The Copper Topped Lavender Mob

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.  

Much love and and a bunch of squidges ~ 

 

 

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Fairy Footprints Card ~ Fairy Cottage Pot ~ Birthday Giveaway Winners!

Thank you so much to all who entered this Birthday Giveaway in my  last post.  I love Giveaways any day of the week or time of the year, but this one was extra special for me because it was my Birthday, and so a chance to have some extra fun with some of my blogging friends.

On offer in this latest Giveaway were two items.  A Fairy Footprints Card, and a Fairy Cottage Pot.  The photographs I shared with you in the post didn’t do either of the items any justice what-so-ever.

The card is something that even I couldn’t stop looking at.  It’s filled with so much magical wonderment and sparkle.  Oh, and I totally forgot to say in my last post:

• Those fairy footprints weren’t made using a stamp; nor an impress of feet shaped tool;  nor a leather press tool or anything like that.  No footprint  ‘tool’  or  ‘implement’  nor mould of any sort made those footprints.  Cross my heart.  Pinky finger truth.  I truthfully state that NO FOOTPRINT TOOL OF ANY DESCRIPTION MADE THOSE FOOTPRINTS.

The tiny Fairy Cottage Pot looks way prettier in real life too – but because I tried to get close up shots of the Pot, it made it appear bigger and somehow lacking.  Where-as in real life, it’s very much a cute, tiny little thing of charm and sweetness, which makes you smile when holding it between your fingers.

ANYHOO …  you’re here to find out who won, and I’m here to tell you.

All entrants were allotted a number to their name, in the order of entry:

1. BCParkison
2. Susieshy
3. Soozyb2013 (Soozy, sadly, doesn’t have a blog so I can’t link to it)
4. Samanthamurdoch
5. Dinosaursdonkeysandms
6. Invisibly Me
7. Paula @ Spin a Yarn
8. Rabbitpatchdiary.com
9. Chicken Grandma
10. Nancee56

Because there are two items up for grabs, I explained in my last post:

• On the day of the Random Number Generator being asked to pick the winners, the FIRST number generated, will be the winner who will get the chance to choose which Fairy related give-a-way they would like to receive.
• The SECOND number generated will receive the other Fairy give-a-way.

So, with no further ado I’m thrilled to announce that. . . 

The FIRST number chosen, and so is in the position of choosing which Fairy item she would like to choose,  is:

. . .  Number 3 – and this number belongs to  SOOZYB2013

Soozyb …  because you don’t have a blog, I’ll try to contact you via the email address which is logged into the system every time you comment.

• In an effort to be fair and not keep winner #2 waiting for their prize gift:-   If I don’t hear from Soozyb by Friday 10th August, (next Friday) then I shall pass on the choice of item to winner No.2 so that they can choose which gift they’d like, and Soozyb will be in receipt of which ever Fairy item is left,  –  once I get her address to send the item to.

The SECOND winning number chosen by The Random Number Generator is:-

. . .  Number 1 – and this number belongs to:  BCParkison!

Who I think we all know as Bev.

Bev . . . As soon as I hear from Soozyb,  I’ll drop you a note and let you know what your Winning Gift is (unless you’d rather have a surprise)  – OR – if I don’t hear from Soozy by next Friday, I’ll drop you a note asking you to choose your Winning Gift from this Giveaway.

Many, many thanks to everyone for joining in.  Giveaways add a little fun to everyday life, and makes days ‘glisten’ just that little bit more  ~  especially when we perhaps need a bit of a glisten.

Thank you also for joining me on this beautiful (if rather too warm) Sunday.  I hope your day passes brightly and that, at the end of it,  you feel contentment wash over you.

A few gremlins may have grizzled into your moments – but that happens to us all, so never feel you’re alone in that.  The trick with these gremlins is to never give them the power over your moods, and don’t allow them to hang around either.  Kick them out.  Open the door and demand they leave.  My dear friends, you have no room in your life for gremlins.  Don’t give them room.

Stay as awesome are you are, and  –  aim for contentment.  Once you have that, everything else will magically fall into place.

Heaps of love and squidges, from me in my corner, to you in yours.  ~

 

“Happy Birthday to me, happy Birthday to me…” (well that’s a Give-a-way isn’t it!)

Did I give-a-way that it’s my Birthday today?  [gasp!]   I did?  Well shame on me.  Fancy advertising that you’re a year old than your original 7.5 years older.  Well..  I’m now 7.5 years old and well ….  it’s very strange, but I feel the exact same age as I did yesterday.  Bonus!

