Fancifull Styles
We, the Fancifulls are annealed copper Dragonfly and Butterfly ornaments, with various attachment designs. We each have our own names. They are Darby, Delta, Dixie, Dexter, Dirk, Daphne, Dinah, Bianca, Belle, Bonnie, Brianna, Buttercup, Flutter, and Fanny. As important, our individual names each represent a character in children’s stories that Sue, our creator, writes for ages 3 – 103 years.
Sue’s stories centre around acceptance and more importantly, inclusion of all, for all by all. In our home of Oh Valley, we have an Insect Inn housing different types of flying and non-flying insects. There is always room for more and all insects are accepted, even celebrated. Currently there are well over 40 characters in her stories. All named, they include 7 Dragonflies, 8 Butterflies, 7 Bumble Bees, 7 Grasshoppers, 7 Ladybugs, 7 Moths, Cranberry, Sir Candicane, and a whole Christmas Choir of Crickets, a Praying Mantis (Mr. Mayor), Twig and Willow mother and teenage son Walking Sticks, Calvin Caterpillar and his best mate, Cinch, the Inch Worm. We mustn’t forget Oh Valley’s School Teacher, Miss Phyllis – a Malaysian Leaf Insect.
Follow the happenings in Oh Valley by opening Sue’s posts that are titled “Fancifull Story.” You may wish to start with the older posts beginning in June 2019 as there are recurring characters and story lines do carry forward. Be prepared to feel better… even if you’re already in a warm place. Stretch your imagination to encompass Sue’s blend of whimsy and old-school writing.
Be prepared to see a Bumble Bee Collection Spring 2021, followed by a Grasshopper Collection, Spring 2022, followed by a Ladybug Collection, Spring 2023, and either a Moth or Cicada Collection in 2024, each with 7 attachement methods, explaining why there are 7 characters per insect in the Fancifull Stories. (Bradley is a different issue. I’m trying something different with him, though in Dragonfly format… Mini encased in amber epoxy and drilled for a lanyard or ring to be a Medallion of “Dragonfly in Amber.” Supplies sit at the ready. Time, however, does not.
Getting back to our names, they are also our style codes, signifying the attachment method of our physical copper counterparts. Yes, we do all look the same…. We think all of you look the same too. 🙂
First up is DARBY. He is the first Fancifull designed at Hazy Dayz Dragonflies. Originally created to adorn hanging baskets and planter boxes, he’s since been seen as an accompaniment in fresh flower arrangements, bridal bouquets, and one customer purchased a dozen Darbys just to make herself a Fancifull Dragonfly bouquet. Another customer has wound the steel stem support around her bedpost as a touch of whimsy.
DELTA, my personal favourite, is a perfectly balanced hanging ornament. She too, was designed for your garden and comes with a green steel ornament hook. From a distance, she appears to be floating and her 6-gram weight ensures the slightest breeze can entice her to ‘dance.’ Retailers have been asking me to assemble her with a red satin ribbon for the coming holiday season. She will make an lovely addition to your Christmas tree.
MEMORY L’ANGE, and DANCING L’ANGE – More solemnly, customers have purchased DARBY (Steel Stem Support) as a cemetery “Remembrance Marker” in place of flowers and as a removable memento to the arrangement gracing the closed coffin as your loved one is laid to rest. For you, I have made “Memory L’Ange” – a remembrance marker available in aluminum, and while the oxidization is very slow (Aluminum Grade 1100-O), L’Ange will gradually wear a white angelic habit when placed at the grave site or closer to you in your own garden. Dancing L’Ange – pronounced, “Lounge”, French for “The Angel” is DELTA’s aluminum counterpart another new addition to the Dragonfly Collection for those of you who prefer silver colour to rose-gold colour.
DIXIE, who I affectionately refer to as DIXIE-CLIP can be situated anywhere she can sink her alligator-clip teeth. Yes Bobby, one dragonfly does have teeth, our Dixie-Clip The small 5-amp copper clip can open up to 5mm (3/16″) to clip onto woody stems, trellises, hat bands and most assuredly Christmas Tree tips. Dixie was a summer guest at the Insect Inn until this fall. Her only living relative, Aunt Myrtle passed, and now Dixie has come to live full time with her best friend, Delta. She’s not too fond of the cold and will be happy to tell you. Home for her was South Carolina Beach, much further south than Oh Valley. This is the first time Dixie has seen snow. She’s also none to fond of Darby, Delta’s cousin but Delta’s friendship makes all his teasing of her worthwhile. (Update: Darby had a long-standing crush on Dixie and being young, he dealt with it by teasing her. Now he has grown and become a 2nd Lt Drone, his amazing dragonfly eyesight is set on another – Daisy. Dixie can relax.)
DEXTER, otherwise known as Dexter V. Dexterous, V standing for Very, has a small 20mm (3/4″) very durable suction cup wired securely under his upper abdomen. In my North-facing, tree reflecting 3rd floor Bay window, he’s been able to withstand all the elements summer threw at him and has not budged. Like many of you, I’ve had problem with small birds swooping head-long into my somewhat-clean windows and falling 3 floors, unconscious or worse Since installing “Dex” early July, and spending countless daylight hours at this computer, I’ve not heard a single, telltale ‘thump.’ Dex is also great as an accompaniment on a tall glass of milk for your grandchild to go with his milk and cookies… or as a conversation starter on a glass of wine or beer… or to give you added incentive to drink that power shake that you know will be good for you but the taste leaves… well you know. He’ll coax you to drink it all.
