Secret Garden of Lanterns

Amidst the turmoil and restlessness in the world, it is a lovely idea to stow away in a secret garden of lanterns...to celebrate life, to be in the moment with your best loved ones, your sisters, and to make a wish upon a lantern...A wish for peace, harmony and love amongst all peoples of this Earth.

If you read the previous blog about a Wish Upon a Lantern, you'll know that this is a sequel to the story of the three sisters of the Orient.

The creation of sisters, Aki and Rantan, was inspired by so many things. Hence, their existence represents and means a lot. All things Japanese were inspired by one little Japanese girl's birthday and a custom doll created just for her as requested by her sweet grandmother. All things lantern were inspired by Southeast Asia's recent celebration of the Autumn Festival (aka Moon Festival).

In 2016, the Mid-Autumn Festival was on September 15. During the festivals, which is to welcome the Autumn, thousands of lanterns are set ablaze floating upward into the moonlit night sky or downward into the ebb of a moonlit river. Traditionally, lanterns signified wishes for health, harmony or longevity. Lantern festivities are a sight to behold and I do dare to dream that one day, I will travel with my children back to my homeland country of Vietnam and experience this magical event with them.

We live in an interesting age. Amidst these times of chaos and uncertainty in the world, there is always a place for hope that humanity can rise out of the smoldering ruins that are caused by hatred and anger and restore unto itself a place filled...

...not with hate, but with love

...not with greed, but with generosity

...not with power, but with empowerment

...not with fear, but with courage

...not with conflict, but with unity...

...A place where people of all colors, all faiths and all backgrounds can be as one and live in harmony. This is the wish from these sisters...their wish upon a lantern...a wish for the world to be at peace with itself.

This month, Aki and Rantan will join Dollectable to represent the group of multi-nationals to promote harmony and peace for all.

AKI

Aki is a 6" Wee-Bee Mini Elfcup. She is made from 100% cotton interlock. Her dark soft locks are made of wefted 100% suri alpaca and can be lightly styled. Her facial structure is lightly sculpted. Her eyes and lips are embroidered with 100% cotton floss. Her cheeks, lips, nose and various body parts are blushed with red beeswax.

Aki comes wearing a wee-tiny kimono made with a beautiful 100% cotton floral fabric and 100% cotton bias at the neckline. The kimono is wrapped at the waist with an obi made from 100% linen and cotton. The obi is secured with two nickel-plated brass snap buttons on the back. Underneath, she wears a set of tiny bloomers matching her kimono. 

On her feet, Aki wears a simple pair of sandals made from a hand-dyed Kakishibu 100% silk yarn crocheted lining and matching fabric straps stitched to soles made of 100% Belgian wool felt.

RANTAN

Rantan is a 6" Wee-Bee Mini Elfcup. She is made from 100% cotton interlock. Her dark soft bobs are made of wefted 100% suri alpaca. Her facial structure is lightly sculpted. Her eyes and lips are embroidered with 100% cotton floss. Her cheeks, lips, nose and various body parts are blushed with red beeswax.

Rantan comes wearing a wee-tiny kimono made with a beautiful 100% cotton floral fabric and 100% cotton bias at the neckline. The kimono is wrapped at the waist with an obi made from 100% cotton. The obi is secured with two nickel-plated brass snap buttons on the back. Underneath, she wears a set of tiny bloomers matching her kimono.

On her feet, Rantan wears a simple pair of sandals made from a hand-dyed Kakishibu 100% silk yarn crocheted lining and matching fabric straps stitched to soles made of 100% Belgian wool felt.

Lastly, and most importantly, both sisters carry a special lantern...for making wishes come true. Their lanterns are made from 100% cotton. Lighting the lanterns from inside is a brand new, tea light wrapped very securely in 100% cotton fabric and 100% Belgian wool felt. A tiny opening is left at the top of the lanterns to switch it on and off. The lanterns' design was inspired by the physalis alkekengi (or Japanese lantern plant) itself. 

Aki and Rantan, two sisters stowing away in a secret garden of lanterns to wish upon the Earth peace and harmony. If you are interested in bringing home the celebration of Autumn, beautiful lantern wishes and a piece of harmony for the world, you can find Aki and Rantan in their secret garden celebrating with all the other friends tonight, October 1, 2016 at 7:00 PM (EST) at Dollectable.

Wish Upon a Lantern

Tsuki turned seven with her best floral kimono, a delicate pink crown, a lovely cream filled cake, surrounded by lanterns amongst the trees and rocks and of course her sisters, Aki and Hozuki. It is almost all that she wished for. The one missing wish...her sobo.

