You may not know I have a passion for elves and other such creatures of childish imagination and although I have written stories for and about my "elvin family" of BJD's, I haven't ventured into customising any of them. It took a few days before the penny dropped and I realised the recently purchased recast dolls will enable me to do what I've always wanted to do . . . make my very own customised characters.
Have any of you read the children's book "Enchantment" by Gill Davies? It has some lovely poems and wonderful illustrations by Eric Kincaid. To quote the author "It was like stepping back into my childhood, reading stories by flickering firelight and really, truly believing in magic again."
I had been rearranging the books in my bookcase after changing our second bedroom furniture around earlier today, when the title of this particular book caught my attention. It had been many, many years since I'd first read it and I felt it wasn't just by chance that I held it in my hands today. I opened to the first page and read . . .
"Enter the world of Enchantment,
Step through the silver gate
To the land where sprites and fairies,
hags and mermaids wait.
Explore the soaring mountains,
Lakes and forest deep,
Stormy seas and snowscapes,
A haunted castle keep.
Enter the world of Enchantment,
Step through the arch of gold
To the land where spells are made
And ancient tales are told.
Bring courage in your heart
For there are dangers here to brave:
Sorcerers and serpents,
Fiery dragons in the caves.
Enter the world of Enchantment,
Step through the mirror glass
To a land that holds you spellbound
As wraiths and goblins pass.
Sing with feasting elves,
Dance where the demons fly,
Enter the world of Enchantment
Before the chance slips by . . ."
Now I don't know what you believe when it comes to fate, but honestly it didn't feel just like a coincidence that I found this book when I did. This book is exactly what I needed to keep me inspired through my customising journey . . . it's going to be a long one and I'm going to need a few more of these dolls to complete the list.