
handmade by
Cobweb the Fairy Cobbler
Peapody is a fabulous rascal in the land of Fae. He’s tall – in fact quite the lankiest of the male fairies that I ever did see – and wears long-legged brown woollen trousers with turn ups – which, he tells me, are there to catch seeds!; an old (but still very serviceable) white with the faintest of line checks, collar-less shirt – with the sleeves rolled up; and braces which hold his trousers up and are attached to them with white bone buttons.
He’s a gardener in Fairy Land and has been around for a gazillion years. Well – that’s what he tells me, but I’m not entirely certain I believe him. To me he looks around his late eighties / early nineties – but hey, what do I know. I’m only a ”whipper-snapper” according to Peapody!
He gardens every single day. He says that no one else is going to take care of that forest so he has to work every day! To be honest, I think he just likes to garden – but he also likes to have people tell him he’s doing a wonderful job – so I did, and still do, often!
He used to wear boots. Brown, wrinkled, crinkled, cracked, leathery looking boots with laces, but he said that he’s far too busy and can’t be bothered with boots now and so decided a while ago that he was going to retire his boots and instead wear something more comfy. He asked Cobwebs the Cobbler to come up with something which he didn’t have to fuss with. He wanted: comfy with no laces; no zippers; no doodly uppy bits; no hobnails; no rivets and no holes. He said he just wanted to push his feet in and walk. And this is what Cobwebs the Fairy Cobbler came up with.

They look, to all intents and purposes, like they’ve been crafted from the pods of the peas which Peapody grows to make Pea Pod Soup, and they’re even adorned with peas!
Peapody was thrilled with them when he saw them, and, I’m told, hasn’t taken them off since because they’re sooo comfortable. One satisfied customer I think!
If you’re now wondering what Pea Pod Soup tastes like, Peapody very kindly shared his recipe, scroll down to find it!
Pea Pod Soup
Ingredients:
- A colander full of freshly emptied pea pods, rinsed
- 1 onion or a handful of spring onions, chopped
- A generous handful of fresh mint
- Light vegetable stock
- Seasoning: a little salt, a little pepper, a little sugar, a little lemon juice
- To garnish: more chopped spring onions and chopped fresh herbs of your choice
- Optional: a little yoghurt or cream (use vegan varieties for vegan soup!)
Method:
- In a large saucepan, gently fry the chopped onion or spring onions in a little olive oil for about 3 minutes. Put the pea pods and mint into the pan – discard any very woody stems but there’s no need to chop everything up, this soup will be going into the food processor later on. Add enough light vegetable stock to allow the pea pods to float about happily. Bring to the boil, then turn to a low heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Check the water level and top up if you need to.
- Allow the mixture to cool a little and then transfer to a food processor or liquidiser and whizz until smooth. Pea pods can be stringy, so be prepared to run the machine for several minutes and taste as you go so that you can be sure that the consistency is right for you. If all else fails and the consistency is still a bit too fibrous you can put the soup through a sieve.
- Return the soup to the pan, check the consistency and thin it down with a little more stock if you like. Check the taste and adjust it to suit your own preference using salt, pepper, sugar or lemon juice. This soup can be served warm or chilled. Top with finely chopped spring onions and fresh herbs, or a swirl of cream or yoghurt.
Yes, it’s a genuine recipe. You really can make and eat it.
Thanks for coming to read and take a peep at Peapody’s Slippers. I love them. What do you think?
I love peabody’s slippers. I like the look of the soup too but as I scrolled down the ingredients I had to laugh. It reminded me of the story of Stone Soup (do you know that one).
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Stone Soup? STONE??? Ok, you’re going to have to share that one now! 😀
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I do live the shoes, but what kind of pea pods? Just plain peas or sugar snap or snow?
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I think they’d likely be those scrumptious, plump, plain old peas that I remember shelling with my Grandma when I was little. (A job I adored because of the ‘POP’ noise they made when I gently squeezed them!). But of course, in ‘our’ world I’d say they’d have to be made from clay because I doubt that we humans would manage the same magical talent that a Fairy Cobbler in the Land of the Fae would be able to come up with. 😉
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Oh but, the thought of pea pod shoes is so much more fun that “clay” .
