We know how much you love an limited edition, so here's something rather special by our newest Momiji designer, Candy Bird.

Pumpkin is an edition of 500 pieces worldwide and she's only available here.

Candy Bird was born and lives in the south of France. Drawing has been part of her life since she can remember. She now illustrates books and exhibits her work around the world. Her favourite things are Mimi her cat, custom toys and expressionist painting.

We caught up with her for a little chat...


Hey Candy, how are you feeling today?

I am feeling well today, thank you! It is still a beautiful sun here for an Cctober month.
And I am excited by the launch of my Pumpkin doll.


What did you have for breakfast?

I had hot chocolate. I don't like coffee. And I'm going to buy French pastries almost every morning. I can't do without.


Tell us about a regular day in the life of Candy Bird...

My days can vary a lot. But generally I wake up around 8 - 9 am. I don't need alarm clock because my cat wakes me up!

First I answer my emails and after that I work as an illustrator all day. I work at home and it is not easy to stop working. Sometimes I work all through the evening too!


What would you be doing if you weren’t an artist?

It is a dificult question for me because I always wanted to become an illustrator. But I think I would like perhaps to become a psychologist.


Where do you live and what do you love about your hometown?

I live in the South of France and I like the sun and the sea which is less than 1 hour from my house. I like to live near the city as well as being close to nature.


Where’s your favourite place to visit?

I like to visit the Cathar Castles. There is a special atmosphere. It's impressive and historically interesting.


In the kitchen, what’s your speciality dish?

I cook very little... I don't like cooking. But sometimes I cook very good cakes or pies.


How will you be celebrating Halloween? Will you be wearing a costume?

Oops, I should hurry because I don't still know.


Serious question: Pumpkin pie or marshmallows?

Pumpkin pie, of course!


Thanks for chatting! xx

Thank you : )

Hello Luli Bunny!

We're beside ourselves with excitement at the launch of Book Club. If you're wondering what kind of genius lies behind dolls of such magnificance, allow us to introduce the designer, Luli Bunny...

Hey Luli, how are you feeling today?
Hi! I am feeling really well today, the weather is a little bit hot, but as it is summer here, that’s normal. [Luli lives in Argentina] On days like this one I wish I had a pool at home.^_^

What did you have for breakfast?
I had coffee with milk, (with sugar, I don’t like it when it’s bitter) which is my normal breakfast, sometimes I like to eat cereals or bread with butter or dulce de leche, but it all depends on the day. I’m not used to eating that much in the mornings, people say it’s the most important meal of the day but I’m not that hungry when I wake up.

Tell us about a regular day in the life of Luli Bunny...
My days vary a lot, what does not vary is the time I wake up: some days I wake up at 6am, and others at 8am. I like to work during the day and sleep at night. I have 2 jobs; I work as a teacher and work as an illustrator. Working at home as an illustrator is really nice but sometimes I spend a lot of days inside and that can be exhausting.

What would you be doing if you weren’t an artist?
I was studying to become a vet and I wanted to specialize in rodents but decided not to continue. I love animals, but got too distracted drawing or doing creative things, and you need persistence to become a good doctor. I really enjoyed studying about animals, anatomy, etc, but I used to imagine stories about them. My illustrations have a lot of the love I have for animals, specially bunnies and rodents. I had 4 hamsters and 2 guinea pigs in my life and they were my inspiration. Specially my hamster Topolina, she had a really big surgery done, her uterus was removed, but she lived happy for 2 more years after it.

What do you love about Buenos Aires?
I like my city during January because everyone is on vacations and the streets can be really quiet, plus you can have a nice walk. I like some of the green areas in the city like the Rosedal, I really love going there. I also like (though sometimes I ask myself why it sings so early) the song of a little bird name zorzal.

In the kitchen, what’s your speciality dish?
I LOVE to cook! Being the most voted at home, breaded zucchinis seem to be the most popular, followed by French fries and rice and vegetables, but I like to cook lots of things. This year I started to prepare hotcakes! They are fun.

If you could only have 5 books, what would they be and why?
Anything illustrated by Leo Timmers, especially Oops. Love his work; it makes me smile.

The Art and Flair of Mary Blair. Her work was and is really inspiring

Mike Spillane’s books, any of them. I enjoy reading Mike Hammer stories

Mark Boutavant’s Around the World with Mouk (I don’t have this book, but I wish I did ^_^)

Keri Smith’s Wreck This Journal. A friend gave me one last year for my birthday and it’s really fun!

Do you wear glasses? If so what do they look like?
I do! Well I had eye surgery 1 year ago, I had myopia and wore eyeglasses or contact lenses from morning to evening. Now I only use them for work as I spend a lot of time in front of the computer and my eyes get really tired. I will never forget the moment I could go to the street and see the number of the bus without problems!

Do you have a favourite Momiji from your collection? Which doll is most like you?
This one is hard ^_^ I like all of them; they all have a little something about me. I think the one that’s more like me, or at least the one that my friends compare me with is Clarice. Though my hair colour is similar to Phoebe’s. I like to ask my friends what they find about me in each of the dolls. Some of them made a good guess, haha!

