houseful of hedgehogs

HEDGEHOG GOODIES FROM VIENNA

 

Every so often, my sweet hedgehog friend from Vienna finds a way to mail some things to the US.  It has become difficult and costly to mail a package to and from Europe. She cleverly has a friend or relative, who is coming to the US, mail some things for her. She sends stickers, napkins, cards, and tissues. These flat items are easy to put in an envelope. Since she lives in Europe, she always sends hedgehog things that we would never see in the US. it's so thoughtful of her to spread the hedgehog joy!

 

 

 

HEDGEHOG BIRTHDAY GIFTS 2024

I am a little late in posting my birthday gifts from last year, but it doesn't mean I love them less. My birthday is in the fall, so my dear hedgehog friend from Kansas spoiled me with a collection of fall hedgehogs. Starting from the top left, There is a cute little pot hanger looking at a wonderful birthday card that she wrote for me. The precious little hedgehog with a pumpkin is made by Ganz. Each seasonal hedgehog comes with a poem!

There is also a group of adorable, colorful items from artist Emma Ball in the UK: a magnet, a bookmark, and a microfiber cloth. So sweet! 
Keeping watch over the gifts is a lovely tin hedgehog plant stick. A very curious thing is that the hedgehog-print oven mitt is from Nordic Dreams and made in Lithuania, but purchased in Minnesota.  I was in Lithuania last summer and found the same pattern!

A longtime friend surprised me with this printed bag which she bought in Dubrovnik. It is a picture from a famous, old Croatian children's book about a hedgehog and his home. You can find it in Croatian and also translated to English, but it's not the same artwork. Surprisingly, I was in Dubrovnik last spring! Sitting on the cloth bag is a pretty hedgehog ornament from my son and his wife. It looked good on the Christmas tree this year.

Last, but not least, is this colorful Swedish dishcloth from Ecologie. Another longtime friend thought of me when she saw this cloth. It's great to have thoughtful friends!

 

CHRISTMASY HEDGEHOGS 2024

Here is a collection of my Christmas hedgehog gifts from this year. At the very top is a prickly hedgehog from Morocco. We were on a tour there in December, and my husband found it in the market in Marrakesh. The sparkly pine cone hedgehog and Wrendale bookmark are from a friend I have been exchanging gifts with for more than 40 years. My dear hedgehog friend is so talented in embroidery and cross stitch. She handmade the two pretty ornaments and also gave me three glittery blown-glass hedgehog ornaments. The little guy with a shovel is from another long-time friend.  He has the sweetest face!

The cute and chocolate-filled tins above were a gift from my very sweet hedgehog friend in Kansas.  She found them at Costco.

The beautiful Christmas napkin and cards came all the way from my dear hedgehog friend in Vienna. She must have found the cards in the UK where she traveled this past summer. Thank you to all my friends for remembering me at Christmas with great hedgehog gifts.

SWEET GIFTS from SWEET HEDGEHOG FRIENDS

I am so fortunate to have two dear hedgehog friends, one in the U S and one in Europe. There are occasions when we can exchange gifts, although the ones to and from Europe must fit in an envelope. It's quite a challenge!

My friend from Kansas recently gave me this lovely tea bag holder--in my color, no less. She included this tiny Japanese hedgehog stationery, which is so sweet. I think I know the store in Lawrence, Kansas, where she found these!

I don't know how she does it, but my friend from Vienna manages to get a lot in a small envelope. It must be magic! These bright and beautiful cocktail napkins were in my Christmas card. I think I now know why my card to her was never delivered. It had something magnetic inside, and it must have been rejected by the post office.

CHIA, AIR, and MUM HEDGEHOGS

I wasn't sure what to expect when I received a Chia Pet from my sister-in-law last Christmas. This summer, my granddaughter and I started it, and in a few days we had this. It requires watering every day and sprouts real chia seeds. She took it home to babysit.  It is cute!

I brought this air plant hedgehog home from HyVee, a local grocery store. I really like its design.  I found out that this plant doesn't actually live on air. Every couple of weeks, it needs to soak in water for an hour, be blotted dry, and go back to the table.  It's actually easy to take care of, and I need to soak it right now!

A mum bloom fell off my flower arrangement. I put it in this tiny green hedgehog, which is now a tiny vase. All three of these "live" hedgehogs look so cheerful in my kitchen!

BEAUTIFUL COLLECTION OF HEDGEHOG GIFTS

There is so much hedgehog love here, I don't know where to begin. These gifts were from my son and his wife for my birthday.  With the beautiful tea towel as a background, I decided to post these in the summer.  There are socks, an adorable little pitcher, a pewter toothpick holder and a sweet, sweet birthday card.  I love them all! If I am right, they found all or most of these in a gift shop in Gould, MO.

