relax my nerves again... okay, would have been lovelier without a certain disruptive factor but still... thanks for having me here, Fluby and Rosey, it was as lovely as always. And to you Floreena I wish a fast and safe journey and all the best in your new home. And Rena... take good care of Floreena and - although I can't believe that I'm saying this at all - also of yourself. After all you're my dearest foe."

Rena (for a change with a true smile): I'll do my very best... even more as this request comes from the sweetest thing my teeth will never get in contact with.

Abby (laughing): Sounds good enough for me. Bye all of you... have a great time until we meet again. *disappears under the sound of silver bells*

Rena (towards Floreena): Abby just made me wonder again... could you please explain once more to me why we need to climb into some cardbox now to make it over the Ocean instead of traveling by magic???

Floreena (smiling at him): I see your point... AGAIN, my dear friend... so one more time: As our new soulmate is a human not used to our kind of magic we will need to do it the human way by mail. *And with a broad grin* At least you will be able to dream of Abby while we're on our way.

Flutterby (laughing): I'm not so sure if this is a good idea. But I know a thing that is for sure a good idea!

Rosey (nodding): Yes, and a real must... we bet you are able to say "Cheeeeeese"?!

Floreena (excitedly): Oh, the traditional goodbye photo! This is in fact a brilliant idea!

Rena (with a broad grin): Eh... would it also be okay if I would say "geeeeeeeese" instead???

My, cheese... geese... any being to its likings... as long as nobody gets hurt (or eaten *gulp*) the only important thing is to get one last goodbye photo. And here it comes:

And as every photo looks better somehow with blogbearies on it *teehee*:

Floreena has made it to her final destination by now with a little inbetween visit at Betsy's place and at the Cloud Palace. And around here life is back to normal... however, even if one fairy being is gone other magical beings might appear when you least expect it. Look out for High Tide, a sea horse of the special kind while hopefully enjoying part 2 of our garden visit volume 93937. And as a little bonus today with our annual special "Where is Rosey?!". We hope you'll have fun... and that you did not forget the forget-me-nots from part 1...

Sitting on our hellebore and looking at the forget-me-nots reminds somehow of being on a small island in an ocean. Suddenly Rosey called out: "Look, Fluby - there comes High Tide!" She was right - High Tide, his very own version of a Sea Horse, came near in a fast gallop.

  "High Tide" by Breyer --> Link: https://www.breyerhorses.com/products/high-tide?_pos=1&_sid=f9e21310e&_ss=r

"Hi guys" said High Tide. "Are you stranded in that bush?" We laughed and I answered: "No, just resting and enjoying what seems to be an ocean of blue." High Tide shook his mane: "So you're thinking the same... this field really reminds me of my ocean origin. Would you like a little ride through the flower waves?" How could we ever refuse such an extraordinary offer so we climbed on his back and enjoyed very much his speed and having a totally different view.

The stallion let us down from his back in the alchemilla and said goodbye.

We started to give him thousand beary thanks but he just smiled and turned around. We saw him gallop through the forget-me-nots and we were sure he was dreaming he was running again through the waves of an ocean. 

After this wonderful experience I felt strong enough to cope with the ultimate pink overkill... while my little sis' turned into the happiest pink loving flower beary in the whole wide world.

But in the end... if it comes in waves of flowers even pink can be lovely after all. And funny too... because now it's time for our annual searching game "Where is Rosey?" Look if you are able to spot her... and trust me... she's there! ;O)

It's easy this year, isn't it? Anyhow, let's get a little closer:

And just in case -  here was Rosey in the first picture:

Would you like another round? If so you're welcome to "Where is Fluby?"...

Did you spot me? If so - chapeau! If not... perhaps now?

And as service is in our blogbeary DNA - here's my position in the first photo:

We hope you had fun... and that you can still stand four more photos:

And with this we're wishing to all of you a wonderful rest of April - have a great time with hopefully plenty of creative time. And keep in mind that magic can appear everywhere... ;O)

Hugs

Flutterby & Rosey

Eigentlich... / Actually...

 Hallo,

da sind wir wieder... und wie es der Titel schon sagt... EIGENTLICH wollten wir viel früher posten. Aber wie das so ist... die Bärchen und noch mehr der Mensch im Haus machen Pläne und das Leben fällt vor Lachen vom Stuhl.

