When I read Shaylynn's first post about Tolkien Month, I thought, "I have got to do something for that. Because... because that is awesome."

My name is Rebekah Hendrian, and I am one of the owners/designers of VirvatuliDesigns, from West Michigan, USA. I am a 23 year old writer who works in a bookstore and runs an Etsy shop on the side. I am working on publishing my first novel, an Arthurian retelling for ages 10 and up, which means I am writing queries and getting rejection letters. I love to read, and when I have the time, my favorite things to read, after anything written by Tolkien, would be historical fantasy, dystopian/cyberpunk or steampunk novels, and nonfiction. I also like pre-90's Marvel comics, and I dabble in art.


VirvatuliDesigns is the storefront for Rebekah and Grace Hendrian's excess creativity. Virvatuli is Finnish for "will o'the wisp." While neither Rebekah nor Grace is Finnish (that they know), will o'the wisps, fairy lights, ghost candles, etc., are a folklore motif, and are here today, gone tomorrow. It was quite fitting for fantasy inspired crafts that, because of the way they're made, can never be replicated exactly. And it was fun to write in calligraphy.
Grace makes dolls that are inspired by fairy tales, legends, pop culture, and her favorite novels, sometimes all at once. She hopes to add some male characters to her doll collection, so be on the look out for those in the future. Rebekah does most of the knitting, and likes to knit gloves more than anything else. Her designs are inspired by books first, the natural world and folklore next, and she is planning on adding some larger knit pieces, such as cardigans, in the future.


(Note from Shaylynn: There are still four days left to enter the giveaway of their Elven handflowers!)

Hello readers of Shaylynn's Faerie Shoppe! I'm Vicki, and I blog over at Decked Out in Ruffles, where I share DIYs, outfits,
photography, and random/life-related posts. I'm a 19-year-old homeschool grad, a junior in
college, a dreamer, dabbling writer, a major geek, and a Christian. Oh...and I love The Lord of
the Rings.(:

Last month was my cousin's birthday (we actually share birthdays!), and I was having the hardest
time coming up with a gift idea for her. Then I remembered that she loves LOTR, and I came
up with the perfect gift...a little felt Frodo doll, complete with the one ring. And this weekend
(only a month late...but, as Shaylynn told me, "A wizard is never late!"), I finally finished it.
During the making process, I got a bit worried, since he was looking a bit more like a Gollum
than a Frodo...but once the hair was on and the clothes were sewn, it began to look more and
more like a sweet, little hobbit. Now I'm pretty sure that my cousin will give him a good home
(though I am sorely tempted to keep him to myself...ahem). As soon as I had everything finished,
I promptly dashed outside for a little photoshoot...

We started on the rocks of Mordor...

Then headed into the "fields" for some adventuring...

We battled a giant spider...

And...the road goes ever on and on.(:

I loosely based the pattern off of a free pattern download I discovered via a Google search, which
you can find here, if you'd like to try your own hand at doll-making. It may seem a daunting task at first, but once it's finished, it's worth all the effort (and the ripped out stitches...). Felt dolls are also very
inexpensive to make, which is one of the reasons I love them so much!

I hope you all enjoyed this post! Feel free to hop over to my blog to say "Hi"!
Thanks so much for having me, Shaylynn! This LOTR series has been simply wonderful thus
far!

Hullo, lovely readers of Shaylynn's equally lovely blog!  I'm Victoria from Raindrops and Moonlight, where I blog when I'm not busy daydreaming or drowning in English essays.  I'm a francophile, anglophile, bookaholic, and fangirl of various fandoms, including, of course, the immortal Tolkien.    A wizard is never late, as Shaylynn reminded me, but I must not be a wizard, because I am LATE in getting this in to her.  Thanks for your patience and for having me as a guest-poster in the first place, Shaylynn!



 I first read The Lord of the Rings as an almost-nine-year old bouncing along in the back of a trailer on a trip to Italy.  One of the things I remember most about that first reading - besides the way certain chapters made me crave mushrooms - is how much I loved the poetry.  I didn't even realize the genius of it at the time; it was just the first poetry that had ever really gotten across to me.

Part of poetry is atmosphere, creating a feeling, catching the mood of an experience. Tolkien was a master of that, among other things, and to this day I can't quite figure how he did it.  He didn't sacrifice content for atmosphere.  All the poems tell a tale, especially since most of them seem to be based on the ballad form - not surprising, with an author as interested in history as Tolkien was.

