houseful of hedgehogs

NEW HEDGEHOG CHRISTMAS FUN

I love my new Christmas pillow with skiing hedgehogs! It has textures and pompoms, and was made by the Jingles and Joy company. I found this on a recent trip when we stopped at a TJ Maxx in Dubuque, Iowa, on the way to a movie. You never know!

Another fun way to dress up the house is this set of tea towels by Comet and Cupid. I adore the sweet little hedgehogs peeping out of the Christmas stockings! These came from Marshall's. Who would have thought the discount stores would be hiding hedgehogs among their bargains? 

I stopped in at Jo Ann's the other day to pick up some ribbon, and saw this fallish-wintry woodland scene on a bag. Couldn't resist it!

CHEERFUL AUTUMN HEDGEHOGS

I have been enjoying this festive autumn plate displaying the artwork of Angela Staehling. It's just the size for cookies or cheese and crackers. The little guy in the center is particularly charming!

Natural Life has such cute and colorful things.  I love this hedgehog towel I found in Galena, Illinois, at one of my favorite shops The Grateful Gourmet.

Walmart had these sweet woodland friends place mats, and I couldn't resist picking up a few.

HAPPY FALL!

BIRTHDAY HEDGEHOGS 2018

This year I had a big surprise for my birthday. My daughter-in-law baked and decorated this great hedgehog cake topped with cake pop hedgehogs! It was a chai spice cake and tasted as wonderful as it looked.  She is a truly talented baker.

My husband brought me this whimsical hedgehog mug from Sofia, Bulgaria. He does get around.

A sweet friend sent this sparkly blonde hedgehog recently.  It reminds me of her!

On a recent trip to visit my sister-in-law, she presented me with this bright print oven mitt and some little natural ornaments. She always thinks of me when she sees a hedgehog!

 

Thanks to everyone who thinks of me and spoils me with hedgehogs!

HEDGEHOGS IN AUTUMN

This sweet little guy is ready for autumn with his "hello fall" mug and his wellies. He is printed on canvas and was a birthday gift from a dear friend. He's just the perfect inspiration for fall decorating!

This leafy throw I found at Marshall's is as soft as it is cute. It feels perfect for a cozy afternoon with a cup of tea. 

 

 

HEDGEHOGS SAY GOODBYE TO SUMMER

These tiny hedgehogs look as if they've been surprised in their garden having tea. They are Thatcher and Margaret having "High Tea," designed by Boyd's Bears and Friends. The inscription reads, "Love is the best sweetener of tea." - Henry Fielding. I adore the detail, down to the little ladybug and dragon fly.

These sweeties are Tickles and Prickles reading a book of poems titled "Stuck on You." Also by Boyd's Bears and Friends, their inscription reads, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways . . ." - Robert Browning. These were gifts from my husband a few years ago. They seem a good way to say so long to summer 2018. It's been a hot one for most of us, so I won't be sorry to see it go in a couple of weeks!

HEDGEHOGS FOR SUMMERTIME

This endearing hedgehog pot with aloe plant is made by Natural Life. No matter how hard I try, I can't help finding an irresistible hedgehog in Galena, Illinois.

My daughter-in-law found this charming card at Trader Joe's, which has lately become a place for cute hedgehog cards. Looking at it just makes me happy!

DREAMY NEW HEDGEHOG FABRICS

 

My sweet, sweet friend Rebecca has designed two new and delightful hedgehog fabrics for her Spoonflower fabric shop. I can't decide which is my favorite: Hedgehog Dreams or Hedgehog Dreams in Color, but I am thinking about what I can do with both. I love the originality and detail!

 

HEDGEHOG GIFTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

My son tries so hard to find hedgehogs I don't already have. This year for Christmas, he went online shopping around the world. The sweet little hedgehog ornament is local I'm pretty sure, but the others came from far and wide. The stylish notepad is from Israel, and the clever wooden hedgehog from the Netherlands is assembled from a stack of coasters. The cute hedgehog tape came from Hong Kong, and the adorable little hedgehog necklace is from Korea. I love them all, and I really appreciate the effort it took!

The hedgehog carved from a piece of wood is quite original. My niece is a person who likes to shop at craft fairs, and she finds some lovely gifts for me. The hedgehog holding a leaf is from some sweet friends. I'm sure I'll find something summery for him to put in his leaf. It's so nice to be remembered by friends and family members at Christmas!

HEDGEHOG FINDS AND LLAMAS

I still have a few things from Christmas that are waiting to be posted, and it's already March! I found this pretty blue makeup bag by Unionbay and couldn't resist the woodland creatures. The Christmas notepad was in the same store, so I couldn't leave it behind.

These sweet llamas looked at me with their big eyes, and now they are part of my menagerie. They are both made by Douglas Toys and are unbelievably soft!

 

CHRISTMAS BRINGS HEDGEHOGS

It's so wonderful to have two sweet sisters-in-law. They always think of me when they see hedgehogs. Imagine that! The beautiful girl above, named Diana, has an expressive face.  Her little friend in the shape of a mug is just perfect for hot chocolate on a cold January day. If I'm correct, they are from Pier One.

These adorable kissing hedgehog salt shakers are a gift from my other great sister-in-law. I love the toothpick holder, the soap, and the tiny hedgehogs she gave me. I'm truly fortunate!

