A Life-sized Mystic Hutch

A few months ago I made this is "Little Mystics Hutch"

A number of people said that they'd like a life sized version, and I found myself wishing for one too. So, quicker than you can recite the SATOR square I bought myself this big brown hutch for $40 off of facebook marketplace. (Excuse the mess, we were 'cleaning'.)

I finally got my butt in gear and transformed that big brown thing this week.

I painted the old thing with left over house paint. I didn't want to spend a load of money because A) I am cheap B) I didn't know if it would turn out like I envisioned in my head.

Next a smattering of stars with plain old acrylic craft paint. For a nice splatter, make sure that your paint isn't too runny (otherwise it may drip) and not to have too much paint on your brush. You want a brush that is more dry than wet so that you get a spray rather than a splatter. If you do get a splotch, just turn that into the larger star it was meant to be.

I felt like I wanted something more on the cupboard so I added the astrological constellations and the big dipper. I don't feel like it's quite there yet, and will likely add more symbols and designs over time, but for now I'm pleased. For the designs I used a chalk writer then gave a quick spray of top to seal everything.

Finally, I filled my cupboard with all sorts of mystical bits!

Jars of herbs and bottles of oils, candles, a collection of tarot decks, candles, nests, crystals! There's all sorts of magic on there.

It's a bit of a fun mystical mess in these pics. I couldn't wait to fill up my life-sized mystic hutch! It will become a bit more organized and workable over time but for now I'll enjoy the chaos.

Can you spy the original hutch? Awww, looks like a baby here.

That's it dear friends! Make sure to run with your crazy ideas and dreams too. Sometimes, when the planets align just so and your crystals aren't being wieners, things turn out absolutely dandy and just like they are in your noggin.

Free Photo Friday

Once a week I share an old timey photo from my personal collection. Feel free to use them in your mess making, art and crafting.

The images are not polished and left in their grungy, smudged and speckled glory. Just how I like 'em! Without further ado... 

Do NOT sell, give, or distribute the images as your own, digitally or printed, alone or as part of a collection, collage sheet or group. BUT DO absolutely make stuff with them and sell the stuff you make. If you share your project, a link is appreciated.

Violators will be turned into toads, given warts, all the bad stuff... I mean it... It won't be pretty. 

Fuzzy Needlefelted Bumble Bee Tutorial

Who got her act together and made a tutorial for you? MEEEEE!!!!

The supply list:

Needlefelting wool: you'll want cream, yellow, black and some core wool would be handy.

Needlefelting needles
Thin but firm wire (I used florist wire)
Black acrylic paint
Wings: Bee Wings digital download,  Printed Bee Wings on Transparancy, or source your own

Hot glue
Super/Crazy/Instant glue

A few notes:
• start with the medium sized bee... seriously, its the most fun and least pain in the bum
• for the largest bee I wet felted around a foam egg shape to use as the base
• if making a large bee you'll need to create a support for the wings or print it on thick transparency
• the smallest bee was actually the most difficult to make
• you could create a cut into the felted bee to insert the wing ends if you want to camouflage all evidence of glue.
• the leather finger protectors I wear in the video tute are really great. If you you poke yourself too often I recommend!

Pop over HERE for the video tutorial.

Free Photo Friday

Once a week I share an old timey photo from my personal collection. Feel free to use them in your mess making, art and crafting.

The images are not polished and left in their grungy, smudged and speckled glory. Just how I like 'em! Without further ado... 

Do NOT sell, give, or distribute the images as your own, digitally or printed, alone or as part of a collection, collage sheet or group. BUT DO absolutely make stuff with them and sell the stuff you make. If you share your project, a link is appreciated.

Violators will be turned into toads, given warts, all the bad stuff... I mean it... It won't be pretty. 

Woolly Bumble Bee WIngs

I've been working on those fuzzy bumbles, channeling my inner Goldilocks (or is it three bears?) and made three different sizes.

I've been working out the kinks, using different techniques, so that I can do a good and proper tutorial which will be on the way, hopefully by the end of the week.

Too small and things get fumbly and difficult to work with. Too big and the stability of the wings becomes an issue. So I'll be showing how to create the medium sized bee later this week.

I've had a load of questions about those wings. They're bee wings printed on transparency paper. I have a new half sheet with a load of various sized bee wings available from my etsy shop.

I also have a full sheet of Bee Wings Download available if you want to print your own.

Be aware that neither of these contain the extra large wings. To be honest, working on that scale the wings get a bit floppy and I figured that offering more medium and small wings would be more useful to most people.

If you'd like to gather supplies to be a total keener and pre-prepared for the tute, here are all the things you'll need to gather:

- felting wool in white/cream, yellow and black

- felting needles

- fine black wire (initially I used green florist wire and painted it black

- wings (Bee Wings Download, Bee Wings Transparency Half Sheet or your own!)

