Halloweeny: A Talisman

I 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 no good?

And so I created a little skull, an emblem of death, yes, but also an emblem of old spirits, and ancestral protection. Atop the skull is a protective bindrune. 

A crown of 13 steel pins is ready to poke, stick and jab when need be.

There is natural wool poking this way and that, a natural protective material. Wool that keeps us warm. Wool that keeps us safe and dry. Wool that provides a homey safety. 

The final touches are a pinch of spanish moss. Often used to stuff poppets and used in revenge spells, but here it's a warning: 'I am prepared to seek justice if necessary'. There's red cotton thread with intention tied in it's knots. And finally a hand-forged iron nail. Iron being a strong protective material that repells the magic of others and keeps the holder safe.

What would you add to your own protective talisman? 

Halloweeny - Baby Pinhead

I 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 Pinhead

To 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 know about? Has Covid somehow led us to a national sewing notion shortage? No idea. 

The husband suggested that I use little nails instead. I scoffed "Ummm, he's called Pinhead, not Nailhead you plonker" but then I realized that the poky things in that dear cenobites head do look an awful lot like nails. So, nails it is.

Painting this little weiner-schinzle took way longer than I anticipated. You'd think a slap of white paint, a little shading, but those damnable squares took forever to get right. I tried to get the "pin" placement as close as I could to the original character design.

Once the wee dastardly face was done I wondered what the heck to do with him. Right now he's nestled atop a terrarium, a studded leather bracelet for a neck, and keeping an eye on my dining room. Maybe one day he'll sprout a body. Until then he'll wait patiently, no tears of course, they're a waste of good suffering.

Make 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 fun and silly and imperfect. Basically, you NEED to make one. I don't make the rules.

Because I love you, and because the world needs more bookworms, I've made a video to encourage you to make your own loveable little buddy.

Enjoy :)

Altered Canvases

Recently, 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 etsy if you're looking for a little mixed media piece for your space.

And if you're making your own altered canvas, I recorded a walk-through that you might find helpful.

Even 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 snuck a tiny fairy figure into one or two of them.

There are currently four finished purple crowns available for sale HERE. If you scoot over to that link you'll also see a listing for a custom order. Choose your colour, if you want mushrooms, if you want glitter... any additional requests you might dream up.... and I'll get working on a crown made just for you.

And if you want to make your own? Excellent! Jump over HERE and I'll show you how.

Hope you're well. Behave... but not too much.

xo

More 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. 6

Faerie Crown No. 4

Faerie Crown No. 5

 

Faerie Crown No. 3

Faerie Crown No. 2

Faerie Crown No. 1

Again, you can absolutely totally make your own fairy headpiece and I'd wager you'd do a magnificent job!

The video showing the process, step-by-step, can be found here.

While these ones are all purple and yellow and white... you could absolutely create ones in your favourite colours or to match your own colour scheme.

Hope you're having a beautiful day, and that good magic surrounds you <3

A 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 could use ribbon, lace instead)

• grunged up cheesecloth (optional)

• faux flowers and leaves

• hot glue

• Transparent wings (digital download also available)

• mushrooms (shells, beads, crystals, anything your heart desires)

That's it!

Now here's how you smash all that together

An Altered Shabby Canvas

It 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 out rather pretty. 

I filmed my process but it isn't really a tutorial. It's much more of a 'hey, look at me stick my fingers together while I work!' sort of thing. But take a gander if you like..

Hope you're having a beautiful day 

xo

Paper Fairy Trading Cards

While 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 blossoms.

I've made some pretty ATC's (artist trading cards) inspired by those sweet little friends.

 

Do you have fairies in your garden too? If you're feeling inspired, and you'd like to make your own fairy trading card, I have little ATC kits available that include just about everything you'll need to make these wee works of art.

The kits include paper elements printed on cardstock and pre-cut, a blank ATC card, a wee sheet with three pairs of transparent wings, and an old book page. There's a set for The Dandelion Fairy, Spring Violet Fairy, and The Apple Blossom Fairy. The only supplies you'll need to provide yourself are paint, glue and some adhesive foam squares.

And if you're unsure about how to put all those elements together, here's a walkthrough you might find helpful :)

I hope you're well and good and have loads of snacks.

xo

Snow, spring, and scraps

I 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 contain everything you'll need (except for glue and gumption!)

Vintage hymnal sheet, stickers, blank cards....

Papery bits printed on cotton paper, cardstock and more...

Sentiments printed on vellum and canvas...

Some gorgeous floral and butterfly stickers...

It's crammed full of beautiful snips :)

If you'd like to snag one, you can find them HERE. 

Note: some of the items included will vary slightly bag to bag. The exact stickers, words, patterns and hynmal sheet will vary, but be very similar.

P.S. This guy showed up with his girlfriend this morning. He looks like he's saying "Snow. Again. Really?" 

Hope you're warm and well. xoxo

 

Happy Love Day Freebie

I'm not a great fan of Valentine's Day.

There's so much pressure to buy, buy, buy and want, want, want. And the whole thing just seems disingenuous and reeks of insincerity. Barf.

But... I am an absolute sentimental fool, a romantically minded nitwit, the entire rest of the year. And I don't begrudge anyone who longs for flowers and chocolates.

ANYWAY.... here are two fabulous "Love" graphics that I swiped from the cover of some music sheets. Use them voraciously and without abandon.