Living With Fairies

A Special Day

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 16:42:00 +0000

Dear Fairy Followers,
I noticed that Buncle was out early this morning with her wheelbarrow ...she was hurrying and scurrying ...

collecting daisies...

and Lolly was just as busy cutting roses.

Buncle was spied in the undergrowth amongst the Love - In - The-Mist ( but the mist had all gone as by now it was 8 o'clock) and there was a general air of excitement in the air.

Bees - Wax had ventured out of the house and was dusting the Roses ...

and the fallen petals beneath were gathered up in the fairy baskets. I noticed that Lolly and Buncle's wings were curling up in the heat and made a note to make some heat proof wings for the Summer months.

By mid morning some flower fairy cakes were to be seen on the garden step.

Then I remembered it was Twinkle's Birthday and as the sun was warm we held the celebration outside.

Twinkle , twinkled even more brightly when a gift box was placed in her lap.

We watched with bated breath as she opened it up...

and she was delighted to find a bar of Calendula petal soap , hand-made by Lolly and Buncle and which they promised would keep her fairy skin feather soft especially if used with morning dew .

Her last treat of the day was to lie back in a bed of roses ( it was actually a tin bath of roses prepared earlier)
and a particular favourite of all fairies everywhere - so if you leave little piles of fallen rose petals in your garden do look out for a fairy rolling around in them ( if only we could do the same!)

Happy Summer Days...

Love from, Betty xxx

Life is Rosy !

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Mon, 04 May 2015 12:56:00 +0000

DEAR FAIRY FOLLOWERS,

Hope you are all keeping your fairy toes warm this chilly Spring !
Whilst my indoor fairies are keeping warm by Spring Cleaning I thought I would show you some Rose fairies I recently found in the garden. They were looking for a nice sturdy rose bush to make their homes in ( they are a little early but do look out as Roses will be blooming in the next couple of weeks and the Fairy Spotting Season will be upon us again. )

Coral was soon joined by Rosa ( in bright red ) Ruby in dark pink and Peaches in pale pink and peach.

Ruby and Coral told me they were best friends and that they had seen two more Rose friends down by the Forget- Me - Nots ...

Sure enough I crept up on Candy and Roxanne who were a bit bigger than the Rosebud fairies , about 16cms I should say.

They were carrying their Rose Petal handbags and were most happy to feel the dew on their feet.

As the morning was rather cold I invited them into my studio to warm up and there I could study them at closer quarters and found that they were very keen to pick up my paintbrush and start to paint their favourite flower ( a rose of course ! )

Peaches was very talented - Rosa preferred to dip her toes in the paint.

They soon found some hot pink organza bags and decided they would far rather keep warm in them and be adopted by a friendly fairy fan than be blown around all summer long in a bush and so they will soon be up for adoption - they were most keen that you see them in their cosy bags - which they also felt improved their complexions ! They have also reminded me to tell you they are 13cms tall in their slippered feet.

RUBY

CORAL

PEACHES

ROSA

And these are the two labels that I have made for Roxanne and Candy , who also decided to become Betty Bib fairies !

LOVE FROM, Betty X

Easter Tidings

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 17:38:00 +0000

DEAR FAIRY FOLLOWERS,
Betty's Cottage is full of Spring flowers and all my fairies are full of extra energy
as the earth warms up and Easter approaches. There is an air of excitement as
chocolate eggs are hidden and found ...no fairy can resist egg shaped chocolate
wrapped in such shiny foil.

Buncle has been hiding this lovely specimen away in the garden for weeks.

Ty-Ping had squirrelled this little sugar bunny in my desk ...

I found Bees-wax dusting down the Easter chicks ( and by the sound they were making I would say they are very ticklish.)

She and Buzz then found the primrose saucer in which to arrange the little eggs ...

and then Lolly and Buncle decided to re-arrange it with the Easter bunny .

I was very pleased to see that Twinkle was taking her recycling duties seriously and was sorting out the silver foil.

And then I realised she was dreaming up ways to make it into a new sparkly dress ( well I suppose it is another way of using up the waste paper ! )

Amongst all the activity I found some squabbling going on in the kitchen as the girls were finding it difficult to keep the chicks in order and then Bees -wax told me that Buzz had got stuck under a pile of eggs looking for a runaway little chick and couldn't get out
( those little solid eggs are quite heavy on a fairy's wing you know.)

After helping him out of his predicament he decided to check out all the places a chick might
hide ...

and when he reappeared he looked like he was enjoying the hunt a little too much...

The chick was eventually found so I couldn't be too cross that he had broken into the egg a little ahead of Easter and now the little chick follows him around everywhere !

Lolly and Buncle managed to restore order and wanted an official Easter photo so here it is and they have just reminded me that I have to announce that a fairy will be sent out to Raphaella in Rio De Janeiro ( a long way to fly ! ) Saskia and Jane the fairy lover from South Yorkshire ( if she can e mail me her address please ! ) Thank you so much to all who sent in such lovely comments.

Hope you all have a very Happy Chocolatey Easter .
With Love, Betty x

Spring Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 16:59:00 +0000

DEAR FAIRY FOLLOWERS,

Since I last wrote about Betty's Cottage I have been far away carrying out my fairy research, in fact I have been on the other side of the world observing how limp fairy wings perform in extreme heat and how they only come out on the wing at dusk and twilight , in fact apart from the Firefly Fairies of Java no fairy really enjoys very hot conditions . So how lucky are we in England and Northern Europe to have the opportunity to see so many of the species in our cool weather conditions !

