An afternoon, deep in the gardens of Enchanted Cliff Manor... {+ shop update}

If you escape through the rounded door that sits in the towering stone wall, just at the edge of the lily pad pond, you might find yourself on the most exquisite span of earth ever created...  Where giant pale yellow flowers only bloom at night.  And beautiful toadstools fade from deep red to a tender shade of nectarine...

      

If you find yourself brave enough to visit this place, you must first convince a male member of your party, to cut down some of the Jasmine that almost blocks the fact that a door does sit in said wall.  When this door is opened, you will feel as though you are simply bursting forth.  Happily thrust out of the restraints of modern early 19th century life, and into the indulgent realm of freely roaming the wild overgrown outskirts, of the grounds at Enchanted Cliff Manor. 

And, you will most certainly find the evening blooming flowers, and tender glowing miniature canary flowers, that are a vivid part of children's fairytales in this land...

On a perfect afternoon, as the sun started to fade, in a time, not so long ago, a party of 7, decided to have a tea party in this slightly forbidden place...  It was a magical night... 

      

You see, they were guests at cliff manor.  They travelled with a theater (carnivale/circus) company, and were taking the place of another party of 7 that had just left to perform in the gold rush land... They were a courageous group, and had no qualms about escaping for an evening tea party outside of the protected grounds.  They found it romantic and terribly exhilirating...

Tea time girl was the most prepared.  She was a truly impressive girl.  Holding all the qualities that were esteemend and glorified by societies most critical...  She was also a beauty....  But besides that, she was easy to love, due to her simple & humble approach to life...

      

She carried tea cups on her head, and a tea pot that she handpainted herself, along with a decadent piece of the most exquisite gateaux found in that part of the north country...

A large pitcher of the most amazing flowery jasmine tea, laced with edible flowers and tender mint leaves, was brought by the lovely Duchess of Avian-falls.

      

Oh She was a delightful woman indeed.  You see, she was given the title of Duchess by a man she married through a contract that her father made.  They were married on paper (and had not yet met).  Her new husband, the Duke, was making his way on a ship from East Asia, to join her.  He was a procuror of extravagant tea.  Much to his families chagrin (they had other plans for him, being Duke and all). 

Anyhow, The Duchess was sent a locket that held the Duke's photograph.  And, dare I say, this was to be the most loveliest match in all of arranged marriages.  He was a beautiful man.  Serious and kind, all at once.  He had a charm in his eyes that melted the Duchesses heart.  And, he had already written her 3 letters that hinted at his romantic nature. 

Sadly, 2 days before his ship was to dock, and the Duchess would greet her husband... The ship was attacked by pirates.  And, the Duke was never heard of again.

        

You can imagine what this did to The Duchess?  Well, I'll tell you, she created a vision in her mind, that The Duke had survived and had floated to an island in Fiji.  Where he ate exotic fruit, and was fanned all day by women of the Island.  She hoped that for him.  That he had lived & was happy... She could not bear the thought that he was held captive by pirates, or worse, eaten by a shark.

As for her...  After some time, she was just fine.  Although her heart would hold a deep crack forever, she was lovely by nature.  And it helped, that The Duke had left her a beautiful home that had the most amazing aviary, right by a waterfall.  She lived there with servants for a few years...  Until a man came knocking at her door.

        

He was a man who owned the most amazing Old time Circus Carnivale in history.  His caravan was passing through, and they spotted her lovely expansive land.  They wanted to ask if they might be able to set up on her land... Just for a week or two.

      

Being in a lonely state, and quite desperate for visitors, The Duchess obliged.  And as they say, the rest is history.  For, after a mere day or so, The Duchess found her calling.  She had a secret trick, you see.  She would carry her three most beloved blue birds with her, and sing the most hauntingly beautiful tunes alongside them.   

When the Carnivale keeper heard this, he was speechless.  He decided they should change their show a bit, and build a beautiful Theater for her to perform in on the road (if she would join them, that is)...  Of course, The Duchess didn't think twice about it.  She kisssed her servants good-bye, left them enough gold to last a few years, and hit the road with the Carnivale...

