tollipop

hundred dresses #7: lucinda...and a fourth and final tollipop giveaway!

This is what the note said which Lucinda found attached to a pot of bachelor's buttons on her doorstep Sunday morning: 

"My dear Miss Gibbons--oh, how I long to call you that!  My dear Miss Gibbons!  From the moment I laid eyes on you I have thought of nothing and no one else!  You haunt me, Miss Gibbons.  You do!  Though how could one rightly accuse an angel of haunting anything?  Forgive me, Miss Gibbons!  I am not in my right mind.  I'm half deranged with ardor, I'm mad with passion, I am altogether rabid with my feelings for you!"

And the note was signed: "Ardently, passionately, madly... your secret admirer."

"Dear me, if that isn't a bit rash," thought Lucinda as she picked up the little pot of periwinkle blooms and examined them carefully, "But bachelor's buttons!  How on earth did he know?" 

Later that day, as Lucinda sat in church wearing her best poplin and the bonnet with velvet ribbons, she couldn't help but wonder if her secret admirer was also in attendance.  How could he not be?  The only villager who didn't show up for mass was the irascible Felix Montgomery, that swarthy, brooding count who stayed shut away in his manor with nothing but a pack of snarling dogs and a moldy-haired stable boy for company.  Lucinda had never met the count, of course, but the villagers kept her well supplied with accounts of his wretched and unseemly behavior.

"Heaven and earth!  Let it not be him," thought she, as her gaze slipped from the pastor and wandered over the congregation. 

What happened next nearly caused her to faint. 

Tobias Pennywick, sitting two pews ahead, turned to catch Lucinda's eye.  When she discouraged him with a frown, he raised a gloved hand and caressed the buttons on his overcoat, staring brazenly at the trembling girl all the while.  Buttons!  Tobias Pennywick?  That dandy?  That fop?!

But this was only the beginning of her troubles.  After the service, Helmut von Oppenmeier, the travelling merchant, approached Lucinda and bowed low over her hand.  "Enchanté, Fraulein," he murmured.  A flash of periwinkle took Lucinda's breath away.  "Zis pesky handkerchief!," exclaimed the merchant, bending down to pick it off the floor and snap it with a flourish before her very nose. "I give it one more chance, yes?," he said, tucking the offending cloth back into his pocket.  Lucinda felt the room spin. Periwinkle?  von Oppenmeier?  Was this the clever use of code?!

Even the geriatric Mr. Barnswallow leered at Lucinda and joked about what he wouldn't do if he weren't an old bachelor set in his ways!  Bachelor?  Mr. Barnswallow?!  And this from a man with wooden teeth! 

The poor girl drew herself up to full height and exclaimed, "I beg your pardon, Mr. Barnswallow!" 

And with that Lucinda rushed out of the church, ribbons aflutter.  Across the square she ran, past the chocolaterie, the dressmaker's shop, the blacksmith.  Down the lane, over the moor she hurried, her cheeks flushed, her eyes dark like gathering clouds.  Finally she came to a halt, bodice heaving, at the gate of an impressive if somewhat dilapidated manor.  Montgomery Manor.  A mastiff stood in the courtyard, a huge beast with ropes of drool and a low, menacing growl. 

Lucinda flung open the gate and gave the dog such a look that it turned and trotted off to the nethermost regions of the property.  She watched the animal retreat, feeling invigorated, powerful!, then spun around and found herself within six inches of that so called count, Felix Montgomery. 

Much better looking than the villagers gave him credit for!, was Lucinda's first impression.  

"Miss Gibbons," said the count, eyeing her from beneath a pair of shaggy brows.  

"Mr. Montgomery," she gave a little curtsy, lips slightly parted.  Was it her imagination or did he suddenly drain of color?  They gazed at one another indefinitely, and Lucinda was horrified to realize she had brought herself to this moment without the slightest clue as to how she should proceed!

"W-won't you come inside?," he finally stammered, "Nanny Pincushion will gladly make you a piping hot cup of tea."

"Nanny Pincushion?!  I didn't know you kept a nanny," said Lucinda stupidly, all too aware of the manly, well-shaped hand that was guiding her arm. 

