tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88657420551242662692024-03-02T14:43:20.746-05:00Pixie HillArt, craft and other mess making inspired by the magic, make-believe, faeries and nonsense at Pixie Hill, home and studio of arty gal Nichola Battilana.Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comBlogger1649125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-89741564459883680972024-03-02T14:42:00.004-05:002024-03-02T14:42:28.203-05:00Fairy Potions and Goblin PoisonI'm obsessed.Clay and glaze and tiny pottery makings have taken over my studio, the kitchen table and part of the garage.100% worth it.Check out these tiny little pots and jugs! I'm so happy with them.I mean, just look at that sassy little face jug.I've been watching a lot of 'Time Team'. Have you seen it? It takes a team of archaeologists who then spend three days on a dig, most often somewhere Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-21716133777967056712024-02-08T14:43:00.002-05:002024-02-08T14:43:21.404-05:00Tibetan Flowers, AI, and Clay BellsThese sweet little clay bells were inspired by a picture floating around social media of 'Tibetan Bell' flowers.After seeing the image below someone said I should make teacups or bells that looked like them. Because I am an easily influenced person, and because it was an excellent idea, I totally did as was commanded.But... are these REAL flowers? I suspect this image is actually AI generated. Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-24364006619377635942024-02-01T14:47:00.001-05:002024-02-01T14:47:17.564-05:00Tiny Clay CottagesI have been having far too much fin with my little mini microwave kiln. That thing has been put through the ringer over the past month! It's absolutely given me a kick in the creative pants. I'm completely and totally enamored.My latest completed pieces are a slew of little clay houses.Here they are freshly made. Once completely dry they're popped into the kiln for their first firing.Here they Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-7741099620142913862024-01-11T14:18:00.000-05:002024-01-11T14:18:05.346-05:00Microwaves, kilns, and learning curvesMr. Pixie gifted me a microwave kiln for Christmas.'The heck is a microwave kiln' you ask? Its a little round chamber you pop in the microwave that heats up and allows you to fire pottery, metal clay, and glass fusing.When you get a microwave kiln that also means you need a microwave, clay, safety gloves, glazes, kiln paper, a million little bits and bobs and a whole whack of patience. Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-49716487535059767992023-12-27T18:39:00.000-05:002023-12-27T18:39:01.476-05:00Tattoos, Lil Peep, and Homemade GiftsEvery year I make my kid at least one gift for Christmas. In the past I've made a needlefelted sasquatch, a miniature brick wall for graffiti, a needle point that read 'Liquor and Whores'... I try to make a little something that reflects something he's been interested in that particular year.This year my son has been on and on about old school tattoo flash. I saw some super cool examples of Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-88764405372004337372023-12-16T21:31:00.001-05:002023-12-16T21:31:24.055-05:00Victorian Inspired Gilded WalnutsI've been feeling inspired lately and there were LOADS of holiday projects on my to-do list but the days are quickly running out. I've become rather partial to a slower pace, to investing time rather than running myself ragged, and so I'll cut my holiday list short and just post one last project.But it's such a cute project.I think you're going to like it :)Can you even?! I cannot!This isn't the Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-26323582713495880512023-12-02T20:39:00.000-05:002023-12-02T20:39:01.210-05:00Swooning Into the Woods I've been watching the hell out of YouTube Christmas craft tutorials lately. My poor husband has been subjected to HOURS upon HOURS of them. Somewhere along my binge I saw a video of image transfers onto polymer clay.Hold. The. Freaking. Boat.IMMEDIATELY I tried my hand at them using the video instructions and the results were just sort of ok. I did a deeper dive and... I'm obsessed! I Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-17881684612811235542023-11-24T19:31:00.000-05:002023-11-24T19:31:55.447-05:00Roly Poly Snowmen with TutorialHow stinking cute is this family?!Want to add a little something to your holiday 'to-do' list? How about making a fleet of snowmen to assist you with holiday world dominance? Too much? How about just one roly poly snow dude to keep you company?Ok? Let's go!While these are pretty simple to make, you're going to need to take into account drying times. You'll need a few