You're Invited....

"A board, propped on two blocks of wood, stood in the middle of the walk, covered with a little plaid shawl much the worse for wear, and on it a miniature tea service was set forth with great elegance.  To be sure, the tea-pot had lost its spout, the cream-jug its handle, the sugar-bowl its cover, and the cups and plates were all more or less cracked or nicked; but polite persons would not take notice of these trifling deficiencies, and none but polite persons were invited to this party.

On either side of the porch was a seat, and here a somewhat remarkable sight would have been revealed to any inquisitive eye peering through the aforesaid keyhole.  Upon the left-hand seat lay seven dolls, upon the right-hand seat lay six; and so varied were the expressions of their countenances, owing to fractures, dirt, age, and other afflictions, that one would very naturally have thought this a doll's hospital, and these the patients waiting for their tea.

This, however, would have been a sad mistake; for if the wind had lifted the coverings, it would have disclosed the fact that all were in full dress, and merely reposing before the feast should begin."

- Louisa May Alcott, Under the Lilacs

 

With the arrival of this invitation, the girls ran about the house in disarray with excitement and glee.

One found undies, one found none.  One shoe on, one shoe off.

One found a pretty shawl, another found pearls.

What excitement rings throughout the house as these ladies prepare for a party!

Flowers for Emma

"Will there be flowers and sunshine where I am going?", she asks me.  I tell her that I'm not sure..."it depends on where you are going."  I reassure her that no matter where it will be she is sure to love it when she gets there.

Emma-1.jpg

"Can you make me a pretty dress for my journey?  Something filled with the color of a flower I love and something filled with sunshine and summer."

"What is the flower that you love?", I ask.

"The peony....pink."

So, I made her a yellow polka-dotted dress filled with flowers and sunshine.  And for her lovely hair I made her a peony...in pink.

"How about shoes, mum?  Can you make me something with more flowers.  Make them really comfortable because it might be a long journey and my soft feet will need comfort." 

"Darling, I can make the most comfortable and pretty shoes for you to travel in.  How about wool felt slip-on shoes with a yellow peony and an infinity stem?"

"I like," she says so simply.

"Are you nervous?...about your journey?", I ask her.  She doesn't respond.  She just looks out into the world lost in thought. 

You see, our little Emma is not so much of the worldly type.  She's a bit of a homebody.  What she loves most is flowers in her garden. 

When she's not in her garden, she's in our library pouring over books about flowers and other things of the natural world.  As to be expected of all young children this age, when she loves something, she really loves something...almost an obsession really.

"Mum......one more thing....can you make me flowers to carry along on my journey?  I'd like to bring them...as a gift and as a piece of memory for me."

How sad that made me feel to hear those words...a hint of departure...the bitter sweet emotion of a child leaving home, especially one who has never gone into the world.  But, as all parents must do...we let them go so that they may grow and learn and discover all the beauty that is theirs to enjoy and experience.  And so, I made her one last request....a lovely bouquet of flowers in a basket.  These are flowers for Emma.

Emma is a 14" doll, made with natural materials and one-of-a-kind.  She is made with premium quality cotton jersey imported from the Netherlands and firmly stuffed with bio-wool.  Her seams are sewn twice for reinforcement.  Her hair is made of wispy natural mohair yarn.  She has an embroidered and simple, expressionless face.  Her cheeks and nose are blushed with red beeswax.  She is a sitting doll with sewn joints that are made flexible for easy movement and changing of clothes.  She has a sweet belly button and cute little ears. 

She comes wearing a cotton dress that opens and closes fully on the back with snap-on buttons.  The dress collar is lined with bias and her sleeves are cuffed and puffed.  There are two decorative wooden flower buttons sewn onto the front of her dress.  She has on lovely yellow wool felt shoes lined with printed cotton fabric that matches her dress.  There is an adorable french poufed flower, stem and leaf design on the shoes.  Her headband is made of a light cotton twill.  Attached to it is a french poufed flower made of cotton knit.  Her flower bouquet is made of a variety of cotton fabrics.  The stems are made of floral wire glued in place by a piece of wool felt.  Her bouquet is tied with a beautiful moss green ribbon and comes with a basket made with dried twigs and floral wire wrapped in paper for the handle.  Please note that the bouquet is not a toy.  It is made of floral wire that is not covered on the ends.  It is meant as decoration only and advised to be treated as such.

