"Fairy Tales De-stressed" Shows - and Teaches - the Transforming Power of Learning Mindfulness

“Many characters in fairy tales are under clear stress – or else causing it to others. They badly need to meditate. And so we wondered what would happen if they did.” 

Feeling stressed? Us too! Self-care is very important right now as election results remain in flux and the results uncertain. 

But let's be real. It's still really hard to stop the stress, the frustration, and restless worry spinning in our minds. The good news is that there is one scientifically proven tool available to use to help and that's meditation and mindfulness. If you're like a lot of folks, though, that seems too hard to make happen and might feel a little "woo-woo" to get started. Thankfully, there's an app for that! 

 If you've spent any time watching media coverage of the election, there's a good chance you will have seen this pop up every now and then during a commercial break:

New day. Same request. pic.twitter.com/jE32T3gd0V

— Calm (@calm) November 4, 2020

Easy, right? And that's pretty much how easy it is to begin.

While the above video is a commercial for a product - a subscription app called Calm - it is also incredibly welcome to see a reminder to just "stop", in the middle of the debate and contention. Calm is the #1 app for guided meditation, breathing, focus, and mindfulness and uses a lot of nature-enhanced visuals and audio to help people deal with anxiety and stress. They also. however, have a whole library of "sleep stories", including some retold fairy tales. 

(And, no, we have no affiliation with the company and are not getting any perks - we just think this is awesome.)

To us, though, the most interesting use of the fairy tales they've added is the "Fairy Tales De-stressed" series.

The shared theme of these new tales is the power of meditation, mindfulness, and other mind tools to transform lives. 

...The new tales are also loosely inspired by the Dalai Lama’s assertion that, “If every eight year-old is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation.” 

The four tales we are aware of in this series are "Rumpelstiltskin Learns to Meditate", "The Big Bad Wolf Learns Anger Management", The Wicked Witch of the West Learns Mindfulness", and "Pinocchio and the Sleepless Cricket". These aren't really retellings though. They are more akin to an additional chapter in the already existing story of these angry and messed up characters, in which, by learning new tools to manage stress and emotions, become transformed. 

The best part? It's not just a story. The principles are based on scientific evidence of the measurable effects that using meditation can have.

It tells what happens – and what a different turn life takes – when Rumpelstiltskin does what any creature famed for their foul temper should do – and learns to meditate.
It starts by recapping the traditional tale of Rumpelstiltskin ... or, what we might call the bad, sad and chronically ill-tempered chapter in his life before he learnt meditation.
If there's any truth to the notion that many of us possess our own inner Rumpelstiltskin in some form, then not just the Dalai Lama but plenty of scientific research suggests that meditation might be the answer.  

...“There’s a wealth of research showing that meditation can make people kinder, more compassionate and less angry," says Alex Tew. One study by Northeastern University – commissioned by another meditation app – found that as little three weeks of meditation can increase compassion by 23% and reduce aggression by 57%. 

The "Fairy Tales De-stressed" series uses celebrities Jerome Flynn (Game of Thrones), Keegan Connor Tracy (ABCs Once Upon A Time) and Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) as narrators, and join the many other celebrity voices in the Sleep Stories library for Calm.

Calm website screenshot - a small selection of the manhy, many titles available

Calm is available through the Google Play Store for android and the AppleStore for iPhone and iPad products. They are currently having a 7-day free Premium access trial with no obligation exit, which unlocks all the Sleep Stories, and there's also a 40% off welcome offer for the yearly subscription. 

While the Sleep Stories are aimed at adults, Calm has just added a whole lot of stories for kids just in time for this stressful season, so there's something for the whole family.

Go HERE to check them out. If you're someone who carries your phone with you most places you go, you'll get a lot out of Calm over the course of the day, every day. Easiest personal trainer for better mental health ever.