Of course many fairies do hibernate in the cold winter months but as the earth warms up you will have the chance to again go fairy spotting and hopefully see fairies emerging just like the first primroses and daffodils that are beginning to shyly pop their heads up in our parks and gardens.

For my return the fairies here got busy making sure the Cottage looked nice and Spring-like and brought in the first flowers of the year and dotted them about the place... it cheered us all up no end
and and I decided that our delicate blooms are far more to my taste than the exotic flowers I saw on my travels !

Twinkle really enjoyed twinkling in the sun amongst the daffodils ...
and the very small Domestic fairy called Speck made sure that the edges of each one was properly ruffled !

Bees-Wax arranged the flowers on my desk...
and gave them a quick dust whilst she was there.

Once my case was unpacked I sat the fairies down to show them the shells in my collection , brought back from my travels abroad . They all decided that although they were very pretty , they would not like to travel to such hot places and have to suffer limp wings , although they were looking forward to our coming summer where they were certain of some cooling rain when it it get too hot for comfort.

I told them they they were each allowed to choose a favourite shell and keep it and after much deliberation Twinkle chose this piece of sea glass to match her dress and with a Narcissus flower in her hair she decided that Betty's Cottage is a very nice place for a fairy to live and twinkled most merrily for the rest of the day.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT !

We at Betty's Cottage would love to hear from fairy followers, young and old and would love you to tell us what you think about life with fairies. With Easter coming I shall be making some Easter fairies and I shall give away a fairy to two fairy followers who either e mail or make a comment at the end of this blog ... Lolly and Buncle will chose their favourites ! We look forward to hearing from you.

WITH LOVE,
Betty X

The Arrival of Twinkle

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Sat, 07 Feb 2015 16:58:00 +0000

DEAR FAIRY FOLLOWERS,

Our new trainee fairy Twinkle had been expected to fly in for days now , she had been held up
with the cold weather but at last she arrived in a shower of snow just as the Snowdrops were
opening. True to her name she is very twinkly and we were all happy to see her.

Lolly and Buncle got out the Best Fairy China, sat her down on the best egg cup and gave her a warming cup of tea and biscuits.

Ty -Ping then gave her some general information about the house and our rules;
we don't have many but we do ask all fairy folk to NOT leave footprints
in the butter and to fill in the proper form and have it stamped by Ty-Ping
if they plan to grant any wishes ( trainees are not allowed to grant any such wishes
until I give them their FULLY FLEDGED FAIRY CERTIFICATE. )Other rules are , NO sitting on the end of my knitting needles when I an knitting
as I loose count of my stitches and NO napping in the Icing sugar as it gave me
such a fright once when a little fairy 'ghost' flew out of the bag once when I was baking !

Twinkle was then shown to her cupboard where she was to sleep and arrange her things...

and she set about un packing her personal wands ( rather too many for such a young fairy, but then she does like twinkly things.)

We soon could see that this little trainee was most drawn to all the pretty
and 'girly ' things that she could find.

She then had a little flutter around the house to get her bearings...

And she seemed to be happiest in the bathroom checking out the scents and potions

and the jewellery and the trinkets.

She seemed quite interested in this light bulb which is just as well because
Twinkle is soon to find out that she is here to learn about recycling and to study
climate change as much as about how to wave a wand and polish a tiara .

But we shall break her in gently and for now she can dream of all things sparkly
and twinkly and of all the fairy dresses and shoes she might wear when she is
Fully Fledged as she cuddles up to a shiny spoon in the Best Fairy China
in the pic- nic hamper.

LOVE FROM, Betty x

Making Marmalade

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 16:43:00 +0000

DEAR FAIRY FOLLOWERS,

Happy January and I hope you are all feeling full of fairy fizz !

I have some exciting news from Betty's Cottage - we have some new fairies moved in to help Lolly and Buncle who will soon be moving outside once Spring creeps in and so let me introduce you to Bees-Wax ( she is the one dusting the teacups ) and all fairy fans will know that she is a Domestic fairy in her little maids uniform and below is her brother Buzz. They are very different characters as you shall find out but for now let me just tell you that Bees-Wax quietly hums as she goes about her work and Buzz
buzzes around quite noisily, so we always know where he is. I also have a SURPRISE FAIRY for you to meet later on , but in the meantime ...

They have joined us at the time of year where we like to make our marmalade ...I am very fond of the stuff, although I know that fairies often find it bitter and much prefer the jam making season, however the fairies agree that it does make a dreary month much more magical with it's golden glowing colour and the smell of oranges wafting around the house ( which makes you think of sunnier days. )

This tiny Domestic fairy was in charge of the stirring and very brave she was too to balance on the edge of a bubbling pan ( please don't try this at home ! )

Once it was potted up Bees-Wax flew in to test it was set properly ...

and then in buzzed Buzz to make doubly sure and with a flick of her magic duster , some extra fairy dust was put into the pot.

Lolly and Buncle cut out the fabric tops and tried them out as new skirts whilst they were at it !

Lolly practised her best handwriting to make up the labels and Buzz checked that she had written the correct date.

When all was done they sat down to a little snack of bread and marmalade .

Buzz doen't like the bits so we gave him just some of the jelly...

But Buncle likes the chunky jewel- like pieces and so she tucked into a nice chewy piece of orange rind and she said it was so zingy she had more than enough energy to tidy the pots in the larder.

Bees-Wax gave the pots an extra dust of magic so that every time we peek inside the cupboard we shall get a golden glow from looking at them.