Talking of bonus’ . . . I come bearing a celebration of my special day, and, as we all know, a Birthday is a day associated with love and a small gift … or two.  So I’m here doing a Give-a-way to celebrate, open to all my followers.  However, not just one give-a-way,  but TWO!  My Birthday is on the 2nd so I thought that it being a 2, we should have a double Give-a-way.

BLOG POST EDITED: 5th August 2018

The ‘GIVEAWAY’ is now closed to new names being entered into the ‘hat’.  Anyone adding their name from this moment forward is, I’m afraid, too late to be included in the ‘draw’.

  The Winner of the Home Under the Dome will be announced later today; Sunday 5th August 2018.

What’s on offer…

Fairy Footprints on a little card,  and a Fairy Cottage Pot.  Each one of these Fairy goodies is included in this Birthday Giveaway!

 

On offer is what you see in the photograph above.

• One person can win the Fairy Footprints card, –
• and  –  another person can win the Cottage Pot.

 

As you might be able to see in the 2nd of the two photos (just above here) – the Cottage Pot is, in total only just over 2″(two) inches tall.

It’s a micro-sized (real) terracotta pot, in which a tiny Fairy built her home.  Now left behind,  after she found her mate and began a family – and I was lucky enough to be in the right place, at the right time, with my ‘finding eyes’ working so well that I found it!

The tiny little terracotta pot itself measures just three-quarters of an inch!

The Fairy Footprints card . . . well there’s quite a magical story behind that.

I rolled out two sorts of different clay and left it on my desk for just a matter of moments while I went and washed my hands. 

When I came back . . . there were Fairy Footprints all over both of the clays!  From very small to big (‘big’ for a Fairy), but all of them were just breathtaking.  I didn’t want to destroy the clay (obviously) but couldn’t leave it all in a ‘slab’ – as that would have been too difficult to store carefully.  So … I carefully cut the footprints out and set them aside for them to dry.  (Hoping that nothing happened to them, nor that the footprints would disappear!)

I coloured the clay so that the footprints showed up clearly…  and decided that I just couldn’t keep them for myself, and had to share.  So I attached one to a little card – (just 11.6cm square, – or roughly 4.5″ inches) and here I am doing a Give-a-way in order to share and celebrate my Birthday.

Now then …. here’s the important bit so pin back your lug holes (ears). . . 

The Give-a-way is open only to followers of the Cobweborium Emporium.

• In order to enter your name for one of these Give-a-ways you MUST  make a comment on this post, and BEGIN YOUR COMMENT WITH THE WORD:  GIVEAWAY.  This is really important because seeing that word right at the beginning of a comment is my way of instantly finding all the people who want to be included.  If it’s not at the start of your comment, then on the day when I’m counting up how many people want to be in with a chance of winning, I just might miss anyone who has put the word in the middle or the end etc.  So please begin your comment with that one word: Giveaway. (thank you!)
• On the day of the Random Number Generator being asked to pick the winners, the FIRST number generated, will be the winner who will get the chance to choose which Fairy related give-a-way they would like to receive.
• The SECOND number generated will receive the other Fairy give-a-way.

And that’s all there is to it. 🙂

BLOG POST EDITED: 5th August 2018

The ‘GIVEAWAY’ is now closed to new names being entered into the ‘hat’.  Anyone adding their name from this moment forward is, I’m afraid, too late to be included in the ‘draw’.

  The Winner of the Home Under the Dome will be announced later today; Sunday 5th August 2018.

But I repeat … this Give-a-way is open only to followers of The Cobweborium Emporium.  This is simply because it makes it fair.

Followers aren’t simply ‘followers’.  These people (and you all know who you are) are wonderful friends who make blogging such a total joy to me.

All that’s left to say is …  don’t forget: GIVEAWAY as your first word  –

But you don’t have to want to be included for a Giveaway,  to comment.

If your comment doesn’t include the magic word, then I will know you don’t feel the need to have another ‘thing’ to care for!  Just come and have a chat in that case.  (You know I love to chat with you! lol.)

Wishing you a bright, blessed Thursday.  May your day be filled with peace and contentment.  Thank you so much for coming and sharing a coffee moment with me. 

Much love ~ 

 

BLOG POST EDITED: 5th August 2018

The ‘GIVEAWAY’ is now closed to new names being entered into the ‘hat’.  Anyone adding their name from this moment forward is, I’m afraid, too late to be included in the ‘draw’.