"Introducing my new Sleep Story ‘Pinocchio and the Sleepless Cricket’ - with a special appearance by the Blue Fairy. I’ve talked a lot about my insomnia and how these sleep stories were a game-changer for me. So slide into the sheets, relax and get comfortable while I lull you to dreamland with a new twist on an old classic"- Keegan Connor Tracy

As a bonus, here is a trailer for another of the fairy tales available in the Sleep Stories library, though this one made the news not too long ago: this is the first AI-written bedtime story. While most of the stories are written by experienced and respected writers, this one is the "test story" to see if AI is able to write a traditionally-styled fairy tale, but with some contemporary updating, and satisfy listeners. (You be the judge.):

The Three Little Pigs? Or The Three Little "Pigsies" (aka Pixies)?

Henry Justice Ford - The Three Little Pigs: The Fox Carries Whitey Off To His Den - Green Fairy Book Andrew Lang 1892

Sometimes we come across the greatest fairy tale connections in the most unusual places. Looking up the folkloric connection for pixies, to create a more fleshed-out background for a Dungeons and Dragons playable character, we came across a great little video that exposed a curious idea. UK-based YouTuber "Arcane Forge" is an avid player and researcher, who loves comparing and combining folklore and real-world history with Dungeons and Dragons lore and (published canon) history. He casually mentioned an earlier spelling and pronunciation of "pixie" in connection with a well known story...

We're transcribing the relevant section for you below:

Pictured: a pixie. (Artist unknown)
(Also known as pixy, piskie, piksy, pexy, pigsey, or pigsnye.)
Pixie was originally just the Cornish term for a fairy. The exact etymology
is unclear. It's been connected to everything from Picts to Puck.
Anna Eliza Bray's A Peep at the Pixies (1854) uses the word for
all sorts of fairy beings of varying size and appearance:
will o' the wisps, fairy godmothers, brownie-style house elves,
and ghostly phantoms.

"The stories of pixies were often adapted after widespread Christianity, and Christian belief took hold of Britain, and these stories were written/adapted to fit Christan beliefs. It was said that pixies were the unbaptized children who had died, and rather than haunting people like ghosts, because they were children they still had childlike temperaments, and played pranks and tricks instead. Clothes were often burned and as a result they would often need to find natural things to cover themselves in the afterlife.  

A collection of Cornish folktales features
the lore of the mysterious and invisible
tiny spirits as based on stories that
have been handed down from generation to
generation.

But pixies even made it into some of the world's most enduring stories. in the Cornish dialect "pixie" used to be pronounced "pig-zxeez" (or "pizgzees") and spelled p-i-g-s-i-e-s* (or p-i-s-g-i-e-s). It's believed that the story, The Three Little Pigs actually featured "pigsies" rather than pigs. it was only after a dialect shift, and subsequent retellings of the story that resulted in the version that we now all know."

*You may see an in-between spelling used too: "piskies"

We had forgotten all about the pixie variant (or possibly ancestor) of The Three Little Pigs!

There is an English tale (specifically Dartmoor), very similar to The Three Little Pigs, which is known as The Fox and the Pixies. The notes on the linked page mention that "Katherine M. Briggs includes a version of this story in her A Dictionary of British Folk-Tales in the English Language, part A, vol. 2 (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1970), pp. 528-30." (from D. L. Ashliman's folk texts) It's a pretty delightful read and uses one smart pixie's trickster antics wonderfully in the tale to outwit his nemesis. (Note: pixie is spelled "pixy" in the online text here.)

Then there is the version of The Three Little Pigs in Andrew Lang's Green Fairy Book, (which the illustration at the head of the post is from). The antagonist here is also a fox - a fox with a litter to feed. The pigs in this tale all have names: Browney (likely called such because he was covered in mud, was lazy, and dirty, and had a house made of mud), Whitey (a clever but greedy little she-pig [we would say 'sow' but that term is given to the mother who is in the first half of the story, worrying about her piglets], and she gets a house made out of cabbages) and the third is Blacky (who was black, good, nice and the ceverest of them all, and made a house of brick). Blacky not only outwits the fox but goes and rescues his terrified brother and sister from the fox's den at the end of the story too.

So we go from a Fox and Pixies, to a Fox and Pigs (Piggies?), to a Wolf and Pigs. What we really want now, though, is to read a revised, contemporary tale of the Three Little Pisgies that harks back to the tale's rumored roots...

