From My Little Hole in the Wall: June 2023

When I was first on my very own, living in my own tiny apartment in Sunnyvale, California, I had absolutely no sense of decorating style. I was only 20 but had a good job that afforded me a studio apartment and I loved the independence it allowed me. This was back in 1977 and the latter half of the 70's had a special kind of kitsch. With little to spend on frivolities, I decorated with themes such as piano keys, Popeye, Betty Boop, and maybe even Garfield, the cat. Merchandise of every kind was created with these motifs, and everyone enjoyed them.

Not too long after that, in 1981, the Smurfs hit the Saturday morning cartoon circuit and I watched the silly, squeaky voiced children's cartoon while drinking my adult coffee. And I bought a few Smurf related items to add to the eclectic array of dust collectors.

One of the things the Smurfs were known for, aside from being little blue humanoids, was that they lived in red capped mushroom homes. They even lived under the threat of an antagonistic cat named Azreal, who was owned by the evil wizard, Gargamel. But it was the merchandise of Smurfs that really bumped up the enjoyment of the cartoon, and homes were once again strewn with red capped mushroom decor.

Mushrooms were everywhere in the 1970s, and I'm not referring to the kind you'd ingest to hallucinate with. The motif is just as popular today as it was back then, and it appears that the enjoyment of Amanita Muscaria is here to stay. But why?

I've read that its whimsical popularity has something to do with the mushroom being a symbol of happiness and health. Their images make you feel good. Like a flower makes you feel good. Mushrooms are a harbinger of comfort and coziness, and haven't we all be craving this over the past few years?

The amanita muscaria, or fly agaric mushroom has a red toadstool appearance with white spots. While I've never seen one in person, the closest I might come to one is in the Pacific Northwest where they grow in close proximity to certain trees such as birch, spruce and fir. I might also add that they are highly poisonous, which knowing this doesn't make them all that appealing. Still and all, we love their look for its bright and cheery red color. They evoke memories of fairy tales and simpler, happier times in our lives. Anthropomorphize one and you have a winner!

I was scrolling on Ebay the other day when out of the blue (Smurfs aside), up popped this Mini Ginny Gift Set from a 2008 Modern Doll Collectors Convention (MDCC). I adored it. I placed a bid

and won it. I knew who made the clothing. I can spot a Boneka at a glance. Mini Ginny was made by Vogue Doll Company in their last years. and I did not have one, so the combination of this set containing the Mini Ginny with costuming by Boneka was simply a no-brainer must have. Of course, I didn't know if I would win it, but inspiration followed quickly to make something similar for Esme.

Esme originally came in an autumn leaf costume with a big felt umbrella leaf for her to hold. I thought, why not make a parasol for her? A mushroom parasol. So I colored one of my small paper parasols red with those wonderful alcohol markers, and punched out a small pile of white paper dots to decorate it with. I got about as far as that when I discovered that the parasol would never be able to be held by tiny Esme. Ole Lukoje was a much bigger doll and even at that, the black umbrella props him up.

I wasn't going to be derailed by this upset in design, so pulled out the leaf umbrella and studied its design.

One thing I stick to, is that if you're going to - gosh, I hate the word "copy" - a theme, be original. Be inspired and build on the theme in your very own way. There's no getting around the red and white because that's what the mushroom is, but we can have fun making it our own.

Esme's little dress is out of fine wool felt like all her other botanical costumes. I studied the base where the cap blooms from and chose to make a clipped facsimile of this area into a slightly off set collar. It's sewn on a 1/4" from the neckline. I worked from the illustration (below) of the children, fairies and bunnies with balloons having a party under the mushroom snack stand with a tent nearby. I sewed the collar on with an off-white embroidery thread hoping for a bit of contrast, but it didn't work. I didn't want to take it off and redo it, and that's okay.

I made her a pair of leafy boots from a bright olive green felt.

She also has little white felt panties under her mushroom stem dress.

The hat was the first thing I made. No doubt, it looks very much like a Chinese cone sun hat, which appealed to me greatly. One thing I might add is that I had not received the Mini Ginny Gift Set until after I'd finished this project. I was tickled to find that Rosemarie Ionker designed her hats with white bases, too.

My hat design would also be replicated in the umbrella she carries. I punched out white felt rounds and sewed them individually to the red cap in a random manner.

The dress needed something more. I then clipped out grass blades in the same colored felt as the boots and stitched them on. The dress closes in the back with two small snaps.

The mushroom umbrella was made the same way the hat was but with a larger diameter. I'd purchased some floral wire and white floral tape and "copied" the way Maggie Iacono created and assembled her leaf umbrella. However, sticking to my integrity of insisting on a bit of originality, I sewed the stem on rather than using a hot glue gun. I do not enjoy using hot glue guns. They're a mess to work with. Sewing also gives you the option of do-overs where that glue is a surefire way to ruin something if you don't do it right the first time.

This wasn't a groundbreaking project, but it will surely look sweet for summer sitting on my shelf.

I had way too much fun scoping out red mushroom themed merchandise on Pinterest. I was delighted with all the different things people could come up with to enjoy this happy mushroom look. Therefore, even though I had to eliminate many of the photos I saved off to share, there are still quite a few and I think you'll enjoy them.

This wasn't my first foray into the red capped mushroom theme, and most recently, Dolly Dingle carried a mini needle felted one drawn by Diana Vining. I'm half tempted to try one more for another doll, but since I dressed a 10" doll in the extra Boneka dress that came with Mini Mushroom Ginny, that's plenty for my shelf.

What's next? I don't know. Summer can be such a lazy time for me. I find it difficult to stay indoors until the temperatures get into the mid 90's. And that will come soon enough.

Wishing you an enjoyable every day, Melissa