THE CASE OF THE SPILT SEQUINS !

 DEAR FAIRY FOLLOWERS,  Welcome to my new look blog !

Here at Betty's Cottage we have decided to shake things up a bit and tell a few more stories about  life here ... you may think you would like to live in a house full of fairies but it has it's ups and downs just like normal life - for these little folk are always full of surprises ...

 So , just as I was thinking of this shake up , as if by fairy telepathy I heard a crash in my garden hidey- hole where I make fairies that are inspired by the creatures around me. There on the floor were hundreds of sequins ( a favourite item for fairies of course as they can't resist anything shiny. ) Anthea was the first to fly in and she decided to just lay there and admire them but luckily for me Feather was next on the scene with her trusty duster and promised to lend a hand.

 Feather is my most expert fairy at dusting and general cleaning , in fact she is in charge of  all the domestic fairies but they were out on a training day so it was just down to us to clear up - as the last thing I needed was dusty sequins , Feather promised to work her fairy magic and make sure that each one was dusted and sparkly fresh and ready to be sewn into a fairy dress, a job I think you'll agree is worthy of a task from a fairy tale !

 For all Fairy Field Guide readers who are wondering why Feather doesn't wear a black and white Domestic Fairy maid's dress you will see that most of her time is spent in dusting the pollen inside flower heads and of course she must be camouflaged at all times.

 But back to the matter in hand - I had been wondering all this time just who had spilt the sparkles in the first place ... Buncle and Lolly below look like butter wouldn't melt in their mouths and they were helpful in gathering up some of the mess into their basket and I didn't like to suspect them but I had remembered seeing some sequins in Lolly's pocket when I washed her apron a few days before ...

 and sure enough later on when all the excitement had died down and all the sequins were ship shape and back in order I found Lolly  asleep in the glitter box with a trail of spangles and sparkles leading me to believe I had found the culprit !
I have decided not to be cross with Lolly ( who is a garden fairy and who along with Buncle keeps the grass and flowers trim and so wears  a cotton dress and apron with only a tiny twinkle on her wings )  but to make her a VERY twinkly party dress for Christmas which should satisfy her love for Sparkle and keep her away from my boxes of shiny things !

Until the next time ...

HAPPY FAIRY SPOTTING ! Love, Betty x

Back to Nature

 Despite the recent deluges , we at Betty's cottage are excited to see the Autumn colour growing all around us and the fairies have started to air their vests and tights in anticipation of the colder weather to come.

 The dried Flower Fairies of Summer have elected to climb into white wooden frames and take a rest over the Winter months as they can't bear to pack away their summer hats and dresses. Miss Honesty
is carrying a sprig of Forget - Me - Nots ... People sometimes ask me if the dried flowers will last and not perish and all I can say is that once they are under glass and properly dried they are much like a watercolour and fine if they are not hung in direct strong light. In fact they should be called Everlasting Fairies. This one has honesty wings, a Hawkweed hat and a Geranium skirt.

 Miss Rosebud is still quite lively even though all her fresh flower sisters have flown away. She sports a  fern 'feather' in her hat and a pansy centre detail on her rose petal frock.

 Some other Nature fairies have come to overwinter in the glass domes where it is warm and cosy and where they can be admired from all angles ( and all fairies love to be admired ! )... Miss Dandelion has brought her broom with her ( and a rather large snail. ) She is wearing naturally dyed clothes and stands on an embroidered base. She has been complaining that her hair is rather dry , but it does have twinkles in it. )

 Miss Feather has dried leaf and vintage lace wings and a pheasant feather skirt.

 Miss Ivy is sitting on a Lotus pod ... her skirt is made of silk ivy leaves and black silk net ...

 Her hand dyed sleeves have a look of lichen about them.

 You can see all these fairies in greater detail at MADE 14 this November in Brighton, 21st-23rd .

Just to end on a more colourful note , these Rose Petal fairies are still scampering around the garden proving that Summer is reluctant to leave us .