Emma is recommended for ages 5+ due to the delicate nature of her design and the small parts on her.  If you are interested in bringing Emma home and giving her a warm and nurturing environment by which she can enjoy flower gardens and books, she is now available for purchase through the Etsy shop.

If you are interested in purchasing Emma via the website, please complete and submit the form below.  Her price is $165 USD.  Purchases made through Scarlet Elfcup's website will be invoiced by PayPal and shipping fees will be waived.  Payment should be paid and cleared within 3 days of purchase.

Form has been deleted.  Emma has found a very loving home to go to.  Thank you.

His Name is Tootles and Hers...Pinker Bell

Very recently I got around to reading Peter Pan and Wendy by J.M. Barrie.  This is the original Peter Pan story.  We do not speak of Disney's contorted version, which, sadly was the only version I ever knew of growing up.  Now, as an adult and a mother I have a new found interest in many children's literature that I was never exposed to as a child.  And what a beautiful and wonderful world it has been to delve back into childhood and experience it anew with all these amazing children's stories and books.

Tootles is inspired by my recent reading of J.M. Barrie's work and Pinker Bell is contrived from my own imagination and intermingling with the story.

Tootles is one of the Lost Boys in J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan and Wendy.  He is the most unfortunate and humblest of the Lost Boys, because "the big things" and adventures happen while "he has stepped round the corner".  This, however, has not soured him.  Instead it has sweetened his nature.  He is the one who shoots Wendy in the heart with a bow and arrow after Tinker Bell (who was bent on mischief on the first night that she returned to Neverland) tells the Lost Boys that Wendy is a bird that Peter Pan wants killed.  When Tootles realizes his mistake, he asks Peter Pan to kill him.  Wendy however survives, and Tootles is spared.  Though "he is clumsy and silly," Tootles is the first to defend Wendy when she wants to return home.  When Peter Pan takes possession of "The Jolly Roger", Captain Hook's pirate ship, Tootles takes Smee's place as boatswain.  At the end of the novel, Tootles along with the rest of the Lost Boys choose to return to London with Wendy.  Tootles eventually grows up to become a judge.

Tootles chooses to return to London with Wendy so that he may become a real boy who eventually grows up.  But, in his heart, he will always be a Lost Boy from Neverland.  After settling home, Wendy and Mrs. Darling (Wendy's mother) tried to teach the Lost Boys the way of the civilized world.  Mrs. Darling had tailored some nice clothes for the boys to wear.  After being cajoled into sporting a civilized look, Tootles decided he wanted nothing to do with nice clothing and all the fancy-schmancies.  All he wanted was to be himself....sporting his old clothes and walking around barefooted.  As a result, Wendy and Mrs. Darling could not do much more to force him into anything he didn't want to do.  So, he stayed as he was.

In Neverland, the Lost Boys "are forbidden by Peter Pan to look in the least like him."  They are not to be named with a real boy's name like him.  And there are so many other rules set by Peter Pan that forbid them many things.  However, one thing they are free to do is intermingle with fairies.  Sometimes, they may even have a fairy of their own, just like Peter Pan.  As such, it turns out that Tootles has his own fairy and her name is Pinker Bell.

Pinker Bell, as you can plainly see, is Pinker Bell because of her lovely pink hair and pink fairy wings.  She is the only one of her kind, which makes her unique and distinguished from all the other fairies.  Unlike Tinker Bell, who is haughty, hot-tempered, ill-mannered and plain grumpy and jealous, Pinker Bell has a much more pleasant and easy-going personality.  She is often quiet, yet very protective of Tootles.  She is not pretentious, but quite humble.  She is lovely and awkward and silly just like Tootles, which is why she happens to be Tootles' fairy.

Just as you find Tinker Bell is always around the corner to protect and defend Peter Pan, Pinker Bell too will never be found wandering very far from Tootles.  The two are quite inseparable.