  The Winner of the Home Under the Dome will be announced later today; Sunday 5th August 2018.

A Home Under the Dome!

When Fairy and Pixie families begin to grow, bigger homes are obviously required.  So they move out of their little cottages and normally the empty little homes will stay empty until another Fairy or Pixie take up residence in the little home.

But sometimes, if they’re very lucky,  a human might come across an empty Fairy home and, providing they’re careful, the human can gently lift the Fairy home from its nesting spot, and carry it home, and keep it safe for ever more.

I bought a whole bundle of these tiny Domes about 9 or so years ago for another ‘tiny’ project that I was doing at the time.  I couldn’t buy just the right amount I needed, as they came as a certain boxed amount (can’t remember how many), so once I’d done the projects I wanted to do, I packed the remaining domes safely in a box and put them away, with the thought that they might come in useful another day.  And, as you can see … they have! 

It was quite difficult to photograph these as the light bounced off the domes.  Too many lights made white dots on the domes, all over the place.  Not enough light and it wouldn’t allow you to see inside the dome properly.  So I hope that the photos I’ve chosen allow you, dear reader, to see into the Homes under the Domes.

Each dome is different from any other, and each dome has its own words or ‘story’ which runs around the base.

All the homes you see inside each individual dome, all come from ‘Freckled Mushrooms Wood’, and the toadstools which accompany them are all collected at the same time as the teeny tiny houses.

In some of the domes there are still signs of evidence of Pixie and Fairy dust, which twinkles madly!

This next dome (below) was a special request from my much-loved Grandson, Little Cobs – who put in an order:  “Can me have one?  Put blue mushrooms in my dome Grammy!” . . . and as any decent Grammy would …  I made sure he got his wish …  but … there was a surprise waiting for him today when he came, after school, for his tea.  Not only did he have a Home in a Dome waiting for him, with blue mushrooms inside it . . .  but his Dome also had a Gnome inside it too!

It just looks like 4 blue Freckled Fairy Mushrooms ….  until you turn the dome . . . 

. . .  and then you find that there’s a little Fairy Gnome, snoozing the day away, under his Freckled Mushroom Cap, and all you can see of him is his fabulous Gnome Nose, his wonderful Gnome feet and his little chubby toes!

And then a further turn of the dome reveals that there, nestled into the Freckled Mushrooms, is a genuine, really real Fairy House.  A ‘Home under the Dome’.

I knew I had to do something with my domes when I came across them a few weeks ago.  I saw them and instantly felt that I’d like to put some ‘Fairy Home’ specimens under them.

If you would like a play with something similar but don’t have the domes, I recommend those little bottles that are available at craft stores and suppliers.  The bottles are way easier to come by than the domes, and they make the most fabulous little ‘Specimen Bottles’.  So sweet, and would be lovely as gifts!

Well that’s me done and dusted with regard to Fairies, Pixies, Gnomes and Homes.

I seem to have been trying to keep the all the plates spinning this week.  I’m not overly fond of weeks like that, as they leave me feeling proper drained.  But  I learned an important lesson this week  …  If I change my password on ANY internet site, then I need to write the darn thing down and keep the note until I’ve finally got the new password lodged inside my one and only brain cell! 

Six times I’ve forgotten the new password I’ve made up for one particular website.  SIX TIMES!   Each time I forget, the website asks me make a new password, and it has to be one I haven’t used before.  Well quite frankly, I’m getting to the point where I think I’ve used all the words available to my brain – so I’d better not forget this latest one, because if I do, I’ll be well and truly stuffed!  I’ve written it down on a post-it note and stuck it to the side of my shelving unit in the craft room.  Please God, don’t let it fall off the unit!

Thank you so much for coming, having a coffee moment with me, and for sharing the Homes under the Domes.  There’ll be more of these coming – as this is something I’m having lots of harmless fun with.  But …  I have been working on something which I originally bought these domes for all those years ago.  So this will be a crafty re-visit to an oldey but goody.  When I’ve finally taken some photo’s of them, I’ll share those with you too.

In the meantime . . .  I wish you a bright and beautiful Thursday.  If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.  It costs nothing, but it makes the world a whole lot better place to be a part of.