DAPHNE is a striking hair comb. Once inserted, the comb disappears. One of my first combs purchased was by a little girl of about 6 who had just finished competing in her highland dance competition at the Glengarry Highland Games, in Maxville. She was all aglow when her father said she could have a dragonfly. I’ll never forget it. She asked me to put it in her hair for her… ON TOP of her head. She loved it and I guess passersby did too. I had three customers mention seeing the dragonfly perched there, causing them to seek out my booth and purchase their own Daphne.
DINAH. Now Dinah’s name precedes her. If you follow my Fancifull Stories, Dinah is a Movie Star, recently wrapping up her latest movie, “Amber Light.” She is also a lovely brooch that can be used with scarves or shawls, on your coat or blouse, hat or anywhere else you’d like pin her. Maybe you’d like to have a dragonfly resting on your heavy drapes this winter to remind you that Spring is coming. She’d be sure to oblige and tell you all her movie life secrets. 😉
BUTTERCUP, though still relatively young is very knowledgeable and all Fancifulls, young, old, and in Gramps and Belvedere’s case, ancient, they all come to Buttercup for answers. Many answers, he already knows. For the others, he accesses his massive book collection. Buttercup mystically brought his cocoon-laden book collection with him during his metamorphic process. The only private room large enough to house this massive collection was the The Insect Inn’s Third Turret Room. Opposite to Loch Ness, No one really knows how tall the turret stands. It’s much taller than insects can fly. Buttercup could…. Hmm I feel another story coming on. (30 minutes later) I’m back…. Had to jot that one down before it escaped me forever. So Butterfly + Suction cup = Buttercup. Isn’t it nice that it begins with a “B”? This fella can deter birds from reflective windows just as Dexter does. He can adhere to any solid, smooth, non-porous surface. This does not include BRUSHED Stainless Steel. I’ve tested on my microwave case and he will stick for only 2.76 days (Buttercup is a stickler for exactness.) though that same suction cup was picked off the counter and immediately attached to the glass-fronted door of the microwave and has been there for 2.8293 months without budging. Buttercup likes to to tell good yarns as you sip your favourite red from your stemless wine glass and savour a small bit of your stash of dark chocolate. Go ahead and admit it. You have a chocolate stash. There. Now doesn’t that feel better?
FLUTTER. She’s the most determined of our Fancifulls. Even I feel her goal to be the starting short stop for Major League Baseball’s most illustrious team, The New York Yankees is a bit of a stretch and I’m the one who gave her the back story. She will keep trying and even I don’t know the outcome. Flutter is the butterfly counterpart to Delta, so much more demure and amiable of the two. Each have a copper jump ring by which an included 2″ garden ornament hook can attach. and each balances beautifully in the breezes. Flutter received her name because she actually does flutter in the breeze.
>BELLA. So beautiful as a Hair Comb, I couldn’t think of a more perfect name for her. She is made in both right and left styles to ensure that your butterfly is always facing up if worn on the side. As with Daphne, her comb finding is made of a rose-gold plated steel to match her sparkle. This sparkle will be retained for years unless you tend to stand out in the pouring rain for weeks on end, somewhat like a potted pepper plant. I thought not. 🙂
BONNIE is Dirk’s counterpart. I have yet to put them together on the same project but their personalities are such that I’m certain they would work well together. Bonnie is a get-things-done kind of gal and Dirk likes to tie up loose ends. I can see they’d make one happy wreath together. Bonnie is a completed Butterfly, supplied with a length of the same pure copper with which she has been bound.
FANNY, as well as Dixie, is quite possibly the most versatile of my collection as with her copper alligator clip, secured by copper wire under her abdomen, she can attach to items inside or outside your home as well as hat bands and leather and suede clothing without piercing as a brooch pin will do. Fanny longs to be a Drone Technician or even a Drone Flight Instructor if she could find time to study. Unfortunately her very best mate, Flutter, insists that Fanny join her for Spring Training Camp each year and Fanny’s strongest trait is that of loyalty to her friends. So she goes with hopes that one day it will be her turn to reach for her own dream.
BRIANNA and Dinah have more than their safety-pin style brooch finding in common. Both like pretty things. Unlike Dinah, however, Brianna just likes to look with no desire to own. There are so many pretty things in Oh Valley and Brianna does not have a room in the Inn like Dinah’s. Dinah stays in the most luxurious room, also a Turret Room, the second of 3 at the Inn, the final turret reserved for any large visiting families. Her room befits her status as a movie star. Brianna has only seen the inside when she was on dusting duty. Who could expect a movie star to dust her own room? She likes Dinah though and sees her settling into the less hectic and less formal lifestyle that Oh Valley is known for. It was so nice to work with her on the renovations of the Inn last fall. Once Dinah was shown what was to be done – and in her case, HOW to do it, she got her wings dirty like everyone else and learned that mud washes off too. Brianna still laughs at the look of Dinah’s face when she realized that her wings would regain their former splendour! She looked ‘real.’
BIANCA’s plight is that of one who wants something she can never attain. Bianca’s best friend is Lily. Lily is a Ladybug and Bianca wishes for all her heart she had the same kind of wings her friend has. She would like to be able to collapse her wings and get into little crevasses the way Lily does. Instead, she sits on branches beside where Lily disappeared and listens intently as Lily describes what she sees. Bianca knows her wings are beautiful and she can travel great distances with little effort but she wishes they weren’t so cumbersome and that she could squeeze into some of the places she only hears about. Physically, I make Bianca’s wings slightly larger and more ornate than all others in the collection in keeping with her back story.
In our case, there’s so much in a name. 🙂