The first poem  I remember clearly was The Fall of Gil-Galad. I really don't know why that one stood out, and later I  re-read all the poems in FOTR and decided that, stylistically speaking, it's one of the less beautiful and memorable pieces.  I guess what really distinguishes it is the curiosity it raises as to what really happened to Gil-Galad:   





A perfect example of Tolkien's poetical awesomeness is The Lay of Nimrodel,  which tells the tale of the elf maiden Nimrodel and the man she loved, Amroth, and how they both disappeared.  In true ballad fashion, most of Tolkien's  poetry-tales have somewhat sad or ambiguous endings, and this is no exception. I loved the silvery colors and the way it flows, just like the Nimrodel river by which Legolas sings it, and I even once tried to put it to music.  (In case you're wondering, I failed miserably.  I'm not much of a composer.)  I won't put down the whole thing here  - it would make this post reeeaaaally long[er] - but here are some bits.

Today I'd like to introduce you to the first guest bloggers for my Tolkien blog celebration! Have you ever been really confused by all the genealogy that Hobbits love so much? Read on for an awesome explanation! -Shaylynn



 Megan and Laura are homeschooled sisters, ages 14 and 15 respectively. (Yes, the younger one is taller.) They first read the Lord of the Rings trilogy three years ago, and were instantly hooked. Laura enjoys learning obscure crafts (such as bobbin lace, weaving, and spinning yarn) and researching things. Megan likes to play her violin, sing, and make up stories. They both love dressing up in costumes to go to movies or things such as their local Renaissance Fair; reading; playing the piano; and acting.
If you’ve ever paged through the back of a book by Tolkien, you’ve probably noticed the detailed family trees. Lots of names and dates, connected by lines which branch off into even more names! It seems awfully confusing to us modern humans, but most of the characters seem to be familiar with their family connections. Even Pippin, that fool of a Took, seems to know what he’s talking about in the movie version of The Fellowship of the Ring!

Since the family trees in Appendix C of The Return of the King are devoted to hobbits, that’s what we’ll be looking at today. Who should we start with? How about Frodo and Bilbo?
As most of us know, “Uncle” Bilbo adopted Frodo as a young boy. We also know they’re related in some way, but how? Let’s look at the Baggins Family Tree to get started.


If we go way back in time, Bilbo and Frodo share a common ancestor: Balbo Baggins. Balbo had five kids, but we’re only going to concentrate on two at the moment: Mungo and Largo.  Both of these Hobbits got married and started families. Mungo had five kids (just like his parents), and Largo had one son. Mungo’s oldest son was Bungo, who had a child named Bilbo. Largo’s son, Fosco, had three kids, and his second child was Frodo’s father, Drogo.

So what do we call Bilbo and Frodo’s relationship?

Well, most of us know what a first cousin is. That would be our uncle/aunt’s child. Thus, Bilbo’s father Bungo and Frodo’s grandfather Fosco are first cousins, because their fathers were brothers. (Simple enough, right?) Now what’s a second cousin? A second cousin would be your parent’s cousin’s child. This makes Bilbo and Drogo second cousins because their parents are cousins.

So how does Frodo fit into this?

If you look carefully at the family tree, you will notice that Bilbo and Drogo are on the same generation level. That means if you go back the same number of generations from either descendant you will reach their common ancestor. Go back three generations from both Bilbo and Drogo, and you reach Balbo Baggins. If you go back three generations from Frodo, you reach Largo. That’s not the same ancestor Bilbo reached, so that means that Frodo is not on the same generation level as Bilbo.

To be a first, second, third etc. cousin, you have to be on the same generation level. So what do you call relatives who are on different generation levels?

This is where it can get pretty complicated! If your extended relative is one generation above or below you, they are once removed. For example, a first cousin once removed is your parent’s cousin, or your cousin’s child. And a first cousin twice removed is either your grandparent’s cousin or your cousin’s grandchild. A second cousin once removed is your parent’s second cousin, or your second cousin’s child. (See why this gets confusing?)

Now Frodo’s dad, Drogo, is Bilbo’s second cousin. This would make Frodo and Bilbo second cousins once removed.


Wow! Pretty complicated, huh? Now that we’re familiar with the terms, it should start to get easier. How about trying to figure out how Frodo and Peregrin Took are related?

This time we get a little help. Remember, in The Fellowship of the Ring movie when the four Hobbits are at the Prancing Pony, Pip says, “Sure, I know a Baggins. He’s over there. Frodo Baggins. He’s my second cousin, once removed on his mother’s side and my third cousin twice removed on his father’s side, if you follow me.”

