A Special Edition of Enchanted Times has been released, in a limited print run of just 20 copies. This luxury edition is printed on super-thick (170gsm) creamy paper in order to do justice to the full colour original artwork throughout, from our 4 guest artists. Contents of this issue include:

• Reverse, Revise, Recycle - an editorial by your editor Su Mwamba, examining the changing expectations of life within the Enchanted Realms
• Snow White and the Seven Lemur; Little Red Riding Lemur – illustrations by…Lemur
• My Toady – a 4-page story with illustrations by April E. Johnson, based on the traditional tales of enchanted frogs & princes
• Little Red Riding Hood; Alternate Ending – illustrations by Sharon Van Dussen
• Wolf at the Door – preview of a story to appear in Enchanted Times #5, by Su Mwamba
• The Little Match Girl – a watercolour story by Heather Cuff
• Contributing Artists – mini biographies of all involved with this Special Edition of the Enchanted Times

Additional preview images are available in the E.T.Printworks store.

The Enchanted Times is delighted to announce the launch of a brand new store: the E.T.Printworks!  Although Enchanted Times will continue to be available from TangleCrafts, additional items and special offers from Enchanted Times will now be available exclusively from E.T.Printworks.

To celebrate the launch, Enchanted Times blog readers can claim a one-off discount of 20% on any single order placed before June 30th, 2012,
by using the coupon code PRINTWORKS at the E.T.Printworks checkout.

All orders placed this month will also receive a Behind the Times badge, plus coupon code to claim discounts on further orders!  Look out for future exclusives, available only from E.T.Printworks & tell your friends!

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the art of gold*

“Rumpel, ‘e’s a fine dwarf, ‘e is, an’ no mistake. ‘E’s suffered fer ‘is art, that’s what. The magic flows froo ‘is fingers an’ such joy he gets from spinnin’ gold from straw. ‘E’s got no need o’ riches, though, an’ e’ only ever spins what ‘e needs ter barter in’t Goblin Market. ‘E liaised wit’ Union Banks of Imaginia, that’s what ‘e done, an’ ‘e single-handedly fixed that so-called economic crisis wi’ ‘is currency conversion what-not. ‘E were overseer of all the trainin’ at all them new ‘Ouse of Exchanges ‘isself, ‘e was. Sad when them unsavoury types sees fit t’abuse’t system, going t’unlawful extremes jus’ fer plain old straw, tho. Read about that in’t’ paper, yon B. B. Wolf an’t squealin’ piglet, f’r'instance. ‘Course, ‘e was brung’t justice afor’t matter was ever brung’t court. Bad by name, bad by nature, that un. Jus’ no stoppin’ likes of ‘im.  ’Ceptin’ wi’ a pot o’ boilin’ water, like.

“But Rumpel can’t be ‘eld responsible fer that. ‘E saw the currency thing as ‘is civic duty, like. ‘E showed ‘em ‘ow ter do it, ‘no straws attached’ – that’s what ‘e allus used to say, ‘is little joke, like. But all them ‘e trained up, them’re just spinnin’ fer a wage, jus’ ord’nary crafters, like. Now Rumpel, ‘e puts real love into ‘is spinnin’ ‘e does. It’s art when ‘e does it. There’s none can spin a yarn t’beat ‘is, I tell yer. ‘E takes pride in ‘is work, and evryone wants a bit o’ it. See that dress what made Cinderella shine ’til midnight? That were one of ‘is. Midas Touch were’t designer of that un. They used ‘im for the Dress o’ Sunshine fer’t Donkeyskin nipper, too. Weren’t ‘is fault fairy on’t job were mighty daft. An’ ‘e never worked fer them WeaveWorld charlatans, neither, worrever they claim. Them might’ve conned an Emperor, but Rumpel’s got real spun gold in palaces cross’t Enchanted Realms, not jus’ thin air, like!

“But let me tell you this, that Miller’s daughter, that Queen, she took ‘im fer a ride, she did. All that nonsense ‘ow ‘e made ‘er ‘and over ‘er family ‘eirlooms afore ‘e’d spin fer ‘er, that’s slander that is! Them trinkets, ‘e could’ve spun up their worth in a trice – what good’s them to ‘im? ‘E spun that gold cos ‘e felt sorry for ‘er, that’s what; fell in love wi’ ‘er, too, di’n't ‘e. ‘E’s just a man, y’know, fer all ‘e’s a dwarf. Anyways, that were ‘is baby what ‘e took, so the King’s got no rights to it, an’ that Queen, ha, she deserves everythin’ she gets!