You can listen to Arcane Forge's whole video on pixies HERE (and watch as he draws one too). His approach is so intriguing, we think we may just have to mine some of his other videos on 'monster lore' too, just in case there are more fairy tale connections hidden there too.

Henry Justice Ford - The Three Little Pigs - Green Fairy Book Andrew Lang 1892

TILT "Spin Tales" To Release Interactive Fairy Tale Bedsheets

Sleeping Beauty by Lucy Levenson

Technology meets textiles in startup company TILT's new line of fairy tale bedding. The announcement was made to the public at The Toy Insider's Holiday of Play event on September 21.

Note: None of the quilts shown in this post have anything to do with TILT or the interactive bedding. 

Here's the details:

Quilt or wall-hanging featuring Little Red Riding Hood,
made by Ukrainian woman Olga Basylewycz in a
displaced persons camp in southern Germany, 1946. 

Bedsheets and rugs are common household items yet a startup textile franchise called TILT has found a way to turn these unassuming items into playthings that will entertain children and foster their imaginations. Launched in 2016, TILT—which is under the umbrella of the larger Welspun group—is dedicated to the formation of “start textiles” which work with tablets and smartphones to bring colorful patterns and prints to life. This cutting-edge and creative franchise is known as “Spin Tales” and the brand has released a bedspread depicting the fairy tale themes of Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and The Three Little Pigs and a rug featuring jungle themes.

And from the public announcement:

Hopeless Romantic by Barbara Zuazua

TILT by Welspun is an innovative smart home textiles company that creates interactive experiences through seamless integration of smart technology with home textiles. TILT will be launching their product line, Spin Tales, the first ever interactive bedding for children with a focus on storytelling, user experience and AR technology. The Spin Tales classic duvet and pillow case set allow readers to join Little Red, Three Pigs and Jack from Magic Beans on their adventures, or join Milo and friends in the Spin Tales Jungle rug to explore and learn about life in the jungle, by using an app that brings characters alive in 3D images. Spin Tales creates a unique bonding experience for children and parents; it draws them into an immersive world of stories and fosters learning in an interactive environment that is truly magical and playground cool. This is the first in a series of smart home textiles products that TILT is creating.

Here's the press release on the patent and technology, describing how an interactive bedspread would work:

Jack & the Beanstalk by Ellen Anderson

Welspun, a conglomerate that specializes in home textiles, is thrilled to announce that it has secured the "Interactive Textile Article and Augmented Reality System" patent, which protects Welspun's new product line TILT. The patent covers a system that has textile material with a design motif and an augmented reality software application. The software application is designed to allow a user to scan the design motif on the textile material, and enter an augmented reality portal that is thematically related to the design motif. TILT by Welspun is a new brand that focuses on seamlessly integrating technology into textiles. The first product, Spin Tales, is an interactive and innovative bed set and rug for kids aged three and up. With innovative technology, a free app designed for the duvet cover and rug allows the user to experience adventures in augmented reality and engage in interactive games. Spin Tales is the first of many smart home textile products that will be introduced under the TILT umbrella. 

We're not sure what we think of this new technology. It obviously has a lot of possibilities but we can also see the downside of this. Hopefully someone will see positive aspects and develop those.

In the meantime we support "portals into other worlds" by way of time honored bed time stories.

"Triune Tale of Diminutive Swine" (aka "The Three Little Pigs" by John Branyan)

The set up for this piece is Branyan sharing that Shakespeare apparently had a working vocabulary of around 54 000 words, whereas the average today is much closer to 3 000. (Really? Yikes.) He then proceeds to reason that this is why reading the classics is so confusing, and that even a simple fairy tale would be difficult for many to understand.

Sent to us by fairy tale friend and mythic filmmaker Lisa Stock of InByTheEye, please enjoy an "enhanced vocabulary" version of The Three Little Pigs by comic John Branyan (recorded live in 2011).

We predict that, within minutes, any person within the vicinity of this recording will be uttering bardic phrases in complete delight.

We were very pleased to find that Branyan had translated this performance into illustrated print and it is available for purchase through his website HERE.

