From the Purple Shuttered Cottage...

[windinthemaples]

How did I not know and why did nobody tell me?! Since last year's release of mermaiden's The Dark Wife, I've daydreamed about adding her books to my library, all alphabetized and official-like. There is absolutely nothing, with the exception possibly of attending my son's dance recital, that has the sort of swelling pride joy, thrill, and rightness with the world than seeing the books of friends on my shelves. I have, and love, lathriel's The Poppet and the Lune. radshaun, my best friend from high school, has copies of his The Deathday Letter shelved between Marguerite Henry and Eva Ibbotson. I have two copies of The Dark Wife--one signed by Sarah to me and the other signed by her generically for that day I meet someone who simply must receive my spare copy.

I'm not against ebooks, but neither do I love them. Daniel bought me a Kindle as a surprise birthday gift back in October and I've only charged and used it this week for the first time. I don't mind reading webpages, newspapers, journals electronically but I want physical copies of books. I don't want to see a digital photograph of something Graeme made in ceramics--I want the misshapen coil pot itself! I don't want to view my friends' publishing efforts--I want to hug them and stack them and alphabetize them and plant them on park benches and slip them into book exchange boxes around town. I want them to have substance and to live, live as only a print book can.

So, color me completely shocked to be toodling around on Amazon, buying Crumbs and Far for this new Kindle thingy and discovering that Sarah actually has more print books than just The Dark Wife. (I'd think I'd have known this. WHY DIDN'T I KNOW THIS?! Did you know this?)

I did some remedying of the situation. For $28, free shipping, I will soon receive huggable, autographable, shelvable copies of:
* Hallow's Eve: A Halloween Fairy Tale
* Cage the Darlings
and
* One Solstice Night
~*~

So, in other news from the ladies of the purple shuttered cottage, The Fable Tribe, their new shop on etsy, had a huge update last night. They unveiled a bunch of new products--little sparkly animal 'faerie foundling' figurines, floral crowns and hair flowers, a rainbow of glitterful star bobby pins, shrines and stamped clay altar pieces, and even large Glamourkin wall plaques. I watched some of the update as it happened and then ultimately went to sleep and revisited the shop at 4:00am when Elena woke up to nurse. Thanks to my phone and some impulse purchasing, I ended up with five of their new treasures. :D I got:


This fairy crown to wear for Midsummer.


"Embody Peace" Faerie Foundling


"Cherish the Simple Things" Faerie Foundling


Gold Pixie Stars


Magic Mini Shrine
~~

If you bought anything, what did you pick up? :) I'm most excited about the foundlings and tucking them onto my windowsills with my vases of seaglass and other little treasures. That's become my altar to family and our home here.

Comments

[aerialmelodies.livejournal.com]

My favorite crown! I'm happy it will have a nice home with you. :)

I wound up with nothing from this update, but only due to my big custom purchase of wedding things from Sarah and Jenn earlier in the month. Hopefully next big update I can pick up something... the wall hangings were my favorites. <3

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

*is dying of curiosity*

Is this a surprise kind of thing or are you willing to spill? What did you order for the wedding? :D I love weddings and I love their stuff and I love *you*, so it is bound to be all forms of awesome in combo, no matter what it is.

[aerialmelodies.livejournal.com]

Well this is a "duh" moment. I didn't want to spoil the surprise for the wedding party who knows they're getting hair flowers but not what they look like... but I didn't even think that I can post them here! It's 4 flowers (and an extra one for me!) plus a big one with peacock feathers for me and Glamourkin with phrases catered to each girl and then a surprise TOP SECRET Glamourkin for me to open the day of. I'll take some photos tonight!

Somewhere on Facebook there's a photo of me with the big flower in my hair, but it's a cellphone shot and doesn't do it any kind of justice. Jenn took my grandmother's wedding dress, pieced it apart, and turned it into all these lovely things (it's the same dress she used to make a pendant for my mom as a Christmas gift). She really worked her magic. :)

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

Oh, how exciting! I bet everything is going to be just sublime. :D

[aerialmelodies.livejournal.com]

It really is beautiful. I'll definitely put taking photos of the pieces (minus the surprise one) on my list of things to post about. :)

All the bridal shops kept trying to sell me their flowers but I took along one of Jenn's for the basic idea and once the sales girls saw it, each time they said "Oh, that will be so much prettier..." Well yes, it's handmade and amazing and by a talented lady and personal! Also, not bedazzled. Not that I dislike glitter and gems but these flowers were not delicate, haha! ;)

Side note, but I'm sad I won't get to see the crown in person on you! I wish there was a way to magically whisk your family to Fairy Festival. You'll all be very missed!

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

I'll miss you, and Spoutwood, very much this year! :) We'll have to stage something here at home for Beltane to allow Elena to wear wings. :D

[willow-cabin.livejournal.com]

*LOVE* I'm so happy that the little "embody peace" foundling will be living with you~ I think he's my favorite. :) I can't wait to see you wearing the crown! ♥

*HUGS*

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

He's such a dear. I wanted to adopt every last one of them but finally settled on the two whose messages inspired me to be a better self.