There, Pippin has given us a little starter. We can still check to make sure he got his facts right, though! :) Let’s start with the relation on Frodo’s mother’s side.


Frodo and Pippin’s common ancestor is Gerontius, The Old Took. Gerontius and his wife had twelve children. (Wait, twelve!?!? Wow!) We’ll only have to work with two, though!

Hildigrim, a son of The Old Took, is Pippin’s great-grandfather. One of The Old Took’s daughters, Mirabella, is Frodo’s grandmother. If Hildigrim and Mirabella are siblings, then their children would be… that’s right, first cousins! So Hildigrim’s son Adalgrim and Mirabella’s daughter Primula are first cousins. And their children would be… yes, second cousins! Paladin II and Frodo are second cousins. Wait a second… Paladin II is Pippin’s dad. Hmm, this means that Frodo and Pippin are on different generation levels.

Pippin and Frodo are second-cousins once removed, because Pip is Frodo’s second-cousin’s child. So Pippin got his facts right for the first half of his quote! “He’s my second cousin, once removed on his mother’s side.”

Now Frodo and Pip’s common ancestor is Balbo Baggins! We’ll focus on his two younger sons, Ponto and Largo.

As we know, Frodo is the great-grandson of Largo. It turns out Pippin is the great-great-grandson of Ponto! (Notice the difference in generation levels…)

Let’s think about this. If Ponto and Largo were brothers that would mean that their children were cousins. So Ponto’s daughter Rosa (Pip’s great-grandmother), and Largo’s son Fosco (Frodo’s grandfather) are first-cousins. That makes their children second cousins (Adalgrim {Pip’s grandfather}, and Drogo {Frodo’s father}), and their children third cousins!

So Frodo and Paladin II are third cousins. We know that Paladin II is Pippin’s father, so Pippin must be on a different generation level from Frodo again.  What would be the relationship of Frodo and Pip…. Yes, third cousin once removed, because Pip is Frodo’s third cousin’s child.


What did Pip say in the movie? “He’s my third cousin twice removed on his father’s side.” Twice? We got third cousin once removed. Either Pippin is wrong, or we are.  Personally, I think Pippin was a little forgetful right then… but you can always check it out more yourself! :)

Now it’s time to move onto how Frodo and Meriadoc Brandybuck are related. What is very helpful is that Merry and Pippin are first cousins. They should have the same relation to Frodo, but let’s check it out.

Meriadoc’s grandfather Adalgrim and Frodo’s mother Primula are first cousins. Therefore, Merry’s mom (Esmeralda) and Frodo are second cousins. This would make Merry and Frodo…. That’s right, second cousins once removed because Merry is Frodo’s second cousin’s child.

That turned out the same as Pippin’s relationship to Frodo through Frodo’s mom.  Yes, Merry is also related to Frodo through Frodo’s dad, so we’ll have to check that out too.

Frodo’s grandfather Fosco and Merry’s great-grandmother Rosa are first cousins. That makes Frodo’s dad, Drogo, and Merry’s grandfather Adalgrim second cousins. So Frodo and Merry’s mom would be third cousins… and Frodo and Merry would be third cousins once removed (because Merry is Frodo’s third cousin’s child).

That also turned out to be the same as what we came up with for Pippin through Frodo’s dad. This gives us another reason to think Pippin got his facts wrong in the movie.

We’ve figured out how Frodo is related to the main Hobbits from The Lord of the Rings, except for how he is related to Samwise Gamgee. Search as we might through the Hobbit family trees, there is no common ancestor recorded between Frodo and Sam. Sam is not related to Frodo, Pippin, Merry, or even Bilbo. Sadly, this is because the Gamgees were not considered an ‘upper-class’ family, and thus they didn’t intermarry into Bagginses, Brandybucks, Tooks, etc.

There we shall stop with the family trees. There are many more interesting relationships between Tolkien’s characters, but alas, we are running out of time and room. If this has sparked your interest in the genealogies of Middle Earth, you can try to figure some out for yourself! We haven’t even touched on the subject of how Elrond is a second cousin twice removed to his mother-in-law…

The End

All images belong to Megan and Laura.

First off I found a good little hardcover, stitched journal to work off of. You can get cheap journals very inexpensively, but it'll hold up better if you dish out for a slightly higher quality. I happened to have this one on hand, and though it's smaller than River's journal, it just makes it cuter!


