Art Dolls by Du Buh Du Designs

Inspiration for the Gyspy Caravan

Book by Jeanne Bayol from 2005

It's been a few weeks since my Gypsy Caravan post but before I moved on I wanted to share the source of inspiration for it. For some time I've been admiring the work of Jeane Bayol, a French interior designer (fashion/bag designer as well). She and her husband Jean-Marie restore gypsy caravans as homes, dwelling places,etc., giving them a beautiful and eclectic new look.
The caravan above was what I wanted the doll gypsy caravan to look like although I showed my husband a variety of pictures from multiple sources asking for very specific details regarding construction. I added my own touches such as aged pink adobe walls inside instead of wood paneling . I prefer my colors in smaller doses  and so I kept the interior colorful but slightly subdued in it's contents.

My new copy of Jeanne Bayol's latest book

 If you have not seen Jeanne's work before  (I'm sure many of you have) check out her gorgeous website.  Her latest book was just released last month and is not available here in the States yet but you can order directly it from  Amazon France as I did. (click here for English translation).

 

 

(above images c. 2009 Bruno Suet /Jeanne Bayol )

 

Speaking of life size caravans, I thought this was a wonderful addition to a child's world. Ericka from Miko Design (Holland) and her husband built this wonderful la Roulotte playhouse in time for their daughter's eighth birthday party, a Frida themed party at that! A painting party full of color, flowers and even a Frida piñata. For more pictures, visit her blog here and for images of the Frida party you can drop by her Flickr site.

Enjoy your week!

 

 

 

images above c. Miko Design 2009

 

En route to the Mad Hatter Tea Party via the Gypsy Caravan!

~Art Dolls~

Christine Alvarado, Du Buh Du Designs © 2009

(click images to enlarge)

The new Du Buh Du ladies were quite excited to receive an invitation to the second annual Mad Hatter Tea Party. Rumors have been swirling around that last year's party was a blast and so the seven headed on down to Arizona to join in on the the event hosted by Miss Vanessa.
 Last year as you may recall, a few Du Buh Du ladies took a rather fanciful balloon ride there but after hearing that Miss Violet fell out and broke her neck the new ladies  decided to take a safer mode of transportation (closer to the ground) in the form of a Gypsy Caravan. Here's just a snippet of their two day journey...




taking a leisurely break after their first day traveling..
















Susanne with a doll for the hostess








a little tarot card reading to pass the time






Trilby daydreaming her afternoon away




An evening at the gypsy camp, where dancing  under the moon ensues







The next morning  lends itself to sightseeing with the realiztion that they are oh so close to the Tea Party..





Rushing to get to the party in time~Hope to see you there!


 To "mingle" and meet other guests, head on over to Vanessa's place. List of participants are on the right hand column of her blog , A Fanciful Twist!



Special Thanks to my husband Mark for building the gypsy caravan (everything was done in two weeks).Happy Birthday and Anniversary to you (both on Sunday)!


In celebration of my 150th post (a few weeks back ) and the Mad Hatter Tea Party I am having a giveaway! I will pick one winner via the random number generator and that person will get to choose one of the seven dolls posted here to take home with them (each doll comes with a small handmade wire lantern by the way). Just leave a doll name suggestion, music , book or movie suggestion or a simple hello and where you are from. I will pick a winner on Thursday July 2nd ~if for some reason you can't leave a comment just email me at dubuhdudesigns@aol.com and I will add your comment :)
The next few weeks will be busy for us as we're heading out of town followed by family visits here, but I will try and have a small shop update with the remaining dolls in the next two weeks. I will post that info
here or you can join my mailing list to hear first when that will occur (info in right hand column).  

 

click here for shop update images