I hereby, officially and for ever after, grant you full visitation rights. <3

I have to grow my hair back out to do that crown any justice. :) It is gorgeous, as was everything in the update. I wish you great success! :)

[belladonnastrap.livejournal.com]

Ahh you got the Faerie hair pins! I was hoping they'd still be around when I got up this morning :D Oh well, they went to a lovely home!

For me I got "The world is wreathed in loveliness" Glamourkin plaque for my job and the Myth Daughter hairpins for me. I reallllllllllllly wanted to get the Nature Spirit and Muse hair pins as well as the "There is magic in moss and leaf" fawn but money just wasn't available for it.

They're all amazing though!!

ALSO I meant to ask you, I work at a daycare as you may know, are there any toys or crayons or other things you might need for Graeme? We've got a lot of stuff and inventory is soon so if you'd like something and we have extra I can send :)

[aerialmelodies.livejournal.com]

That was the plaque I almost stayed up to get but then decided to wait and see. I'm happy it's going to a great home! :)

[belladonnastrap.livejournal.com]

Aww thank you :D I'll take pictures of it next to my plant, Horatio.

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

Oh, no! I didn't mean to take your pins!

Shall we work something out?

Also, I gotta tell you, I had *no* clue you worked at a daycare. I don't think I've ever read anything you write about your day-to-day experiences--just makeup and relationship issues and media, stuff like that. :D Do you like working with children or are you a saint or a glutton for punishment or what? :)

I'm not sure that Graeme needs anything, though it is very generous of you to offer! He's got crayons and markers and toys and things. Thrift stores are remarkable places. :D

[belladonnastrap.livejournal.com]

No no they're not my pins, they're yours! No need to work something out, they will look lovely against your hair and skintone. No worries :D

You know I was sitting here and you're totally right, I don't really do my day to day experiences. I've had to scale back a LOT from my online presence (or just post the uh, surface layer) because of my Grandfather's estate, I mustn't put forth anything that could be seen as damaging, one of the reasons I'm not publically Pagan for instance. I ended up in the job because I never graduated college (I left with like a year to go *shrug*) and it was one of the places where I needed a high school diploma but not more. I'm not right with the children though, I work for Head Start in the offices but see them everyday (and get hugs and sometimes proposals, they're very upset my boyfriend hasn't proposed yet!). I love children but I love them because if I've had too much or something I know at the end of the day they're going home with their parents and not me :) It fulfills my love of children without me actually having to HAVE one (which I can't so I guess it's good I don't want anyway).

I went thrifting with Jenn & Sarah once but apparently it was a very bleah day, they were like "Usually it's awesome! Today it's just sucky." :D

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

How sad that you have to hide yourself away for the benefit of the estate when, from what pop culture knowledge I have, he seemed like a fun-loving wild child himself--nobody's saint. That's got to be hard, feeling under scrutiny because of your family. :/ <3

I think if I'd worked with kids, I'd never have had kids. :D I could have just borrowed some from time-to-time. ;)

Thrifting is kinda like fishing. Some days, you catch nothing. Other days, you get the big one. Either way, it is all about location and luck.

[twelvepetals.livejournal.com]

I absolutely loved this update! So many beautiful things! I purchased this Invocation:



I can't wait to receive it =)

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

Ooooh! The colors on that piece are stunning.

[kehleyr.livejournal.com]

Oh wow that was GORGEOUS!

[neva-butterfly.livejournal.com]

So many lovely things but I've got to try to pay these medical bills before they start destroying my credit... Hopefully next update!

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

Understandable. I enjoyed flipping through the Flickr, window-shopping. :D

[rubymulligan.livejournal.com]

I got the orange "Story Girl" pixie stars pair and the "She Wore a Wreath of Seaweed" Glamourkin that I'd been wanting since the last update. There was SO MUCH STUFF I wanted to get, alas, I just don't have the cash right now. ;-;

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

Oh, I *love* that one. It is perfect for you. (Also, can't wait to see hair pics. You'll look adorable with those stars. I'm not sure I can pull the look off, myself.) :D My purchases were impulsive, to say the least. (At $10/week in groceries--that's months of food I traded for shiny things! ;) ) I'll be alright, I just have to go sell some more ponies or something. :D

[erigeneia.livejournal.com]

I love that crown! It's so beautiful.

I got the "invoke Artemis" invocation (I saw it on the Flickr and asked Sarah to hold it for me and she did!) and I commissioned a set of 12 Pixie Stars, one in each of ELF's 12 Colors, because I could not pick just one color!

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :) I love the 12 colors idea. I hope you'll share photos when you get them. :D

[sidheblessed.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels the need to have a complete set of Sarah's books in print. I'm coming around to eBooks, slowly, but my heart will always be owned by print books. Always.

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

I agree. I can't imagine a future without them.

[azhure.livejournal.com]

I am so glad that you got that shrine :) It's so you :)

I ended up nabbing the Persephone treasure box and one of the wall plaques :)