“Rumpel can spin all’t gold you want; ‘e’ll spin it fer you, too, if y’ask ‘im. An’ that’s why them ‘vestigators’ll never name ‘im in a court o’ law, cos everyone in’t world is greedy; but ‘im, ‘e’s got an ‘eart o’ gold, ‘an you can’t spin that. ‘An ‘e’s got a baby, an’ that’s worth more’n evrythin’.”

THE END

* The title is a play on words which works primarily due to the dropped letter ‘h’ in Dwarfish dialect. It thus loses a layer of meaning in translation.

]]> http://enchantedtimes.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/addendum-the-art-of-gold/feed/ 0 tanglecrafts http://enchantedtimes.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/are-you-behind-the-times/ http://enchantedtimes.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/are-you-behind-the-times/#comments Sun, 26 Feb 2012 14:26:14 +0000 tanglecrafts http://enchantedtimes.wordpress.com/?p=873 ]]> Show your support for the Enchanted Times in style, with this set of badges, available now:

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brand new, hot off the press issue: Enchanted Times #4,
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 The new issue of Enchanted Times brings you even more old stories in new news, time & time again!
Highlights of the new issue include:

• Naked – the possibly real story of the nightingale behind the Emperor’s recent & shameful public exposure
• The swirly bird – a cross stitch pattern adapted from a brand new and exclusive illustration by Holly Mitchell
• DIY swatch-weaving tutorial - an advertisement feature courtesy of WeaveWorld
• An Exceptional Clothier by guest reporter Anne E. Johnson – revealing secrets about the Emperor’s New Clothes, Cinderella and more
• Rates of Exchange – the tale of a simple barter gone dramatically wrong
• The Art of Gold – in which a friend and colleague of Rumpelstiltskin defends his actions
• The Mirror - book review supplement: a reflection of contemporary literature in the fairy tale genre.  This issue focuses on Rumpelstiltskin adaptations.
• The Puzzled Page - a brand new feature, including micro-fiction re-tellings of Red Riding Hood and Snow White, plus 2 word puzzles
• Small Ads from our loyal sponsors throughout

Don’t miss it!

Also available now is a  catch-up BUMPER BUNDLE of Enchanted Times back issues, including the first omnibus edition (featuring the best of the out of print issues, ET #1 & #2), Enchanted Times #3, and 5 different Enchanted Times Minis for all the updates on and between issues.

Click here for full details.

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The Enchanted Times has previously featured the stunning artwork of Holly Mitchell in issue #3 (Red Riding Hood) and the editor is delighted to announce a collaboration which will see further exclusive illustrations for selected future Enchanted Times feature stories.

An Enchanted Times special edition is scheduled for release in 2012.  In the meantime, see left and below for a preview of some of the enchanting artwork to come:
the Frog Prince and the Pied Piper.

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The Enchanted Times is proud to announce that the Goblin Marketeers is sponsored by Enchanted Times Mini and thus has been designated its own page for further information and updates.  Click here for details of how to join and a rundown of membership benefits.

In Enchanted Times Mini #2.5 vol ii an extended editorial examines the question of whether or not the Gingerbread Man’s reputation as a potential psychopathic killer has any founding in reality,  the CoCo‘s practice of rehabilitating escaped Gingerbread Men, and the growing March ‘monopoly’.  In addition, this issue includes a voucher for the reader to claim a FREE (+ postage) sachet of Fast-As-You-Can CoCo Cocoa! A homicidal gingerbread reading list is also provided.

Whatever conclusions you draw after reading this issue, please remember to always approach any baked goods with extreme caution, for your own safety.

See the Etsy listing for additional pictures and further information.

• the long-awaited announcement of the Prince’s engagement
• the first public appearance of the bruised Princess
• an emerging trend amongst fashionable youngsters
• a warning from the Enchantments Protection Agency regarding a proliferation of blemish agents on the Black Marketplace
• a few words with the Queen’s Gardener about varieties of Pea

See the Etsy listing for additional pictures and further information.