Amogst the group was a young girl, quite lovely indeed.  She could turn any grain into the most scrumptious flour for making her heavenly pies.  She made all sorts of pies.  Fruit pies, savory pies, potato pies...  You name it, she baked it.  While her pies were baking, people could not help following the scent to her doorstep.  They smelled like a food of the Gods.  It was like no scent anyone had ever inhaled.  She loved baking for the performers...

          

The scent of her pies baking, was thought to be an enchanted scent...  But, only The Pie girl herself will ever know the truth... ;)

Having a way to speak through her pies was wonderful for Pie girl. You see, she was very very very shy.  She hardly ever showed a change in her expression, or uttered a word.  That is, unless she was alone or with the trusted few.  Then her smile shone like rays of light passing through a dewey rainbow...

        

(Back to the garden)  Just as the tea group was getting ready to close the door to have their voyage into the "other side" of the garden, Miss Polka Dot Cake Girl emerged.  She was racing along, shouting, oh please, please, wait for me....  She was a funny girl.  She was graced with lips that looked so plump and full and pouty, that her true character was always mistaken...

      

She was such a charming girl.  She was just learning the performing ropes, as her mother was the ever admired and respected, Story-teller Woman.  But this young girl had other wonderful traits.  She helped sew beautiful gowns & costumes for the performers.  And, she helped organize glorious tea parties, while perfecting her Strawberry and Vanilla Cake... Yumm Yummmmm...

The Story-teller woman held court to hundreds of wee munchkins.  Yes, the children inhabiting whatever town they were visiting next.  She held the key to the stories hidden in the attic of a magical place...  Oh, she was so delightful.  She had a chuckle deep in her belly, that you couldn't help but be forced to join in with, when you heard it...

      

She had such a way with words, that she would have you sitting there, mouth agape, entranced by her incredible stories.  She was never at a loss for words, and seemed to have fairytales growing in her heart...  As there was always a new one, more fantastic that the last...   She sat in gardens so often, telling stories, and bringing new ones to life in her head, that she even had two perfect green mushrooms growing amogst tiny tender pieces of moss, in her dress...

      

Now all 6 of these friends, made it their mission to take such good care of one of their most beloved performers.  This wee girl, had the most tried and true form of gumption a creature could ever hope for.  For a snail that is...

      

She had people travelling from all over the world to get a peek at her at the shows.  People could not believe their eyes.  A real snail girl???  Snail girl herself would assure, "I am not the only snail person alive..." Hmmmm.... What does that tell us?

      

And, you must know... Snail girl enjoyed the trip outside the Manor's walls, more than anyone could ever imagine... 

        

Isn't she just so adorable?  I am so in love with her.  I hold her up to my ear, and she fills my head with stories ;) (she has a red and white mushroom with a few tinypieces of moss tucked into each one of the buns in her hair)

Anyhow, if you can guess what I am leading up to...  It is to let you know, I am popping all these characters in the A Fanciful Twist shop, this afternoon/Evening.  After this blog post, I will take a tea break and then head over to the shop and fill it with these new friends, plus other treasures...

      

I know, a bit impromptu of me.  However, I just didn't know when I was going to finish all of these.  Each one takes forever to make.  Especially since I build a bustle on them and then build the dresses out of paper... It takes a loooong time....  Then the hair, and well, you get the point....  But they are a labour of love, and are eager to go on new voyages...

Also, the giant mushroom is about 5" in diameter and was created as a little picnic table with 4 mushroom stools....  So it is a little table set in my eyes...

      

And the color is really fun in person.  It fades from red to nectarine...  And this little table set, includes Miss Snail girl...  Extra Fun!!! 

      

And, it has some realistic ridges and is decorated with real moss...