 

PLAYFUL WINTER HEDGEHOGS

Some of the sweetest girls I know gave me these warm and cozy hedgehog mittens. They are so soft! They make a great resting place for these frolicking hedgehog ornaments. The sledding and skiing boys came form Anthropologie last year. They have been joined by a snowball-throwing girl I found in Colorado this past summer.

Jan Brett's Christmas Trolls was a gift from the grandchildren.  There are hedgehogs on almost every page. I love her books and artwork!

HOLIDAY HEDGEHOG GREETINGS

This trio of holiday hedgehogs is wishing you a Merry Christmas! As always during the holidays, I have welcomed many more hedgehogs into the house. The fluffy guy in the middle came from a Meijer Store on a recent visit to Chicago. The two fine fellows on either side were gifts from very thoughtful friends.

These festive little tea towels were waiting for me in an Evanston, Illinois shop, and I just couldn't leave them there. My sweet sister-in-law gave me the little Santa hedgehog ornament for Christmas. Much more to come . . .

 

BORDER FINE ARTS HEDGEHOG WITH FOX

This beautiful figurine by Border Fine Arts has a story behind it. In the early 80's my husband and I were in London at Harrods. I bought one hedgehog figurine but decided not to get the fox at the time.  In later years, we looked for it again when we were in England but never found it because it was retired. This year for my birthday, he gave me the fox and hedgehog. I was so surprised! He said he had always regretted not buying it the first time we saw it. Now it's even more special!

Another birthday gift was this bejeweled candle holder hedgehog which goes well with fall decor. This summer I found the sporty hedgehog on wheels in charming Stockbridge, Massachusetts, the home of the wonderful Norman Rockwell Museum.

FALL FOXES WITH HEDGEHOGS

I just couldn't resist this fall tablecloth, towel, pot holders, and adorable fox bowl. They are from, of all places, Walmart! So bright and cheerful, I used them at a fall tea party with two sweet little girls and their equally sweet mother.

There is a wonderful little shop in town called The Thicket where I found this cute fall hedgehog and his pumpkin. The woodland stickers are from, again, Walmart.

FIREFLIES AND CICADAS, NO HEDGEHOGS

firefly nights

Today I'm not even mentioning hedgehogs. I haven't given up my adoration of them, but I want to feature some art by a creative and talented friend of mine. She has recently opened shops on Etsy and Spoonflower to present her original paintings and drawings, prints, and fabrics. The shops are "RebeccaGreenArts" and "Designs by rebeccagreenarts". Rebecca is the featured artist for the month of September at tea bar and bites, a popular place to dine in our city.

I'm showing three of my favorites today, which are available on Spoonflower: "firefly nights" above, "cicadas" and "cicada hum" below. I love her work, and I'm sure many others will too!

cicadas

cicada hum

HEDGEHOGS ARE GETTING CUTER BY THE DAY

My Mother's Day gifts are always so sweet and original. The artsy little metal hedgehog tray is made by Studio Oh! I love it so much! Sitting beside it is a precious mug by Two Can Art. My thoughtful cousin from Wisconsin is full of surprises. She brought this along on her recent visit. I love it too!

ALFIE AND ELIZA HAVE NEW FRIENDS

During a recent visit, my cousin from Wisconsin surprised me with the sweetest, most adorable German outfits for my favorite hedgehogs. The detail in the sewing and design is charming. The hedgehogs are made by the Senger Tierpuppen company.  I'm a little worried that they have quit making their wonderful handmade dolls.  I can't find their website right now. There are still Senger Tierpuppen stuffed animals on Amazon and a few other sites, but they look machine-made and they don't wear clothes.

Alfie and Eliza are fortunate to find they have new friends--also as cute as they can be!  My cousin liked them so much, she found some for herself!

HEDGEHOG GIFTS FROM SPECIAL PEOPLE

This pretty hedgehog planter by Creative Co-op is not supposed to be used for serving food, so how about bright yellow hedgehog socks? Both of these were gifts from my son and daughter-in-law.

I am a bit behind on my posting of gifts, as you can tell by the much-appreciated 2017 calendar from my sister-in-law. A dear friend gave me the book of notes by Wrendale Designs and the cute little cork board by Kikkerland, two great companies for unique hedgehog items.

 

HAPPY EASTER HEDGEHOGS AND CHICKS

This "Hoppy Hedgehog" by Ganz made my Easter happy. I found him in Naples, Florida on a recent trip. Below are some new chicks I collected this year, here and there. I especially love the two made from hydrangea-like blossoms.

I had an Easter tea party for two sweet little girls where we dyed eggs and had a great time.

Of course, Alfie, Eliza, and friends were there to join in the Easter fun.

GREAT HEDGEHOG GIFTS

I'm so happy to have this wonderful gift from a sweet friend of mine. This adorable and useful green bowl is decorated with trees, leaves, and hedgehogs! It's from the English company Mason and Cash, and I love it!



My sister-in-law, who travels the world, found this wooden hedgehog adorned with Baltic-area amber in St. Petersburg. She also gave me the pretty pot hanger.  My other sister-in-law gave me the tiny guy from Little Critterz. My sisters-in-law are the best!