"Ah, yes, I suppose it is rather odd, but she is the nanny of my childhood and as capable and faithful a servant as you ever did see!," chuckled the count. 

Nowhere near as odd as the stories the villagers had told her.  Where was this irascible behavior she'd heard so much about?!

But the real reason for her curiousity was satisfied and then some when, just as they reached the doorstep, Lucinda's attention was drawn to a flash of color, a particular blue, and she paused to observe a well tended bed of cornflowers in the garden beyond the hedge!

******

Oh, dear reader, has it come to this?!  Our fourth and final Tollipop Hundred Dresses giveaway?!  I'm delighted you have returned to try your luck again.  I know how giveaways have a knack for leaving one jaded and world weary, bitter and stripped of hope...after this we will take a little break so you may renew your faith in humanity once more.  Giveaways.  Why do they toy with me so?  I'm still recovering from my most recent attempt to win one of Dana's quilts. 

At any rate, please do leave a comment!  Please do invite a friend!  If you would like to mention this giveaway on your blog, you are more than welcome to borrow an image from this post.  And there is incentive for doing so!  Because if the winner of this giveaway is directed to Tollipop via you or your blog, then you shall receive something delightful as well.  No, not a quilt, per se, but a Tollipop print of your choice!  Doesn't that sound like fun?!

Dear me, I almost forgot to mention the grand prize (though most of you know it already).  The winner will receive one of each existing Tollipop Hundred Dresses prints (there are seven!) plus a copy of the wonderful story that inspired this project, The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes. 

Regarding comments--if you would like to speculate as to the direction of this story, I'd love to hear your ideas.  If you would like to tell me what you plan to eat the most of at Thanksgiving, I'm all ears.  And if you would simply prefer to say hello, then do it you must! 

Because of the busy nature of this Thanksgiving season, I will leave the contest open until the following Wednesday, December 3rd.  I plan on taking a little break from Tollipop in the meantime, dear reader, so until then I wish you the loveliest of holidays here in the United States, and many warm and delightful moments with family and friends wherever you may be.  Thank you so much for stopping by!

and the winner is...

 

Christy!  The lovely Christy who said:  "I just adore your art!! Again, I am crossing my fingers and toes that I win this time!!!!"  Congratulations, Christy darling!  I think the toe crossing must have worked, as you are the winner of this week's Tollipop Hundred Dresses giveaway!  Three cheers!  Let's get in touch to discuss details, and please let me know if anyone was so kind as to send you my way.

To everyone else, thank you for playing along!  I so enjoyed and appreciated your kind words, your observations on feline behavior, your plot suggestions for dear Clementine.  I wish I could send you all a consolation prize in the form of Mr. Darcy, an invitation to prom, and a bat-sized Toblerone chocolate bar.  That should cheer anyone up!   

Next week I will host the fourth and final Hundred Dresses giveaway, so please come back and try your luck one more time!  I know it's a big holiday weekend here in the United States and I will probably leave the contest open a bit longer for that reason, but rest assured, the game will be afoot! 

In the meantime, have a lovely, relaxing weekend.  Make something pretty.  Make something yummy.  And if Mr. Darcy knocks on your door and invites you to the prom, I want to hear all about it on Monday!

look what i made yesterday with all the free time i didn't have:

 

Twice a year I participate in a delightful handmade goodies show with some dear friends.  I say dear friends but in truth, were it not for this event, I might never cross paths with them.  Is your life busy that way as well?  Anyway, I look forward to this night as much to see them and all their creative brilliance as anything else. 

The only thing is, last night's show was the first time in the history of our cozy get togethers that I decided not to participate.  Why?  Oh, you really don't want to get trapped in the meanderings of my mind on this one, but the short answer is I have been feeling kind of desperate to simplify lately, to conserve my scraps of free time and energy for family at this special time of year. 

So the show was one of those extras on my list that I thought I could just cross off with a red pen...failing to anticipate my penchant for last minute impulse, second guesses, and the irresistible pull of beckoning friends.  If they happen to be reading this, it was lovely and so worth my crazy day of sewing to see you all again!

p.s.  The Tollipop Hundred Dresses giveaway winner will be announced later this afternoon.  Hurry, darling, there's still time to enter!

things are getting crazy chez tollipop!

