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

[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.