Last week we gave you some festive Momiji wallpaper for your technical gizmos.

You liked it so much, our friend Kipi Ka Popo has made another design just for you.

To get this little cutie on your desktop, click on the size you need below, save the pic and add as your wallpaper.

Enjoy

Computer desktop - 1280 x 1024

Computer desktop - 1024 x 768

Computer desktop - 800 x 600

Iphone/Iphone 3G

Iphone4

iPad

Our friends, Joanna Zhou, Fiona Lee and Francisca Ruff have been busy getting Christmassy and designing these paper-chains just for you.

They’re really easy to make and won’t break the fragile festive budget.

All you need to do is..

Select and download your favourite designs below.

Print off the paperchain designs

Cut them out into strips

Tape/stick one end to the other to make a loop. Put the next strip through the loop and tape/stick the ends together, you now have 2 links to the chain.

Keep on going for as long as you like or until you run out of paper. You can also alternate designs and add strips of other coloured paper too.

As always, we want to see your craft attempts, so post them on our Facebook Page.

These bold strips are designed by Fiona Lee. Download them here.

These cute Momiji strips are designed by Joanna Zhou. Download them here.

These fancy strips are designed by Francisca Ruff. Download them here.

Massive thanks to all of you who came to the party at Royal/T yesterday; we just heard from Gem that it rocked, she was buzzing from meeting you all. Check back here soon for photos. As promised, here’s our chat with the awesomely talented Joanna Zhou, about how she created Chiyo for Royal/T.

Hello Joanna!

We’re super excited about the arrival of Chiyo. How did you set about creating her?

Chiyo is based on the super cute maid outfits worn by waitresses at Royal/T. I started out by simply doodling tons of different doll bodies on one sheet. I find that it’s much easier to come up with variation if you work quickly and messily at first because you look at the doll’s overall shape instead of getting distracted by detail. Then I pick three designs that seem to work best and draw them much larger so I can try out different expressions and outfits. These get narrowed down further to just one doll, which of course became Chiyo!

Chiyo has lots of really cute details to her outfits can you tell us about these?

I absolutely love with Royal/T’s cupcake hats, which are so fantastically Harajuku. They fit in with ‘Decora’ style where girls adorn themselves with cute kitsch accessories in pastel or neon colours. And at the same time, the LA side of Royal/T stands for style and sophistication. So Chiyo’s look is more kawaii chic, a tailored outfit with just enough bows, ribbons and beads to make it playful.

Royal/T celebrates the Japanese concept of Maid cafes; you spent some time in Japan recently – what were your favourite things about the country?

I was really awed by the attention to detail to everything. For instance if you bought a small gift in a store, they would pack it up with cellophane, stickers and ribbons. And in a bakery, every slice of cake was iced so perfectly I initially thought they were plastic models! There is such a creative energy in Japan as well and you feel that no idea can be too crazy or unusual. It’s great to see the same concepts such as a maid café being introduced to other countries.

If you had your own cafe what would be your signature dish?

One thing I ate in Japan was a moffle, basically a mochi rice cake toasted in a waffle iron. It was crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside and strangely delicious. If I had my own café then I’d love to combine that with other desserts, such as a Banoffee Moffle with banana ice cream and dulche du leche or S’Mores Moffle with melted chocolate and marshmallows.

What else have you been up to recently?

I’ve been designing manga inspired make-up for Eyeko and writing a How to Draw Chibi book. Chibi style is all about those super cute characters with big heads and small bodies, which come to think of it, have fairly similar proportions to Momiji dolls ;)! Christmas time in Vienna is beautiful and I’ve also been going to lots of Christmas Markets, enjoying the snow and feeding my addiction for Starbucks Gingerbread Lattes. I’m really looking forward to the holidays as I can take a break from my projects and just spend time with many friends who will be back in town.

Here at Momiji, we love to work with amazing young designers to create our new collections.

Our Christmas cuties for 2010 have been designed by Fiona Lee. Robin, Pudding and Sparkle are available in the LoveMomiji shop now.

Claire took some time to catch up with Fiona and ask her a couple of questions about her dolls, life and her favourite things about Christmas.


Full name:
Fiona Lee

Hometown:
Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia

Hello Fiona, welcome to your Momiji interview.
Hello and thanks!

How’s your day working out so far? What’s a typical day in the life of Fiona Lee?
I’m a bit slow on the get-go this morning, so it’s nice to start off with a Momiji interview. A typical day would consist of:

1. Wake up to the sound of my cats Vadar and Numchuck meowing in my face followed by a strong hot coffee.
2. Short ride to work on my bike ‘Sunny’ with my husband Ryan and his bike ‘WAR MACHINE!’
3. Arrive at ‘Studio Pounce’, our design studio set-up with Ryan and our business partner Chris. “Moooorning!” to Chris. “Helloooo” from Chris.
4. Flurry of design work greatness. Phone calls. Email checking. Meetings with clients.
5. Late lunch in the local park if the weather is good.
6. All of Pounce on our bikes ‘BMX Bandits’ style (yes, in my head I am Nicole Kidman with THAT hair) for a coffee at a café nearby or a new one that we have yet to try.
7. More work fuelled by a good caffeine kick. Quick catch-up chats with our work neighbours Harxest.
8. Dinner with some friends at a local restaurant or a bike ride back home for Ryan to whip up a tasty treat.
9. Watch recorded cooking shows with Vadar and Numchuck on the couch.
10. Off to bed to do it all again the next day.