In fact I forgot to tell you that our new Domestic fairy has been very busy this month as one of her first jobs was to paint the larder and line the shelves with this lovely new lacy paper.

Now before I forget about our surprise fairy , here she is ... All you readers of my Fairy Christmas and Fairy Year books will recognise her as Ty-Ping my secretary and I am so pleased to have her back ( she has been travelling all over the world signing autographs on the book tour. ) It is going to be a very busy year ahead and she really helps to keep me organised ...she was a bit miffed that she wasn't given the job of writing out the marmalade labels but is very happy that we shall be having a marmalade souffle tonight to welcome her back and we are looking forward to hearing all her travellers tales.

And so I leave the fairies to say goodbye from the newly decorated larder ( always a good place to look for fairies of course and you are much more likely to find some hiding in your larder if you line the shelves with something pretty. )

Next time our Trainee fairy will have arrived ...I can't wait for you to meet her. Until then have a magical month even though it is cold and gloomy - remember a fairy is never very far away even if you can't see her ( but if you hear a loud humming it could be a him and it could be Buzz ! )
Love from, Betty X

New Wings, New Year

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 12:24:00 +0000

DEAR FAIRY FOLLOWERS,
Now that the excitement of present giving is over I thought you might like to see what Lolly and Buncle got for Christmas. As I hinted to you before , their wings were really past their best and so
I made some new everyday wings for them - strong and durable made of cotton and stiff enough to withstand all weathers !

However the best present was to come ( and for all you followers who remember Lolly longing from some twinkle when she spilt the sequins ) new party dresses and wings were next to be discovered amongst the tissue and ribbon ... Lolly and Buncle were so delighted to look like proper fairies with sheeny- shiny dresses and twinkly- winkly wings ...

Their sashes are made of shimmering organza ...

and their silk and taffeta skirts whisper and rustle when they move ...

They were so happy they danced around the desk ...

and they flew around the Pussy Willow twigs ...

and they swung around the fairy lights ...

and partied in their party dresses all day long !

As evening fell Lolly gathered up their little Christmas Lavender bag ( a present from Auntie Everlasting )

and together they decided they would pack away their party clothes with the Lavender bag to keep them fresh and nice until the next Celebration comes around.

They still have a few more days to wear their party clothes before they must put back on their garden dresses ...so until then SEASONS GREETINGS to you all and we wish you a FAIRY HAPPY NEW YEAR too . Do come back and visit us at Betty's Cottage in 20015 !

LOVE FROM, Betty x

The Magic Desk

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 13:10:00 +0000

DEAR FAIRY FOLLOWERS,

It has been a very busy few days here at Betty's Cottage - the Red Fairy has been decorating with her
favourite colour and Lolly and Buncle have been on high alert making sure that naughty fairies do not open any presents before Christmas Day. Last night they had to grab this gift before the Cone Fairy peeked inside - so you see it is not only children who are tempted to do this !

This morning all was usual at my desk with a few fairies rummaging around the pens and papers , wondering if I have been writing about them no doubt.

Here we get in a little closer to see what is going on ...it looks a bit messy after all the Christmas card writing and all the long lists I have to make and I spied a few fairies not making it any tidier.

The little tree fairy who Lolly and Buncle rescued from the Bauble Box flew on to the top to see what was going on although strictly speaking she should be hanging on the tree by now - she looks so sweet that I can't bring myself to tell her off . One has to make allowances for the very young fairy.

Matilda however is not so young and is overly fond of my sparkly pen. If it ever goes missing I call her name and she brings it straight back to me . I have given her the task of keeping all my pens topped up with ink as she seems so taken with them.

She sometimes asks Myrtle to help her tidy up - they like looking in all the little cubby holes and are still looking for the secret compartment that I told them about (this of course makes it an even more magical desk and all visitors are invited to find it but so far nobody has - other than Auntie Everlasting of course ! )
Having lots of special little momentos , photos and keepsakes all in one place will give off a very magical atmosphere and attract fairies to it for all you Fairy Spotters still hoping to catch sight of one and don't forget that if you don't see a fairy you are still experiencing the magic !

My desk does seem to attract a lot of fairy attention and the Fairy Tale book on the top is a regular resting place for a fairy to sit and dream. This is the fairies favourite book and I often read it aloud to them on a Winter's night.

Before I go Lolly and Buncle have reminded me that we took some photos last night when all the fairies had settled down to show all you Fairy Followers where they will be sleeping tomorrow night ...

First they had to shift some things to make room for their beds ...

and then they settled down by the candle with their stockings at the ready ( I had to sew on their initials so there were no mix ups or arguments ) and they always like a paper chain over them so that if it rustles they might make up and see Father Christmas ...

But they always fall so fast asleep after all their fairy duties that they never do !

HAVE A FAIRY MAGICAL CHRISTMAS !

Love , Betty X

The Tree is Dressed

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Sun, 21 Dec 2014 14:20:00 +0000

Dear Fairy Followers,

As we get ever closer to Christmas the magic is mounting at Betty's Cottage.

This week Lolly and Buncle were very happy to get outside into the fresh air and bring in some greenery which with it's shiny piney smells, brings the magic of Mother Nature right in amongst us and as Auntie Everlasting likes to remind me , keeps any witches and passing lightening away from the house so we can all sleep easy in our beds too !

