Weird Wednesday ~ Plastic Eating Fungus!

A fungus has been discovered in the rain forests of Ecuador that consumes polyurethane, a polymer that is used in the making of everything plastic and synthetic. And it can do this in an environment which does not contain oxygen!

Every year more than 33 million tons of plastic is discarded every year by Americans! Of that, roughly 6.5% is recycled and 7.7% is combusted in waste-to-energy facilities. This fungus, Pestalotiopsis microspora, may very well be the answer our society has been needing.

Link to various articles - read more!

Book Fungi

The art of Melissa Jay Craig

Portals to Another Realm

The art of Patrick Jacobs

Weird Wednesday ~ A House of Spores

Phil Ross is an artist whose work has consisted of  real mushroom side-tables and chairs. He would grow the fungi in a mold so that the growth would form a specific shape.

Ross built a small teahouse from Reishi mushroom bricks. He boiled the bricks which made up the teahouse to make a tea for the museum visitors to drink. It was after that process that Ross realized that he may have discovered the building material of the future. The boiled bricks were so strong that they broke Ross's woodworking tools. The fungi bricks could withstand extreme temperatures, bullets and is totally sustainable as well as compost-able.

The bricks are grown in organic matter like sawdust or agricultural waste. The tiny mushroom grows as it consumes the nutrients in the organic matter and soon fine threads of mycelium form a solid block of cells. Placed two living fungal blocks together and they will fuse together in a matter of hours. Cure the material to stop the growth and create an almost indestructible building block.

Click Here to Read More!

Mushrooms = Cannibalism?

A question was posed to me in last week's post about Cemetery Mushrooms.

You don't eat any of them, do you?

So I started thinking.... if a person were to eat mushrooms grown in the cemetery would that make that person a cannibal?

Graveyard Mushrooms

The rainy summer has brought forth a plethora of fungi. I have found some lovely specimens amid the headstones in the woods.

Santa and Magick Mushrooms

We all know about Santa Claus and his flying reindeer. But where did the story really start?

One theory has their origins in the hallucinogenic or "magic" mushrooms which grow in the Siberian and Arctic regions of the World.

Santa is likened to the traveling Shamans of the Northern Regions, who brought bags of 'magic' mushrooms as presents around to the villages at the time of the Winter Solstice. 

This Mushroom is Amanita Muscaria. It is commonly found in the Northern or Boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere. This toadstool can be poisonous and is most definitely psychoactive. It can be found in forests growing under trees, most commonly pine trees. The Shamans of the Tribes found in the Northern Regions used the Amanita Muscaria as a way to commune with the Spirits and it was considered a sacred substance.

The theory goes on to say that reindeer commonly grazed on the fungi. So did the Native Siberian Tribesman who probably had hallucinations of the reindeer flying.

Bringing a pine tree indoors at the time of the Winter Solstice and decorating it in red and white along with placing presents under the tree are all symbols of the Amanita Muscaria.

image source

While images of Santa and red topped mushrooms have been around through the ages, many historians doubt this theory. Perhaps they need a bit of "Holiday Cheer"!

To Read More, Click Here!

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!

Shrooms Under Glass

I have two new items in my Etsy shop. They are both pendants that were made from reclaimed pendant watches that had quit working. I turned them into small Fae worlds that can be worn.

The first is made from a pendant watch that didn't work and that had a broken crystal. I gutted the watch and then installed a trio of wee 'Shrooms and a ladybug.

The second pendant is made from a pendant watch that had a cover (like a locket). The crystal was still intact on this pendant and when the cover is opened, it appears that you are looking into a wee terrarium complete with a set of red 'Shrooms, a ladybug and a dragonfly. 

Click here to go to my Etsy shop! 

Etsy Shoppe Grand Re-opening!

I am glad to announce the Grand Re-Opening of my Etsy Shoppe. I have some old favorites, some new items and I have added a "supplies" section (soon to be added to, just need to download some pics & take some measurements)! So if you're looking for one-of-a-kind Fairy-licious gifts, be sure to check it out! Click Here!

And I have some new items at auction on eBay! 
Including a pair of Witch Shoes and a Trio of Vintage Gnomes! Click Here!

AND I have added many, many more books to my Amazon store! Click Here!

My Shroom Room

                    

I want a room like this!

The Great Mushrooming

These exquisite Mushrooms are actually lights. They are handmade by a gentleman in Japan. The mushrooms are glass and they are lit by LED light. Unfortunately he does not ship overseas. So one must travel to Japan for one of these beauties. 

Click Here to go to the Artist's website - The Great Mushrooming! 

Click Here to go to a blog with a little more info - Tokyobling!  

(The second website is in English)

Shrooms & a Spider

The recent rains have brought on a flurry of growth from everything - the grass (yes, it needs mowing AGAIN!), the flowers and even the mushrooms have sprouted!

(in case you're wondering where the spider is...the flower is a Spider Lily. And I promise I'll have some pics of a few WIPS this weekend!)

A Give-Away

There's a lot to celebrate this month. My 100th post (did I really have THAT much to say??). The Summer Solstice on June 21st. And Faery Day on June 24th.

So to kick off this month's festivites, I am having a give-away for three FANTABULOUS creations.

A set of 5 Magic Faery Mushrooms,

a set of 3 Magic Faery Punkins,

and a Faery Wand!

So how can I get my name entered to win one of these wonderful Faery objects you ask?? Simple!

Here's the rules ~
1. Become a follower of my blog! OR

2. Leave a comment on any post for the next week - beginning with today's. I will be posting everyday for one week (that's seven days - seven posts - seven chances to have your name put into the cauldron). OR

3. Give a Shout-Out on your Blog about my give-away and provide a link back to this post and have your name entered once again. (Please email me after posting on your Bloggy )

The Give-away ends at midnight ~ the Witching Hour ~ on Saturday, June 13th (that's CST). I will draw three names from my cauldron on Sunday, June 14th and announce the winners right here on my Blog.

Got questions? Ship me an email!

Sonya's Mushroom Swap Complete

A few weeks back, I joined a Mushroom Swap hosted by Sonya. If you'll remember, the mushrooms which I created were little Faerie houses, complete with stovepipes. I got my Swap Mushrooms in the mail! They are all so AWESOME !!!




I received the most adorable little RedCap. Her name is Frances and she was made by a wonderfully, talented Cathy . She also made the cutest card to go with her. I also received the cutest pencil topper (or plant poke pal) from Valerie of Yarni Gras! If you visit her blog, you will find instructions on how to make one of your very own.


This little mushroom house will be right at home on my kitchen window sill next to a plant. And the cutest tag was with it - Shroomies by Lara Johnson . And this elegant looking mushroom is made by Kristin . You must see all the other wonderful mushrooms that she made.


And the fifth mushroom is a Wood Blewit Mushroom. It is unreal how realistic it is. It is the creation of JennyC.No3 . She also provided a card telling a bit about the Blewit. Wow!

I have so enjoyed this Swap! Thank you Sonya for all the hard work.

Be sure to check out everyone's blogs and see what exciting things they're up to! And if you get the chance there is a Flickr Group for our Mushroom Swap.