How did you get started in design?
It was actually suggested to me by my mother when I was in high school. I didn’t think I could make a living from being an artist and was set on becoming a dentist when my mother suggested Graphic Design. I’d never heard of it so she enrolled me in a 2 week design course during my school holidays and that was that. THANKS MAMA LEE!

How does it feel to have your designs made into Momiji dolls?
Brilliant! It’s like having several mini-me’s out there in the world having their own mini adventures.

Christmas Pudding. Discuss.
Gooey, hot, syrupy goodness with custard AND ice cream. Are you drooling right now? Win!

What’s your favourite thing about Christmas?
How quiet and hot it gets outside in the middle of the day. It’s a nice reminder that many people are somewhere nice that day, enjoying laughs with family and friends.

What don’t you like about it?
The clean up.

What’s your favourite:
• cheese? Kraft Singles! I’m all class.
• word? Word!
• day of the week? Saturday.
• breakfast? Tom Phat’s (Melbourne Café) Sweetcorn Fritters with a poached egg, smoked salmon, capers, rocket and creme fraiche served at 10am on a Saturday morning alongside a strong hot latte. Perfect.

Presents under the tree: squeeze & peek or wait for the big day?
Wait . . . although shaking and listening is allowed.

What are you going to do as soon as you finish this?
Get stuck into some new characters designs we’re developing that will eventually be made into parade floats! But first . . . maybe a coffee . . .

Thanks! Nice chatting x
Bye Momijies!

As you probably know by now, we’ve just opened our lovemomiji shop up to our friends down under.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, we spent an afternoon in the office pretending it was sunny and making a lot of mess with chocolate biscuits and tea. Click here to read all about our Tim Tam Slam adventures.

On the other side of the world, our friend Fiona was enjoying some decidedly British things with her friends as they had an English picnic at Studio Pounce.

Fiona is the designer of the very special Christmas Momiji dolls for 2010 which we’ll be revealing soon.

We sent them some mugs for English tea, a (slightly rubbish) Henley-in-Arden ruler, some postcards, our favourite teatime treat – Tunnock’s Tea Cakes and, of course, a picture of her Majesty.

The Teacakes caused a little bit of confusion when they arrived in Australia.

It took them a couple of attempts to get the hang of them.

But they all agreed that they were very tasty

Fiona and the rest of the Studio Pounce guys had a great time at their British Picnic. I think we’re going to have to send them some more teacakes soon…

Presenting Chèrie, Ted and Purrl: the new, very limited edition Arts & Crafts dolls designed by Esther Chaye.

Esther is the newest designer to be welcomed into the Momiji family and her dolls are inspired by the art of making beautiful handmade and heartfelt items from scratch. Hailing from Vancouver in Canada, Esther is an active crafter and we love her quirky-cute designs.

The dolls instantly bring back fond memories of your grandmother’s tomato pincushion, that teddy bear you made in school and the cat playing with your wool while you’re trying to make a jumper. Each one is packaged with an inflatable pillow in a luxury letterpress-style box.

There are only 500 of each limited edition, hand-numbered doll and they’ve been distributed to some of our favourite retailers across the world. There are a limited number available in the Momiji shop or you can track them down by looking up your nearest retailer here.

If you’re one of our friends from down under, you’ll be happy to hear that you can get your hands on them exclusively through a special Aussie retailer from November 1st – details to follow soon

There are a couple of sets here at Momiji HQ that we’re going to give away, so in true crafty style we want to know what you’re knitting.

Either tweet what you’re knitting using the hashtag #MomijiCraft or ‘Like’ us on Facebook and tell us on the wall.

Don’t worry if you can’t knit we won’t ask you for proof. We’re just looking for fantastic, creative, funny or far-fetched ideas. Our favourite will be picked on Monday, 4th October, you have until midnight on Sunday 3rd October to enter. We’ll send the lucky winner, a set of Arts & Crafts dolls.

Our friend and designer, Helena, came to visit us this week.

Claire met her at the airport while Deb and I rolled out the welcome bunting.

We’ve had a great time with Helena, we even took her to the Ice Cream shop (one of our favourite haunts here at Momiji HQ)

She brought a very creative influence to the Momiji offices so you can expect some wonderful things to come.

Sadly, she had to go home today. We hope she’ll be back to visit again soon.

Joanna Zhou has been making us jealous with her holiday snaps. This one from the Apple Store on 5th Avenue was our favourite, putting that shiny new iPad to good use!