I promised, last week, to share with you some Textile Art, made by yours truly. [grins] – So, Ladles and Jellyspoons, may I introduce … The Copper Topped Lavender Mob.
Three enchanted mushrooms mounted on a piece of aged, half round, wood which was cut and sanded smooth for me by Mr.Cobs.
The wood was treated and sealed, and then finished in a way that I love – it has a soft sheen to it and it’s as smooth as a baby’s you know what! It has a beautiful softness and warmth about it, and picks out the various shades of natures gift.
The mushrooms began life as part wire armature, with a selection of fabrics which go through a process of: washing, – dying, – staining, – then a lot of sewing, followed by colouring with a type of fabric paint, and finally, finished with whatever I felt the mushrooms needed in order to bring them to life.Everything is sewn by hand – even the gills (on the underside) are all hand pleated and stitched into place. Likewise the frills on the mushroom stalks are sewn and stitched in place by hand.
It’s not a quick craft, but it’s certainly one I’ve fallen deeply in love with.
The end result from all the work and an abundance of patience, is something magical, normally seen only in The Land of the Fae.
Although they look quite solid – they actually aren’t. They do have a gentle stiffness to them – after all, I needed them to hold their shape and be the piece of artwork I wanted them to be. But when you touch them, they have a ‘give’ or a slight ‘bounce’ – just like the regular mushrooms you buy from the supermarket or greengrocer have.
The green stuff clambering over the wooden base … isn’t moss… well no actually, it is, but it’s not real moss. But the stones and stone chippings…. well they are real. As are the trail of teeny tiny oak tree leaves.Yes, they really are real.How did you harvest oak leaves so small? [I hear you ask] …. Well, what else would you expect from the Land of Fae? Tiny fairies, tiny trees, teeny tiny oak leaves. Naturally!
The ‘Copper Tops’ aren’t real copper (of course), the fabulous colour comes from them being blessed by the Sun. These mushrooms grow in the woodland areas of The Land of Fae, and like nothing more than stretching their necks right up, in order to catch some of the sun rays, ~ from which they get their coppery sun tan!
Oh, and of course … as artists of the world do … the Copper Topped Lavender Mob are signed on the underside of the base ….
…. and the Union Jack nestled in the base is there to show they are UK mushrooms, produced in the United Kingdom by a UK artist!
These photographs don’t truly show the incredibleness of this little gang of three, the pictures don’t share their magic; nor their extraordinary twinkles which happen when the light catches various parts of them; neither do the photos share the unbelievable glow they have! I roped Mr.Cobs in to see if he could capture their amazing magical glow which my camera couldn’t….
photograph by Mr. Cobs
Mr.C took the Lavender Mob outside and perched them on the bird bath, hoping that the natural light would enable photos to show exactly how lovely they are. Sadly it didn’t work. It would seem that only the naked eye can see these majestic little creatures in all their glory.
I had the most amazing, enjoyable pleasure making these wondersome creations and they encouraged and motivated me to continue my journey with Textile Art.
But …the next magical makes are to be shared another time, for I’ve kept you here more than long enough.
The Copper Topped Lavender Mob have already gone to their forever home. Daughter No.2 saw them and fell in love with them, so they now live with her, and her husband, and my magical grandson, Little Cobs. And it’s the strangest thing. but I feel bereft. It’s kind of like having a child leave home. I miss their presence.
But … now it’s time to go.
Hmmm ,,, – hang on – … there’s something I’m forgetting … [thinks] … oh crumbs! It’s the JOKES….
These are the Jokes Folks!
What do you call a parade of rabbits hopping backwards?
A receding hare-line!
~~~ ❤ ~~~
What rhymes with Orange?
No it doesn’t.
~~~ ❤ ~~~
Why can’t you hear a pterodactyl dinosaur go to the toilet?
Because the ‘p’ is silent.
