As per usual, when I should have been doing something else entirely, I spent way too much time on this PDF and tutorial for creating the fairy godmother magazines.
The downloadable file is available in my etsy shop (currently listed at $3US) and includes pattern pieces for creating seven openable fairy godmother magazines measuring around 1" x 1.25". If you're a stickler for 1:12 scale, printing the sheet at around 75% will get you down to the proper size.
There's a tutorial to help you along.
And although it may take you a few attempts to get them "just so"...
... the result is a collection of super cute, openable, fairy godmother magazines.
I've slowly been tinkering with this house for a couple of months now.
Progress has been pretty slow... other things keep distracting me.
But it's starting to com together.
The outside is coming along nicely.
Little by little.
The inside has taken quite a bit of pondering. There are a number of things I want to include but I can't quite make out where this one is going just yet.
One thing I KNEW I needed was magazines. So most of today was spent designing some fairy godmother titles to be strewn about the place. There's GQ (Glitter Quarterly), Fairy Godmother Romance, Dwelling, Petals & Blooms, Wing & Wand, Beau Monde (for fairy fashions) and Godmother Weekly. And yes, they do open...
"Nichola, didn't you already post a paper caravan yesterday?"
I know, I know... yes, I did... but they're so cute and fun! Just look at them gathered on my front stoop.
Note: Although they look darling outside with the flowers and such, these are not appropriate for outdoor garden decorations. The chipmunks would surely try to ride off in them!
There were a number of requests for a tutorial... which I will consider, but it will have to wait a while. Tutorials take up sooooooo much time that I'm limited to doing about one a month. I do have a big fat tute coming up in a couple of weeks that I think you'll like very much *fingers crossed*.
If you're interested in one of these lovelies they are listed in the etsy shopHERE.
Given the chance to play with Petaloo's DIY blooms I tried a few different colouring techniques. I used dyes, acrylic and watercolour paints with great success but my favourite results didn't come from paint at all.
The flowers that I was most smitten with were ones that were simply dipped in tea. They looked warm and worn, perfect for vintagey type pieces, or for a softened look.
To add a little variation, I gave some of my blooms a light wash of pink or yellow acrylic craft paint before dipping them. The result was perfectly subtle. The hardest part? Allowing those cuties to dry before using them.
Note: You could absolutely use coffee for staining, but I find that the smell lingers. Tea on the other hand has almost no noticeable scent.
So, what did I use these cute little blooms for?
Embellishing a little shabby chic paper caravan!
Here's a better look at those pretty tea stained flowers.
P.S. Although I didn't use them in this project, I did colour some the flowers in the DIY-Mums & Butterflies 1650-015 and they are absolutely lush and I would totally recommend.
A little roombox to show off today, measuring just 8" x 6" and 5".
Let's peek inside!
I've called this piece "The Wortcunner's Shed". A wortcunner is sort of an old fashioned word describing someone who works with herbs. The term would generally be applied to wise women, though some modern witches who use herbs magically use the term too.
In every little room or house I create there is always something that I am most proud of. It may not be the fanciest or best part... but it's something I love. In this piece it's the little woodstove. The pipe reaches up through the ceiling and out to a mossy roof.
And upon that roof of wild moss there is a trail of toadstools and purple flowers blooming. I suspect it's a good place for a picnic.
Here's a better look at the interior. It's not jam packed, but rather comfortably cluttered. Many of the little bits and bobs come from AlphaStamps. I'll put a list to any little piece you can find there below.
For the base I used a Frame Front Box made exclusively for me by Gina's Designs. What I LOVE about the boxes is that they are made from thick chipboard that is sturdy enough for embellishment, but can be cut so that windows/doors can be added where ever you like. They are available from Alpha Stamps if you'd like your own to play with.
I'm pretty pleased with this little room. It reminds me of a warm and worn cabin in historical reenactment / living history villages.
I altered this cute House Shrine Boxfor a colour challenge that I totally missed the deadline for.
I used to be terrified of colour but plowed through that wall. Now, I'm trying to consciously add texture to my pieces. This piece is chocked with textured elements.
Here's the texture of the walls of this wee house. I've layered Cardstock Doily Set Intricates, painted them white and then added a smidge of colour with some ColourArte silks and H20's. I'm pretty smitten with the way it turned out.
For the roof I used sturdier chipboard pieces. There are some Feathery Flourishes(quickly becoming one of my favourite embellishments!) and Steampunk Fan blades. Again I painted them white and added some colour with ColourArte products.
The piece is finished off with some super cute Water Dew Drops from The Robins Nest, handmade ladybugs, a sweet winged vintage girlie and more. Here's the whole supply list kit-and-kaboodle.
I was asked to create a wedding themed something for Petaloo. You can now add cake topper to your DIY wedding list.
I've used pink burlap flowers and daisy layers to top this cake while imagining a sweet, simple backyard wedding. But if your 'I do's' are a little more fancy, you could absolutely consider Botanica blooms atop a prettily iced cake, or vintage velvet blossoms for a shabby chic wedding.
To create my topper I simply cut out thick decorative paper and affixed a mound of florists foam/oasis to the top. I added coordinating trim to hide the bottom edge, then simply applied the flowers to the foam. I printed the sentiment on thick card, applied a painted bamboo skewer and pushed into place. If you're worried about your topper moving, simply push toothpicks in the bottom to hold your piece in place.
Matte top coat or sealant *if you have applied chalk beware of smudging when applying* Note: You should probably wear gloves when applying the spackling.
Our open house was this past Saturday and it was the most amazing day.
A surprise visit from a friend and around 100 of the sweetest visitors from all over. Each of them was a delight. I know that people often say that they have the best 'followers' but I truly do. They are kind and funny and full of just the right amount of mischief and they make me feel pretty dang special.
The day didn't go off without a hitch. The mailbox had to be replaced at the last minute and was a general pain in the bottom. We had planned for a crafting table that never seemed to make it outside. But there were successes. Who knew challenging people to pile stones atop one another would be such a rip-roaring success? (The record was 10 stacked stones by the way.) And these little certificates went over really well too.
In the past it has been the kids reactions to this place that really made all the hard work worthwhile. This year was a little different. This year it was the glimmer in the grown-ups that moved me most of all. So, an extra large THANK YOU is in order to every single 'big person' who blew more bubbles than you needed to and made a wish when you thought no one was looking.
I'll get a nice post with pretty pictures up later in the week... but I did want to thank all of the visitors and all of those who sent their well-wishes from a distance. I love you. Seriously. I think you're awesome. Each and every one of you.
Finally, this viddy (language warning) isn't of the tour but rather a compilation of me messing up and swearing. I put it together after sharing tutorial disaster stories with my G45 teamies a few months ago. Not having everything go according to plan this weekend reminded me of this vid.
I mess up all the time, and things rarely go according to plan. I'm totally ok with not being perfect. In fact, I think imperfection might be underrated.
P.S. I know I missed the 'little thing challenge' this Sunday. I'll be switching things up a little bit starting next week.
I love crowns. I do. I adore them and make them often. I guess I haven't had my fill of fancy head wear because I've made another. This one was created with chipboard shapes from GinasDesigns.net and it's this month's video tutorial.
Some pretty paper flowers, butterflies and ribbons and voila! I'm pretty sure that wearing this will automatically make you a fairy princess.
Here's the video tutorial. The sound is a bit awful in spots and I'm sorry about that (honestly, I have no idea what I'm doing and it's a miracle I muddle through at all!). If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.