      

See, there are owl and elf boy, showing you how comfy the mushroom table set is :)  or you can use it any way you wish.. Also, the news around here is that Faun Boy is missing...  Hey, Pam, where's faun boy????

      

So there you have it, a few treaaures...

      

Making their way from this little maker, to whomever would like to have a little magic grace their lives...  Found right here, in my Etsy Shop...  (after a break, I need tea first!!)

        

Distressed teeny tiny tea cups, make me happy.  I have tiny pinkies, so, you can imagine how little those cups are ;)

Off we go..

      

See you soon, xoxo V

ps:  I love Dustin O'Halloran, and I write and dream and draw to much of his work... But, I'd like to think, that this is what happened to the Duchess' lost Duke...  My 3 hugest obsessions - piano's, hot air balloons, & mermaids are involved, perfection.

    

   

Comments

[Paris Parfait]

Well here I am it seems the first commenter, yet all those gorgeous dolls have vanished! Pffft! Into another world, it seems. Sigh. I'm too late, as usual. Wonderful creative dolls and enchanting stories to accompany their journeys. You are so clever! xoxox

[michelle]

It is all so wonderful! You must have fairies working for you to create those amazing miniatures! And the dolls! So amazing! I love the snail girl too, and the mushrooms! oh, can you tell I am really gushing?! Well, they are just so wonderful!

[waterrose]

Wow! You make amazing creations! And, your stories are mesmerizing.

[karen]

Miss Polka Dot Cake Girl has to be my absolute favorite. Although they are each so gorgeous and creative. I love the mushrooms too. sighhhhhhhh, now I have had a dose of a lovely creative muse and have read your lovely story with my cup of tea. It must be so difficult to part with these lovely creations.

Blessings, Karen

[Jamie Welsh Watson]

That was truly enchanting. I wanted to kiss the little snail girl on the lips, she is so cute!

[sadira]

Oh V...I was just sitting on the edge of my seat throughout the entire weaving of your latest tale. I sighed outloud in such a sad way for the Duchess and her loss of the love, but how wonderful to have a circus carnivale instead! I swooned over the pie girl, she just captured my heart...as did the beautiful snail girl. I can just imagine all the whispered stories she tells as well...

sigh.

[Bobbypin Bandit]

I love the duchess. Too bad she wasn't there to join the pirates and take over a ship with jewels and become a pirate princess that rules the caspian sea.

[kate]

It's been a bad day and I so needed that little escape into fairyland. It's always so nice to come here and find magical posts like this right when I need them most.

[Donna O.]

Now that you have all of the players and the script, when's the movie going to come out??
Action!!
D.

[the pesky bombolino]

Oh Vanessa, what a magical story with fabulously magical characters. It seems to me you've found your true calling x
And I loved the litte film too xxx.

[Christine]

Oh I adore Snail Girl and those teeney tiny tea sets but alas they already have a new home. Happy Thursday x

[carolyn]

Fabulous Vanessa!

[Beth]

Oh my god Vanessa! These are the best!! I love them all! How in the world did you make that little tea cup?? It's so tiny!!

[Imelda / GreenishLady]

I enjoyed visiting this magical world so much. Did I say magical? Magical! Thank you.

[marjorie]

Oh they are all so magical and delightful!! You are amazing! I Love them...especially the snail girl! :)

Oh, and Dustin O'Halloran is a constant sound around my little studio...I love it! I have the sheet music (he sells it on his web site) and have taught myself to (poorly) play a few....it thrills 'me', anyway! ;)

[Black-Eyed Suzie]

Oh, Vanessa! I should really be packing but I just HAD to say how wonderful these little people (and hybrids, and fungi) are. SO beautiful, really, and so much character. And I adore their little foodstuffs!! I have a book on making household objects for dolls and I've been dying to make some mini blanc-mange, and those pies have further inspired me...Gorgeous!!! And their hair, and their little paper clothes...they are really exceptional.

[risa]

Can I join you for your tea break? I could really use a cup. (plus I'd love to peek in on your lovely friends. i bet they are even more delightful in person!)