They say that if you miss someone, set a lantern to the sky and let it fly. Then, make a wish upon it and they will hear you.

Tsuki was created for a special little girl who lives in Japan and whose 7th birthday is coming up. Her birthday coincides close to the Mid-Autumn Festival (or Moon Festival) which is celebrated by many Southeast Asian countries and originating mainly from Vietnam and China. In 2016, the Mid-Autumn Festival was on September 15. During the festivals, thousands of lanterns are set ablaze floating upward into the moonlit night sky or downward into the ebb of a moonlit river. Traditionally, lanterns signified wishes for health, harmony or longevity. Lantern festivities are a sight to behold and I do dare to dream that one day, I will travel with my children back to my homeland country of Vietnam and experience this magical event with them.

Tsuki's birthday celebration with sisters Aki and Hozuki and lanterns lit in a secret garden filled with physalis alkekengi (Japanese lantern plant, hozuki) was inspired by the Mid-Autumn Festival.

TSUKI

Tsuki is a 6" Wee-Bee Mini Elfcup. She is made from 100% cotton interlock. Her dark soft locks are made of wefted 100% suri alpaca and braided into two braids secured with thread. Her eyes and lips are embroidered with 100% cotton floss. Her cheeks, lips, nose and various body parts are blushed with 100% red beeswax.

Tsuki comes wearing a wee-tiny kimono made with 100% Liberty of London cotton and 100% cotton bias at the neckline. The kimono is wrapped at the waist with an obi made from 100% linen and cotton. The obi is secured with two nickel-plated brass snap buttons on the back. Underneath, she wears a set of matching bloomers made of 100% Liberty of London cotton. Tsuki's head is graced with a birthday crown made of 100% French cotton lace.

On her feet, Tsuki wears a simple hand crocheted pair of sandals made from a hand-dyed Kakishibu 100% silk yarn.

Tsuki comes bearing a few birthday trinkets. Her delicious cream birthday cake is needle felted from 100% wool roving, decorated with pink ric-rac and topped with a candle made from wire wrapped in thread glowing with a flame made from 100% Belgian wool felt.

For her party decor, she carries a birthday bunting made with bits of 100% cotton and 100% Belgian wool felt secured to red ric-rac.

Lastly, and most importantly, she carries a special birthday lantern...for making wishes come true. Her lantern is made from 100% Liberty of London cotton. Lighting the lantern from inside is a brand new, tea light wrapped very securely in 100% cotton fabric and 100% Belgian wool felt. A tiny opening is left at the top of the lantern to switch it on and off.

The lantern design was inspired by the physalis alkekengi itself. Tsuki's lantern is especially wrapped in a floral Liberty with pink flowers for pink is her signature color.

For a grand daughter and her grandmother...over seas and over oceans, may not distance or time hold apart your hearts. Happy happy birthday, dear little E!

Aurora

Aurora...as in Cithaerias aurorina...one of my favorite types of butterflies...the glass-winged butterfly. So lucid, yet so transparent, ethereal, delicate, light and fluttery yet so magnificent...truly a gift from Mother Nature herself.

Aurora is her name and her very being was inspired by the one and only Cithaerias aurorina, a sub-species of Cithaerias phantoma (a blushing phantom, glass-winged butterfly)...so tender a piece of glass that beholds our realm of nature.

Aurora is a custom creation for a wonderful lady I met over a year ago through Scarlet Elfcup. From the moment I met T, her candidness, her sensitive soul, her passionate spirit and her inner strength shone through immediately. The first custom creation I made for her inspired me to step beyond my boundaries and push for making something very different and more challenging than anything I had made up to that point. As a result, a sweet Valentina and her ballerina were born. In the ballerina was the tiniest doll (a mere 3 inches tall) I had ever created and the most different...clothing made from embroidery thread and hair needle felted from wool roving. I do so love that little ballerina and her Valentina up to this day. But, what is most important to point out was that this creation was inspired by hardship in T's life at that time. Yet, the theme of the creation was really focused much on love and hope. 