In the meantime, those with little folk (or other large folk) in the house, are welcome to perform their own reading of Triune Tale of Diminutive Swine, by reading the text loud HERE.

[We aim to procure this volume for our library, with the admitted selfish motivation of encouraging the formation of further volumes of like tales. ;) ]

Making Wolves Out Of Blown Down Houses

Olav the Wolf

I just HAD to share!

There is a Danish artist who is busy making amazing sculptures out of scrap wood and other discarded construction material and this wolf, posted just a couple of weeks ago, is obviously some part of the Three Little Pigs story we just haven't seen before.

Danish artist Thomas Dambo, creates gorgeous, hulking and humorous sculptures that are all made from reclaimed scrap wood and other discarded construction materials. The sculptures can be found in such cities as Copenhagen, Mors, Aarhus, and Horsens in Denmark and Culebra Es Ley in Puerto Rico. 

"Thomas and his team have made many different sculptures from recycled materials/trash. They have specialized in making wooden sculptures from scrapwood, such as Hector Protector and Troels The Troll but they also have great experience with making sculptures from other materials such as plastic, and even cardboard."

Olav the Wolf at night

Here's a quick little video of "Olav's" construction:

Pretty neat, right?

You can see more sculptures HERE and see other artwork by Dambo via his Instagram HERE.

Source: HERE

NOTICE TO READERS: Once Upon A Blog Is Secure & Clean

Dear Readers,

At the end of the week I had three people report they were getting notices of concern regarding malware when opening posts on Once Upon A Blog. I immediately began investigating.

Please be assured that after many, many hours with professional technicians in a very thorough check, Once Upon A Blog has been verified as clean and does not contain or host malware of any kind. 

I have also had my own system completely cleaned and updated professionally, and got our personal security boosted as well for an additional security measure, to make absolutely sure nothing coming from the blog, or from me personally, will be infected.

Both illustrations from David Wiesner's Three Little Pigs

The technicians I worked with did suggest, however, that anyone getting a warning is showing their system to be vulnerable and they strongly suggested people should install Adblock Plus immediately to protect their systems. It is FREE and simple to install and it protects you from annoying ads as well as malware. You can find it HERE. They also suggest you run a security check on your personal computer.

If you have installed Adblock Plus, checked your firewall is working and are still getting notices in connection with our site, please do not hesitate to let me know. We are doing our best to make sure our readers are not at risk in any way and will take any concerns you have seriously.

Sincerely,
Gypsy Thornton

Aussies 'n' Fairy Tales Week: Debra Phillips, Painter of Stories

You may have seen her work recently in conjunction with the AFTS conference, but not known the name of the creative woman behind this new vision of Snow White. Her name is Debra Phillips and she tells stories. But not just with words. She also tells stories with paint.

While she is a writer and is currently involved with an academic study related to storytelling and fairy tales, she also creates stories using paint and often incorporating other media as well. Be it stitching, photography, old maps or her own brushstrokes, there is always a story woven into the work.

A Grimm View of Life series: Three Little Pigs

From Ms. Phillips:

When I paint I tell myself a story about the people in the scenes, the events leading up to the scenes and the qualities of each person within the painting. For me, a painting is a story. Although it is entire in itself, there is always a story before the image and a story after the image.  Decades ago when I painted the series of saints, I also wrote on the back a short story about the life of the saint (either imagined or real). 

A Grimm View of Life series: Goldilocks and porridge

What you see here are some of her intriguing paintings, exploring familiar fairy tales in a new ways, something, she says, is bring influenced by her current academic research and study, with an emphasis on the notion of time experienced in fairy tales and how they can transform to become a distinct narrative about an imagined future.

But that's not all she does.

A Grimm View of Life series: Snow White and rotten to the core

In the past, Ms. Phillips could often be found writing stories for friends by request, often with the purpose of commemorating a specific and special life event (birth, wedding etc). Over time, she began to include water colors, collages or photographs she had created. At some point she added stitching and the concept of her unique brand of hand crafted books was born.

