My Brambles

Even A Princess Needs a Crown...

6/21/2022

Before I started painting Ffion and creating her hair, I thought it actually would be wise on my part to maybe do her crown first. After all, one of the reasons why I bought my magical shrinking fabric was to use it for Ffion's outfit. A wig wouldn't be able to handle the heat required for this fabric and to be honest... something like a crown or hairstyle can sometimes change how I decide to paint her.

So I began to sketch out a design of sorts for the shape of her crown and when I had what I wanted, I cut it out to make a pattern.

Next I laid out my pattern on the fabric and traced it with a felt marker. You might notice that I traced it twice. Since this is 'winging it' as I like to say, when I am trying something new I never plan on it turning out right the first time... well at least not normally for me. This is what I call 'practice and learning how it is done'. *smiling* Never be afraid to try something new and don't give up after the first time if it doesn't turn out how you expected it should. Some of our greatest accomplishments come from many trials and errors.

Here is how I am developing the basic shape of the crown. Now on to painting and enhancing the Princess's magical crown.

Also if you missed my faery hats... click here to see how I played with those in the Tutorials.

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Letting the inner glow shine...

6/14/2022

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One part of my dollmaking is not only looking at the overall character but what type of character it will be. Will it be an outdoorsy type or an underground character? Does it require tattooing or a wash layer (a wash is where I paint a layer of color over the porcelain that changes the base color)?

The Blue Eemp on the left was poured in a liquid white porcelain, fired in a kiln, and then I painted it with a blue porcelain china paint to give her this magical skin tone. The other Eemp was poured in French Glow liquid porcelain which is a natural light beige tone without changing the color of the porcelain. All I needed to do after the kiln fire was to do the face painting with a blush and lip color with the eyebrows. (Remember - I also have to kiln fire the paint to the porcelain so it can't be rubbed off.)

Now Dulbbe was poured in my favorite color and the one I use the most in my characters - Tender Beige.

I like Tender Beige because it has a nice tan overtone to it like a suntan which any outdoor type of character would need. Also, Arnie is poured in this color as any Borrower running around looking for things to borrow would certainly have spent a lot of time outdoors. Especially as Borrowers don't like slinking around in the dark shadows - its undignified. They like to borrow things when others are not looking, not like a sneak thief in the night.

But ahhhh... a princess is special. She deserves a peaches and cream look to her skin tone. Something with a touch and delicacy of a beautiful rose to it. Which is why I pulled out my specialty color of English Rose for Ffion.

So why the importance to a porcelain base color? Because China Painting is all about working with translucence paints. They blend over the porcelain but they don't cover it up. The paints I choose will actually enhance this shade of porcelain and allow it's inner beauty to shine through once it is kiln fired to the porcelain. What makes my characters come to life is because their inner glow is showing through.

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Dulbbe looks deep ? ? ?

6/7/2022

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Doing as the King commanded, Dulbbee pulled his shades down on his glasses. First one, then the other as they were what helped him see that which was hidden. Each lens had a special magical purpose, but when both were used, he could see further and clearer than any normal pair of glasses would allow.

As he peered through the lenses towards the waterfall, he could see past the falling water and into the cave behind it. He wasn't sure but he thought he could just glimpse seeing something purple leaving the tunnel but that was all he could make out before it disappeared. Following the tunnel in the cave, he noticed something moving! Off in the higher part of the cave he realized there was a Wysp hovering in the air. "Your Highness, something has left the cave but there is still a Wysp in the tunnel," Dulbbe told the King as they made their way towards the waterfall.

The King commanded the water to part for him so all of them could enter and at the same time he used his magic to freeze the Wysp in mid-air. Wysps are quick and think themselves to be quite clever, but the King was in no mood to have to track it down when he knew that the Wysp would disappear.

As they approached the Wysp, still hanging in the air trying to figure out why it could not fly away, Dulbbe started asking it questions. "Was there a Borrower in the cave with you? Who was it?"

"I don't know," answered the Wysp. "Now my question, why can't I move?" Dulbbe responded by telling the Wysp that it would be able to move if it answered his questions. When the little blue imp realized that this was only temporary, it decided to stall for some more time and have a little fun with the funny looking troll before it would be able to disappear. "What are those glasses for?" it asked.

Dulbbe knew that Wysp's thought themselves quite clever and this one was no exception.