[saraH]

I LOVE Snail Girl. LOVE!

[tiffany]

I can't wait until c gets home from school.. she's going to love this one. Nothing short of miraculous!

[Carrie West]

For a moment I was swept away from my darkness and fell into your wonderful world of enchantment. I forgot about my misery and was indulged by your stories and wonderful charm! For a moment I felt calm~

[Du Buh Du Designs (Dolls)]

Wow!!! Love the new dolls especially the pie girl. But I think my favorite is the snail girl. Imagine being a kid and coming across her in the garden. That just gave me chills thinking about it because I use to think there might be little people, or at least I wish I could find them, when I was a kid. I would've been floored to have come across someone like her sliding along.Fabulous work!!

[Marilyn]

I love Snail Girl! She's awesome! :)

[Alberta]

Oh, how I wush I could really slip through the keyhole and escape into A Fanciful Twist. I don't know if two people can share the same imagination, but you dream about some of the same creatures and places that I envision. Aren't kindred spirits the best?

[Nancy]

Woo-Hoo!! I am now the lucky owner of 2 of your fabulous dolls and a tiny tea set!! I'm beyond thrilled and I promise to give tea cup girl and the oh so handsome carnivale keeper a wonderful home with Maude, Charlotte and Vand!

I ADORE your magical story and it just makes your newest creations even more special. I love that your pieces all have such a wonderful background!

Congratulations on another successful shop update....your work is nothing short of amazing!! :-)

[Erin Earls]

I love to see how each of your creations, is so alive. Each with their own story of life. Snail Girl is so sweet! Fairytale Woman kinda reminds me of someone... Well I think she is as wonderful as the rest!
Love Erin~

[Debbbie Egizio]

Wow, what goodie goodness you have for your shop update!! I love this little adventure the duchess has taken me on. My visit has been so fun and fanciful, as always. Love all of your wonderful creations!

Well Vanessa, I will be happy to send you the top 2 cards on my post. Please just email me the address that I should send them to. I've been having some trouble with emails getting to me. If you don't get a reply to an email you can be certain that I didn't receive it. Anyway, I'll wrap up those cards and ask the little mermaid in Lily Pad Pond to deliver them to you as quickly as a nymph. Ta ta! Debbie

[Dave]

All the dolls are incredible! Super duper! I have a feeling Trina might go ape over the mushrooms and little miss snail, too :)

[noodle and lou studio]

Oh Vanessa! Sheer perfection! You have such an amazing talent:) xoxoxoxo...jenn

[rochambeau]

Dear VV
Love Snail girl SOOO much! She is the absolute best!!

xo
Constance

[Diana]

Oh my! I haven't been around in awhile and now I see you're making the most beautiful dolls now...go you! They rock!

:) Diana

[Sandra]

What can I say but, Utterly Divine! And me thinks Tea Time Girl sounds much like her creator!
:)
Sandra Evertson

[Gillian]

Sweetest, dearest creator of all things Tea-ish and good;
Howest art thou? My god! You've been busy!~!
Listen...I found the best wallpaper store for you today,
go here
http://www.osborneandlittle.com/
and you will see! The place was designed with you in mind.
Vanessa, Tea Time Girl had me at hello. Balancing tea cups on her head while serving cake and tea? She is a superwoman.
I just love all these delighful things you've created here.
xoxo

[Betty @ She's Sew Pretty]

Oh! They are all wonderful! I love the tale of the Duchess. You are so talented.
I love the video too. I will have to go hear more of his beautiful piano.

[Mo'a]

Magical...not only are you a great artist but it seems you have the Midas Touch. Well done congratulations.

[sherry]

I had to stop reading after the first sentence!! Raced to grab my coffee from the pot, so I could settle back and read the latest adventures that are taking place through this secret key hole!! What a delightful way to end the week and begin the weekend -- it's dull and dreary out the window -- but inside my kitchen, it is now bursting with sunlight and vibrant beauty.