Once again, as T came back to request a second custom this year, I was delighted and excited to make something for her which would represent the changes that we all face in life. For those of us who are mothers, that change comes with the tide and rude awakening of children who are heading off and away from the nest. As a mother, my heart is heavy with sympathy for all mothers who come face to face with this moment in life. My very own two little hearts are still very much at home. And even so, this year, my first went off to kindergarten and I tell you I've been a wreck for the past week. It's as if life as I knew it...the days of napping together, the days of waking up with no schedule, the days of staying inside under my wings where I know I can keep them close and safe...those days have ended so abruptly, leaving me to wonder how it had happened with the blink of an eye. So, I can't really fathom what it feels like to face the reality of your hearts packing up their belongings and going off to college...away...far off, out of sight, out of a hug's reach....a constant wondering of 'are they ok'....and now, how in the world do we face the empty house that we must go back to, the empty bedroom that used to be filled with laughs, cries, chatter, giggles, noise...a space that once was filled with our hearts floating all about is now a space that is filled with the dreadful sound of silence. I'll tell you how...with great inner strength that we did not know existed until that moment when we need it most. Because, in truth, we know deep in our hearts that we must let them go in order for them to change and transform into the fully grown and beautiful human being that they were meant to be. The metaphor for this change lies in the very essential stage of metamorphosis for the caterpillar into butterfly. As such, when T and I talked about the creation in the Spring, we agreed that the butterfly would be the perfect representation. And hence, butterflies have been floating about my house for months now. And how lovely it has been.

Similar to the previous custom that I created for T, she allowed me a great amount of freedom to create whatever my heart desired. However, I'll tell you that with such freedom, my heart tends to run wild or my mind seeks for such perfection that it stalls the process. When this happens, I have to remind myself to let go of perfection because it doesn't exist and to reign in the imagination for when it goes wild, focus is gone. So, when I do this, often times, I get a bit lost for a while because there is no 'ideal' to grasp for. It is when I must sit on my hands, quiet my mind and calm my heart and then listen real close. It is when I must let all the expectations go and let things take it's own course. And always, in this moment, it is when the hands are able to move more easily into making and then things begin to flow more naturally in the process of creation. Unfortunately, this isn't a process that happens overnight, which is why I've just now completed a custom that was allotted for completion in April. I will tell you that every step of the process is an intentional decision making process and there are no accidentals in the making of a custom creation.

The Blushing Phantom (Cithaerias phantoma) was chosen for this custom because of it's ethereal, delicate, blush pink, transparent wings....all the characteristics that are nothing short of heavenly. 

Aurora is created from Scarlet Elfcup's 8" Le Petite Elfcup doll pattern. She is made with all natural materials. Her doll skin is made with 100% cotton interlock imported from the Netherlands. She is firmly stuffed with bio-wool made in the USA.  Her seams are sewn twice for reinforcement.  She has embroidered facial features. Her facial structure is lightly sculpted giving her a sweet little face with round chubby cheeks and deeper set eyes. Her nose, cheeks and various body parts are blushed with red beeswax.  Aurora's beautiful locks are made of 100% suri alpaca. She is a sitting doll.  She also has a belly button and a bum.

Aurora comes wearing a fairy princess dress made from the most delicate fibers and colors. The dress is lined with a 100% rose cotton fabric and layered on top with tulle and the most delicate and pretty vintage lace trim made of 100% French cotton. It opens fully on the back with nickel-plated brass snaps. Underneath her fairy dress she wears a pair of cotton bloomers made from a matching cotton fabric.

Aurora is wrapped on head and toes with hand knitted cap and tiny shoes made from a 100% mohair/silk yarn...light, fluffy and delicate.

Aurora's wing was a piece of work that took over 20 hours to complete. In order to produce transparency, her wings were hand embroidered over tulle...a most treacherous and thrilling journey, I tell you. The wing is embroidered with hand-dyed 100% silk French-made embroidery thread. The wing is removable by straps made from a 100% cotton vintage lace made in France.  

Aurora...a beautiful and dainty fairy guardian of a delicate and loving soul....one Ms. T. Thank you for coming back into my life and inspiring yet another beautiful creation and mostly for giving me the gift of friendship through sharing both the wonderful parts of life and also the hard and treacherous bits...both of which are beautiful and to be embraced. I am so grateful for your presence and for our paths crossing, not so much in physical nature, but in spirit.

Morselfina

I believe that creativity is a form of energy that is within each of us and we can access it through different means. For me, it comes when I create from the heart, with a playful attitude, experimental mindset, curiosity for what will come through the process and a sense of wonder at the beauty of nature. When I am in this mindset, I lose myself in the process, forget the worries and fears and let the process flow. I know that creativity cannot be forced. It must be allowed to flow and come and go in it's own time.