Realizing this tactic was not working, decided a different approach. Turning to the Shadows' King, he said, "Your Highness, this Wysp is just a dumb imp who doesn't know anything. I think we will have to search out the cave for ourselves since it probably is just lost in this cave."

"Lost in this cave am I," screamed the Wysp! "I would have you know that I outsmarted that stupid Borrower, tricked her into following me, and then left her in the dark at the end of the cave where all the water was. I even know her name!"

"Nevermind this one, your Majesty, it is only talking to try and get some attention," Dulbbe told the King. "Do you want me to begin the search for the Borrower or a smarter Wysp?"

Ffion, standing behind the King, had never seen a Wysp so upset. Later she would almost swear that the blue imp had turned bright red - it was that mad!

The imp was so upset that it had not even realized that the King's magic was no longer holding it frozen as it flew right up to within inches of Dulbbe's nose as it answered. "Her name was Arnie because I heard it through the trees as some nutty squirrel was shouting at her before she entered the cave. He kept squeeking away with 'Arnie, you need to put that back!' because he told her that whatever she had found would be trouble."

Hearing the Wysp's answer, immediately the King started towards the end of the cave in a run, leaving behind both a confused Ffion and Dulbbe. It was at that moment the Wysp realized that it could move and in a puff of blue smoke, vanished. "Good riddance," muttered Dulbbe.

"Dulbbe, what do you think has gotten into Dad? I have never seen him this nervous before..." Dulbbe could only shrug his shoulders before they both turned to start down the tunnel to follow the King.

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Did the Borrower find IT???

5/31/2022

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As Dulbbe left his small room down in the lower levels (and luckily next to the library) of the Shadows' King castle to answer the King's summon, his head was still going around and around about learning Ancient Dragon thanks to the Dragon Crystal ball.

He was almost to the gardens when he thought "I better focus on what could the King possibly want, especially since he said not to forget to bring my glasses."

Meanwhile, when Dulbbe had been still questioning the crystal ball about Dragon Lore, the Borrower in question had finished exploring Ffion's garden (finding nothing worth borrowing) and was stepping back through the waterfall into the tunnel.

"Well, this was a dud," thought Arnie. As her eyes adjusted to the dark tunnel, she realized that the Wysp who had led her to the falls was no where to be seen. "At least that's something," sighing with relief. "I will get even with that little troublemaker when I have more time," she vowed, remembering how it had abandoned her in the dark cave earlier.

"Why is it always me?" she thought. Looking upward for answers (that never seemed to appear), she decided to light one of the small candles she stashed in one of her many pockets. Still getting no answer, Arnie soon started the trek up the tunnel back to the hole she had entered into the cave. It did not take long before Arnie's temper had risen another level higher at the Wysp!

"Here is a smoother and even trail the Wysp could have taken me on instead of the winding and rock covered trail it had lead me over!" Arnie whispered to herself "Grrrr - I will find the time to get even with that Wysp," she growled.

As Arnie was walking in the tunnel and Hunter, the Shadows' King, who was pacing back and forth while waiting for Dulbbe to show up, asked Ffion, his daughter "Where did you see this stranger?"

"It was over by the waterfall. Actually, it had come out of the waterfall," replied Ffion.

Startled, Hunter stopped pacing and turned to look at his daughter. "What are you talking about?" Having to skid to a stop since the King had been going so fast that she had been practically running to keep by his side, it took a second to answer. "I was looking at the pond and the flowers around it, when all of a sudden a hand appeared and then an arm started poking out of the waterfall. Finally, it disappeared and then the stranger came through completely," she told him. "That's when I decided I should let you know that someone was in my garden."

Hunter, ignoring her reference to it being 'her garden', started walking even faster now towards the waterfall. "Has someone found it?" he wondered to himself. "It is one thing to be curious what a Borrower had found, but if it was MY dragon tablet that I have been guarding, then I need to find that Borrower NOW!" the King was shouting in his head.

Ffion was running to catch up with her father as he was walking faster now than he did before. About this time Dulbbe was crossing over the garden to meet them. Before he could say anything the King shouted "About time. Did you bring your glasses? Look at the waterfall and tell me what you see with them!"

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Dulbbe's mind is blown away...

5/24/2022

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Running his fingers through his long stringy hair, Dulbbe stretched out his arms and got up from his chair to give his long legs some uncramping too. He had been sitting way too long. "It seems like eons have passed while I have been sitting at this table," he thought.

