It's been a full month of the Carterhaugh school for me. With weekly Gothic Fairytale lectures, a Profs and Pints lecture on the French Fairy Tale Salons and of course the book club. So much good content!
The Carterhaugh book club book this month was Laini Taylor's Strange the Dreamer. I loved the book and while our contemporary fairytales are not part of it, the idea of fairytales as a capsule of time, place and important knowledge - but often disregarded is very much a thing in this du-ology*. There are some passages of pure delight and whimsy but be warned there is plenty of heartbreak to temper the sweetness.
At the end of the November 2020 discussion, the chat was buzzing with how we all seem to love books about doors, portals to other worlds, blue people & fantastical markets. The moths are a significant motif in Strange the dreamer and I found myself sketching moths, developing a Pinterest board and later on, started to see if I could make them out of paper and card.
These are a lot of fun to make and quite simple if you would like a DIY? Let me know.
I had in my head an image of a blue door surrounded by moths. I have a Pinterest board on doors and portals too, which definitely served as inspiration for the door I made. How do you think the moths get through to your dreams? Via the keyhole or the small carved heart?
If you like this image Flight to the dream portal you can find a phone background and desktop wallpaper version of it here.