The Chaotic Mage's Curiosities

25/08/2023

How do you guys label your enclosures?!
I didn't have labels for a while, all of my friends use vinyl stickers but my spiders get at least four enclosures during their lifetime with me and I didn't want to have to be ridding the doors of glue all the time.
Then I got past 30 spiders and I had to label them as I was having to think about who is who 🙈 so I was using little messy bits of paper or scribbling their names on with paint pens which just looked messy.
Then I remembered that the amazingly talented Kate from Katabra Creations can make almost anything!
These name cards she designed and made as completely waterproof and will happily sit inside the enclosures, she can attach magnets if needed too. Or you can glue dot them on the outside. Now when i move a spider to their new enclosure I just have to move the cards!
Kate can do whatever design you can think up and can even add photos of your spider to their name tag. I have left spaces on mine near the top so that I can mount them on them in resin cabachons once they pass on. I've a few for some of my spiders who have already passed and will be mounting them this weekend.

15/08/2023

Brought delilah on a woodland walk today.

03/08/2023

03/08/2023

This week we welcomed a new member to our little family of chaos. Everybody meet Teasel, she is a Syrian hamster.

03/08/2023

Who is heading to ants on a rock this weekend?! I don't have a stall (maybe next year 🤗) but I will be seen wandering around being constantly distracted by everybody's pretty stalls and trying to keep my teenagers in check.
I am in the market for my first mantid and maybe some moth caterpillars/grubs.
I'll most likely come back with several spiders though 🙈🙈

01/08/2023

My son just showed me a photo of a fat Bobcat and I said "oh a bobcat!" To which he replied "no, it's a blob cat" 🤣🤣

01/08/2023

Anybody ever had such a chonk before?! This is my girl Nadja.
She is one of my p reguis girls from Arachnamoria (a clover baby).
I am hoping to pair her with a large Apalachicola male so give me a follow if you would be interested in adding a nadja baby to your collection in the future.

(Excuse the moss all over the floor, I've been making up new enclosures for some of my recently matured spoods)

01/08/2023

Update on the old lady Margaret...
She eats!
She is currently loose on my shelf like this as I type. I could probably go and make dinner and do all the housework and shed still be there.
Such a special little lady.
I also had to move Amber down this week, another of my favourites, she is still hunting though so I have hope that she has a fair bit of time left too.

30/07/2023

😏🤷🏻‍♀️😅

30/07/2023

Anybody else feel like their jumpers would benefit from slightly larger enclosures? 30 cm tall but slightly wider for more roaming space on top.

25/07/2023

My early birthday present from my son! Best present ever!
Definitely the biggest in my collocation.

23/07/2023

I can't believe I had the privilege of meeting Tracy and Paul from Jumping Spiders Web. today and had the opportunity to hand pick my own spiders!
I'll post photos when I get home.
I'm exhausted!
My eldest daughter had her first proper performance today singing at big splash, newport too so today has been pretty exciting!
I'm almost home with 4 spider pots in my bra and my son has 38 leaf insect eggs in his pocket! Yes 38! 🙈🙈🙈 I don't think Paul intended to pour in so many 🤣🙈
I am hoping that we don't have to hatch them all out in one go 🤣🙈

22/07/2023

Old girl is in the icu 😭😭😭

22/07/2023

There is a trend going around TikTok showing people using cups of gasoline to suffocate and kill wasps. Not only is this incredibly unsafe for people, it’s just stupid. If spilled, gasoline will contaminate soil and water. Inhaled fumes can be dangerous for people, pets, and wildlife. It’s illegal to transport gas in non-approved containers. Disposing of gasoline in the trash or dumping down the drain is illegal.

Most of the time, people can coexist with wasps (yes, even if they constructed their nest on your home). Leave them be, and they will kindly repay the favor. In circumstances where wasps pose a threat to people or pets due to allergies or nests in highly trafficked areas, use safe and appropriate methods for removal. And ALWAYS follow the label when using a pesticide—it’s the law.

And now the most important part… Wasps are important parts of our world. They provide critical ecosystem services including pollination, predation, and parasitism. Human convenience and fear should never outweigh any creature’s right to exist.

22/07/2023

Good morning my beautiful collectors of curios!
So I have a new little project coming up next week. It may take a few weeks before completion and photos being uploaded here.
But before I did I wanted to check with whether or not I'll need to nest the photos.
I will be putting together some newborn puppy wet specs! And yes they will be available for purchase as reasonable prices.
I know most of my followers are fans of the macabre and was going to assume you will all be but I realised today that actually, many people aren't a fan of dead mammals especially those that we keep as pets and family members.

I love you guys, all of you and would hate to upset even a single one of you.
But this is a page of curios so I will have some weird s**t come up from time to time. I am a lot a bit strange.

