Tillie Tinkham's Bitty Buttons and Fashionable Fascinators!

Tillie Opens Shoppe in New Location!

Tillie's friends clap their hands, pat her on the back and tell her what a good job she did fashioning the marbleized buttons! The buttons are sewn to cards and labeled:
Tillie Tinkham's Bitty Buttons
4 b. Corgyncombe Currency

The "b" on the tags stands for buttons. Tasha Tudor had the children use buttons to buy goods for their dolls and animals. The currency for the dolls at Corgyncombe is buttons, as well.



Tillie has also added a millinery department to Tillie Tinkham's Frocks & Fashions which has brought squeaks of joy from her Mouse friends, as they like to spend their time trying the hats on in front of the mirror.
Tillie Tinkham started Tillie Tinkham's Frocks and Fashions over 4 years ago.
Tillie has opened her shoppe in a new location that she will sometimes share with other businesses at Corgyncombe!


Closing in the late afternoon sun.
Tillie's friends are wearing some of the inventory home.

Tillie Tinkham's Frocks & Fashions has added Fascinators to her inventory, some imported and some she has also made for her own line of Fascinators!

Below, Tillie models some of the Fascinators.

Tillie in an imported Fascinator, to which she has added one of Phidelia Finch's feathers.


Looking in the window, a dress form can be seen.


Yesterday, whilst scurrying about the garden, Tillie came across one of the earliest flowers to appear at Corgyncombe, Cowslip, also called Lady's Keys.

Upon seeing this flower a lady from Britain exclaimed with joy "Oh, it's Lady's Keys!" In Britain Lady's Keys is a favoured flower. Fascinators are also favoured!


The Lady's Keys makes a very stylish Fascinator as it has a natural drape.
In "The Country Diary of An Edwardian Lady" by Edith Holden, she has illustrated the cowslip photographed above.
In the book, Edith Holden included the poem "The May Queen" by Tennyson:
"All the valley, mother, 'ill be fresh and green and still;
And the cowslip and the crowfoot are over all the hill.
And the rivulet in the flowery dale 'ill merrily glance and play,
And I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I'm to be Queen o' the May."

In "The Country Diary of An Edwardian Lady", on May 1st, Edith Holden speaks of going to Bristol and how lovely it was. She wrote: "The Primroses are still thick on the banks, the hedges are all green, many of the Apple orchards in blossom; and the Oaks showing the first signs of golden, bronze foliage: In Somerset the meadows were yellow with cowslips"
On May 7th, Edith Holden wrote in her diary:
"I was stooping down to gather some cowslips, when a robin fled out over my hand, from under the roots of an Alder tree, growing close beside me."

In John Milton's poem "Song on May Morning" he wrote the following lines:
"The flowery May, who from her green lap throws
The yellow cowslip and the pale primrose."

In Beatrix Potter's "The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse", Beatrix wrote the following lines about Mrs. Tittlemouse as she is gathering things for her meal from her storeroom:
"I smell a smell of honey; is it the cowslips outside, in the hedge?"

In Beatrix Potter's "Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes", Cecily Parsley the rabbit is illustrated making cowslip wine.

In Beatrix Potter's "The Tale of Mr. Tod", old Mr. Bouncer, father-in-law of Flopsy Bunny, was supposed to be bunny sitting her little Bunns. When purposely distracted in conversation by Tommy Brock the Badger, Mr. Bouncer invited Tommy Brock in to have "a glass of my daughter Flopsy's cowslip wine". He also gave Tommy Brock a cabbage leaf cigar whilst he smoked his pipe. Whilst they were smoking and drinking, Mr. Bouncer fell asleep and Tommy Brock took advantage and stole away Flopsy's sweet baby bunnies!
When Flopsy discovered her babies were missing she slapped Mr. Bouncer whose foolishness had allowed Tommy Brock to steal Flopsy's babies. Foolishness that old Mr. Bouncer would not soon forget!

In the photograph above, Tillie has fashioned a Fascinator featuring a Johnny Jump Up from Corgyncombe Gardens.
Tillie looks forward to fashioning many more Fascinators using flowers, paper flowers, feathers, and whatever doodads strike her fancy. Quackenbush and the Dibble Dabbles are very interested in Tillie's new Millinery department.

Violet is measuring Quackenbush for a new spring vest. Violet complains to Elizabeth that she is having difficulties getting the proper measurements due to the constant movement, paddling about, and quacking. Elizabeth sternly says "Now Ducky, You must hold still for measuring or the finished garment will pinch your underwing feathers and restrict your wing movement!" Elizabeth has been looking at "Mouse Mills Catalogue for Spring" by Tasha Tudor. It is a book of fashions for dolls, bears, and ducks.
Elizabeth especially likes Mouse Mills' motto:
"Good, Better, Best, Never rest, 'Til Good be Better, And Better, Best."

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