days to put these guys Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-91976744120971074342023-10-31T12:30:00.002-04:002023-10-31T12:31:09.245-04:00Halloweeny: A Pendulum and BoardHappy Halloween and Samhain Blessings, darling friends!I finished off one last Halloween project to share with you. A pendulum and board (I've also seen it called a pendulum map).Halloween has long been believed to be an ideal time for telling fortunes and divination. I have an old book from 1912 called "Games For Hallow-e'en" that is filled with games to divine ones future... especially in Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-43798671581397285872023-10-30T16:36:00.002-04:002023-10-30T16:36:22.468-04:00Halloweeny: A pumpkin cottageI've had a number of pumpkins waiting for attention for a short while. I managed to get two of them gussied up for Halloween yesterday. Here's a pumpkin cottage I made for my faerie folk!Its so stonkin' cute. I just used little resin windows and frames that I had in my stash (I believe they're from Prima Marketing and Michaels) and then added other mini bits I had laying about for the Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-3097697770369013592023-10-24T11:28:00.001-04:002023-10-24T11:28:08.702-04:00Halloweeny: A Crown for a Spooky QueenHoooo baby! I am feeling like a spooktacular queen in this creepy crown. Seriously though, I've been a crown proponent for ages and I remain strong in my stance... a crown can absolutely change your mood and uplift. I need one for every occasion, including spooky season.Just look at that shiny black resin skull. *heart eyed emoji here, right?!*Spiders, skulls, bones, flowers and stringyNicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-21068347409713856032023-10-22T13:49:00.001-04:002023-10-22T13:49:23.623-04:00Halloweeny: A Creepy Clock I made a spooky thing! A creepy clock! A terrifying timepiece! A few weeks ago I saw this clock at HomeSense and immediately wanted to make my own.After searching thrift store for a couple of weeks I finally found a clock that I could use as a base for my own creepy timekeeper.I cleaned it, sanded it, and covered it with cheap skull beads and other spooky bits from my stash.I coated the Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-15448398076714530112023-10-19T13:16:00.001-04:002023-10-19T13:16:07.575-04:00Halloweeny: 1 Matchbox, 9 Clovers and a Very Strange DayWhat a strange morning!Took the dog for an extra long walk today and found a whole bouquet worth of four leaf clovers. Just kept finding one after another. Eight four leaf and one five leaf in total. Continued on our walk when the pooch spied a squirrel... annnndddd he was off like a shot. Nooooo! He ran down a steep wooded hill and I stood shouting from the top. Nope, jerk face was not listeningNicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-7467842215794673542023-10-12T10:00:00.001-04:002023-10-12T10:00:00.149-04:00Halloweeny: Money Paw Have you heard of monkey paws and their ability to grant wishes?Only problem is, as with most wishing mechanisms, everything gets turned sideways and you'll regret not heeding that old adage "Be careful what you wish for". Why can't monkey paws, leprechauns and djinn just let us be rich and successful rather than ply us with their this trickery!?This paw is quite harmless as it's made from Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-63683447395804227762023-10-09T10:00:00.000-04:002023-10-09T10:00:00.146-04:00Halloweeny: Spooky WreathOk, maybe it's more cute than creepy or spooky, but the nice thing about Halloweeny is that that doesn't matter one pip!This is made entirely with stash and DollarTree finds. I honestly just threw a bunch of stuff at it until I liked what I saw.I started with a regular wreath frame from DollarTree and wrapped some burlap around that. Then covered the burlap with spanish moss. That completed my Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-7911779958349530762023-10-06T10:00:00.001-04:002023-10-06T10:00:00.133-04:00Halloweeny: A TalismanI was asked to create a protection talisman. A proper one. One that looked like it meant business. Of course I obliged.It had to be small, and scary, and include some metal.The thing about protective talismans is that they SHOULD be scary. Do you want a little puffy floof of a dog protecting your space? Or a snarling hell hound that drools and bares it's teeth to any potential interlopers up to Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-56569241134900692812023-10-04T12:36:00.000-04:002023-10-04T12:36:07.013-04:00Halloweeny - Baby PinheadI feel like I haven't properly celebrated Halloween in about a million years. So this year I'm putting in an effort and going to