- crazy/super glue

- hot glue

Note: I already had some supplies on hand but bought THIS needlefelting kit because I needed some yellow wool (also, it was on sale). The wool packets are tiny, but if you're working on a small scale it may work for you. The leather finger protectors are a nice addition. The needles aren't great, but if you want to get started quickly and don't want a huge investment, this might be something you'd be interested in. Not affiliated or anything, just thought it may be useful.

Free Photo Friday

Once a week I share an old timey photo from my personal collection. Feel free to use them in your mess making, art and crafting.

The images are not polished and left in their grungy, smudged and speckled glory. Just how I like 'em! Without further ado... 

Do NOT sell, give, or distribute the images as your own, digitally or printed, alone or as part of a collection, collage sheet or group. BUT DO absolutely make stuff with them and sell the stuff you make. If you share your project, a link is appreciated.

Violators will be turned into toads, given warts, all the bad stuff... I mean it... It won't be pretty. 

A woolly bumble

I saw a pictures of a fuzzy needle-felted bumblebee before Christmas and have been itching to make my own.

Granted, the dudes wings are a bit big, but I like him just as he is.

I'm going to make a whole family of bees! A slew of bigger and even more bumbly bees!

Supplies? Wool, wire, acrylic paint and transparent wings. That's it!

Hope the new year is being kind to you.

xoxox

Free Photo Friday

Once a week I share an old timey photo from my personal collection. Feel free to use them in your mess making, art and crafting.

The images are not polished and left in their grungy, smudged and speckled glory. Just how I like 'em! Without further ado... 

Do NOT sell, give, or distribute the images as your own, digitally or printed, alone or as part of a collection, collage sheet or group. BUT DO absolutely make stuff with them and sell the stuff you make. If you share your project, a link is appreciated.

Violators will be turned into toads, given warts, all the bad stuff... I mean it... It won't be pretty. 

Something nice to end the year.

I thought I'd end the year (and the whole decade come to think of it!) gently, not with a whimper exactly, but with a sweet whisper.

Months ago a local thrift shop posted about an album had recently been donated. They were concerned that it had been given in error and wanted to ensure that it was intended for donation.

Immediately I said "It's not mine, but if no one steps forward, I'll gladly adopt them."

Months later I got the message to come an pick up my new 'family'.

I understand why the shop was concerned. The little album is packed with the most darling images.

Little boys with wooden swords.

Grandmother knitting.

Children in tasseled hats sneaking up on sleeping uncles.

It is absolutely packed with the most delightful images.

And they are all just so wee!

The tiny pictures are from the 1920's

I am so very thrilled to have them in my collection...

And cannot wait to hear the stories they'll whisper to me almost 100 years after they were taken.

Best wishes to you and yours for a beautiful new year filled with gentle joys.

Love,

Nichola

Tiny Little Shadowbox Houses

Recently I've been playing with new materials and techniques. I made a slew of little colourful houses and moons with Apoxie Sculpt not too long ago and wondered what to do with my townful of little abodes. 

I enshrined them in Tiny Little Shadowbox Houses and they are cute as buttons!

The exterior of the boxes were covered in dreamy blue-hued scrapbook papers. The inside lined with old music sheets and painted in a black to cyan ombre.

A sprinkling of glitter to create a magical stary night and a wee clay moon popped into place above a group of tiny colourful cottages.

A little bit of gold embossing powder adds nice little finishing touch to the edges.

The Tiny Little Shadowbox Houses come in a four different sizes, each one just the right size to hold in your hand.

While these little shrines aren't perfect, I love that they show off something new. Here's hoping the new year will bring even more new little creative adventures to show off.

Tiny Little Shadowbox Houses

Scrapbook paper

Old papers

Acrylic paint

Glitter

Gold embossing powder

Moss
Apoxie Sculpt (houses, mushrooms and moons)

Free Photo Friday

Once a week I share an old timey photo from my personal collection. Feel free to use them in your mess making, art and crafting.

The images are not polished and left in their grungy, smudged and speckled glory. Just how I like 'em! Without further ado... 

Do NOT sell, give, or distribute the images as your own, digitally or printed, alone or as part of a collection, collage sheet or group. BUT DO absolutely make stuff with them and sell the stuff you make. If you share your project, a link is appreciated.

Violators will be turned into toads, given warts, all the bad stuff... I mean it... It won't be pretty. 

Artwalk Alchemy Holiday Sale

I have been absolutely swamped with holiday prep and stress. Creating took a bit of a back seat to baking and painting over the past two weeks. I even painted the flipping ceiling in my kitchen and made a gingerbread house from scratch (never again). My annual Christmas meltdown came early. It might seem mad but I'm glad I hit the breaking point because that's the moment I start to let go and enjoy the holidays. Oh anxiety, you are a cheeky bugger.