 

Speaking of birthday gifts, I received these from my dear hedgehog friend in Kansas. The summery hedgehog and mushroom picture and the little planter with a succulent are just perfect with my summer hedgehog decorations.

SUMMERTIME HEDGEHOGS

These colorful, lovely sun-glass cases are creations of the Wrendale company. Hannah Dale paints the cutest animals! I found these in the gift shop at Scone Palace in Scotland. By the way, Scone Palace is a magnificent place to visit.  Take a look!

The little lip gloss is also from Wrendale.  That I found a little closer to home in Lawrence, Kansas.

These sweet hedgehogs clutching flowers were at World Market in Los Angeles. They are so soft, unlike the real hedgehog quills. The little hand blown glass hedgehog was a gift from my granddaughter. It's very sparkly, just like she is!

PUPPET HEDGEHOG AND OTHER HEDGEHOG THINGS

This sharply-dressed fellow, who is actually 18 inches tall, came home with us from a fall trip to Scotland last year. We named him Old Mout Tay. Ill explain. He came from a gift shop at the tip of Loch Tay. My husband was drinking Old Mout cider, and his name was born. He was created by The Puppet Company in the UK.

You never know when someone sees a hedgehog and thinks of you. This glittery guy was a surprise gift from a friend.

At the top of these adorable stickers from a paper store in Lawrence, Kansas, are a hedgehog bath duck toy from my granddaughter and a tiny hedgehog from a gumball toy machine. Random things, but sweet because they're hedgehogs!

KIDDY HEDGEHOGS AND CHRISTMAS COOKIES

 

My great sister-in-law gave my these fun hedgehog gifts.  I'm saving them until my granddaughter comes for a visit.  She will love helping me.

A sweet friend of mine gave me this cute hedgehog Christmas figurine.  I love his green colors. I have no idea what to expect from her Happy Hedgehog Thinking Putty--another one for my granddaughter to help me figure out. 

Another dear friend of mine is enjoying cookie decorating.  She gave me these pretty hedgehogs and Christmas trees.  They were delicious!

CONTINUING CHRISTMAS HEDGEHOGS

Fortnum & Mason Midnight Feast Chocolate Hedgehogs were definitely new to me.  My son searches far and wide to find hedgehogs that I don't already have. They are from a company in the UK. These look so pretty and yummy, I still haven't eaten them.  I must do that soon.

My brother and his wife found some very sweet hedgehog gifts from East of India.  The middle one is a holder for a variety of things. I'm using it for a napkin holder.  See the tiny hedgehog at the end of the parade? The other tiny hedgehog is a white porcelain girl.  She has found her soulmate in my kitchen. Now there are two tiny white hedgehogs on my shelf.

I adore this unique hedgehog basket from the Pottery Barn! It's another great find from my son and his wife. I added the liner, and now it sits on my bathroom vanity to hold a variety of items. It brightens my day, every day.

BEAUTIFUL HEDGEHOG ORNAMENTS 2023

Although it's still technically winter, I am VERY late posting the wonderful hedgehog gifts I received last Christmas. I am beginning with the beautiful ornaments. This sweet stained-glass pair came from Ukraine and was a gift from my son and his wife. It was so sparkly on the tree.  I'm including a second picture to show more detail and craftmanship.

My very dear hedgehog friend from Kansas is a fantastic crafter and quilter.  These ornaments arrived in the mail, and I was so thrilled! She seems to get more creative with her designs each year.


I love all of these ornaments so much.  I can't wait to admire them and put them on the tree next year!

HAPPY FALL HEDGEHOGS

Just a quick wish for a Happy Thanksgiving. These jaunty hedgehogs were a birthday gift from my dear hedgehog friend. They certainly have the warm colors of fall. The fellow with the pointy hat is by Huntington Home.

 

 

SWEET LITTLE HEDGEHOG THINGS

It was such a sweet surprise when I opened an envelope from my wonderful hedgehog friend who lives in Vienna. Out poured all of these little hedgehog things. How she managed to get them in a relatively small envelope, I will never know. Above is a beautiful Petrykivka painted hedgehog magnet, which she found at the Easter market. This is particularly meaningful since the painting is a technique developed in a small Ukrainian village.  The two delicate wooden hiking hedgehogs are from the Black Forest or Schwarzwald of Germany. These are fantastic gifts, and I am so happy to have them.

Below is the cache of hedgehogs that she magically slipped into the envelope. There is a postcard, a tissue, and assortment of stickers. What a thoughtful and generous hedgehog friend! We see each other through Zoom meetings, but I need to get back to Vienna to thank her in person!