 

Sophie upgraded the lanyard on her chess medal to hot pink.  Wait 'til the chessmaster sees this!

 

Caroline's hair grew a mind of its own.

 

One too many all night stitching sprees. 

(And yes, the table says Thanksgiving while the rest of the house has moved on.  In related news, the last remnant of Halloween came down yesterday: a little cotton-ball ghost Caroline made and stuck to the fridge.)

 

Dollies dress for imaginary winter (oh winter--I'm so weary of having to imagine you!)

 

Like I said, crazy (or in our house, quotidien).  I guess this is what happens when one decorates early for Christmas!

******

p.s.  Just a reminder that the Tollipop Hundred Dresses giveaway is in full swing!  If you haven't had a chance to enter, there's still time!  Put your stitching down, darling--the french dots can wait three seconds while you go drop your name in the hat!

delighted to make your acquaintance!

Recently I crossed paths (so to speak) with a couple of sensational artists and thought it would only add to the fun by introducing them to you.

First in line is the gifted Camille of Thimbleblossoms, a quilt artisan who allegedly lives in Las Vegas but whom I suspect (as I suspect all quilters!) really makes her home on Mt. Olympus.  Quilting, as we know, is not a feat for mere mortals, and Camille's lovely work (made even more amazing by the fact she designs her own fabric and patterns) borders on the sublime.

The reason I am bringing her to your attention, dear reader, is because she is presently hosting an amazing quilt giveaway!  You do not want to miss this opportunity, so run along to Camille's blog and throw your name in the hat!

And then there is the delightful Louisa of PictureBookStudios, who wrote me and expressed an interest in launching her own interpretation of "The Hundred Dresses" project.  I was thrilled!  As you will see, her work is simply enchanting. 

It seems as though her mousies should have the quaintest and dearest little stories to accompany them, and I told her so myself.  At any rate, Louisa is amazing because she plans to draw 101 hats for her little mouselings in as many days!  My warm and best wishes to her!

Incidentally, I have received several emails expressing interest in participating in "The Hundred Dresses Project," and let me be the first to say I am surprised and delighted to be joined by such company!  Please let me know if you'd like to jump on this merry bandwagon, as I would be happy to mention your link here on Tollipop.  What a lovely and unexpected turn of events!  And how beautiful life becomes when we are inspired by the creative talents of others.

hundred dresses #6: clementine...and a *new* tollipop giveaway!

It was the second Thursday of the month and that could only mean one thing:  library day!  To be sure, library day fell more than once a month, but Clementine Meadows was determined never to miss second Thursdays.  Why?  Because a certain pale, slim youth, whose identity remained unknown, was wont to peruse the poetry section on that day. 

Clementine had noticed him one afternoon in early August, quoting The Rime of the Ancient Mariner like a madman as he clutched the volume of Coleridge to his heart, and she had been properly smitten ever since! 

As she prepared a little picnic luncheon for the outing, Clementine could not keep her thoughts fixed upon the task at hand.  She cut tiny triangles of bread and spread them with cream cheese.  Upon these she arranged paper thin slices of cucumber, olives, and lox.  As she sprinkled a pinch of salt over the creation she caught herself wondering whether the mysterious library patron also cared for lox.  Steady, Clementine!  Blushing, she wrapped her sandwiches in a bit of white paper and tied the package with string.  To this she added a cluster of chilled grapes, a wedge of brie, a treacle tart, and a bottle of fizzy drink.  

But the afternoon did not unfold as Clementine secretly hoped it would.  In fact, it appeared at first to be headed for disaster!  For starters, the pale, slim youth was nowhere to be found.  Clementine spent the better part of an hour wrestling with Beowulf in its original text, during which time the only other patron in the vicinity was a horrid little boy who came along and kicked her picnic basket! 

It was a lost cause--Clementine could not pretend things were otherwise.  With a sigh she gathered her books together: a volume of Keats, the more obscure works by Austen, and a collection of short stories by that troubled Frenchman, Maupassant.  But when Clementine presented her card to Miss Pruitt at the circulation desk, the typically humorless librarian scowled with even greater malcontent.