We have also sent out all our Christmas cards which makes us feel very pleased with ourselves as our job of spreading more magic out into the world is done ( Buncle is in charge of the sprinkling of fairy dust goes into each one . )

In with the greenery came a shiny brown Cone fairy and she scattered some of her woodland twinkle ...

and then it was all hands to the dressing of the tree ...

which of course brought in more passing fairies ... this Blue one got rather too close to the bird that pecked poor Lolly last time ...

and this little Gold fairy was found frolicking amongst the branches and baubles quite unaware of any dangers that might lurk in a Christmas tree.

( The Blue Fairy was quite unharmed by the way. )

The next job was to wake up the Tree -Top Fairy from her year's slumber in her very own box. It is a very important job to be a Tree Fairy and not every fairy has the stamina for it. Lots of these sleeping beauties live a long time as they get passed down the family and are cared for as a special fairy ( that many grown-ups remember as it is the best way of bringing back memories of their childhood Christmas's.) Eventually they retire when their dress and wings are so threadbare it is time for the family to replace them - always a Very Sad moment.

Our fairy has been with us for ten years now and still has a lot of go in her ...

With only a little bit of a push she was soon into position ...

and the whole tree was complete!

Once she was warmed up by the fairy lights and quite awake she asked me to tell you that her name is
Queenie and she wishes you all a very Happy Christmas and not to prod or peek into any presents that might be under your own tree as any Tree - Top fairy will know immediately and it is prone to make them sneeze ... of course if you have a Star you will not be found out but I think it is much more fun to have a fairy keeping watch !

So as evening fell we lit the candles ...

Lolly and Buncle shared a mini mince pie ...

and after the last currant was eaten they flew off to my desk and made plans to move their beds in there for Christmas Eve ( this is a Special Treat and only happens on this one night of the year so please call by before Christmas and see them hang up their stockings where I write my books ! )

I do hope all your preparations are going well and that the magic is with you too !

LOVE FROM , Betty X

The Box of Baubles

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 16:28:00 +0000

Dear Fairy Followers,

Hoorah , at last it is time to dust off the baubles in readiness for the dressing of the tree ! Here at Betty's Cottage we are rather late in putting up our tree as it is the busiest time of the year for fairy business - there are so many wishes to grant and so much enchantment to spread around that we don't begin to sprinkle the magic here until the week before Christmas itself . Of course the fairies do beg me to bring out the decorations sooner but I am strict in this matter as I really don't want my fairies getting to too tired and excited and then napping for most of Christmas day.

This morning I let Lolly and Buncle into the box of baubles to make sure that all was in order. Although they were happy to get in with all the glitter and sparkle , I did hear some grumbling about how they were always being asked to dust and do the heavy work and so I reminded them that the reward for Bauble dusting was a Pink Fondant Chocolate - a treat indeed and one that I find no fairy ever refuses ... and so they set to work with a little more gusto.

Before too long I could hear them waking up their old friends ... Father Christmas just needed a little tweak to his beard ...

and the Nutcracker man stood to attention again after a long year lying around in tissue paper.

His friend soon joined them and Buncle told Lolly how last year he had sneaked a kiss from her under the mistletoe !

I reminded them there was no time for gossip with Christmas being only 8 days away and they set to work on the important task of Bauble Maintenance (checking for cracks and polishing to a high shine)
when I noticed that Lolly was enjoying her work a bit too much ...

as she gazed at herself on the shiny surface !

Meanwhile Buncle squealed with delight as she found the tiny robin ...

but then had to fly around the room to try and catch him again as he flew off for a bit of exercise .

Lolly then found herself in a bit of bird trouble as the feather tailed bird gave her a bit of a playful peck on her wings ...

and Buncle had to sew a quick patch over the hole

SSSSSHHHH, don't tell them but this has given me an idea for their Christmas present - their wings have been looking a bit raggedy for a while now ...

I think she did a good job although her stitches could have been neater - a Domestic fairy sews with invisible stitches but I had to remind myself that Lolly and Buncle are really Garden fairies and only come in to help round the house in the Winter.

When they went back to the box they were most surprised to find a tiny tree fairy who had been trapped under an avalanche of baubles and was most happy to be rescued .

She was feeling rather peckish after a year of living on crepe paper and looked rather longingly at the cupcake bauble ...

In the spirit of Christmas ( and after much discussion ) Lolly and Buncle asked me for the promised Pink Fondant Chocolate ( of which they were very fond )

and gave it to the hungry little fairy.

She felt instantly revived (and they found they had made a new friend for Christmas .)

Don't worry - I shall find another Fondant for the fairies and maybe some of their favourite Turkish Delight when the tree is dressed ! Come back soon to see what happens in the candlelight at betty's cottage as we creep nearer to Christmas day ...

LOVE FROM, Betty X

The Very Important Guest

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Wed, 03 Dec 2014 20:58:00 +0000

Dear Fairy Followers,
You find me in the Rosebud Room at Betty's Cottage making a quick inspection to make sure that all is spick and span and ready for a Very Important Guest or a VIG as we like to call them ( and this one is also a VIF , a Very Important Fairy.)

All kinds of fairies fly in from all over the world and rest their heads under the Rosy eiderdown , safe in the knowledge that there is always a sprig or two of Lavender to calm their nerves after a long flight and a bowl of Pansy porridge for breakfast to send them on their way in the morning.

Our last two guests had slept well and after they had signed the Visitors Book and flown off I received news that Auntie Everlasting was flying in that very same evening . Now all you Fairy Followers that have read my Betty Bib fairy books, The Fairy Year and Fairy Christmas will know that Auntie E is the oldest fairy that I know and is Very Wise Indeed.

