Tove Jansson and the Moomins

In January I went to see a really super exhibition with my Mum and Dad at Dulwich Picture Gallery in South East London. I have waited until now to share this post as I made something from it for a very dear blogging friend'a birthday and I wanted her to have received it first. It was a very wet miserable January day when we visited but the poster advert really cheered everything up.

 Until I was 18 I lived in nearby Peckham and some of my good friends lived in Dulwich so I have visited the gallery many times in years gone by. In recent years it has undergone extensive renovation and it really is a little gem tucked away in South East London. If you are ever nearby it really is worth a visit.

and yes it even has an old London telephone box in its grounds.

 Who out there remembers Press button A and then Button B?

Gosh it took me back to my childhood. 

Photos are allowed inside but not for the visiting exhibitions. There are some gorgeous artworks housed there permanently.

I loved these Moomins stickers that were also part of the advertising

We had such a lovely morning and even spotted these lovely flowers in the Village Florist when we walked to lunch.

Now I have a dear Finnish blogging friend Mia who I met on line about 9 years ago through our mutual delight in all things Moomins. Mia makes delightful handmade things and over the years I have owned lots of her gorgeous work. Although Mia does not blog as she did years ago, she is more an Instagram girl, we still have a very close friendship and are in regular contact. Her birthday in March I knew just what I would do with the sweet Moomin Programme.

Yes....I would use it to make her birthday card. What was perfect is that she is such a "pink" girl that I had the colourway already there.

I got out my matching distress inks

and made a watercolour background adding some star stencilling in grey. 

I wanted to use the window idea from the programme so I die cut my own in black and white card to layer them up.

I decided my Moomin would be looking out from the window to a moon lit starry night so I die cut a man in the moon and some stars using my Tim Holz bigz die.

and then it was time to put on my creative hat and put my ideas together. 

Here is Mia's finished birthday card.

The sentiment is by Visible Image. 

Here are a few close ups

and one last shot

I really had fun making this and I am so delighted that Mia loved it when she opened it on Sunday morning. 

I would like to enter my Moomin card into the following challenges;

Pixie's snippets playground #321 I really went to town with my snippets with this card......cutting up the programme and all the rest of my die cuts were snippets too!

Allsorts 3/3 ladies only
Simon says stamp girl power Tove Jansson was the epitome of girl power in the 1930s and 40s..very ahead of her time!
Creative Inspirations 1/3 any occasion mine is birthday

let's craft and create 1/3 anything goes
Get Creative 1/3 fantasy
As you like it 1/3 single or multiple layers Mine is multiple as I love the  more realistic 3d effect you can achieve

Another week has whizzed by and we are looking forward to catching up with our babies tomorrow. Enjoy your weekend and I will be back bright and breezy on Monday morning.

Bye for now,

Jane x