20/07/2023

This week I've had the privilege of preserving the beautiful Pepper.
She well be being cast in an epoxy cabochon tomorrow and sent back to her mum this weekend.

Rip pretty girl 😓

20/07/2023

❤️❤️

Doesn’t cost a thing. 🙌🏼

Please like and follow our page. 🙌🏼

18/07/2023

And Lilla-My, the tiniest little spider I've ever had arrive here.
She is a Cyriocosmus elegans and measures just 0.5cm (that includes her legs)! She is so small that I was impressed that she took down her fruit fly.
I have her in the smallest pot I've ever set up for a spider. It's makes sense that she be named Lilla-my.

18/07/2023

Meet Too-ticki, she is a Tliktocatl albopilosum Nicaragua and is one of the two new arrivals here on the curio shelf. Both are birthday gifts from one of my lovely Spider Friends.

17/07/2023

Two of the curio shelf ladies have moulted and what a dramatic change! Scarlet hasn't shown herself totally but she looks almost white! And Hera who was I expected to be a light peach had decided she is goth! I hope it isn't just a phase! And look at those chels, I have never seen chels like hers before! 💜💙💜💙

17/07/2023

Just look at these! Here are some of the 28 name tags I have coming for my eight legged children.
Kate has been amazing helping me design these name tags. She can make them however you like, any background or photo, loads of fonts etc.
I am super excited to get these on my enclosures, my set up is going to look amazing 📸📸

Been busy today making spider name cards and a lovely memorial card 🕷🥰

Dimensions: 7cm x 4cm
Sublimated onto 3mm White Acrylic
Can come with magnets or some are choosing to use glue dots and stick to the outside of the enclosures 💜

04/07/2023

I'm late!
No change there really. I have had an insane few weeks, Saturn retrograde has really been and done a number on a lot of us eh!
Well as promised, here are the Hex Enclosures!
Normally these would be £16, but until the end of July to celebrate pride and my birthday, they will be on offer for £12 each or two for £20.
(P&P is £4.50)
Choice of black or gold vents.

07/06/2023

OK, I'm alive!
And happy pride month everybody!
How do you all fancy a little S@L£ to celebrate!?

05/06/2023

I'm on the mend!
Anybody waiting on orders please expect them by the end of this week.
I've been in bed all week feeling like death. Covid really slapped me in the face this time! After me wondering what all the fuss way about before.. Well now I know! I've never been so ill in my life!
I still feel pretty crap but at least I can stand up without passing out now!
The heat hasn't helped much either.

26/05/2023

🤣

26/05/2023

We have welcomed three new residents to the shelves this week!
Meet Violet the Apalachicola, Lucifer the Texanus and Pablo the Bryantae!!
All three are curious and brilliant and some of my favourite additions yet!
Pablo (being a bryantae and all) doesn't stay still long enough for decent photos so we are going to make the most of what we have got 🙈 if anybody wants a spider not for handling but only for observing then I 100% woukd reccomend a phidippus audex bryantae, I've both a male and female and they are both the same and are up before I am every morning.

Violet is from Jumping Spiders Web. And the boys were a gift from the crazy but wonderful Darryl Still and I'm super grateful for them, the texanus is super friendly and easy to handle, possibly the easiest I've had to handle. He was also the one who gifted me Hades the hyllus (rip hades) who was also very friendly and sweet. Darryl always gives me the sweetest boys ❤ and jsw always has the most beautiful spiders I've ever seen and will always find me exactly what I'm looking for! 🤗❤

26/05/2023

My apala girl will be here today and uts looking very likely that I'll have another two next month too. I've been told they benefit from being outside in the sun and should take them out to enjoy the sun with me. So I though, why not hikes!? Surely with their amazing eyesight they would appreciate the views from my favorite vantage points in the city that are a fair few miles away from home and on foot. Willow (my dog) always joins me, so why not a spider!?
So if you need me, as of tomorrow I will be laying in a feild sunbathing with my spider.

23/05/2023

For anybody thinking about getting their first jumping spider!

Looking for a easy way to Create the Perfect Set Up for your Jumping Spider? Then watch this video! You'll learn how to create a safe habitat for a jumping s...

20/05/2023

What a day today has been!
And to top it off I've managed to reserve the most beautiful apalachicola I've ever seen! Just look at those chels! 🤩😍
No matter how hard life is, at least I know I am lucky as hell! 🤩🤣

20/05/2023

Little Tove my Bahamas from The Phidippus palace has finally came out of moult!
I've never been so excited to see a spiders new clothes! She's similar as before but has definitely whitened up. I adore her extra head spots!

20/05/2023

The beautiful and super friendly Hera from The Broody Spooder - Jumping Spiders she is by far the most social spider I've ever met. She's on my phone screen as I type.