try to cram as much creepy into the season as I can. First up: Baby PinheadTo be fair, my husband spied the creepy doll heads at the Dollarstore and exclaimed "BABY PINHEAD!". I was raring to go but then I couldn't find pins anywhere. Is there a pin issue I don't Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-16723765118072957992023-08-17T15:49:00.001-04:002023-08-17T15:49:33.221-04:00Make a Super Cute Bookworm!Do you know good_and_strange over on instagram? If not, you absolutly need to check out her wonderfully weird creations. Recently she posted a how-to for creating a pocket buddy. I was absoloutely inspired by that project to create some bookworms.Can you even stand how cute this guy is?! Ugh. So stonkin' cute!This project is far from perfect, but who cares! Sometimes you HAVE to make something Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-57634940656299184902023-07-02T17:57:00.003-04:002023-07-02T17:57:18.502-04:00Altered CanvasesRecently, I joined an altered canvas swap. Take a 5" x 7" canvas, and add all sorts of glorious elements to make something pretty. It was just the thing to give me a kick in the inspiration. Wanting to play and experiment I ending up creating several canvases.I added flowers, wax, lace, paint and just embraced the process of play.How cute are these two?!You can snag these canvases over on Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-32534076714231913812023-07-01T15:47:00.000-04:002023-07-01T15:47:06.196-04:00Even more crowns!Three faerie crown posts in a row! I know. I KNOW! But they've been so much fun to make and I'm not in the least bit tired of making them yet.My last batch of crowns were snatched up super quickly. I hope that everyone who snagged one loves them. They were so such a dreamy bunch.This weeks batch embraces violet, purple, plum, mauve, lilac and lavender. Ahhh, what a dream!I *might* have even Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-66053630155618170122023-06-26T14:00:00.001-04:002023-06-26T14:00:13.753-04:00More faerie crowns!My last post included a video tutorial to create your very own faerie crown, but I had a few requests for finished pieces. They're such fun to make so I jumped at the opportunity to make more and create 6 finished pieces for sale.They're all created in the same way. All chocked with faux flowers and leaves and wings. But all a little different and one of a kind.Faerie Crown No. 6Faerie Crown No. Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-81819100340734390292023-06-20T17:25:00.004-04:002023-06-20T17:25:14.249-04:00A Fairy Crown Is it a crown? A tiara? A diadem? A headband? Whatever it is, it's fekkin' cute.Tomorrow is the summer solstice! My garden is ready and my faerie magick en pointe. But what's the fun in faerie enchantment if it isn't shared? So, make a magickal head-topper with me.Here are all the bits and pieces I used to create my faerie crown:• inexpensive headband• strips of tea-stained cotton (you Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-86646151984870439262023-06-13T02:37:00.009-04:002023-06-13T02:37:59.629-04:00An Altered Shabby CanvasIt rained today. It rained A LOT. It rained so much that Lu, my dog, didn't want to venture outside. He loves being outdoors, not so keen on getting wet feet. For a big guy he's an absolute baby.So, it was an indoor sort of day. I decided to take the opportunity to sit down at my worktable and create a 'practice' piece for a swap I'm taking part in to alter a 5" x 7" canvas.I think she turned outNicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-74885428161647795002023-06-07T11:55:00.003-04:002023-06-20T16:13:12.969-04:00Paper Fairy Trading CardsWhile life continues to be weird and bit of a disaster, I'm grateful that the garden has been blooming with inspiration. Right now the irises, poppies and sweet william are showing off, and the dwarf lilac is stinking up the garden beautifully. We're positively swarming with fairies.Some of the first fairy friends spied in the garden were frolicking in the dandelions, violets, and apple Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865742055124266269.post-74158705383855955932023-02-23T13:49:00.001-05:002023-02-23T13:49:05.902-05:00Snow, spring, and scrapsI feel like I haven't played with paper in a million years, but de-stashing has encouraged some small spurts of creativity. I came across some small blank cards and had a play about.We had a storm last night and outside is snow-covered and chilly. These small beauties are like holding a snippet of spring.If you'd like to make your own, I've put together a limited number of scrappy grab bags that Nicholahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04895793578601174625noreply@blogger.com