A Fairy Census

It's been awhile since I posted about our Little Friends. But then, I think they are hibernating in these parts. I have heard rumors (via the Kitties, so who knows how true those rumors are!) that they are planning a development in the Spring. 

Back to the subject at hand....

There has been a Fairy census taken (wonder if my Little Friends took part?). The results can be read here! Or for questions answered or more information, go to The Fairyist.


Or to read abut the results of the census and other musings, go to Malcom's Musings.

A great source of information about those Little People can be found at this blog,  Living Liminally . In fact the writer of that blog released a book last year and has another scheduled to come out this year. And currently she is writing about Fairy Taboos to enable us humans to better understand and live side by side with them.

Steel Fairies

The art of  Robin Wright

Faerie, Troll, & Elf Link Dump

Here are some links to random stories about the Fae Folk! 

(Some of the links are older than others)

Denmark funds Troll research

Do Trolls Really Exist?

Elf Whisperer of Iceland

Fae Folk Evidence?

Return of the Faery Hunters

Troll Hunting in Norway

Troll Mother

Trolls thru Time

It's Census Time!

It's time to do a head count. Not of blog readers or people living in a specific state or country but of Faeries! 

The Fairy Investigation Society is collecting data on sightings and beliefs. Click Here to submit your answers!

The Fairy Investigation Society website is a wealth of information about sightings, beliefs, books, and news. 

***Gnomes are welcome too! ***

Unseelie

The art of Tessa Farmer

Cat Tales ~ Cats = Fairies

Mommy was reading blogs the other day and she came across a post about something that Me already knew. 
The Ancient Celts believed that Cats had their own Faery Court and their own magickal powers. And in Celtic Faery Tales, Cats were often a type of Faery. 
Me could've told her that! Me has Me's own court. And Me's the KING!

Click Here to Read Ravens Shire's Blog!

Purz and Catnip Dreams.......Gomez

The HotDog Fairy

image source

This elusive Fairy came to life during the PAX event (Penny Arcade Expo) in Seattle. PAX is a gaming convention of sorts. PAX events are now being held in other cities in the U.S. 

Early drawing of a Hotdog Fairy
image source

And what does the Hotdog Fairy do, you ask? Good question! No one knows for sure. Some say that if you place a piece of hot dog in the dirty laundry on a new moon that the Hotdog Fairy will come to visit. Others say the hotdog must be placed under one's pillow. Regardless, I think the little guy needs some mustard.....

Keeping myself out of trouble

It's been almost 6 months since we moved to our new hometown and the little urban cottage in whence we reside. Time has truly flown by.  And grass has not grow under my feet. (giggle Not too hard since it is January!)  I am slowly working my way through the mountain of boxes filled with the stuff I had packed up more than two years ago. I am hoping to have tackled the mountain completely by the time Spring arrives. I am so tired of 'stuff' monopolizing my time! And space!

I have been busy in the creative department. I recently took two Snow Faeries to the gift shop in Cripple Creek. One of them insisted on 'riding shotgun' - even though she flew the whole way!

The other Faery was content to sit on her stool and contemplate her sculpture. She is getting ready for the upcoming Cripple Creek Ice Festival. Didn't take her long to find her way to the front window.

Giant Maple Leaf - O, Canada!

Gunnera Leaf

My love of trees helped me get another gig. I answered an ad on Craig's List for a Leaf Maker. I made a couple of extremely large leaves - 3 feet across.  The leaves were used to make molds for birdbaths and stepping stones.

Gunnera Leaf Birdbath

And a few more irons have been thrown into the proverbial fire. I'll be sure to give you up-dates as the irons heat up. 

Goblin's Workshop

The Art of JB Monge

Worlds Within Worlds

The Art of Ed Binkley

***There's a lot of detail in these drawings. Click on the picture to enlarge!***

Upcoming Events & New Venues

October is finally here. The one month out of the year that us Halloween-lovers all look forward to. The month we plan for all year long. The month where bats, and ghosts, and grinning Jacks (short for jack-o-lanterns) adorn all the houses instead of just a few. (WHAT?!?  You don't keep your bats and ghosts and grinning Jacks out all year long??)