PRETTY HEDGEHOG TEA TOWELS

This charming and attractive tea towel was designed by Sophie Allport in association with the National Trust of the UK. I found this in a display of her other creations at a shop in Lawrence, Kansas. I wanted to buy them all! You will see why if you look at her webpage. I like her style and the colors she chooses.

These wonderful, cheery tea towels were a Christmas gift from my son and daughter-in-law. They were stitched in Nottingham, UK, by the couple who create at Pot-10 Crafts. They have a lovely shop on Etsy. I can't wait to hang them in my kitchen this spring!

 

MORE 2022 CHRISTMAS HEDGEHOGS

My generous sister-in-law, who says she's not going to give me anymore hedgehogs, always has some when we visit her.  I guess once you start looking for hedgehogs, it's hard to stop. They are so compelling! Cute socks, a hedgehog pad and pen, a tiny hedgehog charm, and a darling felt hedgehog coin purse were in a Christmas bag with my name on it when we flew to Chicago.  Very sweet of her!

We were recently in California and had lunch with some friends.  Her young daughter presented me with these two cuddly hedgehogs. She was so proud to have found them! I know when people see a hedgehog, they think of me. Whether they buy it or not, they still remember me. It's always nice to be remembered.

 

BEAUTIFUL BUTTON HEDGEHOG AND OTHER CREATIONS

My dear, sweet hedgehog friend made this beautiful hedgehog picture, and I absolutely love it! What a clever idea! The buttons make perfect quills. There are so many textures with the felt, the wooden mushroom, and the great idea of using Scrabble letters to spell a name. I love this type of art, and this creation is very special to me!

My hedgehog friend didn't stop there. She also stitched this adorable hedgehog and mushroom ornament for my tree.  She is the best!     My niece always finds lovely handmade gifts for me. The cute, soft cloth hedgehog clutching an apple is precious. She also gave me this bright and colorful hedgehog with flowers for quills. I believe they both came from Etsy. (Unfortunately, someone was overly enthusiastic about cleaning up paper after Christmas and threw away all the information about my hedgehog gifts.) Anyway, I love them all and feel so fortunate to have such wonderful friends and relatives!

HEDGEHOG CHRISTMAS GIFTS 2022

This pretty and perky stained glass hedgehog nightlight is keeping watch over some antique pieces on the bar. He came from PS Stained Glass in Texas and was a gift from my son and daughter-in-law. I noticed that Sara has a lot of nice stained glass animals and other creations on her website.

This silvery hedgehog came all the way from Cambridge, UK, and was a gift from a dear friend who was visiting there. This photo doesn't do him justice, because he is very sparkly.  Maybe that's why he is so hard to photograph.  He can hang on pots and bowls and will be traveling around the house.

CHRISTMASY HEDGEHOGS OF 2022

As always, I received some special and unique hedgehog gifts this Christmas. The adorable tea towel, covered with gnomes, hedgehogs, and woodland creatures, was a gift from my son and daughter-in-law.  She found it at World Market in St. Louis. The colorful glass tray was from my brother and sister-in-law.  You have to look hard to see the hedgehog, which is bright yellow! She found that pretty little tray at a thrift store. Imagine getting rid of such a great little tray!  At least it's found a loving home here.

I was thrilled to find these tiny Christmas hedgehogs at the Kansas Country Store in Leavenworth, Kansas. I was shopping there with two friends and nearly missed them. They are so tiny and so sweet!

 

HEDGEHOG CHRISTMAS COOKIES

 

A talented friend of mine made some hedgehog cookies this Christmas.  They are so cute and were delicious. She is an artist and decorated some beautiful cookies this year. It was so sweet of her to think of me. That's just the way she is!

These two had a bit of a rough ride on an airplane.  I took them to the grandchildren after Christmas.

This is a hedgehog I made from the cookie mold my son gave me last year. They looked pretty good, but I wish I could say the same about the taste.  I made a shortbread dough that would be stiff enough to work in the mold, but the flavor was not good.  I should have made gingerbread, but I'm not a fan. Maybe next time.

HEDGEHOGS OF CHRISTMAS PAST

 

I just realized that I had never posted these pictures from 2021.  There is a good reason these were not posted when I took the pictures. Sometimes I create something that I want to give as a gift to one of my dear "hedgehog friends." As time goes on, I don't always remember to post them.

This is a postcard I received from one of my hedgehog friends.  I thought it was so cute that it needed to be put on a Christmas ornament. I used Shutterfly to create the ornaments, and gave one to each of my special "hedgehog friends." Since it is a two-sided ornament, I chose a Christmas picture of Alfie and Eliza, my precious Senger Tierpuppen hedgehog dolls.