Another year passes and a new year is here to offer things that have never been as well as things that are ever lasting. For us, awaiting the return of the monarch butterflies is one of those annual traditions. The monarch butterfly's migration to their roosting trees occur at the start of Fall. By November/December they are settled for overwintering in their new homes. In Northern California there are a few public places to go see this amazing phenomenon. Because Fall to the end of December is often much too hectic for us, we go visit the monarch roosting site in January. And oh!!!....the magic that beholds the eye!!!
See for yourself in the slideshow below. These are from photos I took one year on one of our visits to a local farm where the beauties were roosting for the winter. Is it not one of the most amazing pieces of work that nature has created?
Now...without further ado....let me introduce to you little Miss Amber Jewelle...inspired entirely by what I could not get off my mind in recent days as we look forward to our upcoming visit with the monarchs.
AMBER JEWELLE: 'orange beauty'
Amber Jewelle is part of a project I started in the summer of 2016 called 'A Meeting in the Woods'...a collection of tiny woodland creatures meant to come to life all at once.
However, time could not afford me the luxury to bring them to life all in one swoop. So, they have been trickling out of the woodlands slowly one by one in the past several months.
First and one of my favorites was Morselfina...created in August of 2016. Morselfina was the wee-fairy keeper of Morpho Peleideis (the blue morpho butterfly).
Then, in September 2016 came Aurora of Cithaerias Aurorina (the amazing glass butterfly)...another personal favorite. Aurora was a custom created for a dear friend. Aurora was also actually the catalyst...the great inspiration behind the creation of 'A Meeting in the Woods.'
And now...I present to you...the third of 10 from 'The Meeting in the Woods' Collection....Amber Jewelle...Bringer of Danaus Plexippus (the magical Monarch butterfly).
Amber Jewelle...she is made from 100% cotton interlock. She stands a whoppin 6 inches tall. Her face is lightly sculpted and facial features embroidered with cotton floss. Her eyes are that of a beautiful teal blue that matches a few shades in her dress. Amber Jewelle's carrot colored hair mimics the colors of the monarch and is created from mohair yarn crocheted into a wig and stitched securely to her head. Amber Jewelle is a sitting doll detailed with belly button and bum.
Amber Jewelle comes cloaked with an oversized cape and bearing a basket of tiny Monarch butterflies cut from 100% cotton. Her cape, sprinkled with bits of Monarch, is cut from 100% cotton and lined with a beautiful Liberty of London floral print. The confetti of Monarchs is individually stitched to the cloak as well as to her basket. Amber Jewelle's basket of butterflies is hand knit by me using a Kakishibu (persimmon) dyed 100% silk yarn.
Underneath the masking of the cloak, Amber Jewelle wears a delicate peasant style dress made with vintage 100% French cotton trim, Liberty of London fabric and the lightest shade of pink tulle. The dress opens fully on the back with two nickel-plated snap buttons. Underneath, she sports a pair of bloomers matching her Liberty dress.
Lastly, her tiny toes are covered with an itty-bitty pair of hand knit slippers made from 100% alpaca yarn.
For our lucky winner....Becky!....presenting Scarlet Elfcup's first creation of 2017! Congratulations, Becky! Thank you so much to all who participated in Dollectable's annual giveaway. Thank you to all who were the brave souls to enter your name into a surprise drawing. And thank you all for entering your name for a Scarlet Elfcup creation. Sending you all big hugs and best wishes for a fantastic 2017!!!