She is however also Very Fussy and everything must be just to her liking or she gets rather crochety
and puts all the other fairies into a bit of a spin; so I put Lolly and Buncle straight to work on airing a sheet ( it was in fact a rather nice vintage lacy hanky ) it was clean but floppy so I sent them off to starch it and spray it with Lavender water.

I often have to ask Auntie about fairy history and I know that she thinks that fairy standards are slipping and that things aren't like they were when she was a girl ( which was a VERY long time ago when humans actually believed in fairies a lot more than they do now) so we always try and get things to a very high standard for her.

One thing that I know she is Most Particular about is her Lavender pillow so I sent Lolly

and Buncle off to find the plumpest and freshest Lavender bag from the linen cupboard in the hope that all would be to Auntie Everlasting's satisfaction. The bow had to be tied with equal length on both sides as it is just this kind of thing that Auntie notices and the Lavender itself had to be this season's English Lavender ( I know she approves of fresh French bread but NOT French Lavender , I think she crash-landed in a field of the stuff once and has taken against it ever since.)

We all held our breaths as Auntie arrived through the little window by the Bay tree ...she had no luggage with her so we knew it would be an overnight stay only and I think I heard very tiny sighs of relief from behind me !

She flew straight to the bedside table that she usually sleeps in - we had lined it with Rose scented paper but after some time inspecting it's dimensions she felt her old bones were too fragile to lay down in such a draughty drawer and that the scent of Roses made her sneeze so something else would have to be arranged.

I was most relieved when Lolly suggested the hatbox might be a better resting place and after much huffing and puffing and pushing and shoving it into the right place on the bed ( it couldn't be too near the door in case it creaked and it had to be at the right angle for sunrise in the morning and of course it had to face due East ) she decided it might be snug enough for a night's sleep - even with her old bones she is still very nimble and she jumped into the hatbox with a single leap.

As I brought up her cocoa I noticed she had got Lolly and Buncle to move her bed nearer to the vase of Lavender and after asking for Chamomile Tea instead of the cocoa she finally settled down under her hanky , muttering something about "a little bit too much starch for my stiff legs. " But we pretended not to hear and tiptoeing away I could hear her snoring before I reached the bottom of the stairs.

The next morning Auntie Everlasting was Up With the Lark and seemed to have a real spring in her step as she talked of old times with Ambrose the bear and she even admired the seat cover Buncle had crocheted. She declined her bowl of Pansy porridge , saying that she never eats until she has flown thirty laps round a chimney pot ...she admitted that she hadn't slept so well in a long time and thanked the fairies for making her so comfortable with a perfect pillow which was of the highest fairy order.

And so with a parting of the lace curtain we waved her goodbye and told her to come again soon .

It was only when she was high above the clouds that Lolly confessed that she had added some French Lavender flowers to her night time drink AND to her pillow which had sent her off to sleep so soundly! I decided not to tick Lolly off as modern fairies must move with the times and use their initiative and I also decided never to tell Auntie everlasting about just how close she had come to French Lavender...

And yet again my poor fairies end the story in need of a rest from all their exertions ... I think I shall let them sleep before they must strip Auntie's bed and make the room ready for the next VIG who flies in.

Next time we prepare for Christmas - hoorah !
Happy Fairy Spotting ,
LOVE , Betty x

Oh Crumbs !

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 18:23:00 +0000

DEAR FAIRY FOLLOWERS,

This week the weather has been rather wet and gloomy at Betty's Cottage and so we decided to cheer ourselves up with a bit of baking. Lolly and Buncle were united in thinking that Cherry Topped Chocolate Fairy Cakes would provide the fairy glow we all needed now that the clocks have gone back and in a fairy trice the cake mixture was being spooned into the paper cases ( fairies don't hang about when they sniff some sugar in the air . )

Buncle decided to take a rest on the mixer half way through the process ( waiting for me to leave the kitchen so that she could fly down into the bowl and taste the mixture ) but I know her fairy ways and
asked her to prepare the tin for the second batch.

Once the cakes were in the oven the fairies were put in charge of timing ... a bit of a hot job on the top of the Aga but they didn't complain ...

and once they were cooked they were given the jobs of icing and cherry cutting .

I was just thinking how unusually efficient and well behaved Lolly and Buncle were being as Lolly carefully arranged the cherries on the tops ...

and Buncle tested for the shiniest of the cherries ...

and Lolly dusted on the icing sugar ...

When a Cocoa Fairy flew in to see what percentage of cocoa solids were in the chocolate we were using ( she can smell a 70% bar from TWO miles away for you fairy followers that record fairy facts in your notebooks. )

She seemed quite satisfied with the quality of the fairy cakes we had produced and was happy with the depth of icing when she lightly jumped on the surface of each one. We gave her a cake to take away with her and decided to eat the rest quickly before more Cocoa Fairies appeared !

Just as I was congratulating myself on what an uneventful day we had and how well trained my fairies were turning out , I bit into the last cake to find a mouthful of duster !! Yes, the very duster that Lolly had been using to dust on the icing sugar - it had obviously fallen into the second batch of mixture and she hadn't noticed it was missing...

Apart for the dry old duster taste the rest of the cake was very yummy and for a full five minutes Lolly was most apologetic ... as I was leaving the kitchen I spied the fairies having a last run about in the sugar...

and when I came back in all the washing up was magically done and Lolly's duster was free of crumbs
and safely back in her apron pocket.
I am just relieved that the Cocoa fairy went away with a duster free cake or we may have had our license to bake True Fairy Cakes taken away from us !