... here we are again... and as the title already suggests... ACTUALLY we had planned to post much earlier. But as it goes sometimes... the bearies and even more the human in the house are making plans and life is laughing so much that it falls down from its chair.

Wir hatten in der Tat viel zu tun, Birgit hatte gesundheitliche Probleme und zwischendurch waren wir auch eine Weile von der Welt abgetrennt, weil unser Internetzugang futsch war. Aber nun sind wir wieder da - und EIGENTLICH sollte man annehmen, dass sich dieser Post nun um Ostern und den Frühling drehen würde. Tja, EIGENTLICH - aber abgesehen von ein paar inzwischen etwas veralteten Beiträgen zu unserer *hüstel* beliebten Reihe "Und schon wieder jede Menge Fotos von BiWuBärchen im Garten" dreht sich dieser Post heute um ein gewisses Fest am Jahresende, dessen Name zu dieser Zeit im Jahr absolut nicht genannt werden darf. Trotzdem - nach "W" ist vor "W"... umso mehr, weil Birgit beschlossen hat, sich dem seit Jahren dahindümpelnden "W"-projekt zu widmen. Hinzu kommt, dass Geschenke für Ihr-wisst-schon-was sich auch nicht immer an die gewissen Daten Ende Dezember halten... Langer Rede, kurzer Sinn: Auch wenn EIGENTLICH gerade Osterzeit ist, so dreht sich dieser Post doch hauptsächlich um "W". Sagt nicht, die Blogbärchen hätten Euch nicht gewarnt! *kicher* Aber nun kommt - zum sanften Einstieg - erst einmal Folge 93936 in einer gaaaaaanz kurzen Variante mit Fotos von Anfang März:

In fact we've been very busy, Birgit had to deal with some health problems and for a while we had lost our connection to the world because our internet was broken. But now we're back again - and ACTUALLY one would suppose now that this post would be about Easter and spring. Well, ACTUALLY - but apart from a few by now a bit aged contributions to our *coughcough* beloved series "And once more many pictures of BiWuBearies in the garden" today's post is mostly about a certain holiday at the end of the year which shall of course not be named at this time of the year. However - after "C" is before "C"... even more because Birgit decided to take care of the "C"-project which was neglected since years. And even more not all presents for You-know-what do arrive around these certain days at the end of December... To make a long story short: Although it's ACTUALLY Easter time now this post is mostly about "C". Don't you say the blogbearies did not warn you! *giggle* But for a soft beginning here comes now volume 93936 in a veeeeeery short version with photos taken at the beginning of March:

Und damit kommen wir zur Wiederaufnahme der Arbeiten am (Entschuldigung, jetzt müssen wir es doch sagen... *schluck*) Weihnachtsprojekt, das früher unter dem Label "Weihnachtshaus" lief, inzwischen aber zum Projekt "Nordpolwerkstatt" geworden ist. An dieser Stelle geht ein kleiner Gruß an unsere Weihnachtselfen Ylvi, Einar und Lasse, die Miniweihnachtselfen En, To und Tre sowie ihre tierischen Mitbewohner Abby, Crystal, Soot, Dancer und Dasher.

And now we're coming to the restart of working at the (Sorry, now in fact we really need to say it... *gulp*) Christmas project which was running under the label "Weihnachtshaus" aka Christmas house earlier but turned into project "Nordpolwerkstatt" aka Northpole Workshop meanwhile. At this point we would like to say a little greeting to our Christmas Elves Ylvi, Einar and Lasse, the Tiny Christmas Elves En, To and Tre as well as to their animal companions Abby, Crystal, Soot, Dancer and Dasher.