As he stood, he also realized that he had drank more than his share of his magical brew (coffee). Enough to float a whole galley of the King's boats at this point.

The problem was there was just so much to learn from the Dragon Orb... and it was so interesting too!

Forgetting about the coffee, Dulbbe started searching around his chair trying to find another quill from his bag. He had written down so many notes that he had almost demolished his whole six month supply of quills and ink. "It's a good thing I had a lot of spare parchment with me too," he thought. "I really did not want to have to write on the sleeves of this shirt. It's the last fairly clean one I have."

As he continued searching for a new quill, he reminded himself that he really needed to watch keeping his hands out of his notes. It added to why his clothes were always stained from the ink he used, especially his sleeves, but this time it was because of something different. What he was writing down was just too awesome that he didn't want to smear his notes of this Dragon Language of Old. "I am learning Dragon!" he told himself again in disbelief. "Who would have ever thought I would find another language to learn."

Dulbbe considered himself very proficient in languages as he knew so many and even a few obscure ones, like the one of numerology. But this Dragon Language was totally unique. It almost had a musical quality to it plus a hint of the numbers which added to it's mystery. He couldn't wait to tell his cousin Hewy (click here to learn who Hewy is) about the musical side and wondered what he would make of it.

Reaching up to rub his tired eyes, Dulbee was careful to first remove his special glasses. They not only helped him to read but the darker lenses helped him to see what was hidden. Whether it was someone hiding in a cave or field, or a text hidden in a obscure line in a book, when he used these lenses all hidden objects appeared clear. "Maybe it's time to take a break and a short nap," he realized as his mind had certainly been blown away with all this new stuff to learn and he was beginning find it difficult to keep it all straight. "Better to start with a fresh mind and fresh quills again in a few hours," he told himself as he packed up his bag and headed out of the library and to his room in the castle.

But like so often, he barely got out of his clothes and his head hitting the pillow before there was a loud rapping on the door. "You are wanted by the King," a voice was shouting through the door. "There is an intruder in the garden and he commands you to bring your glasses." (Click here if you want to know who is the intruder.)

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What Do You Seek? ? ?

5/17/2022

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" A DRAGON is talking to me!" Dulbbe thought as he still had not said anything being too surprised to answer the Dragon head in the crystal ball.

So again the Dragon asked, "What knowledge do you seek?" While in Dulbbe's head the first thing that came to mind was "Who are you?" and were also the first words out of his mouth before he could think of a better question.

"I am the Crystal of Knowledge. All that is the Ancient Dragon's Lore, I possess," it answered. "What knowledge do you seek?" Now that the shock had worn off, Dulbbe realized this was the answer to his problem! "What is on the tablet that a Borrower has found?" he asked.

The eyes of the Dragon lit up briefly and then returned to normal as it responded. "Your question is incomplete. Specify the name of the tablet or hold it up to the crystal to be identified."

"I don't know the name of the tablet and I don't have it to hold it up," growled Dulbbe starting to get a bit frustrated. The only response Dulbbe received was "What knowledge do you seek?"

Now that was interesting if not helpful yet. There must be a lot of Dragon tablets for them to be 'named'.

Realizing that this was going to take longer than he expected, he decided to pull up a chair to one of the tables in the room and taking out his notebook and quill, started jotting down his thoughts so he could organize them.

"What knowledge do I seek?" he mumbled to himself as he began to write. "First, I need to know what is on the tablet the Borrower has," he thought to himself, but his question to the crystal orb was still unanswered. Tapping the feather part of the quill to the side of his head (this kept him from smudging ink onto the paper) he pondered his options.

The analytical side of this rock troll was in full force as he started to create a list of what he wanted. Like if there were so many tablets, what language was used on them? Would it be a Mathematical one or a Ancient Dragon tongue?

On the top of the list was his one true desire, to have Ffion notice him as something more than just another person in the castle staff. Thinking about what the orb had said about it possessing all of the ancient Dragon lore, an idea started to form. Once again he looked into the crystal and waited for the Orb to ask what is it that he wanted, he had made his decision. "I seek the ability to be able to read ancient Dragon script."

