Eno and the Little Eves. He got along so well with the girls.
A few weeks ago I introduced everyone to FolkyFlo Eve. And now it’s time to introduce you to the Little Eves. The idea of a smaller Eve arose when I felt the original Eve was a little too cumbersome and conspicuous for me to carry around. So I kept her with friends (she had a great time, but I’ll leave this for later posts) while Laura and I concentrated on creating a smaller Eve that was more portable. A side note: when I told my friend Reem Algharabali about this mini version of Eve, she suggested that Laura add a hole at the bottom of her torso (there’s no way to explain this without it sounding sexual, sorry) for inserting a stick. This is so Reem could take her to festivals and raise her above the crowds: Festival Eve. But only Reem will call her that.
A few days after, I thought: why not have Laura create nine more Eves to sell at Dar Nur? Ten seemed like a well-rounded number. And thus began the birth of the Little Eves. From Barnet to London, Salwa to Shuwaikh, the Little Eves are finally ready for their new homes.
This is a long post so I’ve decided to break it up into parts.
{ Part One • Laura’s Home in Barnet Where I Meet the Little Eves }
The moment when I first lay eyes on something or someone I’ve been anticipating to see is so important to me. Fortunately, with inanimate objects, I can capture that in a photograph. This is my first face to face with the Little Eves.
Some frisky Eves in the bunch. The one in the middle with a bow is mine. She’s extra special.
She sits on the dotted chair at Laura and her family’s dining table.
We try to do a self-timed staircase photo but fail miserably as we, unlike the Eves, are not tiny enough for the steps.
So it ends up being me and the girls. Sorry Laura!
Three pairs of feet.
How cool is this! Inside the Eves’ purses I find these little Eve pencils, created by Laura’s daughter Izi.
Peekaboo!
Quick look around Laura’s cosy studio, I spot this little beauty.
And these two Eves which didn’t make the cut. One will remain with Laura and the other will go to her mother. I like that.
Time to put them away. They’re about to leave Laura’s.
Are you ready for London, girls?
{ Part Two • Eves are My Guests at the Ampersand Hotel in London }
I sit them down for our first ‘official’ photo session. They are well-behaved.
Still good…
…until next day. Rough night.
We have an acute case of the munchies in the morning. She calls dibs on the croissant. I get the rest.
When dusk arrives.
She can’t wait for the 20s to come round again.
I introduce her to Ayesha.
We visit my son Yousef at his university, Royal Holloway in Egham.
We are hopeless/hopeful romantics.
Next day we visit the Chelsea Old Town Hall for this year’s Handmade in Britain fair (click on link below for details). Here she is sitting among Jasmin Rowlandson’s gothic jewelry and home accessories.
I pack the girls. I thought this was funny :).
{ Part Three • Back Home in Salwa }
We all arrive safe and sound. Here they are in their interim home. Next stop: Dar Nur.
But before that, I take my Little Eve to the Palestinian Cultural Exhibition at Kuwait’s Engineer Society. Here she is basking in the colorful embroidered cushions.
Back home, they choose their favorite chair.
{ Part Five • Preparing the Girls for Adoption & Finally Dar Nur }
FolkyFlo Eve poses with Little Eve at Dar Nur…
…while the rest are lovingly tagged.
They can’t keep their hands off each other!
First Little Eve out is this one. Lucky her because I know she’s going to a good home.
Back at mine-OURS-the girls are settled in. Little Eve holds a piece by Kuwaiti artist Aziz Almudhaf, who hosted FolkyFlo Eve for two weeks. He had placed it in her purse. Sneaky Sneaky!
{ FolkyFlo }
The first time I met Laura face to face-we were Instagram friends-was last September. I was so happy to meet someone who had taken my work to a level I wouldn’t have imagined. She really breathed life into my Eves. To understand that you’d have to see one of these dolls in person. It’s indescribable.
You know how they say ‘Last but not least’? Well, this is my last but not least: the woman behind these wonderful dolls, Laura Bevan aka FolkyFlo. Here’s a gallery of some of the work she does. I love her ‘portrait’ dolls, modeled after people she knows. The resemblance is fun and whimsical.