Detail from a mixed-media collage

Story writing has overtaken my self and my life. There is always a tension between the desire to write and the desire to paint. Sometimes the paintings emerge from writing and sometimes the story comes from seeing a theme running through paintings or collage images. 

Fairy story themes are a constant thread running through all the stories. Some fairy stories are obvious and others are hidden in the other themes of the story. All my stories are about the human condition, especially its frailties and it’s complex relationships.

As you can see at the head of the post, Ms. Phillips had the honor of being the cover artist for the AFTS Inaugural Conference program this year. She also attended and, along with everyone else, has been reported as being both delighted and inspired by the papers and presentations of all kinds.Which can only mean one thing: we should be seeing more from Ms. Philips very soon.  

A Grimm View of Life series: Snow White & Rose Red have the wolf at their feet

In the meantime, she has a small website with a few examples of her work HERE, including a fascinating introduction to her current studies with fairytales. I look forward to seeing what Ms. Phillips does next.

Plants vs Zombies vs Fairy Tales

If you've been wondering how to introduce your video-game-loving little charge to fairy tales, you now have a new weapon in your arsenal. (Actually two, as I discovered on a trip to the grocery store today.)

Based on the popular-with-all-ages franchise Plants vs Zombies, we get retellings of two fairy tales (so far), retold (with zombies) for ages 4 to 8 with some unusual twists (and stickers!):

Brains and the Beanstalk
The Three Little Pigs Fight Back

They're cartoony, colorful and super cute but most importantly of all, the fairy tales are even more recognizable than you might expect. I particularly like that both books emphasize the use of, you guessed it, BRAINS!

Here are the synopses:

Plants Vs Zombies: The Three Little Pigs Fight BackThe famous fairy-tale pigs are thrown into the fun-dead world of Plants vs. Zombies, the award-winning video game.Instead of the big bad wolf, the brave pigs must escape a mob of fun-loving, brain-eating zombies from the wildly popular game. The pigs will have to think fast and team up with some zombie-fighting plants to stay alive.

Plants vs Zombies: Brains and the BeanstalkNow in a thrilling picture book for kids, Jack—of Jack and the Beanstalk fame—enters the fantastical world of the game. He will battle the zombies with his magical beanstalk fighting by his side. The fun never dies in this action-filled adventure for kids with full-color illustrations.

I've seen far worse modernizing and retellings of both these tales so I'm quite happy to read them to my kid (or have him read them to me now!). I do find it interesting that they chose these two tales. It tells me that the popular consensus of "best/most popular tales for boys" include these two (because, let's face it, at age 4-6, it's not little girls they expect to be reading these books ad there's no Plants vs Zombies merchandise in the girls section of stores either). 

I find it REALLY interesting that Plants vs Zombies decided to go with fairy tales at all, when there are already many other "story lines" (I use the term somewhat loosely - maybe "premise" would be a better word) in the world of the game already. I guess, if nothing else, these two tales are seen as combative (which, honestly is a new way of thinking about them for me). Replacing the fairy tale adversaries with zombies in each tale makes for an interesting mirror to the trend in YA and adult speculative fiction and urban fantasy, in which zombies (which represent a whole lot of different and enlightening things that adults currently see as our main trials and adversaries in the current day) are currently being represented as our most collective and societal fear. That being the case, these books should set kids up to be well armed and prepared against zombies of any kinds in their futures!

Sidenote: I do wonder at the plants versus zombies idea. Why plants versus these monsters? Is it the refuse to die-undead vs the pushing up daisies state bodies are supposed to be in for the natural order to stay in balance and continue? (Yes - I find many weird things fascinating!)

The books were released on August 6, 2013, are available on iTunes and Amazon (check title links above at synopses) and have started making their way into grocery stores around the US.

The Next Wave of Fairy Tale Movies.. (Humor)

The Three Little Pigs 
Potential Synopsis: Thomas Giles is a successful farmer, a faithful husband, a loving father, and a mad scientist. When three of Giles' genetically engineered pigs escape, he embarks on a race with town officials to hunt them down before it is too late.