My first step was to make the binding. For this I used craft foam, and glued it on in two layers with a mixture of craft glue, elmer's glue, and water (for extra flexibility). The foam did not want to bend around the book, so I had to set my sewing machine on top of it while it dried to train it into shape.



I then used more foam and glue to lay down the design on the front. The details are not exact because my book was so small, but you can play around with that.
 I was a bit nervous about the binding, so I took some painter's tape and wrapped it around the edge as well to help give it some extra support and security.


I then painted the entire thing black, using acrylic paint. (Use the paints used for picture painting, not craft paint. It's more flexible and has a nicer texture).

 I then covered the entire thing with a very thin, very breathable cotton and smothered the whole thing in glue. You might have to experiment to find the very best cloth. I'd like to use cheesecloth next time I attempt this, as I think it might be easier to work with and the texture might come through stronger.

I bend the fabric around into the inside of the book, holding it in place with the clothespins.

 At this point the book really wanted to stay open, so I let it sit for a couple hours in a closed position.

Painting time! I applied layer after layer after layer of various shades of blue...

 ...and lastly a bit more black in the cracks.


While waiting for the paint to dry (this project takes several days with all the steps) I finished up the clay TARDIS necklaces I'd made for some other friends.

Final step? Glue the first page of the book onto the cover, to hide the raw edges of the fabric.


And hey presto! Did YOU make that beautiful book???



 Front,  finished! (There are several ripples in the fabric that frustrated me, part of why I think cheesecloth would work better than regular plain cotton).


The back. I kept it pretty plain, but if I were to do over, I would continue the binding around the back, but in separate pieces.

A closer look at the texture. It turned out really cool, everyone who touched it couldn't stop feeling it!

My little sister was having trouble choosing a theme for her 12th birthday party and I suggested she choose one of her favorite things–books! She loved the idea and we had a ton of fun planning it together. AND, her friends loved it too! So here are some ideas and things that we did, and hopefully you can use them to throw your own book themed bash! :)


(Forgive the lack of nice photos! They're all taken on different cameras by different people. I wasn't really planning on doing anything with them so they're not the nicest!)


Here is where the book destruction begins! These invitations are very simple, but perfect for the theme. All you need is an old book, paper, a card, and some kind of adhesive. I didn't take any photos before we gave them out so these photos are of a quick recreation.


1. Get out your old paperbacks! I knew the moment we decided on the theme that old book pages would be the star of the party. I got out some of my 10¢ paperbacks (sometimes it pays to be a book hoarder) and got snipping.

2. Take a card or fold some pretty cardstock into a card (great way to follow a color theme). Write whatever you'd like on the front, as long as it resembles a title (feel free to print things from the computer or stamp them for a more professional look).

3. Cut out some rectangles from the old book to be the "pages." Adhere on to each side of the book.

4. Cut out a smaller rectangle, write your invitation info on it, and adhere to the center of the "page" (I like it to be slightly framed by the words). You have an invitation that looks like the book!





Three words: DESTROY MORE BOOKS.The first thing we knew we needed was a bunting (we're Pinterest addicts, what can I say). We experimented with different shapes and decided we liked hearts the best. The rest was very simple. For the bunting we made a small cut on the each side of the heart and then threaded yarn through them all. Like I said, very simple, but you will probably spend a long time cutting out hearts! We made a bunting for the entrance and the dining room, and some little streamers to hang from the chandelier.  You could carry the decor father than we did and set up old pretty books around the room or make some kind of centerpiece!




We needed a couple book themed ones, of course! Some of our ideas were colored Goldfish (for One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish), "Ambrosia squares" (from Percy Jackson), and of course the Harry Potter series is never ending supply of treats to try to recreate! We were also lucky enough to find a package of Turkish Delight at TJ Maxx! No need to mention what book that is from! :)
I attempted to make a cake that looked like a book, but I was not satisfied with my efforts. If you're good with fondant, I think little fondant books on top of cupcakes would be adorable!



The first game we planned was to have people guess what book characters everyone else was. I wish I could show you a photo of all the girls in their amazing costumes! We had Harry Potter characters, Hunger Games characters, and even someone from Les Miserables! (I was Mary Lennox from The Secret Garden.) If your characters are too obscure, feel free to skip this game!

