Kinda Creepy Cabinet Cards

This month the Alpha Stamps design team was challenged to make a cabinet card with a bit of a twist. Keeping a traditional colour pallet but adding a bit-o-quirk. So here's the results...

Card one with a cute wee lass, glitter and butterflies....

... and a third leg.

Again, a sort of traditional, conservative exterior....

... and inside a little bit of madness, devils peeking over shoulders, headless bodies and a helpless little victim.


Hop over to Alpha Stamps to check out the nifty stuff on sale for the Cab Card Curiosity swap. The Cab Card frames that are on sale now are really, really faboo!

A Purple Brooch and Coffin's

I'm having a grand time making these brooches. The base of my latest are these Square Tins from Alpha Stamps. I really like them because I can punch out the acrylic window quite easily and, in this case, hide the edging using this dreamy Rhinestone Chain (seriously, this chain is absolutely yummy!)

I know, I know, I've been harping on about all the Halloweeny stuff I should be doing and I pinky swear that I have started the spooky mess making. It's all slowly (very slowly) coming around but I've got to wait for glue to dry and papery bits to arrive in the mailbox. Here's an 'in-progress' sneak peek at one of the projects I've got on the go.

Hopefully I'll have something to show off tomorrow that's mostly done.

xoxo

Remembered - A work in progress

I should be cleaning my house but again I've been distracted. This is the very last project before Halloween madness. If it isn't my ship is sunk.

My aunt called the other day and said "I have some old photos I'd like framed for your uncle. Where should I go? Michaels?" I told her to shut the hell up and send them to me. You see, my uncle lost both of his parents recently. Like many who live a long and lovely life together, they left, one after the other, not very far apart at all.

 

Aren't they the sweetest?!

There's still a few touches to go so don't worry about the wonk ;) but I'm happy with how it's coming along. 

Anywho, have a grand weekend... I'll be entertaining, running around like a lunatic, and praying I make a dent in a few arty messes.

A hint from the gruesome fairy folks

School has started back up again and we're slowly working our way back into a regular routine. I'm glad for it. One of my favourite things about our routine are those few minutes walking down the hill to the school bus stop with the kidlet. I realize he's old enough to take the jaunt down there himself, but it's nice, awfully nice, to get outside, and spend a few minutes with my fabulously funny kid.

Sometimes on those little walks we spy grand things. Perhaps we'll see signs of the changing seasons. Maybe we'll see some little miracle of nature in our very own yard. Or, we may be lucky enough to find a gift left by the wee folk.

Here is today's find...

BRAINS! Okay, it's really just some sort of nut, BUT the kid thought it was pretty cool and I'm taking it as a sign from the wee folk to stop messing about on my other projects and get going with the Halloweeny stuff already!

I think the little people have had enough of this strange dry summer. Our recent downpour has refreshed and revived, and given us all a little tease of a cozy autumn to come. I'm with them... bring on the fall.

Flower Fairy Brooches

I realllllly should be working on about a zillion other things but these just sort of popped out.

They each measure around 4" wide and have pin backings so that they can be worn as a brooch. They are currently listed in the etsy shop but will be taken to impresario artisan market in a week or so if they haven't been claimed.

At this very moment...

If you came to our house at this very moment you'd find the whole place smelling like tomato soup, the table covered in stuff, the sink full of pots and the dog napping gloomily on the floor.

It's the last weekend of summer and we're spending it at home, puttering. The husband is canning and tending the garden. The kid is playing video games and plucking the partridges. I am baking pies and sorting socks. Not an exciting 'bang' to the end of summer... more like a few comforting lazy-ish days.

I know the kid isn't looking forward to returning to school on Tuesday. On the other hand, I'm looking forward to having a schedule again and being able to clean the house without hearing "Mum! Mum! Mum!" 23 times every ten minutes. On the other, other hand, I'll miss that boy. He's good company, funny, and keeps me on my toes. It'll be awfully quiet without him around.

Ah well, we can all take great comfort in knowing that although the summer has passed, autumn is on the way. Warm wooly sweaters, camp fires, coco, turning leaves and all of that. Not a bad trade if you ask me ;)

Another Saint Expeditus

Another piece to St. Expeditus...

This piece was created in one half of a wooden checkerboard box. The old watch at the top of the work symbolizes St. Expeditus' choice to act now. Today, this is most often depicted as a cross with the word "hodie" ("today") on it. At his feet there is a feather and the word "Cras", which sounds very much like the call of a crow but is also Latin for "Tomorrow". You'll usually see a dead crow under his right foot with a scroll or ribbon with the word on it, a symbol of his defeat over procrastination. This saint can be called upon when you need action, quick money, or overcome your own bad habit of procrastinating.