Sending much love and plenty of squidges, from me in my corner, to you in yours.  Have a blessed day my friends  ~  

 

Meet: Monsieur et Madame Champignon (or, to you and me, that’s Mr. and Mrs. Mushroom)

Bonjour mes amis!  (translation: ‘Hello my friends’).  Ok, that’s about ‘it’ for my schoolgirl french that I’m going to try to impress you with.

Meet: Monsieur et Madame Champignon,   also known as: Mr. and Mrs. Mushroom . . . .

I’ve been playing with clay again  (in case you hadn’t guessed).  I actually started out with the intention of making some little-whittle mushrooms for another project I have in mind, but by the time I’d got my clay on my desk, modelling tools all lined up (well, ok, thrown in a jumble onto my desk), my water spray bottle,  and the various other bits and bobs which come into play when modelling/sculpting with clay,  the mushrooms had grown in size and character, and fired by a random memory which popped into my head of some grumpy faced mushrooms I’d seen quite a while ago, (link Caroline McFarlane-Watts <—clickable safe link).  Then the idea grew because of a song which was playing on the radio, I began to think I would make some ‘Mushroom Folks’ (as I’ve Christened them), but doing them my style.  Happy and joyous.  And, from that initial thought, Monsieur et Madame Champignon were born.

Please allow me to walk you all around the home, and friends, of the handsome French Chap and his beautiful Parisian wife . . .

Madame Champignon is a well dressed lady, as you would expect, with a swanky french hat complete with snail. And, as you may have noticed, she has the longest of long, silky eyelashes, ruby-red lips and a little rouge to her cheeks.  So Chic!

They sit atop a small mound of grass surrounded by moss – which allows other creatures from Fairy Wood to hide, and they keep the romantic couple company.  There are mice (who love to eat the left over bits of Camembert and Roquefort which picnic makers drop). There are also two slugs, (complete with tentacles) who leave the most delightful shiny trails behind them, and will sometimes have a game of ‘Guess what I’m drawing with my Slime!’ with the Champignons. And of course – there are the two snails, which the the French couple allow to clamber over their hats – although as they climb up to the hats, they do have the tendency to tickle the Monsieur et Madame, and Madame giggles quite audibly. 

Mr. Slug – he’s the bigger, and stronger of the two slugs.

The rear view of Monsieur et Madame Champignon.  If you look carefully you can see a tiny mouse to the left and Mrs. Slug, leaving her slug trail behind her on the right.  (that’s a teeny tiny pine cone behind the Monsieur).

 

Both of the snails which adorn the  Mushroom Caps  Champignons Hats have pink bodies and pearly yellow shells.  Sadly the camera didn’t seem able to pick the colours up.  But it did a half good job in this photo.

The curled and ‘frilly’ bits on both of the mushrooms aren’t mistakes.  They’re the bits you sometimes find on your mushrooms which you buy from the greengrocers or supermarket.

There are other little dints and dents on them both …which are there simply because I looked at some mushrooms in the fridge closely and saw that each one had its own character lines … so the Monsieur et Madame have their own dints and dents to add character too. (They also have ‘dirt’ marks –  as you would expect!)  😀

The Monsieur has a lip …. and a half!  As I was creating him I began to think of fabulous French men who I knew from movies … and the one which reigned supreme was Maurice Chevalier, who my mother was all dreamy and doe eyed about.  Inside my head I could see how he used to extend his lower lip, and from there …. Monsieur’s own lip developed.

I’ve been told that Monsieur Champignon calls his wife  “My sweet, my darling, my one true love!”.  ❤  Somehow, I feel that this is probably true, for he looks like he would,  don’t you agree?

The whole scene is set upon a small piece of slate

I had SO much fun making this happy couple of romantics and all the way through the creating process, I kept on singing ‘I Remember it Well’ – sung by Maurice Chevalier and Hermione Gingold in the fabulous film:  Gigi . . .  eventually I went to YouTube and found it, and played it while I was sat at my desk, so that I could be reminded of the words.  I share it with you here:

Thank you so much for coming and sharing a coffee moment with me, and to meet Mr. & Mrs. Mushroom.  I hope you liked them, and that you got a smile from them.

I love to know that you’ve visited, so please do let yourself be known and leave a comment and / or a like if you’re a little shy.  (But don’t be shy … we’re all really lovely people here on this blog).

Wishing you a truly magical Monday.  May the weather be calm and beautiful where you are.  May life be treating you kindly … and may you find contentment hidden in the folds of the hours as they pass by.

Much love to you, from me in my corner, to you in yours  . . .  have a blessed rest of your day my friends!