"It would appear, Miss Meadows, that you have an overdue book," said Miss Pruitt, fixing Clementine with an unforgiving stare.  An overdue book?!  Clementine swooned.  She thought her legs would give out from under her.  Steady, Clementine!

"An overdue book?  B-b-but I don't understand..." she stammered. 

Miss Pruitt smirked, as if to say: a likely story!  It was clear she was not the new kid on the block, as far as librarians were concerned.

"It seems you've accumulated quite a substantial fine," she continued, and anyone could see Miss Pruitt was rather enjoying the moment.  It was sport to a librarian, nothing personal. 

A fine?  Clementine gasped and grabbed at the circulation desk for support.  Oh dear, what was to become of her!  How could she survive this stain?!

"Wh-wh-what am I being charged with?," she finally managed to ask.

"Come, come, Miss Meadows!  Out with it!"  Little flecks of spittle were forming at the corners of Miss Pruitt's mouth: clearly, she was just getting started.  "The sooner you own up to flaunting the rules upon which society is predicated, the sooner you admit your reckless behavior, the sooner you confess the dark secret of harboring The Collected Works of Samuel Coleridge, the better it will be for all of us!" 

"Is that so, Miss Pruitt?!," a voice rang out.

Clementine spun around and saw the pale, slim youth striding toward her!  Only he couldn't accurately be described as pale anymore.  Dear me, no!  The color was high in his cheeks--he was practically crimson! 

It was Miss Pruitt's turn to pale. 

"Oh, Master Simon!," she exclaimed, her hands making a mess of the papers on her desk, "I declare, sire, I thought you were on holiday to Bath!"

"Holiday to Bath?  Holiday to Bath?!  What has that to do with anything?!  Look here, Pruitt, if this is the way you treat anxious young ladies when I'm not present, then you'd jolly well better find yourself a new post!," exclaimed the youth, fixing the miserable librarian with a look of disdain.  He turned to Clementine and regarded her heroically.  

"Miss Meadows, will you accept the apologies of your humble servant, Simon Fotheringham, Esquire?," he said, bowing low.

Simon Fotheringham, Esquire?!  Simon Fotheringham, Esquire?!  As in, the Simon Fotheringham--Duke of Notting Hill, patron of the arts, batchelor extraordinaire?! 

Steady, Clementine!

Clementine Meadows snapped out of her swoon with lightning speed.  Favoring the duke with a radiant smile, she took his proffered hand and stepped delicately out of a life of overdue books and unrequited longing.  On the horizon there was nothing but happiness, recitations, and picnics for two.

                                                           ******

And here we are, dear reader, contemplating one another yet again on this lovely Monday morning!  Did you have a nice weekend?  Did you eat cookies? Are you ready for another Tollipop Hundred Dresses giveaway?!

The prize, to refresh your memory, is a copy of Eleanor Estes's wonderful book The Hundred Dresses, plus one of each existing Tollipop "hundred dresses" prints to date (in other words, a total of six!).  This week's prize will include the darling Clementine and her furiously fuschia frock! 

Please spread the news!  Please invite your friends!  If you would like to mention this giveaway on your blog, you are more than welcome to borrow any images from this post.  Remember, if the giveaway winner is directed here via someone else, then that generous soul will receive a Tollipop print of his or her choice!

In order to play, all you must do is leave a comment at the bottom of this post.  Several people have urged me to establish more interesting guidelines for leaving comments,  but I am loathe to do so in the event this produces the dreaded writer's block! 

I, myself, am perfectly content if you would just prefer to say hello (or talk about your cats!), but for the extreme readers out there, the ones who are always on the lookout for the next commenting high--feel free to speculate on what Clementine and the duke might have said or done in the moments after they left poor Miss Pruitt hyperventilating at her desk.  In other words, what happens next?

I will keep the contest open until this Friday at noon PST.  All entries received up until that very moment shall be considered for the drawing.  Thank you so much for visiting Tollipop, reading these indulgent stories, and playing along!

and the winner is...

 

Jenna!  The lovely Jenna who admired Nell's yellow tights!  Congratulations, Jenna, darling!  You are the winner of this week's Tollipop "Hundred Dresses" giveaway, which comprises prints of each existing Tollipop girl in the series plus a copy of Eleanor Estes's wonderful book!  Isn't that delightful?  Isn't it a dream?!  Caroline and I are positively tickled!  We're thrilled!  And her hair is quite over the moon!