Die Idee am Anfang war eine Art Weihnachtshaus aus mehreren Roomboxes zu bauen. Aber als nach und nach all diese Weihnachtswesen entstanden (oder im Fall von Abby gekauft wurden) entwickelte sich daraus die Idee einer Nordpolwerkstatt mit Einar als offiziellem Nordpolbäcker und Ylvi in ihrer Funktion als CEWD (Chief Elf of the Wish Department) verantwortlich für die Erfassung aller Weihnachtswünsche. (Huhu, Ylvi... falls Du das hier lesen solltest... und meine Punkte im Goldenen Buch ausreichen sollten... also... äh... ich wünsche mir jede Menge von diesen süßen, roten, saftigen, aromatischen Früchten... Du weißt schon... ooops... wo war ich... ach ja...) Birgit hat ihre Pläne von damals grundlegend geändert, wird aber die bereits fertigen Dinge behalten... mit einer Ausnahme - und um die soll es heute gehen. Manchmal erscheinen einem Dinge, die einem früher passend erschienen, mit etwas Abstand (oder in diesem Fall nach seeeeeehr langer Zeit *breitgrins*) überhaupt nicht mehr passend. Es geht um die Bänke, die Birgit vor Jahren schon für das Weihnachtshaus-Wohnzimmer gewerkelt hatte:

The original idea was to build some kind of a Christmas House into several roomboxes. But after one by one all these Christmas beings were created (or in the case of Abby bought) it turned into the idea of a Northpole Workshop with Einar being the official Northpole Baker and Ylvi as the CEWD (Chief Elf of the Wish Department) being responsible of recording all Christmas wishes. (Hi Ylvi... if you should happen to read this... and my points in the Golden Book would be enough... then... eh... I would wish for myself loads of these sweet, red, juicy, aromatic fruits... you know... ooops... where was I... oh yes...) Birgit made some major changes to her plans from that time long ago but she's going to keep the things she has already finished... with one exception - and this is our topic for today. Sometimes things which seem to fit some time ago really don't fit anymore after some distance (or in this case after some veeeeeeeery long time *broadgrin*). We're talking about the benches Birgit had already finished years ago when she was crafting for the Christmas House's livingroom.

Die wären vom Stil her auch immer noch gut... aber leider viel zu klein, vor allem von der Höhe her. Die anderen Möbel, die inzwischen in die Nordpolwerkstatt eingezogen sind, sind nämlich recht groß. Die Küchenmöbel z. B. stammen aus einer alten Roombox, sind von Bodo Hennig und damit im Maßstab 1:10. Die anderen Möbel wie z. B. der Puppenhausschrank von "Weihnachten im Schrank", das Weihnachtskugelregal oder Ilonas Schlittenbett sind zwar offiziell 1:12 wie die oben gezeigten Bänke auch... aber mit dem Maßstab ist das ja immer so eine Sache. Wir wollen es mal so formulieren - wir alle kennen "Schneewittchen und die 7 Zwerge"... und Birgit hatte keine Lust auf eine neue "Es war einmal..."-Geschichte namens "Grünbänkchen und die 5 Riesen" *grins*

Only regarding their looks they would still work fine... but sadly they are much too small, especially when it comes to their height. The other pieces of furniture which found their way into the Northpole Workshop are in fact really big. The kitchen furniture for example comes out of an old roombox and were made by Bodo Hennig which means scale 1:10. The other pieces of furniture like for example the babydollhouse cabinet which hosts "Christmas in a cupboard", the shelf for the Christmas balls or Ilona's sleigh bed may officially be 1:12 like the benches shown above... but it's always a thing when it comes to scale. We would like to say it this way - we all know "Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs"... and Birgit was not in the mood for a new "Once upon a time..."-story with the title "Green Benchie and the 5 Giants" *grin*

Zum Glück hatte Birgit aber noch einen Bausatz für eine wunderschöne Bank in ihren Irgendwann-für-Irgendwas-Kisten.

But luckily Birgit still had a kit for a beautiful bench in her Sometime-for-Somewhat-Boxes.

Dieser Bausatz vom Puppenstübchen Fichtner ist noch ein Geschenk von der stillen Blogleserin und gedacht für die Neugestaltung von Roseys Garten - und wir würden diesen Bausatz NIEMALS für etwas anderes verwenden... außer zum Testen, ob diese Bank größenmäßig besser passen würde. Tat sie... also hat Birgit zwei neue Bausätze gekauft und den anderen, ganz speziellen wieder gut weggepackt. Die Bausätze von Fichter laufen unter "Easy Kit" und der Name ist Programm, denn die sind wirklich einfach zu bauen. Die Anleitung ist sehr detailliert...