ANYWAY... I've mentioned before that I'm an instructor with Art Walk Alchemy 2020. 24+ projects offered over the course of 2020. Here's my wee project that will pop up in March....

A tiny cottage inspired by Irish faeries!

There's loads of other great projects offered throughout the year and I'll be participating as a student in many of them. I. Can't. Wait.

If you're considering signing up, right now you can get the whole years worth of classes for $89 US when you use the code XMAS89 at checkout.

And now, if you'll pardon me, I'm going to stuff my face full of carbs and look lovingly at my wonky Christmas tree.

Free Photo Friday

Once a week I share an old timey photo from my personal collection. Feel free to use them in your mess making, art and crafting.

The images are not polished and left in their grungy, smudged and speckled glory. Just how I like 'em! Without further ado... 

Do NOT sell, give, or distribute the images as your own, digitally or printed, alone or as part of a collection, collage sheet or group. BUT DO absolutely make stuff with them and sell the stuff you make. If you share your project, a link is appreciated.

Violators will be turned into toads, given warts, all the bad stuff... I mean it... It won't be pretty. 

Free Photo Friday

Once a week I share an old timey photo from my personal collection. Feel free to use them in your mess making, art and crafting.

The images are not polished and left in their grungy, smudged and speckled glory. Just how I like 'em! Without further ado... 

Do NOT sell, give, or distribute the images as your own, digitally or printed, alone or as part of a collection, collage sheet or group. BUT DO absolutely make stuff with them and sell the stuff you make. If you share your project, a link is appreciated.

Violators will be turned into toads, given warts, all the bad stuff... I mean it... It won't be pretty. 

Free Photo Friday

Once a week I share an old timey photo from my personal collection. Feel free to use them in your mess making, art and crafting.

The images are not polished and left in their grungy, smudged and speckled glory. Just how I like 'em! Without further ado... 

Do NOT sell, give, or distribute the images as your own, digitally or printed, alone or as part of a collection, collage sheet or group. BUT DO absolutely make stuff with them and sell the stuff you make. If you share your project, a link is appreciated.

Violators will be turned into toads, given warts, all the bad stuff... I mean it... It won't be pretty. 

Krampusnacht! A shout out to the naughty list peeps

Tonight, the evening of December 5th, is Krampusnacht. It's Krampus night!!!

Kramps and Saint Nicholas head out this evening, with Krampus punishing terrible children and Saint Nicholas leaving a pressie for good little ones. (If you're wondering what the heck is St. Nick doing out this early, December 6th is the feast day of Saint Nicholas in Western Christian traditions.)

I love all the Krampus images I've seen over the years and have been meaning to do some Krampus pieces for a good long while. While I didn't do all the things I wanted to, I got my act together and managed a little bundle of Krampus goodness this year.

There's Krampus' sack that he shoves bad children inside with his chains and bells dangling. There's a golden switch to beat awful children. A lump of coal (which is far better to receive than being dragged to the underworld and eaten). And a Krampus  head ornament made with paperclay and a some wool roving for whiskers and eyebrows.

A better look at all those goods. 

Aside: black is an absolute bugger to photograph and definately on the naughty list.

I was going to do a whole thing on the history of Krampus but to be perfectly honest, no one really knows his origins and there is a big steaming heap of misinformation out there. We can all agree that he's a pre-Christian relic that has managed to survive 100's of years through the age old tradition of trying to keep rotten children in line.

Speaking of rotten kids... what's with the coal?

Again, no one really knows. Which is weird because there are a bunch of Christmas-time figures who dole out coal to naughty boys and girls in a bunch of different cultures. Perhaps it's because it's a necessity rather than gift reward? Who knows. 

I thought it would be fun to dole out some coal this year. I've included a little coal label on my Merry Little Christmas Labels download and used it to package up some bit of coal (ok, it's charcoal, not real coal, but I know you won't rat me out). I've used little vials with wide-ish necks to put wee lumps inside. And that cellophane bag has chocolate lumps of coal inside for those who aren't completely awful.

I really kind of love these drawstring teabags I picked up that look like wee sacks. How cute would they look dyed red?!

While it's super fun to hand out reminders that we're all a little naughty, don't forget to encourage goodness (and not by beating the evil out with birch twigs). So, my Notes from the North Pole, a nice list notification download, will be available for just $1 until Christmas morning.

I have no idea where to plonk this fact, but I think it's too fascinating not to include so... Many old depictions of Krampus show him with one cloven and one human foot. No one knows why. 

OK! Go, behave, and I wish you all the best tonight. Here's hoping you're not whacked with the Krampus switch and shoved in a sack. You're lovely so I'm sure you'll be fine.



P.S. I only made a few Krampus ornaments and have already given most of them away so there are none available this year. Sorry guys!