Before I forget, Jenna--please let me know if anyone was so kind as to direct you to Tollipop.  I have a special treat for such friends!

And now for a bit of administrative business: I must assure you, dear reader, that these giveaways are carried out with great pomp and circumstance.  Caroline is the official name-drawer and she takes her duties very seriously.  You should see her stir up the entry slips prior to the drawing--she practically achieves a meringue!  Also, in case you were wondering, I am careful to monitor comments and ensure those (accidental) double entries do not factor into the contest.  You probably weren't wondering, but I felt compelled to explain myself anyway. 

Thank you so much for visiting Tollipop and playing along!  These giveaways, for me, are a bit like hosting a birthday party and running short on favors.  I picture such disappointment, such sad eyes, such dejected, slumped shoulders!  I hope I'm being too dramatic, that in fact you are all so enthralled with your Friday that nothing could bring you down from your chandelier!

And I do want to assure you there are more giveaways to come!  On Monday we will begin this contest all over again...adding a darling new girl to the mix!  I hope you return!  I hope you will bring a friend!  And most of all, I wish you the loveliest of weekends, filled with kind words, admiring glances, and a fresh batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

wip's, sneak peeks, and saving the best for last!

We take this stitching thing very seriously, Caroline and I.  She wanted to do another girl:

 

Mine is a self portrait from the winters of my childhood:

 

My advice: do not come between this girl and her needle!

 

A sweet little dear who is waiting to make your acquaintance!  She doesn't look like the type to rack up enormous library fines, does she??

 

And finally...am I the last person on earth to get this memo?!  Dana--lovely Dana--of the Old Red Barn Co. is hosting a quilt giveaway that I suspect will not escape the attention of life outside this galaxy.  That's how big it is!  And the stakes just got higher this time around: she's giving away three quilts, dear reader.  Three! 

Will someone please fetch my smelling salts?!

I mean, what is Dana really trying to accomplish here?  Will this giveaway pump enough enthusiasm into the economy to turn it around?  Is it my imagination or did the markets not just rally after she posted the wonderful news?!  Talk about a shot of adrenalin!  Homespun adrenalin!

At any rate, there's no time to lose!  What are you waiting for?  Run along to Dana's place and leave a comment on her blog (also, check out her awesome playlist while you're at it)!

(And just you watch--the economy is going to rebound, cupcakes will stop causing weight gain, Mr. Darcy is about to announce himself at the door and proclaim his ardor for you with the most irresistible stutter...and when all this happens, make sure the credit goes to Dana and her amazing quilt giveaway!)

on our agenda: (just kidding, we don't have one)

Sophie's cast signing party--did you get your invitation?  It's the event of the season, darling!  (And no, your eyes are not playing tricks on you.  Per the chessmaster's request, Sophie wears her medal to school on chess club days to intimidate the competition.  I'm not kidding.)

   

Making the world a better place, one redhead at a time.

 

Playing the violin like nobody's business.

 

Spending half hour lecturing kids on love of country, inflicting tearful recitation of In Flander's Fields, and finally releasing them on the Veteran's Day Parade.  Weather is much balmier than I remember as a child.

 

*****

Sorry if this is terribly redundant, but I just wanted to invite any newcomers to leave a comment on the November 10th giveaway post!  The more the merrier! 

what the world needs now: french dots!

Remember that little stitching project Caroline and I were working on?

 

Well, we finished it!

 

And they turned out quite lovely!  Just ask Miss Caroline.

 

My poppet is going to a special someone.  A special, little someone.

 

In other news, yes--we did decorate for Christmas yesterday. 

   

I know, I know, dear reader--it's unfashionably early and I would cringe, but the girls were terribly excited and I must admit it's something I really need this year.  So we are reveling in the magic and the music and the spirit of the season a bit sooner than usual, but I have no apologies.  It just feels so good.

And finally--a reminder that the "hundred dresses" Tollipop giveaway is going on throughout this week!  To enter, please leave a comment on Monday's (November 10th) post!