A thousand hymns to glorious Expeditus,
Who shed his blood in Armenia,
Whose name was written in the sky,
And gained the laurel of martyrdom.
—Hymn to Saint Expeditus

Gypsy Cards

Just a quick post to show off two of three Gypsy themed cards that will popped in the mail tomorrow for the current alphastamps.com Gypsy/Fortune Teller swap. Hope my partners like 'em!

A busy week

Last week Mr. Pixie took some vacation time and we did loads of lovely things. There was a trip to Canada's Wonderland. A night at the Mustang Drive-In which was fabulous and allowed me to relive my movie going childhood memories. We hiked a few times through Proctor Park which is only minutes away and one of my new favourite photo taking places. Just look at all those mushrooms growing on an old mossy log!

Or how about this little frog prince debating on leaping into D's hand.

We rounded off the week by attending the Picasso exhibit at the AGO. It was the last day. It was jam packed. It was fantastic. I won't lie and say I adore every piece Picasso ever created, but he does make me swoon and the exhibit was wonderful.


But it's back to the real world now. Here's a bunch of paintings I'll be showing at Lola's Coffeehouse in Brighton in September.

 ... and I'm scanning and fixing like a crazy lady to get a slew of new pieces ready for an October show.

Things will be fairly quiet on the blog over the next couple of weeks but I'm hoping to share a bunch of 'in-progress' posts when I begin my collage work with these old photos. Maybe you'd like to join along? Check back soon and we'll make a grand mess together :)

xoxo

P.S. I'm pleased to say that "You-know-who-you-are" made the right decision. As far as I am concerned the matter is now settled.

An open letter to a thief.

Dear You-Know-Who-You-Are,

This site and my work is mostly pretty damned happy, airy fairy, hugs, kisses, candyfloss and butterfly wings, but I take my work very seriously.

As you know, I have a number of tutorials on 'how to' make several of the items I offer. I do this because I love to make stuff and to encourage others to do the same. I think that creating is just about the greatest thing in the whole wide world. It lifts the soul, engages the mind and is the best therapy around.

Now, while I don't want people to follow my tutorials, make exact replicas and then sell them...  I sort of expect it's going to happen. I'd be thrilled if my work inspired you to make your own 'what-cha-ma-jig' or 'doo-hickey' and you made a bazillion dollars selling it. But just plain old copying my work to sell? I'm not so happy you chose to do that.

BUT EVEN THEN I can get over it because I know how much work goes into making that stuff and that eventually you'll get bored. Perhaps you'll realize that you're making less than minimum wage, that sales are slow or that you might even lose money making those silly things. I mean, if you're too lazy to come up with your own ideas the hard work and long hours might put you off.

What DOES bother me is thievery on a magnificent scale. Copying my work, my photography style, my wording, my philosophy and wrapping it all up and calling it your own and labeling it as 'unique'. Not cool. Not going to lie, I'm pretty angry right now. I'm sure the other artists you've stolen from aren't impressed either.

Here's what I propose, I think you'll find it VERY reasonable: Remove all of your listings that clearly violate the intellectual property of others, rewrite your "About me" page so that it's actually about you, then buy a journal and write in it every single day to develop your own ideas. Never ever swipe other peoples work again and we'll call it a day. Consider it a lesson learned in etiquette.

Not keen on doing that? No worries! In three days I'll be submitting the appropriate documents to etsy pointing out that you have violated not only their terms of services but also international copyright and intellectual property laws. As an added bonus I'll fire up the cauldron and pull out my trusty wand. Trust me. I'll do it. Really, it's just better all around if you don't steal my stuff.

I look forward to your decision!
Nichola

P.S. I hate to tell you, but I'm not exactly rolling in dough. It's not money that keeps me motivated... it's passion, and you can't copy that.

Jaida in the Grass

Here's the other painting I've been working on. It's a portrait of one of my very favourite little people, the little sister of D's best buddy.

"Jaida in the Grass" Acrylic on canvas. 16" x 24"

I've got one more painting in mind but I think I may attempt it in oils. I hate oils and they rarely work well for me but the image I have in mind would really work best with that lovely (though frustrating) stuff.

Painting and peanut butter

First of all, congrats to Diane at Craftin Your HeART Out! for preforming some sort of voodoo and getting the random number generator to select her comment for the Gypsy blog hop giveaway!

I've got a number of paintings on the go at the moment. Today I finished (I think it's finished anyway) a portrait of my kiddo. Here's the big guy hanging with himself.