HAPPY FAIRY SPOTTING , love from,
Betty x

THE CASE OF THE SPILT SEQUINS !

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 08:41:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 14:13:00 +0000

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 .

Venezia !

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Thu, 25 Sep 2014 14:05:00 +0000

This summer the fairies took me to Venice ( well indirectly as a lovely lady who fully appreciates the little folk and has a whole collection of them asked me to Venice to stay with her in her apartment ) I had the most marvellous time and the magic of Venice ( my first time there ) has captured my heart .
She generously showed me all her city treasures and the enchantment has stayed with me .

... the mask shops were particularly atmospheric ...

and I just fell in love with this feather mask ...

And so after soaking up all the opulance , history, decoration and the richness of this fairytale city I have felt moved to create some Venetian inspired fairies ( and given them suitably historical names of course ! ) So please meet Valentina , she has a richly embroidered skirt with rosettes around the hem, an enamelled decoration at her waist and cotton lace pantaloons. She carries a paper lily.

Florentina is next ... she is wearing a silk top with a leaf motif embroidered skirt over gold net. She is holding her very own mask and she has black pom poms on her shoes ( well she is going to a ball ! )

Bianca is all in brown and is wearing a more modern style of dress made from a a lovely brocade I have been saving for just the right occasion. Her tights are patterned and sparkly, she is carrying a silk bag and her hat is a rather unusual gold sequinned button.

Violante is last up and she is a vision in pink and purple shot organza and Marabou feather wings.

I hope that a shimmer of Venice fairy dust has found it's way to you over the airways . These ones are going away in their boxes now to wait for the Christmas festivities to begin.

High Summer

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 09:39:00 +0000

Well it's high Summer here at Betty's cottage and we have been celebrating with frosted petal fairy cakes ( a fairy speciality ) these ones were made with a lemon polenta sponge and a vanilla cream frosting , the paper cases were wiped clean and put in the fairy dressing up box for a rainy day.

It's a favourite time of the year with the roses out ...

and the meadows in full bloom ...

and if you look very carefully you might just spot a fairy looking for a new wand ...
this one has just found a lavender one amongst all the cornflowers and poppies.

With Nature at her most glorious it sets a fairy thinking of Fairy Gardens where everything is just that bit more magical ...

Delia is sitting on a dew drop and watching a cricket tap dancing ...

Pamela plays with her Hornet wand ...

And lets not forget all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to keep our gardens looking so magical ...
Happy fairy Spotting !

Pocket fairies

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 12:10:00 +0000

Some new fairies have flown into the studio - I am calling them pocket fairies as some of them have pockets and at 15cms they are small enough to fit into a pocket. They have clay heads and cotton print dresses, their stocking are hand dyed silk and they have paper or velvet flowers in their hair. From left to right I have named them Edwina, Leonora, Wilma and Mary-Rose.

Edwina and Leonora decided to explore the garden ... and were then joined by Angelica who has a different type of wing ( hand dyed cotton organdie. )

Leonora came back in for a rest from the sun ( she has a very fair skin. )

And cheeky little Edwina had a ride on the pincushion rabbit ( avoiding the pins on her derriere ! )
All of these girls are £18 including postage should anyone like to give them a home. I shall be putting a little something in each pocket before sending them out.

Just to round off, I found this lovely vintage frame made of velvet ribbon and then found the perfect fairy to put in it ...she will be staying in Betty's cottage watching over all the fairy activity.

Easter Egg Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Sat, 19 Apr 2014 13:42:00 +0000

Out early this morning and I spotted a large pink fairy called Drusilla riding on the back of the iron chicken in the garden and she informed me that the fairies couldn't wait for their Easter egg hunt to begin, they wouldn't be around on Easter Sunday as they would be far too busy making magic and collecting all the shiny foil egg wrappings from children's Easter egg hunts ( so do keep fairy spotting
it's a good time of the year to spot a new species of fairy. )

Clarice helped out by fluffing up the chicks and giving them an airing after being stored away for a year

Pandora whizzed around the garden planting eggs in the bushes...

and Drusilla soon found hers under the wallflowers.

It was all over in the wink of a butterfly's eye and here they are sharing out their finds down by the cowslips.

They all found little eggs and saved them for their breakfasts...

Back inside the cottage the tiny fairies had found their stash and were already tucking in ... Happy Easter !

Fairies in the Larder

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 09:54:00 +0000

I was cleaning out the larder yesterday when some fairies flew in to help me sort the out of date pickles and mop up a few crumbs ( one of their favourite jobs of course, especially if they are sweet crumbs ! )

Fairies are especially drawn to pretty tins so do keep some in your cupboards if you want to attract them into your kitchen. Tilly here was most happy to pose on this Brown and Polsen tin of cornflower.
Ammaretti biscuits in the house will also heighten your chances of fairy activity although they do prefer the soft variety.

Penelope and Angelica found a bag of mini marshmallows... next to Turkish Delight , this is probably their food of choice and they sometimes will use one as a pillow for a quick nap.

The fairy with the sweetest tooth in Betty's cottage at the moment is Maud ... she is most territorial about this pink tin and won't allow any other fairy to settle on it.

Theodora has tried a few times but she now hangs out by the chocolate button jar for a quieter life.

I know it isn't Easter yet but for the purposes of research into fairy eating habits I always have a box of chocolates in the house and here I found Maud after all the exertions of cleaning the cupboards (there was the tiniest trace of strawberry fondant round her rosebud mouth ...)