Just a little light post for you all. :)

There's a lot of both excitement and eye-rolling about the continuing trend of making fairy tales into big budget movies in Hollywood so the folks over at College Humor thought they'd have some fun with it.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf 
Potential Synopsis: Prankster Aaron Jeckles has been crying wolf for years. When he takes one of his jokes too far, though, Jeckles quickly gets more attention than he's ever wanted… from a pack of wild beasts. Now, it's up to him to save his town.

Perhaps my perspective is different from the average College Humor reader (one hopes!) but I also find something thought provoking about the posters and the silly synopsis.

The Ugly Duckling 
Potential Synopsis: Haunted by the derision of the other ducklings, Cyngus flees from the public eye. It is only after he reaches adulthood does he realize his true swan identity… and the power that it yields.

There's more at the link HERE, including one about Goldilocks and magic porridge - which, come to think of it,we really haven't seen yet, and there are a lot of magic porridge tales in the world...

What do you think?

Two New Episodes of NBCs Grimm Airing This Week

While both Once and Grimm took a break over Thanksgiving, Once has been back with a vengeance and we've already had six episodes and much drama and speculation grabbing people's imaginations over the town of Storybrooke and the parallel world of Fairy Tale (and ratings). To top that off, another episode less than a week away.

Grimm, on the other hand, is still in limbo back at episode four and has lost a lot of ratings ground with so much time off. In fact, with all the media buzz about Once's twists and turns and interviews with Producers and casting sneak peeks, Grimm has quietly slipped out of the spotlight with barely a new post to keep it in our minds.

However: :)

NBC is going to try and make up for that by airing two brand new episodes on consecutive nights - this Thursday and Friday.

The epiosdes are:
Thursday: Danse Macabre (loosely based on The Pied Piper)
Friday: The Three Bad Wolves (loosely based on The Three Little Pigs)

Here's a two episode teaser clip advertising the special two night event:



There are more clips and interviews HERE, including discussion of the production and effects (The Pied Piper episode is DEFINITELY NOT for kids with all the gruesome visuals) and Grimm's reformed Blutbad musing on music, history and his relationship with Detective Nick Burkhardt.

Yay for lots of new fairy tale  content this week! We'll see if a double dose of Grimm is enough to put them back on people's must-watch lists.

Fairy Tale News Catch-Up - Mid February '10

There have been a few stories crop up I simply haven't had time to write posts for so, rather have you miss out, I'm doing a quick headliner post to catch you up and will link you to all the fairy tale goodness.

Just click on the headline to be taken to the story.

A straw-bale café and three little pigs?"Give me that straw to build me a house" by Leslie Brook

Energy efficient straw construction planned for Sutton in the UK, along with a permit for three little pigs to visit during the opening to continue the fairy tale theme.

Disney World expanding to add new fairy tale attractions & story interactions

Concepts for Gaston's Tavern

Guests will experience new rides including, an indoor Little Mermaid Attraction, and an expansion of Dumbo's Flying Circus. Fantasyland will also be more interactive. Guests will be able to train to be a knight, dine with princesses or have dinner in Gaston's Tavern from Beauty and The Beast. "Not only will it immerse guests into story lines of their favorite princesses, but it's actually going to make guests part of the stories," said Walt Disney Imagineer Diego Parris.

(More additions detailed in the article. Video promo included from announcement at the link. Older concept pics for the new additions at this link HERE.)

Nightmare reality for real life 'Sleeping Beauty' Louisa BallLouisa Ball suffers from sleeping illness

Fifteen year old girl (& family) come forward to highlight her contraction of rare illness Kleine-Levin Syndrome, also known as 'Sleeping Beauty Syndrome' (sort of an extreme version of narcolepsy). Seen mostly in teens, it is hoped she will be 'cured' (outgrow it?) in 10-12 years. Additional coverage HERE.

New "haunting erotic fairy tale" Sleeping Beauty film in the worksSleeping Beauty illustration by Gustav A. Tenggren

Actress Emily Browning to play a narcoleptic prostitute that caters to those with a 'certain fetish'. (I kid you not.) This won't be a kiddie film (obviously!) but it's not supposed to be an 'adult' film either. I wonder if the girl's name will be Talia?


