Ruby Red Shoes Goes to Paris has landed!

After many many months holed up with paint brushes, carrots, lots of pots of tea and some sleepless nights ... Kate and I are excited to announce that our new book, Ruby Red Shoes Goes to Paris, is here!

It has been an exciting journey — it's not everyday a little white hare gets to whiz around Paris! We'd love to hear what you think, so please pop over to our facebook page and tell us.

If you are itching to get your paws on a copy, you'll find Ruby Red Shoes Goes to Paris in book stores and gift shops, or online at Giddy and Grace.

x Ruby

Bonjour Paris!

It's heads down and tails up in the studio at the moment. Kate is so busy with our new book that she sometimes forgets to cook! Luckily I'm a whiz in the kitchen, so I rustled up some of her favourite potatoes to help her power through the week.

Here's a sneak-peek at what has been happening...

Kate's mother Cinty taught me how to make these moreish morsels of potato goodness, and they couldn't be easier!

Simply slice new potatoes into thin rounds, toss them in olive oil, pepper and a good grind of salt with some crushed garlic and rosemary. Line an oven tray with baking paper, spread the potatoes around in a thin layer, and pop into a hot oven until the potatoes are golden and crisp
(and some are still tender).

My paws can't get enough!!

Ruby x

Happy Easter 2013!

Wishing you all a delicious Easter!

I'm going to hang about in the the hydrangeas 

and 

lounge amongst the Lamb's Ear.

With love,

Ruby xo

Studio news & a scrumptious cake

We've had such a busy week in the studio! Kate has been capturing my likeness with a rainbow of colours. This modelling work can make a hare quite famished, so I've included a delicious link for Jamie Oliver's classic sponge with lashings of strawberry goodness.

Time to hand over to Kate for her book update below.

Ruby x

Book news with Kate

This last fortnight I’ve been diving further and further into Ruby’s world, slowing down to a pace where it may take an hour for Ruby to choose what to wear or two days to pencil in a flight of stairs. Practicing patience and perspective!

So the book begins in the caravan as Ruby and Babushka prepare for their holiday. Ruby’s packing her suitcase and saying farewells to her chickens. They're saying farewell in French ... any guesses where she's going?

x Kate

image via jamieshomecookingskills.com

I just love strawberry jam, and this feathery sponge by Mr Jamie Oliver (who I also love with a big red heart) has double the scarlet goodness—jam AND fresh strawberries. Perfect for an afternoon break with a pot of tea after a busy morning of outfit changes and posing for Kate in the studio!

You can get the recipe and a step-by-step guide here, and you can also watch a video — I found this particularly helpful!

Ruby x

There's a book in the oven ...

Kate and I are busily working on the next Ruby Red Shoes book (Kate is painting and I am posing for her), so we thought it would be fun to have you all on board and watch as the book comes to life. Have your sea legs on though as the journey through a book deadline can get a little bit rocky... Ruby x

A word from Kate ...

The storyboard is finished and I have a deadline for the end of May. It’s me, two hares and some of their varied acquaintances for three months.

The first page stares at me with a very blank expression. The first page stare off—a test of wills. I fix my eyes to the page and wait until my characters decide to enter their stage on a page. Just like ghosts moving through walls they emerge from nowhere. I breathe patience and calm so as not to spook them. Once they’ve arrived, I pencil in where I see their fuzzy outlines and they’re captured—immortalised on paper, breathing and talking and posing!

Then the questioning begins. What are you doing Ruby? What do you want to wear today? What’s the weather like? Babushka Galushka tells me she’s shelling peas. Ruby is highly excitable and wants a blue dress with white spots '...but Cobalt Blue, not French Ultramarine Blue'. It’s wonderful to see her again so full of beans. In this story we leave their idyllic caravan and travel somewhere fabulous. This journey has just begun ... more soon!

x Kate                         

                 

Bunnies in Bellingen!

Kate and I have been in Bellingen to visit Affirmations HQ, planning what

lovely products we can create for next year.

We stayed in the cottage at Suzi and Dan's Cottonwood farm.

It's perfect in every way possible.

And I was in Hare Heaven.

The cottage is more charming than you could ever imagine,

with a bed so wide you need a passport to travel from one side to the other.

The Never Never river winds right past our doorstep and we jump in for our morning swim.

We give it some of our tears, shed in gratitude for so much beauty and peace.

But that's nowhere near the best of it! 

Cottonwood cottage comes with the perfect accessory - a bunny called Charcoal! 

And I love him!

More tears.

 

Introductions .. we're a bit formal at first.

A few carrot discs for afternoon tea.

I can't stop staring at his beautiful, symmetrical whiskers.

 Breakfast with the birds.

 Eggs in a red ramekin! 

 Thanks Suzi and Dan!

 

And Whitey, even though you only just tolerate me.

Love Ruby x

Close encounters of the cat kind!

I was just sitting minding my own business and meditating on how much I love pink when I had a rather up-close and personal encounter with this handsome pussycat.

At first glance I was starstruck, mistakenly thinking it was Henri, my celebrity crush.

His name is actually Henry but he lives in a pub in Wiltshire and eats fish and chips.

He was ever so sweet and gave me a fish-and-chippy cat-kiss on my nose.

 

Bye Handsome Henry.

Love Ruby x

It's beginning to feel sort of like Christmas ..

... except for the heat and humidity! 