~~~ ❤ ~~~
I’ll be back with some more Textile Art in the next blog post – only next time it will be something a little different.Thank you so much for coming and sharing a coffee moment with me. Have a beautiful Monday, and a truly blessed week.
In the Realm of the Fae (Fairy Land), the Elements of the Realm are represented by various things dependant upon the area where the particular Fairy Land is located. And … just like us humans, Fairy Land has the same sort of set up with Woodlands, towns, villages, counties, states, and countries!
Each ‘Town/Village/Country’ [etc] has its own way of expressing things, (just as we all have our own localised languages or terminology), and within the ‘village’ of Freckled Mushroom Wood, the four Elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water, are represented by some of the most incredible mushrooms I think I’ve ever seen, and it’s some rather special specimens of these Elements that I’d like to share with you today!
All the specimens are held securely in glass test tubes, which have been sealed shut with a cork.
The test tubes you see in the photographs are all the same length: 10.2cm long – that’s 4″ (inches) to us folks who still love imperial measurements, and they’re just 1.5cm wide – which is 8/12th’s of an inch (or [roughly] just over half an inch for those who don’t do fractions).
So they’re quite small, and getting those Elementals to be the right size, took some doinger … searching. I had to search high and low to find long enough, but slim enough, Elementals which would fit inside those little glass tubes. Yes I did. I did indeed sweat buckets trying to get the size right! Phew. Fairy Land gets very hot and bothersome on some days.
These are the Mushroom Elementals of Freckled Mushroom Wood, each of them embodying one of the powers of nature: Earth; Air; Fire and Water.
The task of Elementals is to look after the nature kingdom. They are responsible for the therapeutic effects you feel when outdoors amongst nature, at the beach or sea-side; at lakes and by rivers; in parks and nature areas.
A little bit like a Phoenix, these very special Elemental Mushrooms live for only a specific length of time but once they’ve reached their ‘age’, each of them cyclically regenerates itself and is reborn again as new. Each of the Elemental Mushrooms not only represents an important Element of nature, but also plays its own part in the well-being of Fairy Land.
Shall we take a peep at them individually? Let’s begin with . . .
The Fairy Mushroom Elemental:Earth
The Element of Earth shown in a Fairy Mushroom Elemental.
The Earth Elemental is responsible for creating, sustaining, and renewing life on Earth. It helps:-
Plants, grass, and even weeds to grow, and helps the Fairy Gardeners to grow all the food needed for the Fairies, Gnomes, Pixies and all the other occupants of the Land of the Fae.
It encourages Trees to reach their full height and potential. Which gives the Fairies somewhere to play hide and seek and have races with other fairies.
It helps Children to flourish and develop in a healthy or vigorous way. It also helps with the birth and growing of Fairy Babies.
It is the sole purpose of all the elements, since it represents a basis for each of them.
Earth is the element of our planet and how got its name by it too.
The Earth Element has one very important job in Fairy land … it helps fairies to find their way home from wherever they may be. It’s a little bit like a satellite. It has a certain ‘vibration’ to it, which each Fairy recognises, and so can fly home whenever they wish, be it night or day!
The Fairy Mushroom Elemental: Air
TheAir Element is important in that it connects all the other elements. It’s invisible, but that doesn’t make it less important than any other, because, well, without it, we couldn’t exist!
The element of Air gives us
what we need for our lungs to function
opens our Souls
is important for the first breath of a new-born baby!
Where Earth is fixed, Air is definitely a mover!
It’s connected to the mind, spirit, wisdom and soul.
Air is required for flight. Not just Air-planes and the like, but for birds, flies, insects and bats, but also …. Fairies!Imagine Fairies flying in the wind – tiny creatures bestowed with pure intuition who fly where ever the air whispers to them.
The wind (and so Air)has a voice, and you have to listen carefully to it. The wind blowing in from the South and East hints of good things. But the wind can change direction and with that it itself predicts change – sometimes good, sometimes not so. Listen to its voice. Is it an angry voice, or is it gentle and soothing? It’s what Fairies do. Perhaps we should become like Fairies now and again, so that we can see things through the eyes of the innocent and hear things in an innocent way.