This kit by "Puppenstübchen Fichtner" is a gift still received from the silent blogreader and was meant for the makeover of Rosey's garden - and we would NEVER use this kit for something else... except for testing if this bench's size would fit better. And it did... so Birgit bought two more kits and safely stored the other, very special one again. These kits from Fichtner are called "Easy Kit" and they keep the promise they make because they are really easy to build. The instruction is very detailled...

Link zur kommerziellen Webseite von / link to the commercial website of Puppenstübchen Fichtner: https://www.puppenstuebchen.com/de/

... und alle Teile sind super gearbeitet mit passenden Steckverbindungen...

... and all pieces are well made with joints fitting well...

... so dass man wirklich ganz wunderbar voran kommt...

... enabling you to make good progress...

... und ganz schnell fertig wird.

... and to get it done fast.

Und nur für alle Fälle... wir wurden für diese Werbung nicht bezahlt. *lach* Birgit hat die Verbindungen noch unter Sternenstickern versteckt...

And just in case... we were not paid for this advertising. *LOL* Birgit still covered the joints with star stickers...

... und mit unserer Hilfe einen Belastungstest gemacht...

... and had a stress test done with our help...

... und dann konnte es losgehen mit der Fertigstellung: Farbe, Sitzpolster (mussten neu gemacht werden, denn die von den alten Bänken waren leider zu klein), Beschläge und für das enthaltene ovale Zierornament noch eine kleine Hommage an die stille Blogleserin et voilà:

... and then it was time for getting finished: Paint, seat cushions (which needed to be done again as the ones from the old benches were sadly too small), fittings and for the included oval decorative ornament somehow a tiny hommage to the silent blogreader  et voilà:

Und hier noch mal alt und neu im Vergleich:

And here come old and new for direct comparison:

Hat sich gelohnt! Bei der Gelegenheit hat Birgit auch gleich einen passenden Tisch gemacht... mit so viel Enthusiasmus, dass sie schon angefangen hatte, bevor wir sie an das nötige Foto für den Blog erinnern konnten. Deshalb hier nur ein Zwischenfoto:

According to us it was worth it! And while she was at this Birgit also started to make a matching table... with so much enthusiasm that she had already started until we could ever remind here of a necessary photo for the blog. That's why we can only show an inbetween photo:

Das ist eigentlich nur ein billiger Schlitten für echte Weihnachtsdeko... aber der gibt am Ende einen zum Thema richtig gut passenden Tisch ab.

This is only a cheap sleigh for real Christmas decoration... but in the end it turned into a table matching very well with the theme.

Und als Birgit die Bankbausätze gekauft hat, ist ihr noch ein ganz besonderer Schrank aufgefallen... der wie von Zauberhand auch noch im Warenkorb gelandet ist.

And when Birgit bought the two kits for the benches she happened to stumble over a very special cupboard... which hopped as with magic into her shopping basket too.

Rosey und ich können es übrigens immer noch nicht fassen... schaut Euch mal die oberste Schublade an!

Btw Rosey and I still don't get over this... just have a look at the top drawer!

Hat man so was schon gesehen? Eine Schublade, in die man entweder eine Handvoll Spaghetti oder ein Paar Stricknadeln packen kann... aber sonst nichts *hihi* Aber zurück zu dem Pyramidenschrank... in dem Birgit - und das wird Euch bestimmt nicht überraschen - sofort einen stilisierten Weihnachtsbaum gesehen hat.

Haver you ever seen something like this before? A drawer which can only be used for a hand full of spaghetti or a pair of knitting needles... but for nothing else *teehee* But back to the pyramid cabinet... in which Birgit - and we bet you won't be surprised - saw at once some stylized Christmas tree.

Ursprünglich wollte sie den auch mit Halbperlen und Sternen wie einen Weihnachtsbaum verzieren... aber das wirkte nicht zusammen mit den Schubladen... und so kam es zu Plan B (und Ihr wisst ja... bei uns steht bei Plan B das B für Birgit *lach*) und dem Einsatz eines ganz besonderen Reliefstickers.

The original intention was to decorate it with half pearls and stars as if it was a Christmas tree.. but this did not look good together with the drawers... so it was time for Plan B (and you know... here at our place the B in Plan B stands for Birgit *LOL*) and the use of a very special relief sticker.

