houseful of hedgehogs

HEDGEHOG SURPRISE BOXES

I love these great hedgehog boxes because they are always a surprise when people discover that they open.  The natural-colored ones are designed by the British company Harmony Kingdom. They come with the wonderful names of "Benny," "Sunny Side Up," "Pot Sticker," and my favorite "Close Shave." They even have little bugs drawn inside.

The wooden hedgehog is from New Zealand and is made of rimu or red pine.  In the center is a pewter hedgehog pillbox, and the Montevideo Ceramic hedgehog has a baby!

 

NATURAL HEDGEHOGS

Hedgehogs can be created with so many different materials. Natural fibers, twigs, seeds, grasses, etc., make really cute hedgehogs.  Many of my natural hedgehogs were found in garden and florist shops.  The one in the middle looking up is made with sunflower seeds and was a birthday gift from my son. 

A friend of mine has a large farm with a great variety of trees.  Bur oak trees grow by the river and have acorns as large as golf balls.  She has been bringing them to me for several years saying, "Don't these look like hedgehogs?"  I recently had the idea to make them look even more like hedgehogs, and these little hedgies are the result. Each one is unique, and you can read more about them at my Etsy shop le herisson hedgehog art.

HEDGEHOG TEA AND BREAKFAST

One of my very favorite hedgehog pieces is this great ceramic ladybug-topped teapot. I saw it in the window of a back-street shop in Avignon, France, and had to find a way to carry it safely home.  The cup and saucer by Ansley China are from my first trip to Harrods in London. The silver spoon with a teeny hedgehog on the handle is one we found in Sydney, Australia. There is debate over whether it is an echidna, but I'm counting it as a hedgehog. The sweet little honey jar is from Quince Honey Farm in Devon, England.

This setting for a happy hedgehog breakfast is a combination of travel and the Internet. This adorable Japanese Cram Cream bowl is from Reprodepot, and I ordered the fabric from Superbuzzy. Both of these online shops are fabulous sources for hedgehog fabrics and lots of other cute cloth. We found the cheerful hedgehog eggcup and napkin ring in France, but not in the same place.  The cup is from I'le de St. Louis, and the ring is from Lyon.

I love the the different ways that designers all over the world use the hedgehog as a model.

MOTHER'S DAY AND HEDGEHOG PLATES

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

This is a lovely Bing & Grohdahl Mother's Day plate given to me by my husband and son.  Every year Royal Copenhagen makes a new plate, and in 1995, they chose the beautiful hedgehog mother.

"The Wary Hedgehog" by Royal Doulton is a plate I was so surprised to find in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, many years ago.

 

This pretty, perching hedgehog is hand painted on slate by artist Elaine Birch. It came from Wales and was a gift from my sister-in-law.

This tiny little plate was made in England by the Allyn Nelson China Company. I love the sweet face amid the flowers.

It's always a good idea to pop into an English shop, even if it is at Epcot Center.  I found this adorable bas-relief hedgehog plate in the English Village there.

This great little coaster was a gift from my husband.  It came from the Lancashire Hedgehog Care Trust and claims to be on 500 million-year-old slate.

THE BLACK APPLE AND MARMEE CRAFT HEDGEHOGS

In addition to my antique hedgehog prints, I love to adorn my walls with prints from two wonderful Etsy artists. I found Emily Martin's blog (Inside A Black Apple) by accident and was immediately enthralled with her art, especially because she includes some hedgehogs. I was then lucky enough to discover Marjorie Liucci of Marmee Craft (Mycozylittlewhimsynook) who paints incredibly charming hedgehogs.  Their Etsy shop links are The Black Apple and MarmeeCraft. I'll share some of their work here:

Emily Martin's Snail Jockey looks spectacular in his frame!

 

Marjorie Liucci's Monsieur Hedgehog takes his tea with cream, no sugar.  I have a friend who takes her tea just that way and thinks he's outstanding.

Emily Martin's Hedgehog Friend shows one of her beautiful girls cradling a sweet baby.

Another of Emily Martin's paintings, The Big Moon, came as a postcard, but it looks great in a little wooden frame.

My Lovely is a hedgie with a big heart by Marjorie Liucci. What a precious face!

When I had to change my kitchen appliances to stainless and black, I wasn't ready for the new look.  Putting this Tea for Two print by Emily Martin on the black side of my refrigerator made me feel so much better.

Sometimes there is even a little surprise mailed with the print like this adorable bookmark from Marmee Craft!

Both Emily Martin and Marjorie Liucci do so much more than hedgehogs.  They each have a unique approach to the things they do with their blogs, and their Etsy shops are full of amazing art. A trip to either of their sites is sure to be an enchanting experience.

ANTIQUE HEDGEHOG PRINTS

I have discovered that there are very few hedgehogs out there that fall into the antique category, and I have looked. I thought surely they could be found in places like the Yorkshire Dales, but I couldn't find even one. However, I have been able to come across a few antique hedgehog prints.

The first and oldest print I found was in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  It is a parchment print by A. Bellsculp dated 1785.

The next is a nature print by A. Thorburn dated 1918, that I discovered in London.

The next two prints were hidden in a quaint Parisian print shop owned by an elderly man on the Champs Elysees.  Sadly, the shop is no longer there.  The first print is by Grandville, dated 1850, and features a herisson (hedgehog) dressed in a fine coat. Although he looks a bit like a porcupine, he is definitely called a hedghog on the print. I'm sure there is a story behind this character.

You have to look among the H's to find the hedgehog (herisson) in this child's alphabet print by Benjamin Rabier, circa 1896.

We had to haggle for this final print in Colmar, France. It is by Janet Lange, dated 1838. This herisson has befriended a shrew mole.