The Fairies in Freckled Mushroom Wood have taught me much about the Elements – both the ones in Fairy Land, and the ones in our human realm – and I now realise that they are, in fact, very much the same things.
The Fairy Mushroom Elemental: Fire
Firehas something particularly special about it. It’s the only element that shines. Water can sparkle, but only if it reflects the light created by Fire, whether a campfire or the Sun.
Of course, in the Land of the Fae the most Fire is found within the annoyance and anger of a Fairy Dragon. However, a Dragons Fire is a much-needed and very welcomed Fire, for Fairies need it to: Toast Apples; Roast Chestnuts; Cook Mushrooms; Bake Acorns; Warm Berries to eat and to make Fairy Jam with, and oh!, all sorts of other things!
Note Well: Humans won’t often find a Fairy Dragon – but if you do, treat it kindly and don’t disturb it if it’s asleep, for when baked in fire, you are crunchy, and Fairy Dragons discovered Ketchup on toasted ‘umans works wonders!
The Fairy Mushroom Elemental:Water
TheWater Elemental is the element of constant movement, moving sometimes slow and steady, and at other times rushing and a torrent; a destructive force of almost unimaginable proportions.
Fairies need water not only to drink and use to water their flowers, but to bathe, feed the birds and to make the dew drops which will sparkle in the early morning sunlight, and add joy to the early morning chorus.
If you’re really quiet, you might come across a Fairy playing or washing her hair under the dripping water of a Mushroom Water Elemental, for the Mushroom will drip, drip, drip continually, supplying water to the earth beneath it’s feet.
It was r.e.a.l.l.y. difficult to capture, in a photo, the dripping water on this Mushroom Water Elemental because water is transparent, but I share about the best shot I managed to get . . .
And that concludes our four Elementals. However … the observant among you will have noticed that there is a 5th Glass Test Tube in the two photos at the top of this post. . .
. . . can you spot it? That one right in the middle. “What’s that?” I hear you asking . . .
Well … it’s a Gnome … or a Tomte . . . or a Nisse. This little figure has different names depending on where in the world you find him, and … he’s a Protector. In this case, he’s a Fairy, Mushroom Elemental Protector. A very important job indeedly doodly!
This Gnome / Tomte / Nisse hides himself in little places so that he won’t be spotted by anyone rambling through the woodland which he’s protecting. This particular Gnome/Tomte/Nisse is a very special protector, for he is in charge of protecting all the Fairy, Mushroom Elementals which live in his wood.
He was almost impossible to capture a good image of him on film, because the little rascal kept moving! He would turn or stick his nose in the air, or generally refuse to hold still just for a moment, while I captured his image on film. You can barely see his nose … but I did manage a slightly blurred photo which kind of shows it in close up and share that with you . . .
A Gnome / Tomte / Nisse, captured (slightly blurred) in a photograph. (Blurred because he just wouldn’t keep still!).
His beard is of the whitest white, and it twinkles like nothing else I’ve ever seen. Again … I just couldn’t see to capture it in a photo. It looks incredibly magical when seen with the naked eye.
I admit that taking photographs of these Test Tube Elementals was one heck of a job. Lights bounced off the glass. Shadows showed up where there were none before. Patterns played across the glass from things on either side of the room and it made viewing the Mushrooms really difficult. Aw … it’s not something I’ll undertake so lightly again. Next time I go in for photographs of anything in a test tube, I’ll be more aware! (probably still take a hundred rubbish photos, but I’ll be aware. LOL).
Well… that’s me done and dusted regarding the Fairy, Mushroom Elementals.
So … how are you? I trust you are well, that life is treating you kindly and that things are going in a nice direction for you. Anything happening in life that you’d like to share? Need some advice from someone? Post your question in a comment and I’m sure you’ll get an answer – even if only from me!