The eyes of the Dragon again lit up briefly and shortly returned to normal as it responded. "Your request is accepted. We will begin with the alphabet and correlations of the written symbol, thought, and meanings." Dulbbe realized at that moment he was going to need something else. "I am going to need my magical brew called 'coffee'... Lots and lots of coffee!"

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The Mystical and Magical Power of Numbers...

5/10/2022

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To keep him from pining over Ffion, Dulbbe, being the Chief Scribe and Keeper of the Records, often turns to the comfort of numbers. The way he is able to manipulate and create order with them helps his focus and has always provided a calming effect. That is probably why Numerology fascinates him.

That mystical and magical power of numbers was something Dulbbe wanted to understand! In a realm of magic, he would label himself at the lowest level of power - but in a world where numbers had power - Dulbbe could be a master!

And this is why he found himself down in the lowest, dankest, and most secluded part of the Shadows' King's library looking into scrolls and the old tomes stacked on the shelves. Many in the castle did not even know of this part of the castle which is why Dulbbe was sure that he would find what he was looking for.

Recently he had heard about a Borrower finding a Dragon tablet and it made him wonder. "What if I was the one who was able to read it?" he had thought. "Maybe this would get the princess to notice me as well as the King! Then I might just have a chance of her love!" So, with that thought in his mind, he had decided to see if he could find something in the King's library that would help him in his pursuit of love.

What he hadn't figured on was the number of books in the library. He had been to Atian's library once looking for some light reading on numerology (Dulbbe even remembered the title - it was something like "By the Numbers" by The Count somebody or other...) and at that time had thought the library was fairly large, but now realized that compared to the King's library, Atian's was just a news stand. That was probably because few knew about the hidden doors to the connecting rooms. A casual wanderer would only see one small room filled with books not knowing that there were a hundred more such rooms if only they knew where to look for the hidden doors. Being a numbers person, Dulbbe was probably the only one (other than the King), who knew there were exactly 103 other rooms after the first, all filled from floor to ceiling with reading materials!

That is where Dulbbe was now - in room 83 and reading a particular tome about how everything in the universe was based on a mathematical formula consisting of even imaginary numbers! "Who would have thought imaginary numbers would be so important," thought Dulbbe as he turned to the next page, not even noticing the imbedded ink smears on his hands and cuffs, the callings of his profession of being a scribe. At least today he did not have that tell-tale ink smear on his lips where he would occasionally put the quill into his mouth to straighten the tip.

As he turned the page of a tome he was looking into, a small scrap of parchment fell from the book to the floor. Quickly he picked it up as he thought that he might have just ripped the page and did not want to lose it. As he picked it up and gave it a quick glance, he realized that it was just a note that had been used as a page marker. "Somebody else must have been looking in this book and they marked the page," Dulbbe thought. As he was putting the scrap back, he noticed that there was some writing on it. "What's this? The note says, 'Don't forget R101 3rd S R4 in the D section. Should have a green cover'."

"Now here's a challenge," he decided. "Let's see how the numbers add up. This is no more cryptic than some of the receipts I have received from the cook." Smiling, Dulbbe started to figure out the note. Talking out loud (since no one else would overhear him here in this room of the library), "If I assume that 'R101' is room 101, then '3rd S R4' would be the third set of shelves and in the fourth row. I don't recall a 'D section' there though." Shrugging his shoulders and putting the book he was reading back on the shelf, he decided to check it out. "Who knows," he thought.

Soon Dulbbe was in room 101 and standing before the third set of shelves and the fourth row. "I must have been wrong," he mumbled to himself. There were no books here - it was a row of ornate boxes and bottles. About to leave, he suddenly realized that on the row was something covered by a green cloth.

As he was about to lift the cover, he also realized that everything else in the shelf had a fine layer of dust covering it - everything except the green cloth! "Someone must have been in here recently," Dulbbe realized. Now even slower, (and a little bit more gently just in case), he pulled the cloth off of the thing it covered. Aw, it's just a crystal ball... nothing new here he decided. As he started to put the green cloth back, suddenly the crystal ball started to glow and a head appeared. It was a Dragon! It took a moment before Dulbbe realized the head was speaking to him... and a moment longer before he realized it was asking him a question!

"What knowledge do you seek?" asked the Dragon.

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Heart of Stone or a Gem?

5/3/2022

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Awww... poor Dulbbe! He is working on his image for he is in love with the Princess Ffion. He knows that he will never get her attention being a lowly pencil pusher (Chief Scribe and Keeper of the Records) for the Shadows' King.