Und das sieht am Ende so aus:

And in the end it looks like this:

Neben der Arbeit an diesen Möbeln hat Birgit sich zum Spaß auch noch mit zwei kleinen Projekten beschäftigt. Unsere liebe Freundin Betsy hatte uns nämlich letztes Jahr drei neue Bausätze für "Secret Books" geschenkt... und zwei davon waren die fehlenden Ergänzungen zu einem "Secret Book", das wir schon vorher von Betsy bekommen hatten. Birgit wollte nun die Lebkuchen-Trilogie endlich fertig stellen...

While working on these pieces of furniture Birgit also worked on two small projects just for fun. See, last your our dear friend Betsy spoiled us with three new kits for "Secret Books"... and two of these were additions to a "Secret Book" we had received earlier from Betsy. Now Birgit wanted to finally finish the Christmas Trilogy...

Link zu / to Betsy's blog: https://aboutmydollhouses.blogspot.com/

"Secret Books" series by Robin Betterley: https://www.robinbetterley.com/

... wie immer außen nach Vorlage...

... as always using the kit's layout for the exterior...

... und innen mit Birgit-Freestyle... denn ehrlich... das vorgesehene Innenleben ist viel zu simpel und passt für Birgit überhaupt nicht zum Thema. Und natürlich sollte es auch zum 1. Buch "Das Lebkuchenhaus" passen, deshalb sieht das Innenleben von "Lebkuchenjunge" und "Lebkuchenmädchen" nun so aus:

... and for the inside with some Birgit-freestyle... because honestly... the included interior is much too simple and according to Birgit doesn't fit to the topic. And of course it should match with the first book "The Gingerbreas House" that's why the interior of "The Gingerbread Boy" and "The Gingerbread Girl" look like this now:

Und glaubt es oder glaubt es nicht... obwohl... glaubt uns ruhig weil es wahr ist: Während Birgit an diesen kleinen Projekten gewerkelt hat, erreichte uns ein verspäteter Weihnachtsgruß von Betsy... und was sollen wir Euch sagen... ach...seht selbst:

And believe it or not... however... better believe us because it's true: While Birgit was working on these little projects we've received a belated Christmas greeting from Betsy... and what are we supposed to say... my... just look for yourselves:

Juhuuuu... Nachschub!!! Wie toll ist das denn??? Aber da war noch mehr:

Yippiiiiieee... replenishment!!! How great is that??? But there was even more:

Oberleckere Schoki - und ein ganz besonderer Teppich, der eigentlich ein gewebter Untersetzer ist und von jemandem aus Betsys Familie gefertigt wurde. Hammer! Und der ist sogar von beiden Seiten schön:

Very yummy chocolatze - and a very special rug which is in fact a woven mug rug being made by a member of Betsy's family. A burner! And it is even beautiful from both sides:

Aber natürlich war da noch etwas in Betsys Päckchen... das beste Geschenk von allen: Unsere eigene Kopie von Betsys legendärer Weihnachtskarte für 2023!!! Juhuuuuuu, wir haben uns sooooooooo gefreut, dass wir einen weiteren Jahrgang zu unserer Sammlung hinzu fügen dürfen. Vielen, vielen Dank, liebe Betsy!!! Wir fühlen uns wirklich geehrt und sind total glücklich, dass wir dieses Meisterwerk bei uns haben dürfen.

But of course there was something more in Betsy's package... the best gift of all: Our own copy of Betsy's legendary Christmas card for 2023!!! Yippiiiieeeee, we are sooooooooooo happy being able to include another one to our collection. Thank you so much, dear Betsy!!! We feel totally honored and are over the moon because we're owning this masterpiece now.