Here in Cobweb Towers … it’s been a little cooler the last two days, and we’ve had some rain! [doing a BIG happy dance here!]. Finally the sun has given us a couple of days break and sleep has been much more comfortable for the last two nights. Such a blessing. I know that Dorset holiday makers won’t be finding it a blessing, but we very much-needed some cool weather for a while and the gardens desperately needed some rainwater.
All that’s left for me to say is that I hope your Monday was a decent one, and I wish you terrific Tuesday. May your day tomorrow begin with a smile and end with one, and may the hours in between have smiles shared and dotted throughout the day.
Sending squidges, from me in my corner, to you in yours.
Oh yes. you read it right. What you’re looking at really is Goblin Snot!
Now that I have your full attention, 😀 I would like to introduce you to a few items of produce and products that can be found in the Land of the Fae (Fairies) – but only if you’re observant; careful; quick; ready with your collecting jar, … and . . . only if you truly, TRULY believe.
And, of course, you need to know what you’re looking for.
a handful of ‘products’ available in and from the Land of the Fae (Fairies)
Amongst many other things, you can find:
Kisses of Mushrooms.
Thumbelina Thimbles
Freshly Picked Goblin Snot
Wild Harvested Gnome Whiskers
Organic Dragon Soot.
Let’s deal with the Freshly Picked Goblin Snot first, shall we? . . .
Now fresh Goblin Snot is a rare find indeed. One has to be as quick as flash, as sly as a fox and as clever as an owl. You have to sit about, in long grass, being very, very quiet, for quite a long time, waiting . . . waiting . . . w.a.i.t.i.n.g. … until – – – you hear that distinctive rustle of little chubby Goblin feet, accompanied by the sound of …. “ah, ah AHhhhh…. CHOOOO!” (followed by a lot of snorting, sniffing and grunting).
Now it’s exactly one second before the “CHOOOO!” part of the sneeze that you have to be super fast and get your snot collecting jar in place and ready to catch the desired, much prized, JUICE!
If you’re really lucky your JUICE might even contain ‘things’ which you might not recognise, but they’ll be the sniffed up ‘stuff’ such as pollen, leaves, grass, and all sorts of oddities from the woodland carpet of Fairy Land.
Now you’re probably asking yourself why anyone would want to collect Goblin Snot, and the answer is as wild as you might expect. You see … Goblin Snot is magical stuff. A tiny amount, onto the tip of your finger, will open ANY door. If you wanted to go and see inside Buckingham Palace, then Goblin Snot would open not only the big gates at the front, but it would also open all of the locked doors you need to get through in order to go and see the Queen herself. Or perhaps you’d like to get into The Whitehouse, or how about going midnight shopping in Tiffany’s?
Well if midnight shopping in Tiffany’s or a bank vault is your pleasure, then you’ll also need …. Organic Dragon Soot.
Organic, Wild Harvested, Dragon Soot!
FindingOrganic Dragon Sootis indeed a moment of pure magic in itself. It’s so easy to miss it. I mean to say …. would you notice extra-fine soot on the floor of a Woodland area? Probably not. So to come across it and manage to collect it up before it magically disappears is a real stroke of good luck!
Why would you need Organic Dragon Soot from Fairy Land?Well . . .
One tiny pinch of Organic Dragon Soot sprinkled over your head, will turn you invisible for precisely one hour. Not a minute less, not a minute more. One Hour! Think of all the things you could do in an hour, if you were invisible. [GASP!] Oh, you little rascal! I can see your mind working from here!FORT KNOX? Good grief, you think BIG! Well, if you bagged yourself some Fresh Goblin Snotto open the doors, whilst invisible from using the Dragon Soot, I guess that even Fort Knox wouldn’t be that much of a challenge!
Next on our shopping list is . . . Wild Harvested Gnome Whiskers.