Original draft images of Beauty & the Beast by Walter Crane going up for auction

2 Beauty & the Beast images by Walter Crane up for auction

The pictures, which illustrate the most famous scenes from the French love story, are estimated to make £200-£300 when they go up for auction on February 20.

Hansel & Gretel online flash game featured as 'game of the day' in LA TimesTitle graphic from Hansel & Gretel flash game-of-the-day

The aim is to collect all the stones. Interesting graphics that aren't at all cutesy. There's also a 'how to play' on YouTube HERE.

Tech-ed students building witch's house from Hansel & Gretel in Bookworm GardensScreen capture from Bookworm Gardens website

Bookworm Gardens, (is) a 2-acre fantasy garden based on children's literature located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan. The gardens mix paths, shrubs, trees and environmentally friendly structures with a series of about 10 reading-themed areas based on 74 different children's books, including "Charlotte's Web," the classic story about a talented pig and spider.

... The centerpiece of Bookworm Gardens is the Hansel & Gretel Administration Building, an A-frame cottage-style structure with a curvy roofline to resemble the famous house of the classic children's tale. It will include a classroom, offices, gift shop, restrooms and a small kitchen.

Other buildings include the barn from Charlotte's Web and "Little House in the Big Woods". The gardens are due to open in October later this year.

********

There are a few more stories (there's always more fairy tale news than I can cover!) but I hope to cover a couple more fun ones in the next few days. :)

12 Days: Fairy Tale Quilt

Fairy tales are a popular choice for advanced quilters (many of whom might be considered fiber artists with their innovative use of dying fabrics, applique and embroidery combinations). I have a few unique artworks in my archives to show you sometime, including the original subject I was looking for - a Princess and the Pea quilt - but while I didn't find any P&tP quilts that stood out to me, I did find a simpler, lovely multi-tale quilt for sale on Etsy. It comes with a rod pocket sewn into it so you can choose to use it as a wall hanging if you wish.This one is by MoonGazerQuilts and I'd consider grabbing it myself if it had a more gender-neutral color for the border. It's called "Fairy Tales and Dreams" and you can find the quilt HERE (for under $50!) and also see the details of a lovely Noah's Ark quilt at the shop too.

NOTE: As usual, please note I am not affiliated with any of these stores or products. I do not receive any commission from any visit to the site or any purchase. These are just items I thought may interest people as fairy tale themed gifts for the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yuletide/Holiday Season. :)


Don't forget the "Pursuit of Happiness" Giveaway!

Entries close IN LESS THAN A WEEK on December 20th, so be sure to email me before then.
(A preview of the prize is coming soon too.)

Details for the giveaway are HERE and the wonderful London Particulars (who are making this giveaway possible through their generosity) can be found HERE.

12 Days: Classic Storytime Felt Character Patterns

The 12 Days of [Gifts Before] Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yule/Holiday continues...

In contrast to yesterday's expensive item, today I bring you something very affordable and perfect for crafty people on either the giving or receiving end.

Buggabug's Etsy shop sells lovely little patterns and instructions for a variety of things, including some storytime sets.I love the Billy Goats Gruff set in particular, even though it doesn't fold up for self-contained storage like many of the others. Each set is only $6 and you have the choice of buying the patterns and instructions (and perhaps the supplies) to give to someone, or if you're crafty yourself, you can make these sets for a handmade gift.For the “There Was An Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly…” pattern:

The animals are designed to easily slip into the old woman’s mouth as the story is told. When story time is over, the animals stay stored inside the tummy of the old woman for safe and organized storage.

Cute!

You can see all the sets available HERE.

NOTE: As usual, please note I am not affiliated with any of these stores or products. I do not receive any commission from any visit to the site or any purchase. These are just items I thought may interest people as fairy tale themed gifts for the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yuletide/Holiday Season. :)

Don't forget the "Pursuit of Happiness" Giveaway!

Entries close December 20th, so be sure to mails me before then.
Details for the giveaway are HERE and the wonderful London Particulars (who are making this giveaway possible through their generosity) can be found HERE.