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{nods} 🙂 I absolutely, 100% agree.
It’s a good thing that we humans don’t make Fairy Shoes because I reckon we’d make a complete hash of it. {smiles, with a twinkle in the eye!} 😀
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Hi this is my 2nd visit to your amazing blog!love it…I am a novice crafter I don’t have a blog or business however would you please consider putting more instructions on your blog ie how to make fairy wings and also the fairy shoes I would love to make some for fun.I am going on dialysis very soon so just to let you know I found your blog uplifting and love the idea of having a go at some of your wonderful projects.The only problem I have encountered is that every time I’ve tried to email you nothing gets sent? Therefore would it be possible for you to add a “contact me” at the top of your main blog home page.Thankyou for making me smile your blog is an absolute joy cobweb xxxx
Leslee Cartwright
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Hello Leslee, welcome back.
You can find a gazillion types of fairy wings on the internet, and there are a gazillion sets of instructions – hence the reason I don’t bother with instructions on making them.
Have a look on the net – but since you’re a ‘new’ crafter, don’t try to run before you can walk. Choose a set of wings and instructions which you feel confident in making. Remember – no ‘great’ artist began by painting a million pound artwork. They started with crayons, just like the rest of us. lol.
The Fairy Shoes … well I’ve sat and thought about this and tried to work out what I’d say in order to tell you to make them, and I don’t think I could give you instructions which would help. Not because I don’t want to, but because I honestly don’t have an explainable way about how I make them. I blend and shape the clay all the time imagining the type of Fairy I would make shoes for in the colour of clay I’ve blended, and then, from apparently nowhere, there they are. They’re not quick makes though. I will begin with a basic shoe – but I then have to work at achieving the ‘picture’ I have in my mind in order to actually make the shoe I initially had in my mind.
I would maybe recommend that to start with – buy a couple of packs of Fimo – or a childrens Fimo kit, which you can get from hobby stores or Amazon. There are kits which are put together, with full instructions, to make (for example:) a Bear; a Cat; Dog; Butterfly; Princess; Monkey; Flowers – oh, all sorts of things! Each pack contains 4 packs of clay, all in the right colours – chosen specially for the kit, and the pack comes with complete instructions so that you can make the item on the pack easily.
If you did a couple of kits, you’d get a feel for the clay and how it ‘behaves’, and then you’ll know if you want to try something which you dream up and make without any instructions, but more made from natural talent.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy discovering how great crafting is, and you’ll find that it takes you out of anything which troubles or irks you, and takes you instead, to a place where your brain switches off from all the troubles of life, and instead switches on to something which brings you pleasure. Crafting will become your escape.
Contacting me: You can contact me simply by leaving a comment on my blog. All comments go through moderation first, so they don’t appear on my blog site straight away. Don’t worry about trying to contact me via an email address, just leave a message here and I’ll get it.
Oh … and I corrected the spellcheck failure for you. LOL.
Have a blessed rest of the day, Leslee! ~ Cobs. x
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Hi cobweb,Thankyou for all your advise I really do appreciate it xxxx I’m currently making a 12 x 8 ish gothic shaped fairy door ,I want to incorporate wonderland and fairy themes combined I’m struggling with the composition lol!i have lots of stash serious amounts and Alice in wonderland story etc I’m trying to make the project flow etc so if you could come up with any ideas .ive watched YouTube and studied for hours online .i have some amazing a.i.wonderland papers from Marion smith range but other then tags and pockets I am desperate to come up with a beautiful project.I am making it for a friend and would love to include some novel ideas so please please Help otherwise I’m going to be late late late and turn into the mad hatter ha!the door is solid wood to be covered in Martha Stewart clay like tree bark…I know my friend loves Alice I wonderland but as soon as I put my papers out trying to make it look right I lose my mojo…if I could use ideas from the theme to incorporate her life etc although life’s a journey etc I’m not sure how to make it fit together.So sorry for such a long reply but I would be thrilled if you could give me some proper crafters tips.Godbless and big thanks
Leslee xxxx
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Hello again Leslee.
Is it just a fairy door that you’re making, a stand alone wooden door, which you want to decorate; or is it an album? Somewhere you’d put photographs and memories?
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