Hi! I’m Sue Gibb and Hazy Dayz Dragonflies is my business. I write children’s stories and create copper likenesses of my Fancifull characters, blending the two mediums together in the land of Oh Valley – aka the Ottawa Valley, Ontario, Canada.
To begin, my posts will be few though not meagre. I will be concentrating my time on building up inventory, cold-calling, and conducting sales. I don’t know enough, yet, about e-commerce and selling online – please stay tuned. UPDATE August 15th, 2019 – All systems GO for selling online via major credit card, PayPal and its myriad of options.
But you’re here for the stories – The Fancifull Stories. (Story characters listed below)
I will be posting the exploits of my “Flights of Fancy”, namely, DRAGONFLIES Darby, his cousin, Delta, and her friend, Dixie who flies up every summer to spend time with Delta in Oh Valley. Under development are more friends. (As of August 15th, 2019, Dragonfly Collection has expanded to include Dexter – Dex; resident troublemaker, Daphne, Dirk, and you’ll not be able to miss Dinah, a newly ensconced film star. In development are BUTTERFLIES – Bianca (who dreams of becoming a Ladybug like her friend, Lily, so she can zip around quickly and get into tight spots), Flutter – also a dreamer. Flutter is determined to become the starting short-stop for the New York Yankees, Fanny – Best friend to Flutter, and dragged to spring training to try out as designated hitter, Buttercup – was resident bookworm – err “caterpillar” and kept all his reference materials through his metamorphosis. Then there are Bella, Brianna, Bonnie, and Bradley.
(Update Dec 5, 2019 – Development complete and Butterfly Collection available in physical format.)
Bumble Bees are next up – Bizzy – Queen Bee, Baxter – allergic to pollen, Belvedere – senior bee and weather prognosticator, Brighton, Honey, Billy, and Bernie. (As of June 6, 2020 working hard to have Bumblebee Collection available for Christmas Signatures Originals Show, EY Centre, Ottawa.)
Grasshoppers – “Grampa”, Gracey, Gryffin, Grommet, Gwendolyn, Gabriella, and Grady.
Ladybugs – Lily (Bianca’s BFF), Alexandra (Lexie), Larry, Louie, Luna, Lucie, and Leah. Finally there will be
Miller Moths – Triplets: Milly; Molly; and Mazie, as well as Marcus, Michelin, Monday, and Milton.
(Update – July 19, 2021. Hazy DayZ Dragonflies took a slightly different fork in the road, developing 4 new finishes for the bright copper dragonflies and butterflies, as well as creating upcycled beverage can dragonflies’ and On-of-a-kind pieces. Bumble Bee creations are on an indefinite hold. This business of one person, me, has limited time and space for developing and storing new products.
As the world begins to re-open, my mind will be in a place to continue writing Fancifull Stories again. I have missed my dear critters. I require a certain head-space to imagine happy times with only slight disturbances. 🙂
Why did I just list them off? Good question!
All of the characters listed above are currently inhabiting Oh Valley, most of them at the Magical Insect Inn. They have already found their places in my stories. Once I have time to take my fingers away from my keyboard and back to my copper, all the other collections will be available too. Do you have a favourite flying insect? I’m contemplating creating the Ladybug before the Grasshopper and could be swayed. It takes me a full year from idea to market, with conception, drawings, technique, and many, many, many weeks of production before you are able to purchase them. If you’d like to see the collection following Bumble Bees to be a different flying insect, Please let me know. I do love the little green Grasshoppers though. Not locusts!) I used to “play” with grasshoppers as a young child. I was so interested in them in fact, my grandmother noticed and she gifted me a beautiful blue enamel and gold (plate) grasshopper pin for my birthday. I believe I was 7 at the time. I loved that pin. I felt so grown up. I wore my grasshopper brooch proudly as my very first real piece of jewellery.
Darby Steel Stem Support
Today, please meet Darby. He’s a typical teenage dragonfly who thinks he is worldly and has all the answers. He’s friendly enough though a bit full of himself. He is my first child, after all. The physical Darby is crafted from pure copper, designed and hand-crafted by me. Darby hovers around in planter boxes and hanging baskets via his 18″ green, fibre-wrapped steel stem. He has been known to appear in live and dried floral arrangements. Darby likes to be found anywhere his steel stem can be wrapped, bronze garden fountains and candlesticks to newel and bedposts.
Delta ‘Perfectly Balanced’ Hanging Ornament
Darby likes to brag to his cousin, Delta – a hanging ornament, via a copper plated steel jump ring and green steel ornament hook – that he has so much more freedom. All she is able to do is sway back and forth in the breeze. He just doesn’t understand with her limitations, how she could always be so darn cheerful. He needs his space. Delta is very calm and amiable, dancing around the leaves in the grapevine-strewn pergola. She needs to be amiable, hanging around a cousin like Darby. She loves him but he can be such a Drama Queen!
I’d also like to introduce you to Dixie. She’s a bit shy and hasn’t allowed me to take her picture yet. She likes to rest on her shade sail, watching over her friends Darby and Delta. She is also a copper dragonfly that clips onto fabric and other thin items via her toothed alligator clip. Darby really doesn’t understand what Dixie has to be happy about either. She can’t even sway in a breeze like Delta can. She’s totally clipped on. Dixie, however, likes her shady location. She finds that just watching Darby dart about in the sunshine is exhausting. He should learn to relax.
Give me a day or two and I’ll get a picture of Dixie for you.
Until next time,
Sue and The Fancifulls