Making of a Harry Potter window display

 So...I think I need to preface this post by saying that I grew up watching The Princess Bride, Mannequin, Flashdance, etc. That being said, I grew up in a teeny tiny town (no traffic lights, 2 stop signs kind of small!) Growing up, I wanted to study ballet and decorate store Windows in New York city.

 Fast forward some years later, I was given the opportunity to decorate a Toystore window in my small city. Okay! This window will be for Halloween. I picked a Harry Potter Magical Menagerie theme.

 I have been working on the envelopes for weeks, hand addressing letters to the fictional characters. It was a lot of fun. We have a huge amount of Folkmanis puppets in the toy store to work with.

 I will post more when the window is finished. Wednesday is the target date for completion.

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

Valentines

Can I get a drumroll please?
Ddddddd...
Ta-Da!
My Valentine's are done!

After spending several hours photographing these Incredible Creatures from Safari Ltd toys, I fell in love with the end result.  I printed the photos as 4x6s at my local CVS with a white border to give it more of a postcard feel.

 I think the recipients of these Valentine postcards are going to smile.  I mean, who couldn't smile when you see this Baby Chameleon holding a heart?

 I know the 'whooo loves you' is kinda punny, but I couldn't resist.

 I love the expression on the white mouse - it's almost like he is covering up a smile.

 This little hedgehog is oh-so cute - the perfect Valentine.

 The flying squirrel just makes me smile every time I see it, like he is ready to leap and fly with his outstretched arms.

 The hermit crab just lends himself to being a Valentine, right?

 Okay, the guinea pig is my absolute favorite, because I used to have guinea pigs in my preschool classroom and at home.  Look at this sweet little face.

Valentine's Day is less than 2 weeks away.  I cannot wait to mail out my special Valentines.

Mel