And I'm perpetually dressed in winter clothes. Note to my wardrobe people ... summer clothes would be enormously appreciated!

I've been at Giddy and Grace helping with the festive styling. Just adding some of my touches to the general splendor. And getting slightly hypnotised by all the red. 

 Festive felty friends!

 I'm sure you won't see me? I'm camouflaged.

 

Is that a partridge on my head? I'd prefer he found a pear tree to nest in. 

Love from Ruby. x

Mt Buller in a blizzard ...

I recently ventured up to Mr Buller in Victoria to fill my lungs with alpine air and feel the scrunch of snow beneath my red shoes. I believe it's a very pretty place but I couldn’t see much further than my nose due to the blizzardsome conditions. After a few hundred rounds of the toboggan run I headed indoors to warm up with a hot chocolate and lunch. I was rather tempted to eat this snowman’s carrot nose but thought he’d feel rather unhappy about both being cold and having no nose. 

Ruby visits Las Vegas!

I’ve been to Las Vegas! It's not the easiest place for an aware hare to keep herself calm. I'm used to starlight and all that neon made my ears start to flicker. It was however a very exciting adventure.

We went on a flight with the marvelous Maverick Helicopters, right into the Grand Canyon and had a picnic. I stayed high up on the table to avoid having to share my lunch or one of my limbs with any hungry snakes. I was absolutely terrified having not been in a helicopter before but our pilot and new friend Heiko was very competent and reassuring, which steadied my shaking knees.

We flew over Celine’s house and I waved. I may have seen her singing in the garden but it could have been a statue or mirage as we were a long way up and the heat was doing strange things to my eyes.

Love Ruby x

 

PS .. Hi to my new friends in Nevada - Sophia and Oliver!

If I were a biscuit ...

If I were a biscuit this is just how I’d be!  Sweet and buttery and filled with strawberry jam!

I had my moment of being a biscuit in March when Kate and I travelled to Sydney to deliver all the book illustrations to our lovely publisher.  I felt instantly at home when I saw this plate of sweeties that my new friend Mel had created for me.  It was a little bit strange eating myself but as soon as I tasted the strawberry jam the sweet deliciousness carried me away from that rather odd thought. 

Thanks Mel! 

Love Ruby x

 

A new book is born!

 

I know I’ve been a little out of touch socially. Well I admit a lot out of touch! Thank you to my friends who reminded me it’s been a year since my last post. (It's actually 11 months.) Consistency and dreaminess are a bit like oil and water and no matter how much I shake myself I can’t seem to possess both for more than a few seconds at a time. 

So here is my news - you might want to hold on to something - Kate and I have FINISHED our first picture book!!! It’s a book all about me. I feel slightly exposed being in the spotlight but I figure if I’m going to be in any light I’ll be happiest in one with spots. 

Looking back to last summer when the swishing and swirling of paintbrushes was the music of the studio, we had a book to finish and with that came as many moods as colours on Kate's palette.  Many, many, many hours, just Kate and I working around the clock. Some days went clockwise - these days Kate drew my legs and arms the right way. Then there were anticlockwise days - where my ears or hands looked like they belonged on a poodle. A cool compress calmed many moments as the mercury rose.  Throughout all we thought about our dear little readers with book in hand and kept painting. 

Here’s a photo I snapped as Kate was working one of the book’s illustrations. You will love the dress she paints for me. 

We especially love our new publishing family at Harper Collins. (Look out for tomorrow’s post to see what they did to welcome me!) My book - ‘Ruby Red Shoes’ will be out on November the 1st and I've already spoken with Santa to make sure he has plenty of stock in the NP. 

See you tomorrow,

Love Ruby x

Bonjour Paris!

I’m back in Paris! It’s summer and I’m searching the city for inspiration.
And the word on the streets is red is very big right now. Of course.

 ...

Looking at the bustle in the square below ... don't worry I'm holding on tight!

 I spring out of bed on this fine Paris morning and pop to the local marché to forage for breakfast items.

Cherry tomatoes and raspberries make a bright breakfast but even better ...  buttery boulangerie bounty.

Warming the butter.

Someone medical please!

...

 A meditative moment at Place des Vosges in a bosquet of linden trees. I have just learned that a bosquet is a formal garden where the trees are planted so that all their trunks are in a perfect row.

I suddenly feel a bit small and maybe a bit lost. And there's a bit of gravel in my shoe.

Rescued.

...

Lunch - the best chips I've ever tasted.

They're all irregular shapes - a real person chopped up these potatoes.

 Extreme espresso adventure.

Red fire engine. Moving with speed and sound.

 Arc de triomphe ... wonderful!

 

Look! A Parisian pigeon.

  An interesting sort of creature. Hope to see one whilst I'm here. I think we could be friends.

Is he smiling at me?

I have a good feeling about lunching at the red one.

Little sustenance to keep my red shoes firing along the streets. 

Note to me - redcurrent red is a particularly good red.

Musée Rodin -

I'm thinking he's done enough thinking.

I'm not sure it's her best day. She doesn't look particularly comfortable. 

I think she could do with a cuddle but the security guards disagree.  

Rouge RG, Rouge cadmium, Ocre Rouge, Rouge de Cadmium.

I have scarlet fever! 

Raspberry jam with violets, pomegranates and a fire-engine red teapot.

 Just another little spoonful. May as well - customs won't let it through.