Now these are a tricky one to obtain, for you first have to find your Wild Gnome. A Wild Gnomes whiskers are stiff and prickly. They’re not the soft, white, fluffy, cloud-like whiskers you see on Garden Gnomes. Wild Gnomesare protectors. They protect the perimeters of their particular area in Fairy Land. These particular Wild Harvested Gnome Whiskers were carefully and quietly collected from a Wild Gnome who was taking a warm afternoons snooze, lent against a tree in Freckled Mushroom Wood and snoring his head off.
With the help of someDragon Sootto make me invisible, I crept up and with my manicure scissors, I snipped a few of his whiskers and popped them into a collecting jar.
Wild Gnome Whiskers are a great addition to your potions closet because:
They offer protection – much like putting on a suit of armour. All you have to do is crush and grind the whiskers using a Pestle and Mortar. Once all powdered down, you then add one tiny pinch of powdered Acorn Cup, and one Fairy Spoon of mashed Mushroom Cap from the wood where you gathered your Gnome Whiskers. Mix it till you have a paste, and then put a tiny dab onto the middle finger of your right hand. You will, within minutes have an invisible suit of armour. You could be a Super Hero …. but beware … you won’t be able to fly! (After all …. you’re not a Fairy and you don’t have Fairy Wings!)
Next on this Fairy Shopping List are …. Thumbelina Thimbles.
You’ve no doubt heard the story ofThumbelina and how she was very tiny. Well in Fairy Land, Thimbles are highly prized. They aren’t just used for protecting your fingers when sewing, but they are a symbol of affection. They are the Fairy equivalent of a Kiss.
Peter Pan, when Wendy Darling said she would give him a kiss, held out his hand to receive this gift. He thought ‘a kiss’ was the thimble which Wendy had in her hand. Wendy gave him the thimble, and from that moment on, thimbles became ‘kisses’ in the Land of the Fae.
Why would you needThumbelina Thimbles?Well …. they don’t offer you anything other than the magic of love and affection. They bring warmth into your life and a warm smile to your face when you look at them. Just holding a tube of them in your hand can give you a warm feeling deep inside. Right in the middle of your body.
Thumbelina’s Thimbles are made especially for Fairies (and of course for Thumbelina herself) by the Head of the Sewing Department, in Fairy Land.
I’m very privileged to know his name. Come closer …. I shall whisper it to you …. The Head of the Sewing Department in Fairy Land isFineous Wizzigig. But shhh… don’t tell anyone because it’s a secret – shared only between you and I!
If you look carefully in a Fairy Wood where you live(if you can find one) you might just find someThumbelina Thimbles.They are left by the young, giggly little Fairies, for the human folks to find. It’s their way of passing on a kiss, from one realm to another.
And finally . . . you’ve seen in some of the photographs here, a ‘Kiss of Mushrooms‘. Another gift from Fairy Land, for Humans to find.
AKiss of Mushroomsis something that the Fairies hope you will keep, for the spotted mushrooms are a bringer of love and luck.
I found this one last week and have mounted this Kiss of Mushrooms on a wooden block, painted red, and there it will live for ever more. A very lucky find, indeed!
❤ ❤ ❤
Thank you so much for coming and sharing these wonderments found in my little bag, after a mid afternoon trip to Freckled Mushroom Wood. There was no need today for my Fairy Net, for I captured things that needed no net – but I always take it with me – just in case. Who knows when I’m going to need it!
I hope your Monday began with a stretch and a yawn, and that from there it just got better and better. If it didn’t… leave any troubles at the door (outside the door) and allow nature to take care of your Monday troubles. Tomorrow is another day. A gift, for you to choose how you want to spend it. Grumpy, cross, annoyed. Or …. happy, smiling and with love in your heart.
Have a wonderful tomorrow my friends.
Please note: The stories, tales and narrative, and tales of fantasy and fable were written by me and belong to me. Therefore copyright begins here. Cobwebs. 23/7/2018
The Art of Cobwebs 