Wie immer zeigt Betsys fein komponierte Weihnachtskarte (die im Layout immer um einen Buchstaben arrangiert wird, dieses Mal wenig überraschend das "I") woran sie über das Jahr vorwiegend gearbeitet hat - und das war letztes Jahr eben der Turm ihrer Burg. Betsy ist so unfassbar talentiert und das merkt man auch immer an ihren Zeichnungen... jedes (und wir meinen wirklich JEDES) Detail ist vorhanden - bis hin zu den Scharnieren. Andererseits... wir sprechen hier natürlich auch von Betsy, auch bekannt als "Queen of Hinges". *grins*

As always Betsy's fine composed Christmas card (which is in its layout always arranged around one letter, with little surprise this time the "I") shows what Betsy was mainly working on during the year - and last year it was the tower of her castle project. Betsy is so incredibly talented and this shows also up so well in her drawings... every (and we really do mean EVERY) single detail is there - even the hinges. However... we're talking about Betsy who is also known as "The Queen of Hinges". *grin*

Was uns neben der Qualität der Zeichnung auch fasziniert ist der wunderbare Eindruck von der gigantischen Größe dieses Projekts. Und wie immer finden sich am Rand kleine Szenen aus Betsys Privatleben, aber auch von weiteren Miniaturprojekten. Oben im Bild erkannt man das beleuchtete Fenster eines anderen Projektes namens "The Dollmaker's Studio" und unten ist eine ganz besonders schöne Vignette, die Betsy mit ihrer Schwester zeigt, während beide an zwei winzigen Puppen werkeln.

Next to the quality of the drawing it is fascinating how well the gigantic dimensions of this project are demonstrated. And as always at the sides we can find little scenes from Betsy's private life but also from other minature projects. In the photo above we can spot the lighted window from another project called "The Dollmaker's Studio" and below you can see a very lovely vignette showing Betsy and her sister while working on teenytiny dolls.

Und wenn man ganz genau hinschaut, erkennt man im Hintergrund eine weitere winzige Puppe mit ihrem Piano, in dem eine Spieluhr steckt - ein weiteres Meisterwerk, das Betsy im letzten Jahr kreiert hat. Und wer Betsy kennt, weiß auch, dass sie immer an mindestens einer Miniaturstickerei arbeitet... und auch das findet sich natürlich auf ihrer Weihnachtskarte wieder. Aber in dieser Vignette ist auch noch etwas zu entdecken, das vor allem Birgit total gerührt hat.

And if you'd have a very close look you can spot in the background another tiny doll with her piano which hides a musicbox - another masterpiece Betsy made last year. And who knows Betsy also knows that she's always working on at least one miniature stitching project... and this can of course also be found at her Christmas card. But in the vignette there's a bit more to be discovered which touched especially Birgit very much. 

Habt Ihr sie entdeckt? Ja, die komplette BiWuBärchen-Gang aus dem Cloud Palace schaut Betsy beim Sticken zu. Und wie im echten Leben gibt es sogar noch Geschenke von Birgit zu entdecken, nämlich eine Pegasusfigur und einen Schneemannanhänger. Wir haben das mal gekennzeichnet:

Have you noticed them? Yes, the complete BiWuBeary gang from the Cloud Palace is watching while Betsy is stitching. And as in real life there are also some gifts from Birgit to be discovered, namely a figurine of a pegasus and a snowman ornament. We've marked them for you:

Liebe Betsy, als Dein Päckchen hier eintraf, hast Du uns wirklich den Tag verschönt - danke! Und damit sagen wir "Tschüß" für heute... aber natürlich nicht ohne Beweisfoto, dass Rosey und ich auch in diesem Monat bei der Kalenderumstellung geholfen haben. Und es hat sich sogar ein prominenter Gast eingefunden...

Dearest Betsy, when your package arrived here you've really made our day - thank you so much! And with this we're saying "Tschüß" for today (which is the way we Northern Germans say "bye")... but of course not without an evidence photo proving that Rosey and I helped once more with updating the calendars. And we even had a prominent guest showing up...

Yep, der Osterhase... und der hat uns aufgetragen, Euch allen schöne Ostern zu wünschen! Ehrlich!!! Großes Flatterbärchenehrenwort! *zwinker* Und da schließen wir uns natürlich gerne an: Schöne Ostertage und einen tollen Start in den April!

Yep, the Easter Bunny... and he asked us to wish all of you "Happy Easter" in his name! Honestly!!! Big flutterybeary word of honor! *wink* And of course we would like to join him with this: We hope you're enjoying lovely days of Easter and that you're going to have a good start into April!

Liebe Grüße/Hugs

Flutterby & Rosey