So what stops the flow? Sometimes, it's perfectionism. When the project I am working on becomes "The Project," some idea that I have to get right at all costs, my thinking becomes clouded and cluttered. I forget to relax, play, and experiment. In these cases, I need to remind myself that perfection does not exist and that what I create can just be 'good'...and 'good' is quite enough. Sometimes, it's expectation. I'll have specific ideas about the type of blog post to create or a certain image to capture. But, on the way, it develops it's own mind and becomes something quite different than what I initially intended. When this happens, I find that I need to just let got and follow the flow. Being rigid never leads to anywhere interesting, so I may as well follow the adventure and figure it out along the way. And this is how the creation of 'A Meeting in the Woods' is manifesting itself.

My intention for 'A Meeting in the Woods' was to present all 10 creatures at once. What I am now finding out is that some of them want to be released sooner than others. Some of them would prefer to be released with a friend or two. And then, some of them tell me they just don't want to come out and play...not now, anyway. Forest beings live by democracy, much like we do. As such, I am obliged to follow their wishes and will now introduce to you a single small fairy by the name of Morselfina.

Morselfina was inspired by my recent obsession with butterflies. It all began with a custom request that started way back in April...and I'll tell you more about this creation when the time is right. Since April, butterflies have been with me all around. They keep coming in different forms...as if to tell me that I need to complete something before I move on from them. At some point this Spring we were gifted a butterfly set to grow and we did. And my children had the most fantastic time letting them fly away at the end of their metamorphosis. Not to mention, the details we learned through the process of growing them from caterpillar to butterfly. Also, in July, my husband gave me one of the loveliest, most beautiful birthday gifts...a set of real, but dead exotic butterflies preserved in a box. From these things, came my need to create butterfly fairies. And Morselfina is the first of them.

Morselfina is a wee-fairy, keeper of Morpho Peleides (the most popular butterfly of all time, the Morpho butterfly). If you have ever seen a migration of butterflies such as that of the Monarchs, then you understand how awe-inspiring it is to see big clusters of butterflies hanging like grapes on a grapevine. It is one of the most amazing and beautiful things you'll see in nature. And it will remind you that there is no art that exceeds that of Mother Nature's. With her as the inspiration, I wanted to create a wee fairy who is tiny, dainty, fun and carries about her head a massive cluster of Morpho Peleides. So, here she is...in all her 6 inches worth of glory....

Morselfina....

Her body is made from 100% cotton interlock. She stands 6 inches tall. She is a sitting doll. Morselfina's hair is made of mohair yarn crocheted into a wig and stitched securely to her head.

Morselfina comes bearing a head full of tiny Morpho butterflies cut from 100% cotton and were individually stitched one-by-one onto her tiny fairy cap made of 100% cotton and lined with the same fabric. The tie on her cap is hand knitted using a mohair and silk yarn.

Morselfina's wings....hand embroidered on 100% cotton fabric, with the finest 100% cotton, hand-dyed embroidery thread made in France...just because I had an itch to hand embroider something beautiful. Did you know that the Morpho butterfly's wings are iridescent and brilliant blue on one side, but patterned with browns and spots on the underside. Hence....double the embroider-thon. Her wings took all of 20 hours to complete. The wings can be put on and taken off of Morselfina and they are attached to her with straps hand knit from a mohair/silk yarn.

Morselfina comes wearing an itty bitty strapless fairy dress made with 100% cotton trim, lined with 100% cotton fabric under the tulle and a tiny flower stitched to her dress and made from tiny wood beads. Underneath, she wears a set of matching bloomers made of 100% cotton.

Finally, her tiny toes are wrapped in tiny shoes hand knit using a 100% alpaca yarn.

Morselfina...a wee fairy keeper of Morpho Peleides...to bring a bit of magic to your day.

Morselfina will be looking for a loving home to flutter to. She'll be waiting in the Dollectable shop tonight, August 1, 2016 starting at 7:00 PM (EST). She'll hang out there for 24 hours. After that you may find her fluttering about in the Etsy shop.

A Meeting in the woods

Over hill, over dale,
Through bush, through brier,
Over park, over pale,
Through flood, through fire!
I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon's sphere;
And I serve the Fairy Queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green;
The cowslips tall her pensioners be;
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours;
In those freckles live their savours;
I must go seek some dewdrops here,
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.

- A Fairy Song, William Shakespeare

It has been a while, hasn't it? Spring sprung off somewhere and here we are amidst a rapidly approaching Summer. In this small corner of the world, life is happening at a fast and furious pace and it makes me yearn for the clock to stall and stand still a minute. For the time being, I am back from travels and adventures with my family. It won't be long before we go again. But, for now, I relish in this time to enjoy some moments with a few woodland friends that I found lying in wait on my work table.

