A hundred years ago …. Ok, I might be exaggerating just slightly there. Let’s begin again.
Last month (February) I shared some Fairy Dragon Eggs that Little Cobs (my grandson) and I had made together. They were a smash hit with him and he loved them. So much so that I thought that while he was so enchanted with them, perhaps we could make just one or maybe two more, and enclose them so that they were protected, and (more importantly) they wouldn’t get lost or damaged. So I put my thinking cap on and came up with the perfect idea.
Little Cobs comes for a visit on Tuesdays. We collect him from School and he comes to Cobweb Towers for a bit of fun and his tea.
So on the previous day, (Monday), I made two tiny eggs – one around 2.5cm tall (just under an inch) and another approximately 1.25cm (which is little bit under half an inch), which I made from Hearty air dry clay, as I wanted them to be light in weight, and quick to dry.
The following day we went to collect him from school and, once he was safely ensconced in the car, I told him that I had got two tiny Fairy Dragons eggs in the house, and wondered if he would like to make them look amazing, since he was now considered an expert at Fairy Dragon Eggs. He was all over the idea and didn’t stop talking about it all the way home.
He bounced into the house, hung his coat up, and was waiting at the table before I’d even managed to take my own coat off!
I stupidly didn’t bother taking photo’s of the undecorated eggs, because I thought “everyone knows what a white egg looks like” – but am now wishing that I’d have taken a photo of them, next to a real [chicken] egg – so that you could see the size difference. They looked exactly like eggs from the smallest chicken in the world! Even the little chap said over and over how cute they were. Bless him.
I put out all the ‘Fairy Colours’ of Pinflair Buff-It, and told him to choose the ones he wanted to use. He wanted them all. (Thankfully I’d left the pots of ‘duller’ colours in the drawer).
I got out a selection of [cheap – pound shop] cosmetic sponges and put one on top of each of the Buff-it colours and he went to town. He needed no reminder of how to apply the colours, and was so delicate and gentle. Finally, when every last bit of both eggs was covered in the magical colours, he took a tissue and gently ‘polished’ them and made them shine and glow.
The Magical Eggs shone, and his eyes shone and twinkled as he gazed at them.
I then produced something which caused him to gasp. A tiny miniature ‘cake’ stand and matching dome. I told him that we were going to put these eggs inside the dome and then seal the dome so that no one else could ever touch them, and, even better, they would never get lost! “They’ll be sealed inside the dome for alllll eternity. For ever and ever and ever!” I said. (trying to sell him the idea because I thought he might not ‘see’ my vision). He saw. He loved the thought that he would be the only person who knew what these eggs felt like in his hand.
By the time we were ready to put the eggs into the dome it was almost time for him to go home, so I said that I could do that bit, he just had to show me where to put the Fairy Dragon Eggs inside the dome so that I got it perfectly right. He put them on the stand, and then carefully put the dome on top. He sat at the table and looked . . . then gave me a whole new set of instructions of exactly how he wanted things done:
“Grammy – they need petals. Flower petals. On the bottom, and the eggs on the top of the petals. Like in a nest. You put petals on there and then the eggs on the petals”.
He looked deep into my eyes to see if I understood. I smiled at him and repeated what he’d said, pointing to the cake stand top, to show I knew where he meant the petals to be. He seemed satisfied that I understood.
Daddy arrived to collect him, and the last thing Little Cobs whispered to me was: “Don’t forget the PETALS, Grammy!”. Bless his beautiful heart. He melts me every time I see him.
I did exactly as I was instructed to do. I didn’t forget the petals:
It was stupidly difficult to photograph the Fairy Eggs when they were sealed inside their dome home, as the light kept bouncing off the curves. But I did manage one which isn’t great – it’s a bit dull and flat, but it gives a slightly clearer view:
As you can see . . . I didn’t forget the petals. 😀 lol.
In the end, I loved the look of these so much that I’ve decided that I’m going to make some for myself. They look so impressive in real life that I just HAVE TO!
When he came on the Saturday, he fell in love with his Fairy Dragon Eggs all over again. He took them home at the end of the day, and his mummy (daughter No.2) told me a couple of days later, that the Fairy Eggs had barely left his side since he’d taken them home. He was carrying them around with him everywhere he played.
I promised, in the title of this post, that you could meet the maker . . . and you shall…
We’ve had snow here in Dorset in the last few days, and obviously, like all children do – Little Cobs wanted to play in it … and his mummy took photo’s. She sent me some in a text message … and although I’m extra mega careful of sharing photographs of children on-line, I asked, for the first time ever, if mummy would mind if I shared one of the photographs on my blog, so that you could see the little chap who I’m totally nuts about … and mummy said yes!
So here, with an enormous amount of pride [which bursts out of me like rays of the brightest sun, shining through every pore on my body], is my fabulous Grandson – Little Cobs…
… I’m totally dotty about this child. He’s an incredibly handsome little chap. The product of a very pretty mommy (daughter No.2) and a very handsome daddy (son-in-law, husband of D.No.2). But … he has my eyes – the same colour of Hazel, with the same flashes of gold dotted randomly around the iris, which really show up when he’s happily excited about something.
This isn’t the end of the crafty creations that he and I have made together over the past couple of weeks. I still have one final thing to share – but that will wait for another day.
Thank you for coming and sharing a coffee with me. Wishing you a happy rest of your day.
Love . . .
The Art of Cobwebs 