People often ask if D is creative. They wonder if he likes drawing, painting and making. He likes photography, LOVES taking video and, like most boys, enjoys building things. Being surrounded by paintings and art and craft... he doesn't really take notice of my sort of making. He's far more interested in that peanut butter sandwich than the square thing he's holding.

The end of the tour...

Our open house has come and gone. The fairy tour was a great success and I'm looking forward to inviting some of the wee folk back next year. Here's a few pics of a few stops on the tour...

The super sweet Vineeta Moraes took some fabulous shots which can be found on her flickr account HERE

Someone did voice concern over if the wee folk would approve of revealing their spots. I can tell you, as someone who gets along rather well with the little people, that they didn't mind one bit. They were the ones who showed me the way, who sparked the idea, and it was done with the greatest of respect.

Now that's over it's on to MOAR MOAR MOAR stuff. This month I'll be hauling ass to try and finish a couple paintings for September. Then September will be Halloween madness and a super secret project in October that I think you'll think is pretty damned nifty. It'll be the biggest sneakiest thing I've ever attempted!!!

Until then there's a few new goodies in the etsy shop. Hop over and take a gander....

 A Little Happy Moon Shrine

Fairy No. 247 - A little shrine

A Tiny Fairy Town in a Tarnished Dish

Grumpy Mandrake Roots

...and lots of other new listings too. Hop over and take a peek PixieHillStudio  xoxo

Alpha Stamps Gypsy Fever Blog Hop!

Woo hoo! It's the Gypsy Fever Blog Hop!

If you visit all 4 Design Team Members' blogs and figure out the fortune, you will have a chance to win over $100 of art supplies chosen for the Gypsy Fortune Teller Swap! Be sure to leave the Gypsy Fortune on the Alpha Stamps Blog!

Now on to the crafty gypsy goodness...

 Here's my gypsy caravan made with lush papers, trims and other bits and bobs.

Inside there's a fortune wheel, a palmistry hand, a crystal ball, and all sorts of ways to find out if you're a lucky duck ;)

Those tiny chairs inside are made of twigs and cork. They're just like the ones from The Squirrel's End pub I created not long ago.

Now, were you paying attention? Did you find the secret word? If you think you've figured it out (and collected the words from the other blogs) jump over to Alpha Stamps. If you're feeling lucky, you just might win that fab prize!

Leave a comment here and I'll pick one fabulous visitor to win a little something too. What exactly the prize will be I don't know yet... but I do know it'll be WAY better than getting a bill in the mail ;)

xoxo

A door

We spent the whole evening driving around for supplies for a little idea that was bumping around in my brain. What I thought would be a very simple, quick, super cute project has now been abandoned. Who knew  it would be so hard to find 18" lattice! Ah well, thank the heavens for the sudden appearance of this little door.

 
The door was noticed this very evening at the base of one of my favourite trees on the hill. It's a very old Black Locust tree with wonderfully gnarled bark. Sometimes I have to do a double take when passing it as I'm sure there's a wise old face or two staring back at me!

Strange things are afoot!

This week will be mostly devoted to'uncovering' all the fairy haunts on our hill. I managed to get some work done yesterday and found a hobbit door which was sneakily hidden under a patch of long grass.

Tonight after dinner I was delighted to find several little pixie houses had sprouted on the old stump under an old gooseberry bush.

Uncovering all these unbelievable finds is quite contagious. After a little bit of photoshopping I've turned a snapshot taken by my son into this...

... and am bound and determined to convince him that it wasn't a regular old rabbit he captured a photo of, but was a jackalope!

I bet he wavers for about 3 seconds then rolls his eyes at me.

A Fairy Fort

Today I went to the local library and showed off one of my latest pieces to a bunch-o-kidlets.

It's made from paper mache boxes available from Alpha Stamps. Aren't the little windows fabulous?! They're made of resin and available here. Definitely one of my new favourite products.

It's after 1 and I'm just this very moment having my first cup of tea. Honestly, I'm not sure how I've functioned up until this point so I'll leave you till tomorrow when I'll be posting another project I've been keeping under my hat! 

xoxo

You're Invited & More Merry Moons

There she is. Your official invite to poke around Pixie Hill on August 4th. Hope you'll come and have a scoop of ice cream ;)

These past couple of days have been spent, mostly, preparing files for printing cards and things... rather boring computer stuff really. Although, I have been making fairy spying wands and a few new little shrines too.

 

Just look at that cheeky moony face :)

 

Today it's bits and bobs, tomorrow I'm teaching kidlets at the library, next week it'll be full on 'fairy tour' work. Fingers crossed that it all comes together in the nick of time!