And with October comes a flurry of activity. So many wonderful festivals and balls and other events to attend. To start the month, I will be a vendor at the Denver Pagan Pride Festival on October 12th in Denver's Civic Center Park. 

And to end the month I will be a vendor at the Denver Witches' Ball on November 2nd.

And my artistic creations can now be found at the Shops at the Silver Mine in Cripple Creek. Shops at the Silver Mine is a charming collective of Colorado artists and craftsmen. 

If you're in search of that unique something to add to your collection, stop by Clifton's Curios and Antiques Mall in Colorado Springs. I can vouch to the uniqueness of some of the items - Hubby and I are downsizing and our excess can be found for sale there. Along with some of my folk art.

With all the activity this month, I'm not sure how many road-trips we'll be going on. But I will share our trip to the mountains from last month. And there is one event we're definitely planning on attending - the Coffin Races held in Manitou Springs every October!

So until next time..... Happy Haunting!

Roadtrip ~ Fairy Caverns & Fairy Kisses

One of the places we visited while in Glenwood Springs was Glenwood Caverns. This was a MUST SEE because of the Fairy Caves located there! I mean what lover of the FAE wouldn't want to go see Fairy Caves! **wink**

***Remember, you can click on a picture to make it bigger***

Charles Darrow homesteaded the area surrounding the Fairy Caves and turned it into a tourist attraction by the mid-1890's. Darrow built a road to the top of Iron Mountain where the entrance to the Fairy Cave can be found and brought electric lights to the Fairy Caves before the 1900's. 

The Tonsils

In his ever expansion of the 'attraction', Darrrow blasted a tunnel from a cavern to the cliff side overlooking the confluence of the Colorado River and Roaring Fork River Valley. 

Railing around the ledge at the end of the tunnel. This area is named Exclamation Point.

Crevasses left by the roots of a tree

Quite breathtaking views but being near the edge was not for the faint of heart!

Lizard

But these new holes in the walls of the caves brought in outside air and slowly the Fairy Caves began to die. The outside air can be both hotter and drier than the caves moderate climate causing the caves to 'dry up'.

The Fairy Caves were operated by the Darrow Family until 1917, at which time the attraction was closed. Unfortunately the entrance to the Fairy Caves wasn't secured with a door or bars and many of the larger and more unique formations were broken or stolen. Trash and rubble filled many places. But the beauty of the Fairy Caves was apparent to many and Cavers continued to explore the many cracks and crevices discovering many new caves and passageways.

What do you see?

In 1998, Steve and Jeanne Beckley took over development of the property. Being life-long Cavers, the Beckleys used scientific cave preservation methods in all their improvements. The most important was installing airtight doors in all the cave entrances. These doors form an airlock which helps maintain the ideal temperature and humidity level.  Today the newer caverns are still living and growing. And there are rumors that the once dead sections of the Fairy Caves have begun to grow again.

Today's visitors have a set of strict rules which they must follow when touring these caves. The most important is 
DON'T TOUCH!

Tree Root which has grown down through the rock in search of water

No one is sure how the Fairy Caves got their name but legend has it that one of Darrow's daughters thought the light from her lantern reflecting off the water droplets looked like Fairies dancing around the cave. 

Mineral laden water droplets leached through rock are what form the many unique forms which can be found in the Fairy Caves. Water dripping from the roof of the cave deposits those minerals on its way to the floor, forming Stalactites. 

The minerals that are left in that droplet once it hits the floor collect and form Stalagmites. The multitude of other rock formations are only variations of these processes.

Some visitors to the Fairy Caves and its labyrinth system are lucky enough to have one of these tiny water droplets fall on them. This is called a Cave Kiss or Fairy Kiss. A Kiss like this is considered a sign of Good Luck. 

And yes, I received a Kiss. Or two.

The caverns in the Fairy Caves system are quite spacious. And the passageways aren't too narrow. I never once had a problem with being underground. 

In fact, it was rather hard to imagine that I was deep down in the recesses of the Earth. But the total darkness which our tour guide had us experience was a bit disconcerting!

Next we'll explore King's Row Cave and the journey that was taken to discover this one!