By the end of the end of the day all the fairies were back in their boxes and behaving themselves.

This morning I woke to find Maud in the garden washing off the last sprinkles of sugar in the morning dew ... if anyone would like to give her or any of these fairies who will attract other little folk and are happy to help around the house a home , they are £15 in their boxes. Just be prepared to buy chocolate in to keep them happy if you do !

PS Tilly is the tiniest measuring in at 7cm , all the others are 8-9cms high.

New website and Early Blooms !

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 21:51:00 +0000

At last I have a new website , bettybib.com and although it is still a work in progress ( I have yet to sort out p&p on it and learn how to manage it , it promises to be simple enough for me to update it more easily. )

I have also been recording the latest fairy activity ( of which there has been rather a lot with all this wonderful Spring weather .)

The Manolia Stellata is out and must be enjoyed as it so fleeting ... Nothing like swinging on it's branches ...

This green clad fairy was spotted loitering by the white crocus ...

This one was found warming her wings on a hydrangea bloom in amongst the daffodils I spotted a rare pink fairy tip toeing about. Must write up my notes now - it's always hard to keep up with Mother Nature and the Fairyworld at this time of year and I'm caught slightly on the hop as everything is blooming so early ... Most fairies are still hybernating in March except for the hardy types like Willow and Chestnut who always seem to show their faces first, so all in all it promises to be a good season for fairy spotting !

New Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 12:39:00 +0000

After a winter of rain and major technology problems ( I have lost two of my websites but hope to have a new one up by the end of this month ) we escaped to Thailand and I made sure that I picked and pressed some of the lovely flowers there for future fairy magic ! Above is some while bouganvillea which I think will make some great wings , and a frangipani flower. I don't know what the red flowers are but I love their shape and hope that they don't lose too much of their vibrancy in the pressing.

Before going away I had a good old boil up on the Aga of various plants and flowers and decided to use some of the colours in some new garden embroideries ...

I was very excited to get some really nice blues from Hyacinths which inspired this 'Mediterranean Blues' piece -( all following measurements are of the textile size , they are all in mounts which will bring them up bigger.)
29x13 cms £90

Detail; I have incorporated some wild carrot and twigs from last summer's gatherings and pressings. I also confess to having a stash of old ties which are perfect for tiny prints such as in the paving used here.

Rosebay Fairies 19x13 cms ... lovely pinks made from avocados. £65

Daisy Chain, 20x13 cms £65

Fly Away Home, 12x5 cms £30

Twilight and Wild Border Fairy, both 15x11cms £45 All embroideries are a mixture of hand and machine embroidery with some areas padded from behind and embellished with sequins and twinkly bits. Twilight has some dried rose petals in the foreground. I am enjoying this mix of the naturally dyed fabrics with the dried and pressed flowers then mixing them with prints and lace.

There's some wild carrot in this one too ... it's got such a tiny and delicate form and presses so beautifully. The mauve has come from adding vinegar to my blues.

As I write this the sun is shining and Spring feels just a bit closer ... I predict a lot more fairy activity next month as it warms up !

Whilst the Fairies are Sleeping ...

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Sun, 19 Jan 2014 15:20:00 +0000

All quiet here at the cottage at the moment as many fairies are hibernating ( and if not fully asleep then getting up much later these grey mornings.)

Despite the murkiness and general lack of light it never ceases to amaze me just how much wonderful colour there is to absorb even in January , in fact the combinations are often even more inspiring in their subtlety and so I have been gathering bits and pieces together for new year inspiration with drabness in mind. From top left to right I was really pleased to find this old bundle of tarnished gilt thread ( which makes great fairy hair ) and some mouse and chocolate coloured ribbon.

Below is some beloved hydrangea that had been naturally dried by the wind and some some nice copper sparkly braid ...

Also recently purchased , velvet ribbons ...

Some spools ... softly dyed blue linen, sludgy taffetta ribbon and some pleated furnishing edging.

I found these nice and knobbly twigs on a walk and this tiny flowered Lace Cap hydrangea sprig which will look really magical with a sprinkle of fairy dust.

First embroidery of the year is this little garden ( not quite finished ) but it does illustrate how these colours seep into one's subconscious ... I can't imagine diving into a bright pink palette until at least May comes around !

Another winter pastime is to sort out my crochet projects and these granny squares have been in need of blocking for sometime , so with a good play on the radio I set out with gritted teeth to spray and pin each 3.5 inch square into place - some doing when there are over 100 of them but well worth the effort
for the finished look of a blanket. I use an old cotton mat , folded over a few times to get a good depth to pin into. Next step to sew them all together...

Now I shall just tip toe away from these sleeping fairies I found under under this 2 inch granny square cushion I am making but which I am due to unpick as I didn't bother to block it - perhaps some fairy fingers will help me when they wake up !

Fairies In Crisis !

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 12:29:00 +0000

A happy News Year to ALL ! We have all had a very happy Christmas and I hope you did too - the only blot on the landscape has been that one of my e mail accounts and my web site has been down all over the holiday and is in the process of being built as I write, so apologies to anybody who has tried to make contact or has not been able to get onto bettybibdolls.com - all should be well again by the middle of next week. it has also meant that I cannot send pictures from my I Pad to my lap top to furnish this blog and I have had to revert to my digital camera which doesn't produce such good images and i have been unable to take the usual shots of my fairy Christmas tree. Looking on the bright side I am hoping the situation will enable me to take a fresh look at my website for 2014 and refresh it as the year goes on.