Goregous creations V -- I can only imagine the amount of time each one takes!

[lori]

Vanessa!!!...Howdy stranger. I LOVE all of your new dollies. And that snail girl...I can't come up with a good enough word to pay her a proper compliment!
You are an amazing artist and exceptional story teller. Full of magic, so full it's spilling over, that's what you are!
Love and Kisses

[Cookie]

Vanassa, WOW!!!! I love these beautiful creatures and the wonderful story that they tell. Oh, how special! Congratulations on such beautiful work!
Hugs,
Cookie

[Kelley]

Vanessa,
I so adored your story! I am going to meet the Duchess in person in fact she is coming to live with me. Perhaps she will find her true love in northern michigan. I will take very good care of her-looking forward to her arrival.
Kelley

[Anastasia]

so beautiful Vanessa!!!...amazing work - a life of exciting magical lands and friends...thats what you create!
and your boy doll reminds me of Mr Lovee....was he your inspiration?

[denise]

Oh my goodness are those ladies cute or what?? I love them. i like the little blue birds in the hair. they are perfect.
The tiny tea cups are wonderful....

[http://erinpetersonart.blogspot.com]

I cannot begin to express to you how perfect your blog seems to me. You are such an inspirational person! I love to come here, and I shall never stop!
Please tell the Dutchess that I said hello and I know how she feels.
I believe the movie at the end of your tale is the best way to imagine what happened to the Duke.
Ahhh, as usual, I feel lighter after having visited your beautiful space.
Thank you.
Erin

[Diana]

OMG! those dolls are absolutely precious. the attention to detail is amazing. I love the teacups and teapot - probably my fav. especially the one sitting on your pinky! Your story to go with it is just fantastic!

[stephanie]

Magic Magic and MORE magic resides here in Fanciful land.

You are on a whole new path with these lovely girls and guys. Snail girl and her little environment is just the best!!

Off to check out your shop, I wonder if anything is left???

x...x

[Debbbie Egizio]

Vanessa, I'm completely perplexed. I left a message to this post the other day and it must have disappeared into the vortex of cyber space. Oh well, I will try to duplicate what I wrote, but my poor little brain is tired. Anyway, I Loved taking this quaint adventure with the Duchess. All of your creations are so sweet and charming. I Love them all!!!

I'm going to email so that I know where to send the cards that you won. Well, take care and have a wonderful weekend!

[Debbbie Egizio]

Oops, I just saw my original post! What is wrong with me? It's still here. It must have had an invisibility cloak shielding it from my eyes. How weird!! Sorry about the mix up. I must be very tired for this to have happened. Now I will just have to laugh at myself.

[somepinkflowers]

you have **the BEST parties** over here!

:-)

did mr*lovey pose for that
~~Old time Circus Carnivale~~
owner man?

did i miss that?
was just wondering...
are they related???

[melissa @ the inspired room]

vanessa, they are all so precious and adorable. i still love elf boy. remember when he was sitting at the top of the attic stairs? what a sweetie he is. you pour so much love into your creations.

hope you are well. i've missed you so. you've been a busy girl like me...

there is only one thing to say about that...

HONK HONK!!!

xoxoo

[Tricia]

OH Lovely dolls! Just Lovely!!! I'm so amazed at the imagination you have Miss V! You go girl! I am so in love with them all! They all have new homes too, where I'm sure they will be loved very much! And the Mushroom table and stools...Wow! So sweet!! I think your miniature tea set is the itiest bitsiest cutest tea set EVER!! Wow! I want to someday buy that tea set!

[Les]

Oh Vanessa I loved every bit of this story! So so so enchanting.... They are all so beautiful, and I love love love the stories that go with them...
You are such a special and creative person Vanessa!

xxxx Have a lovely Sunday dear!

[kim]

Whew! It's nice to see inside the mind of a talented gal like yourself. I could read it all day. And again with those beautifully captured photos. It makes them all seem so alive!