I wanted to do a classic "pin the blank on the blank" game so I made this one kind of sneakily to surprise my little sister. Pin the Title on Bella's Book! I actually drew my sister, but you can feel free to draw a generic person, a character, a stick figure, or even use a photo! Just have them holding a book! I then cut out some rectangles with the titles of Bella's favorite books on them. You probably already know how to play: the player is blindfolded, handed a "tail" with a piece of tape attached to it, spun a little bit, and then tried to "pin" the title onto the front of the book. I was thought it was fun waiting to see what Bella would be reading! :)




"The Line game" is one we learned in an acting group and play at almost every gathering. You and a partner have to act out a dramatic scene (you're sinking on the Titanic, you're trapped in a haunted house, etc.) but you both have a little piece of paper with a random line on it that you must read and incorporate into the scene at some point. It can be hilarious! To make this part of the book theme we used lines from our favorite books ("For Narnia! And for Aslan!" "There's a goat in the shower!").
It takes awhile to think of enough quotes to play for a long time, so start making the list a couple days before. The cut them all into separate slips, fold them, and put them in a box. Have everyone pair up (or split into groups of threes). When a pair is ready to play, give them their lines and their scenario (those can also be thought up ahead of time and can be from books!). Watch the story that unfolds!


This we made up specifically for the party! Everyone gets to design a book cover, and then the other player choose whose they like best by "buying" the book with play money!

You'll need drawing utensils (markers, crayons, pencils), small sheets of paper (we used normal 9x11 printer paper cut in half), play money for everyone (just steal it from Monopoly), a timer, and a list of goofy titles (Pippy and the Mountain Goat Choir, The Unexpected Cow, etc. It's good to think of these ahead of time!).

Make sure to tell all the players that it's about creativity, not how well you can draw. Encourage them to interpret the title anyway they want!

Each person gets a piece of paper and then everyone is told the title. Everyone has 5 minutes  to draw a cover. When the timer goes off they each show their cover. Then the players walk around with their play money and "buy" the cover (or covers if you don't want to be too competitive) they like best! The player with the most money at the end of the round and/or game wins! You can play this as many times as you want/have titles for!



Another thing that would be fun (and you can use up more old book pages on!) is "newspaper blackout poetry." You take a page and black out all but the words you want to keep, making a really interesting piece of art (you can look here for some examples: http://newspaperblackout.com/).


According to my little sister, treat bags are the best part of every party. She has very high standards for them, so it's a big deal that she was happy with these!

We decorated each bag with quotes about reading and wrote the guest's name on a piece of book-page. Inside the treat bag is:


A packet of bookworms

We bought a big bag of sour gummy worms and split them into small ziploc snack bags. Then we took a piece of paper, folded it over the top, stapled it, and labeled it Bookworms! It's cuter AND cheaper than buying a pack of separately packaged gummy worms.


Harry Potter lollipops

We were lucky enough to come across a bag of fizzy lollipops and immediately thought "Acid pops!" They're mentioned briefly in Harry Potter, but it was enough for us! We copied the Honeydukes colors and stapled labels onto the stick. You could also print out the Honeydukes logo from the computer and use that!

Wonka candies

Available at almost any store and book related by their very nature!

Little notebooks

We bought a pack of mini composition notebooks and then decorated them with pretty scrapbooking papers and little book page hearts!

Each treat bag also contained two books! We got a bunch of gently used books at a used book store and matched them up to who we thought would like them best.

If you want to add more, there are lots of ways to recreate book themed candy! :)

I'll end with some quick tips for using old book pages:

1. If you don't have any old paperbacks don't fret, they're easy to find. Simply go to your nearest used bookstore or thrift store and find the paperbacks and/or clearance section. You should be able to get a couple paperback classics for under a dollar. If you must you can use a dictionary.
2. It doesn't matter much what the book is about or what the page says, seeing as no one will be able to read very much of it. It can be fun to use a book everyone will recognize (Pride & Prejudice or Narnia for example). Or you can make the words almost completely decorative by using something more obscure (I used Pride & Prejudice for the invites and Villette for the decorations).
3. Keep an eye out for awkwardness. As long as your book is family friendly you shouldn't have to worry too much, but keep an eye out for awkward formations of words and stuff. It doesn't matter so much for the bunting, but for the little notebooks you definitely want to be aware of what the hearts say. . . . Fine! If you really need an example I'll give you one. I was showing my mom the little notebooks and she laughed and pointed out that one of the hearts said "she scratched" and the line below said "her seat." See, nothing scarring or anything, just awkward. I put new hearts over top that one and was more careful to read what sentences they formed. :)

Hope this little post inspired you to throw your own book-themed party! :)