houseful of hedgehogs

HEDGEHOG JEWELRY AND BOOK GIFTS

It's not often I receive hedgehog jewelry for Christmas, but this year I have some lovely additions to my collection. The delicate earrings by sienna sky were from my sister-in-law. She made another trip to Door County, Wisconsin, the home of Hedgehog Gifts at Hedgehog Harbor. I am so lucky that she did!

My neice found these playful pieces: a hedgehog on a scrabble letter by The Gilded Lily, and earrings by Blue Skies Plus LLC. I love my new jewelry.

I adore hedgehog books and was so happy to receive Jan Brett's The Hat from my sister-in-law and The Mitten from a friend. They are both such excellent books and so beautifully illustrated.

My sister gave me these sweet Penny Black stickers and a copy of Hedgehogs in the Hall by Ben M. Baglio. I'm looking forward to reading it soon.  Anyone who writes about hedgehogs has a special place in my heart.

 

 

 

NEW HEDGEHOG TREE ORNAMENTS

Friends and family have come through again with hedgehog gifts this Christmas. These are ornaments for the tree, and I am always happy to have them. I will be updating my collection soon and picturing some sweet and unique hedgehogs.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Merry Christmas from Herisson and everyone at the Houseful of Hedgehogs!

LITTLE HEDGEHOG CHRISTMAS TREE

The little hedgehog Christmas tree is making its debut in the new house. The tiny rice lights don't make much of a showing next to some of the neighbors' displays, but I love it just the way it is.

I am astonished, but very glad, that people make hedgehog Christmas ornaments! I was fortunate enough to add a few new ones this year.  I may be searching for a larger tree in a few years.

NEW HEDGEHOGS JOIN THE HOUSE

Three new hedgehogs have joined the housefulofhedgehogs collection just before Christmas. The lovely iron fellow came from Colorado, a gift from my brother and sister-in-law. Konker, the Blue Nose Friend is currently being sold at Barnes and Noble and was a gift from my cousin. My first new hedgehog ornament of 2011 is an early gift from a dear friend. It's a beautiful blown-glass hedgehog with fuzz all over--so cute. It will be adorning the hedgehog Christmas tree soon!

BIRTHDAY HEDGEHOGS AND STONE CRITTERS

Here are some sweet, new additions to my hedgehog collection. I usually receive some hedgehogs for my birthday, and this year my friends and relatives came through again. I especially love the little bowl that was a gift from my son.  It's perfect for holding just the right amount of Dove dark chocolates so I don't overdo it with my daily dose. I am still clinging to the current thought that chocolate has wonderful health benefits!

This may be the last group of resin hedgehogs in my collection.  They are by Stone Critters and have the cutest little faces. I'm not sure if the company is still in business, but they made beautiful figurines of all sorts of animals.

SPANISH AND FRENCH RESIN HEDGEHOGS

I never expected to find hedgehogs in a small city in Spain, but there they were in a store front window in Ronda. There were so many in the group of related hedgehogs, I had trouble picking just these four. I know nothing about them, but each one seems to be telling a story. By the way, Ronda is an absolute jewel of a place to visit. We had a wonderful time and would love to return someday.

I have many beautiful hedgehogs from France. Most are ceramic, stone, metal, plush, or wood. These resin hedgehogs are a little unusual. They are from different towns in France and have no relation to each other, but they make a colorful group. Caterpillars and a snail are a little close for comfort--interesting.

(I apologize for not posting in a while.  I didn't know that moving would completely take over my life!)

MEMORIAL TO PHOEBUS APOLLO

Apollo, my precious little parrotlet, has left this world. He was so full of life until a recent illness weakened him. He was a stunningly beautiful little parrot with a vibrant personality.  He talked and loved attention from friends and family. Here are his birth announcement and a few pictures:

“BE IT KNOWN TO ALL MEN

That I

PHOEBUS APOLLO

BEING MONARCH OF THE SKY, EVEN AS

MY UNCLE NEPTUNE IS MONARCH OF THE SEA,

Am

LORD OF ALL THINGS

THAT FLY “

A very young, but much prettier Apollo, learns to eat his vegetables.

Just after last Christmas, Apollo is exploring some of my hedgehog gifts.

 

Parrotlets are wonderful companions.  They have all the personality of a larger parrot in a tiny form.  They are full of adventure and love.  I miss Apollo terribly.

 

SMALL WORLD HEDGEHOGS

I haven't posted for over a month because my houseful of hedgehogs has moved to a new house! Most of the poor little creatures are still sitting in boxes in the basement, but they will be coming out soon.  I had a "No Hedgehogs Left Behind" day at my former house where I attempted to pack them all at once.  I was pretty successful, but the hedgehogs on the sun porches are still caring for the plants and may remain there a while longer.

The figures above are from the Small World Company.  I understand that they were made in Scotland, but I can't find a website for the company. I have found these in the US, Canada, and the UK. Some have also been gifts.  The figures below are somewhat tinier and also made by Small World.  They are so detailed and have the sweetest expressions on their little faces!

ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH HEDGEHOG FIGURINES

When I think of hedgehogs, I think of England first. I adore all my British figurines. This colorful hedgehog with mushrooms was made by the artists of Worcestershire and was a gift from my son.  My sister-in-law gave me the playful hedgehog sculpture with the cat and flower pots which was made by the Sherratt and Simpson Company.

 

These teeny tiny hedgehogs are about the circumference of a dime.  They all came from Scotland either as gifts or I was lucky enough to spot one or two when I was traveling. Anyway, they are as cute as can be!

 

MORE BRITISH HEDGEHOG FIGURINES

I love to remember the places where I have discovered my hedgehogs. I am so fond of England and happy to have several hedgehogs from my travels. The curled-up baby is from the gift shop at Prickly Ball Farm near Newton Abbot. The little fellow on the branch is from the Stratford Collection and was a gift from my niece. We found the Country Artists Hedgies "Bundle of Love" mother and baby in Stratford-upon-Avon.

This lovely, intricate hedgehog scene is made by Secret Worlds. It also came from Stratford-upon-Avon, certainly a mecca of hedgehogs for a collector like me.  There is such a concentration of gift shops with hedgehogs it's almost overwhelming because, of course, I would like to have all of them!

WALKING AND MAGNETIC HEDGEHOGS

On a recent trip to see my brother and sister-in-law near Chicago, my nephew's wife presented me with this adorable wooden hedgehog that walks down a ramp.  It clicks along and is so cute to watch!

I found this sweet, stuffed hedgehog with magnetic feet while I was shopping there.  He is made by the German toy company, NICI, but I couldn't find a good website for either toy.

Speaking of toys, Herisson has a new favorite--orange ball.  He loves to play catch on the deck now that the weather has been good enough for him to discover the outside world.

 

BRITISH COUNTRY ARTISTS STRATFORD HEDGEHOGS

These two beautiful hedgehog figurines were created by Country Artists and handcrafted in Stratford-upon-Avon. They were both gifts from two sweet relatives who were on trips to England.  It's so nice to be remembered with a lovely hedgehog!

These three smaller Country Artists creations are part of the Stratford Collection. They were thoughtful gifts from my husband and sister-in-law. I'm not sure if the Country Artists Company is still in operation.  I can't find a website for them, but the figurines are still available from private sellers.

BRITISH PORCELAIN AND RESIN HEDGEHOGS

The largest category of my collection is made up of porcelain and resin figurines. I have already shown several groups of them on my blog (such as the Canadian Brambles and Clover.) Most of them are beautifully hand-painted and detailed creations representing an artist's idea of a hedgehog in its environment.

In honor of the recent nuptials, I began with the British hedgehog figurines. This group were hand made by artists of Border Fine Arts of Scotland. The large one in the center is one of my first and favorites, which I found at Harrods in London. The other two were gifts from my sister-in-law and my husband, both from trips to Scotland. Border Fine Arts does outstanding work on their figurines.

These sweet little hedgehogs were created by Aynsley China of England. Both also came from Harrods and are among the first few in my collection.

HAPPY HEDGEHOG EASTER

I'm enjoying decorating a new hutch that I put in my kitchen recently.  It's a great place to display my favorite seasonal ornaments.  Hedgehogs and bunnies make the cutest Easter companions.

When there is no particular holiday near, I will still enjoy grouping parts of my collection in the kitchen hutch.

Alfie, Eliza, and the Emiles are dressed for the spring rains and clutching their Easter bunnies.  Happy Hedgehog Easter to all!

 

IRISH LINEN HEDGEHOGS

This lovely Irish linen towel is filled with frolicking hedgehogs.  It reminds me of spring! It's a great souvenir that I was lucky to find on a trip to one of my favorite countries. I also found that an Etsy artist has made a hedgehog linen needle book from the same fabric at namolio.

HEDGEHOG SHOPPING SURPRISES

I didn't go out looking for hedgehogs yesterday, but I ran across them anyway.  Walmart is carrying solar light garden hedgehogs, of all things! I couldn't resist trying a couple of them. Stopping at PetSmart for Herisson, I always see several cute hedgehogs. He did need some new toys .  .  .

It's not that Herisson has a shortage of toys.  Here he is with Fluffy, a stuffed dog that belonged to my son when he was tiny. They seemed to me to have something in common.

HAPPY HEDGEHOG ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Some of my Irish hedgehogs have assembled to wish you a happy St. Patrick's Day! The little fellow wearing the Irish hat plays "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" if you squeeze him--so adorable.

Alfie and Eliza don't want to be left out of the celebration, so they've donned their shamrocks.

MARCH HEDGEHOG MADNESS

In honor of my husband's two favorite basketball teams, Eliza and Alfie have donned their basketball apparel. Eliza is sporting a UCLA shirt in hopes of the team doing very well in the NCAA tournament. Eliza and Alfie, the spectacular Senger Tierpuppen dolls, look fantastic in whatever they wear!

HEDGEHOG VALENTINE WISHES

Happy Hedgehog Valentine's Day wishes to everyone!  Little Herisson doesn't want to be left out of the festivities. He is definitely a huggable boy!