Stumble on a FumsUp

I was delighted to find this example of a bisque FumsUp doll in a charity shop in Wadebridge last week. Thanks to Donna Hircock for giving e the "HeadUp" about the "FumsUp"....see what I did there....It still has the original label which is rather nice.

It now stands on my dresser next to my piskie letter holder. I hope Edward Lovett would be proud.

Charmed life: The solace of objects | Felicity Powell

Look Back on A Charmed Life

In October 2011 The Wellcome Trust and artist Felicity Powell collaborated on a stunning 5 month show of Edward Lovett's collected amulets (which are usually housed at The Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford). These charms and the personal stories connected to them inspired Felicity's art and the show was truly amazing.

Sadly Felicity died earlier this year. We never met but spoke on the phone as she had agreed to speak on her work at one of the Museum of Witchcraft's Day of Talks which I was organising at the time. Unfortunately she became too ill to attend but she was extremely enthusiastic about Lovett's work and was obviously greatly inspired by it.

The Wellcome Collection show of both the charms and Felicity's work can still be viewed online by clicking Charmed Life - The Solace of Objects.

For The Guardian's obituary to Felicity Powell click here. 

Online Lovett Collection at Cuming Museum

If you'd have visited London's Cuming Museum before March 2013 you'd have been able to see a fantastic collection of Edward Lovett's charms in the flesh (so to speak). 

Unfortunately a fire swept through the museum and it is currently being rebuilt in what will surely be a fabulous new premises. 

In the meantime you can access Lovett's charms through their website.  Click this link to take you directly to the Lovett pages or click here to learn more about the history of the Cuming Museum itself.

MWM review of Magic In Modern London 1925...

To read a Museum of Witchcraft and Magic review of Magic In Modern London 1925... please click here .

New Outlets for RedThreadBooks Titles

Black Cat Charm

I am happy to announce that Treadwells Bookstore in London and Sacred Earth in Ipswich are now stocking The Witches' Herbal by Mike Howard and Magic In Modern London 1925... by Edward Lovett. 

Mike's Herbal is on its third reprint and, as with all of Mike's books, it is well researched and well written. It contains sections on the history of herbalism, an illustrated herbal, and a section on the Celtic tree Alphabet. 

Edward Lovett's book includes his pamphlet Folklore & legends of the Surrey Hills and of the Sussex Downs & Forests 1928 and is illustrated with charms from the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, Cornwall.

Domino Charm

To read more about some of Mike Howard's work follow this link to reviews of some of his other works.