You may recall that I took a photo of Araminta here posing in the apple tree just before Christmas - I thought she had gone missing over my main selling period and I assumed she was in hiding , not wanting to leave us - well only a few days ago I was raking some leaves only to find her muddy and bedraggled as I had forgotten to bring her in ! The poor dear has been given a wash but she is now due for a complete overhaul ( although I do rather like her distressed look ) I hasten to add that she herself is not at all distressed , only pleased to think that she will be getting a new dress.

Other news here at Betty's cottage is that Gloriana , our fairy from the top of the tree ( so Top Dog in fairy terms ) has been having a last fly about until she is put away in the decoration box for another year , it being 12th Night tomorrow ... here she is in the Vibernum and decorative cabbages ...

and glowing rather from all the exertion on the kitchen windowsill ...

... saying goodbye for another year !

And now as I promised in a recent post here are some of my domed pieces - I want to continue with these in 2014 and build on the idea of describing a narrative with a hint of the Fairy Tale in them.

GRASSY KNOLL

CLOUDBERRY

THE FAREWELL

THE KINDRED

I am hoping to make lots more magical things in the following months - thanks to you all for calling by

Fairies Are Exercising !

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 12:22:00 +0000

It may look like the ballerina fairies are doing their daily push ups but in fact they are having their feathery wings stuck on ! After patiently waiting ( beauty can never be rushed ) they fly off to stretch
their limbs and freshly formed wings and then hang around the garden for awhile waiting to be admired by all passing birds and insects.

I have to look in every bush to make sure they are all safely in as it has been known for some absconders to be left out all night ensuing in very damp and droopy wings the next morning and with the weather turning chilly we wouldn't want them getting frostbite after being exposed outside in just a tutu...

Safely in they huddle together for a warm up... these little ladies are £10 each and are just waiting to jump onto a Christmas tree .

These two are a little more special ( but don' tell the others that ! ) at £15 - they have glittery tights and tulle underskirts.

The little boxed fairies don't want to be forgotten at £8 ( name in the lid and any name can be written in . )

Bringing up the rear is Araminta - dyed with mint and wearing a richly embroidered skirt incorporating dried flowers - she is trying to camouflage herself into the apple tree but I am wise to fairy tricks now and not an expert fairy spotter for nothing - she is now safely inside and waiting to go to Cherry Picked For You open house on the West Hove trail this coming weekend .

Have just remembered I promised to put up the domes on the last post - will do soon ! In a bit of a fairy flap at present !

Autumn Colour

noreply@blogger.com (betty bib) — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 12:16:00 +0000

Having made Fairy Fern a new and warm Autumn skirt ( see embroidery above ) you can see her having a little frolic through the garden with her dried Astrantia wand, happy to discover a lone Daisy in bloom.

Before too long she was joined by Angelica and they can be seen wandering through the red Sedum.

All my fairies are very good at bringing back lovely leaves and flowers and every year we sort out our pressings in to piles and put them in a folder for easy choosing when it comes to making more fairy haute couture. Sage and Maple make good partners ...

Assorted leaves with Hydrangeas ...

and Poppies always make the finest of silky undergarments , best suited to a delicate fairy skin.

Fern wants you to see her whole outfit - she is now in a box frame waiting to go to MADE 13 at the Brighton Corn Exchange on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th of November. They are all getting excited about getting out into the wider world ( this only happens of course after they have been around the house and studio for sometime and get used to human contact . ) Fern is wearing a hand dyed with Fennel , silk and woollen top with dried Daisies in the richly embroidered skirt - her hat is an Acorn cup.

Angelica is going too; she has pink Hydrangea petals sewn in to her Strawberry hand dyed skirt and her wings are made of Sage.

SOLD

Bracken is a perfect fairy companion for Autumn; she has Bracken wings and skeletal Hydrangea flowers in her skirt as well as tiny dried seeds and a dried Rose petal hat. Her top is dyed with Alder cones. All three are in 20x15 cm off white and waxed boxed frames and are £45.

This little fairy is an example of one that is only recently habituated to being around humans - she is quietly contemplating her future and tells me she is not sure wether to sit under a glass dome or just hang around for a bit. Her old lace jacket is dyed with Wild Bramble and her silk chiffon skirt is coloured with Red Cabbage.

Claudine ( below) has just reminded me to tell you that we had Making Magazine here a few weeks ago to take pictures of the studio and talk about the fairy work we do here ... there was much fluttering when the photographer came along as all fairies vied to be in the shots and a layer of fairy dust everywhere by the time they had gone ! The results can be seen from 7th November , tomorrow indeed ... I am hoping to put it up on the blog if I can sort out the technology !

Dyed with Fennel is Clary Sage waiting to get a mention ...

SOLD

and Lucinda here is pictured on the kitchen dresser ...

joined by Prudence , dyed with Green Tea and Winter Poppy whose skirt was dyed with Dock. As you can see all our plants and gatherings are put to good use here at chez Bib . All the dolls are individually priced between £25 - £40.

I shall also be showing some new Domes this season 9 more to follow on another post , but just to give you an idea this one is called ' Cloudberry '. It is 29cms high and is quite hard to get a good photograph of it ... it has a finely , frosted embroidered base , little clay birds in the tree , a hand woven basket with a hand made berry in it and I am very happy with it's magical , mystical atmosphere.

Do come and say hi if anyone gets to MADE !