Most people think that trolls have a heart of stone which just isn't true - even if Dulbbe is a Stone Troll!
(To read more about trolls - click here.)

Was Dulbbe going to be like his distance cousin Hewy? Hewy had his heart broken by a lost love (Awena).
(To read about it - click here) At least he found Rock & Roll and let it become his new passion. Now he writes music to help others fall in love.

Dulbbe was happy to hear that Hewy and Awena were able to become good friends now that he found her again, but that still did not solve Dulbbee's problem.

Yes, he has often heard others in the castle say that he was a "gem" of a guy, but he was never sure if that was because he worked hard for the King or that because he could be counted on to help his fellow workers shine as well. Being a Stone Troll who is normally a very solitary individual makes him aware how precious friends and the heart is.

Either way, he knew for now that he is just another member of those that disappear into the depths of the castle carrying out the many orders of the Shadows' King - never to have his love be noticed by the one he wants to see him the most! "Oh Ffion. What am I going to do?"

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The Nyte Shades ..Where Are They Now???

4/26/2022

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Both the Dowager and Baron could not believe what they had just read. Nyte Shades! And they are what gave the power to Dragons! After a long silence when they finished reading the story, Griselda turned to Awena and asked "Do you know where the Nyte Shades went or are they still here?"

"No, I don't know. As far as I have found, nobody even knows what they looked like for sure," answered the Sleeping Sister. "There are no sketches in any of the scrolls and no descriptions. For the power of the magic they had, we can only assume that they could probably also change shapes and may be with us still."

"It is hard to believe. Another magical being gave magic to the Dragons... and I never knew... even when I received my dragon tattoo as being a member of the Dragon clan," mumbled Griselda. "They never told us," she continued to tell Awena. "The Dragons never even mentioned Nyte Shades and who would have thought to ask!"

Realizing that this discovery was upsetting the Dowager, Awena steered her to one of the seats in the library and asked an acolyte to bring them some tea and biscuits.

Soon they were sipping tea and slowly Griselda was beginning to come to terms with this discovery. "I felt betrayed by them not telling us, but now that I think more about it," she told the Sister, "I guess that it was never my place to know. It's just hard to fathom that Dragons were at one time just another being in the Realms and not the powerful creatures they became..."

After a long pause, and when Griselda did not continue, Awena decided it was best to tell her old friend of her concerns. "Griselda, I believe that the finding of the tablet by the Borrowers and your discovery of this book were meant to be. Somehow they are tied together and you are going to be a major player in the game." What the Sleeping Sister did not say but was in her thoughts was, "and I hope you have the strength for it."

As the Baron was still staring at the book and trying to turn the pages but it would not let him, a gleam was slowing starting to come to his eyes. Neither Awena or Griselda noticed as they were deep in conversation about the Nyte Shades. "A new adventure unlike any I have ever had before - to solve this mystery of the Nyte Shades," he realized. "I will need to figure out a way to have mom stay at the mansion. Also Fiddlefaddle will need to start packing again as soon as when he returns and upon us getting back home. I'll need to find someone to babysit my creatures!"

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Fiddlefaddle's Mission...

4/19/2022

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Before the Dowager Griselda and the Baron left the Baron's Mansion, Fiddlefaddle, the Baron's faithful BAT man, was given a mission. "I know mom thinks that the Sleeping Sisters may have an answer to the tablet, but I am not expecting too much. But Mom is so insistent, I want you to be working another angle while I am gone," the Baron told Fiddlefaddle. "Keep this as quiet as you can, but I want you to check out a few of our old friends to see what they may know about the tablet, but most especially more on where to locate the Borrowers. Try to be back before we return."

As Fiddlefaddle started to leave the room, the Baron remembered how exciting it was to head out on an adventure. He called out to his BAT man with a sparkle in his eyes. "If either of us find out where to locate them, you and I will be heading out on the road once again just like old times!"

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<<Previous

Even A Princess Needs a Crown...

Letting the inner glow shine...

Dulbbe looks deep ? ? ?

Did the Borrower find IT???

Dulbbe's mind is blown away...

What Do You Seek? ? ?

The Mystical and Magical Power of Numbers...

Heart of Stone or a Gem?

The Nyte Shades ..Where Are They Now???

Fiddlefaddle's Mission...

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