time to celebrate

Claude (the Bird) would like to extend an invitation for all of our divine friends who have supported us this past year who may have not yet signed up to the mailing list and therefore missed his special birthday day. The celebrations will continue for the month of November so if there was something you had your eye on now is the time to fly in and grab yourself a little treat. And nibble on a cake or two...

Remember, Claude likes nothing better than an uncluttered nest!

One already!

I don't really know where the past year has gone. One minute there was a darling blue egg sitting impatiently in a nest and the next there was a screaming black mess squawking his beak off before he headed south and hasn't been seen since.

The birthday celebrations were quite delightful with the birthday boys favourite lamington cakes and sanpellegrino drinks for all to enjoy...

with many thanks to all who made his day so very lovely...to missy kish who provided the lovely photo above and for the little girl who left the most divine lamington hand prints on the front window for the spiders to nibble on in the afternoon....now that's a celebration for all.

Claude's birthday sale will continue throughout the month of November and then....that man in the red suit will be stopping by. GULP!

yes, they made me go to Rehab!

Yes, it's been a while since the last post.

That's because this little Claudette had to go to rehab.

Yep. Rehabilitation.

The cause. A major addiction to these tiny little bonbons from les Anis de Flavigny. These white pills with their sweet exterior and their green aniseed centre became my every waking thought. I ate them all day popping them like they were, well candy.

I'm feeling slightly better now however I think I may need your help. The temptation is starting to make my eyes twitch. I can hear them rolling about their gorgeous glittery tins....Violette wants me to take the lid off so she can breathe....Rose wants me to smell her sweet fragrance....Citron wont stop swearing in French....help!!!

to make by hand

every weekend for 4 years my aunt would encourage me to knit. i had such a short attention span, okay, i had no patience, that if it didn't resemble the scarf or jumper or full body jump-suit that i wanted to create within an hour or so, give a few minutes, it would be abandoned.

it was only several months before she passed away that she presented me with a box. a very LARGE black box with a white satin ribbon attached. upon opening it i discovered all the scarves, jumpers, jump-suits, shorts and blankets that i had attempted to make. all 197 individual items with their tortoiseshell needles attached. a blur of black and white (even as a child i didn't like to wear colour). and she had kept them for me for all of those years.

but unlike me, the divine Nikki Gabriel has not only mastered the art of patience with the knitting needle, she can transform a raw singular piece of yarn into a garment that is not only complete but commands your attention INSTANTLY.

newly nested at Claude is this limited range of incredible pieces from this equally incredible designer.

and if you can't make it in to the nest, Claude has offered to fly any garment to wherever you are. for a nominal fee of course, that Bird doesn't do anything for free.

Mixed Tape

i spent my Sunday morning doing something I hadn't done in many years. making a mixed tape. (well technically a CD). it was my gift to my dad for fathers day.

it was such a joyous thing to do until i realised that i had spent two hours searching through the catalogue of songs, singing and breathing in the amazing fragrances coming from the foxes cooking in the kitchen, that the doorbell rang and here i was still sitting in my pyjamas.

the one thing i didn't expect as i made this tape (sorry CD) was how emotional i would get while choosing songs for my dad. music has always been the connecting factor between us. to make a memory of songs for him to play when i'm not with him really touched me as i know it did him.

and so as it's the 6th day of September, in honour of father's day, i have been given 6 codes from the company, Cardplai, with whom gave me such a great moment of joy and no doubt laughter as well as song for dad. (the Bill Cosby comedy albums are brilliant!)

the first 6 creatures to respond via email to claudethebird@bigpond.com will receive a code to access some tunes and perhaps make a mix tape for someone that they love.

off you go then, get emailing......

the likeness of Claude

My dear friend of the feather, Miss Gillian gave me two lovely surprises this week.

First. A brown paper package (sans string) arrived at the nest and screeching to get out was none other than Sir Claude. Resplendent in his checkered pants. Garbled words having fallen on his wings. That gorgeous blue streak on his head he is forever trying to pluck out.

Claude is yet to make a comment. Secretly though he is quite thrilled. The puffed up feather strut says it all.

Second. Sitting sipping my honey and lemon infused water (me have a touch of the Bird flu) a lovely lady came in to buy the collars that were featured in the A2 section of The Age newspaper. Trouble was I didn't have any - never had. From her description I knew that they were the work of Miss Bencke. We had a delightful conversation before she left with the last owl that Gillian had fashioned for me.

I went and got the paper. Sure enough there was the mention of Claude in the paper. He is quite the unbearable bird at the best of times. Took him all his energy to take flight this morning such is the swelling of his head. Dear me.

Just wait till he finds out he's mentioned in the Design Guide!

the Perfect Place

I know Elise wasn't thinking about me when she illustrated this piece but she could have been tapping into my childhood. Everywhere I went, I took my bunny along with me and somehow Tiny, my pussycat, just followed along as her curious little brain insisted she should keep an eye out for what I was up too.

The only thing missing from my picture would be that basket. I kept my food in my pockets so no one else could get their hands on it.

There's nothing quite like being alone with your furry friends sitting in the hug of a tree...

This darling picture (along with her fellow sisters) have found themselves the perfect place to nest. At Claude (of course).