Tootles is a 13" doll, made with natural materials and he is a one-of-a-kind creation.  He is made with premium quality swiss cotton interlock and firmly stuffed with bio-wool.  His seams are sewn twice for reinforcement.  His hair is made of mohair yarn.  He has an embroidered and simple, expressionless face.  His cheeks and nose are blushed with red beeswax.  He is a sitting doll with legs that are sewn with lengthy fabric joints which allows full range motion for easy changing of clothes or for playful sitting positions.  He has a sweet belly button and cute little ears. 

Tootles comes with a simple white cotton knit top and striped cotton shorts with patches sewn on.  He also has a beaded necklace made with amber wood.  He comes with a faux fur hat lined with sewn-on felt.

Pinker Bell is made from Scarlet Elfcup's Gardien pattern.  She is about 5" long.  She is made with swiss cotton jersey and stuffed with bio-wool.  Pinker Bell is stuffed less firmly than Tootles due to the miniscule nature of her pattern and size.  She has pink mohair yarn for her hair and an embroidered face.  She comes wearing a light cotton fabric dress, roughly cut and crinkled to produce a woodsie effect.  The raw edges are carefully razor-cut.  The dress is sewn with a cotton trim for the A-line and straps and closes in the front with a nickel-free snap.  Pinker Bell has fairy wings made of fusible web needle felted with wool roving and shaped with floral wire.  The wings are sewn onto her dress strap with live wires tucked away.  Pinker Bell's dress/wings are delicate and require gentle handling.

Tootles and Pinker Bell come as a set.  They are recommended for ages 5+ due to the delicate nature of their design and the small parts on them.  I have enjoyed creating these two in the hopes that they will find their way to a home where they can begin to weave lots of enchantment, imaginative play and memories for the wonderful years of childhood...or if you are like me...for the wonderful years of child-at-heart-hood.

Tootles and Pinker Bell are now available for purchase in the Etsy shop. 

If you are interested in purchasing Tootles and Pinker Bell via the website, please complete and submit the form below.  Their price is $155 USD.  Purchases made through Scarlet Elfcup's website will be invoiced by PayPal and shipping fees will be waived.

Form has been deleted.  Tootles and Pinker Bell have found a home.  Thank you.

 

Does Anybody Know Who Belongs to This Boy?

He is one who fell out of his perambulator and hence declared forever "lost."  He represents only a sort of a passed baby and therefore goes to live in Neverland for all time....until Wendy came along.

Rather than be given an actual name, he is called by epithet because by the natural law of Neverland he is not allowed to be anything like Peter.

He has a sweet demeanor, beautiful curly brown locks, deep dark round eyes and a nose and ears cute as a button.

When Peter returned to Neverland with the children, this particular boy was the first to pass before their eyes as things went round and round in the absence of Peter.  "He is not the least brave but the most unfortunate of all that gallant band.  He had been in fewer adventures than any of them, because the big things constantly happened just when he had stepped round the corner; all would be quiet, he would take the opportunity of going off to gather a few sticks for firewood, and then when he returned the others would be sweeping up the blood.  This ill-luck had given a gentle melancholy to his countenance, but instead of souring his nature had sweetened it, so that he was quite the humblest of them all."

                                                                                    - J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan and Wendy

Often times when he is off gathering sticks for firewood he would get distracted by the adventures a particular tree might offer or he would take pause to sit under a rock and just feel the breeze.  His relaxed manner is partly why he often misses the bigger adventures experienced by all the other boys.

Like all boys who live in nature, he likes to be without clothing.  Barefooted, bare breast and free is how he likes to be...just as he was when he fell out of the perambulator and into Neverland. 

With time, he had concocted some ideas about clothing because in his preconscience he is after all a boy with a mother.  So, he found some clothes that he borrowed from a pirate and pieced together a suit that he thinks his mother would approve of...that is...the mother that he sometimes wished he had.  His clothing was quite tattered and dirty when Wendy found him.  But, she quickly washed them clean and patched them up so that he might sport a somewhat civilized look.

Do you know this boy's name?  If so, could you please tell me because I would love to return him to a mother who will take him away from Neverland so that he might be raised in a safe, loving and nurturing environment and grow up to be a judge or something professional....only if this is what he wishes for.  But, we don't know if this will be his choice.