Fennimore Mouse in his Pumpkin Necklace

ONLY ONE FENNIMORE LEFT!

Fennimore found his pumpkin in the last warm days of September, when the garden was going quiet and every hollow, gourd, and fallen log had started to look like somewhere to hide. He tried the pumpkin on for size, decided it suited him, and has not left since. He tucked himself inside, curled his tail around his feet, and settled in to wait out the cold months in the one small space he chose to call home. He is not going anywhere. He would like you to know that.

The Piece

Each pumpkin stands about 1.5 inches tall, its leaf pressed from a real leaf I gather and press into the silver myself. The leaf is destroyed in the process, so no two pumpkins ever carry quite the same veining or pattern. Fennimore lives hidden inside the pumpkin rather than perched on top of it, safe and snug the way real mice tuck themselves into gourds and leaf litter once the nights turn cold. I melt the sterling silver in my torch flame to rough out his shape, then hand carve the fur texture, tiny ears, four tiny feet, and a little nose and tail, all while trying not to lose him between my fingers. He comes to you on an 18 inch sterling silver rope chain.

Fennimore is also inspired by something real. White footed mice and deer mice, common across much of North America, spend the fall gathering seeds and nuts into hidden caches near their nests, a behavior ecologists call scatter hoarding. Not every cache gets reclaimed. Some are forgotten, some are left behind when a mouse doesn't survive the winter, and those uncollected seeds often sprout right where they were buried. Researchers who study forest regeneration have found this habit is one of the reasons new trees take root where they do, making small mice like Fennimore quiet contributors to the woods around us.

The Craftsmanship

• Pumpkin: approximately 1.5 inches tall, sterling silver, leaf pattern pressed from a real leaf

• Fennimore: hand carved, hidden inside the pumpkin, sterling silver

• Chain: 18 inch sterling silver rope chain

• Edition: limited to TWO for the this Autumn season

A Note from Tamara

This one wasn’t entirely my idea. Kristin, a longtime collector of my work, asked if I might make a pumpkin with a little mouse on top of the leaf. It was such a good idea that I had to try it, though I decided to tuck the mice inside their pumpkins instead, somewhere they could snack and stay safe.

I named him Fennimore. It’s an old English surname that traces back to the Old French fin amour, meaning fine love or pure love, a nickname that would once have marked someone as devoted. It felt right for a little guy who does nothing but hold still and stay close, tucked into the one small space he’s chosen to call home. Every year that I create them they seem to get more and more detailed and unique.

Thank you for loving little wild mice as much as I do, Kristin. I have a feeling the rest of you will too.

Shipping

Fennimore will be packaged up safely and sent on his way to you within 3-5 business days. You’ll get an email with a tracking number so you can follow his journey to his new home.