Fairy, fauna or flora...who they be, we shall see. One thing is for sure. They are inspiring the beginning of my very first herbarium. Now, for the magic of letting them tell me how, who, when and where things will go from here. This is the beauty of the creative process that makes the hands and the heart and the soul blissful. I bid you a good weekend filled with rest and relaxation...til we meet again next week.

Rupert and Delia

If you feel up for chasing two wee ones around and trying to get them dressed and off to the outside for running in the rain and hunting for dandelions...read on.

To read more about the inspiration behind the creation of Delia and Rupert, please visit the blog post Raindrops and Dandelions.

Delia and Rupert hope to be home just in time for Mother's Day. If you are interested, they are ready to bring you a bouquet of dandelions. You can find them waiting in the Etsy shop. Thank you for visiting the blog. Have a wonderful evening/day.

Raindrops and Dandelions

Right now, my life is pretty full. It's full of family, full of activities, full of memorable moments, full of inspiration and creativity. My days are filled to the brim with play, music, reading, climbing, house work, laundry, groceries, preschool, family events, schedules. It's full of happy and it's a pretty lucky place to be in. That's not to say that everything is perfect. It's not. Some days can feel very full and it's important for me to take pause and balance the fullness with just being in the moment.

There have been some of the most memorable and happiest times I've had in recent months. Those were the days spent just being with my children...the days of walking in the rain with no purpose except to walk in the rain. In those moments, my children showed me a world filled with the simplest, yet most beautiful delights...hunting for rain puddles, stomping in them, looking deep into reflections, watching for dandelions.

Focusing on the things that make my life full and joyful provides me with all the inspiration for my creative world. So, naturally, from time to time I like to share a glimpse of our life on my blog. Here's to my tiny little man who recently discovered that he loves rain puddles and dandelions and hence brought both worlds of this magic into our lives. Mister Riley is his name. He is a tad over three and his recently developed obsession has taken us outside on all the rainy days to hunt for both puddles and white fluffy wishing wands. Any chance that he gets, he brings home small bouquets of dandelions for me. And through him, I too have taken to an obsession with the magic of raindrops and dandelions.

I am currently working to finish a pair of siblings, inspired by my two very own little hearts...the ones that showed me the way back into the magical world of childhood where small wonders rule the universe. For my little Miss Claire and little Mister Riley, who loves rain and dandelions.

A boy and a girl who carry with them memories of both raindrops and dandelions will come to life in the week ahead. So, stay tuned.

Embracing the Changes in Life

The evolution of life is a remarkable thing! Each and every day experiences shape and mold us into the person we are today. While each experience may or may not be monumental, they all add up to impact and change us in ways we never imagined. The most spectacular and simultaneously the most difficult may be that of parenthood...perhaps, even more specifically, that of motherhood.

Although I don't remember very clearly, as I was recuperating from the intensity of labor during our first child's birth, but, I was told that the first words to come from holding my baby for the first time was, "I never knew this kind of love existed." Those words stand true to this day. There is nothing to compare to the love that we have for our children. And until we have children, we never really know this kind of love...the kind that takes your breathe away each time you hold and hug and kiss the little ones that you love most, the kind that makes you know what it feels like to have your heart walking outside of your body, the kind that makes you marvel at the beauty and magnificence of life as you watch them learn and grow, fumble and fly. Each stage of development brings within us both joy and sadness...joy because they have mastered a skill, an ability, a piece of knowledge that will add to their life long repertoire of tools to becoming a fully independent and functional part of society and sadness because one step forward means one step further away from us they move.

Perhaps what most beautifully encapsulates human growth and development is that which is the butterfly...a life species that starts off slow moving, relatively sedentary, so completely dependent and vulnerable suddenly transforms into one of the most graceful, beautiful, independent and amazing creations on earth. The butterfly, not so unlike us, must be set free so that it can fly and BE beautiful. These creations of nature are very sensitive to changes and will be the first to perish from an imbalanced ecosystem. For what good is a butterfly who is sad and held back from fluttering freely in the wind and the air that breathes into them life.

And so, it is the same with our children. We must, at some point, allow them to fly and be free so that they may shine with all their brightness and beauty. And in turn, they will leave a mark on us that would never have formed if they did not come into our lives. This is called the love of life. So, tell me, do you know of this kind of love? And if you do, you know that embracing the changes in life can mean heartbreak, heartache and everything sorrowful at the same time that it means beautiful, magical and remarkable. These are the sentiments that encapsulate the inspiration for my next custom creation.