I made a few of these Fairy Journal books and pencils and quickly snapped this pic while packaging them up. Folks seemed to like it.
Then I thought I'd make a smaller batch.
Sure they're small... but do they still open? Yep!
And then I thought, "Well just how small can I go?" So I went smaller again.
And I kept going!
But do those ones open?
Yep! Even the most itsy bitsy teeny weeny one, which measures just 2mm x 3mm.
I'm going to try to make some pencils for some of the smaller ones before listing them for sale. (The very smallest ones will not be listed.) The "larger" ones are already available in the shop.
AND finally, last year I did a limited number of year one Hogwarts textbooks. Do you remember them? They were sorta cute :)
The first year texts (the ones pictured above and below) are sold out, but I'm starting work on the year two textbooks this week. (Helloooo, Gilderoy Lockhart) If you'd like to be guaranteed a set, you can preorder them HERE. Otherwise there will be a handful available for purchase, and when they are gone, well... they're gone.
When I was a child my father would often take me all sorts of museums. Perhaps that’s where my love of old dusty things was sparked. I still love visiting those places, pressing my nose against the glass of artifact filled cabinets.
I’ve created my own display of neatly presented everyday artifacts, appropriately labeled “Miscellaneous” and embellished with some lovely French Country paper that I’ve been hoarding.
The box itself is an inexpensive shadow box that I've gussied up with Graphic 45 papers.
I’ve kept things simple here and have been reserved in my adornments, which I think compliments the organization of the bits and bobs inside my little curio.
And be sure to stop by the Graphic45 blog to check out all of the inspiration by my design teamies :)
It's the first Friday of the month which means it's my turn to share a project and tutorial using some GinasDesigns.net products. Here's what I'm sharing this month...
An altered art homage to the coming days of summer, warmth and honey using Gina's Triptych - Arch Top.
The bottom of this piece is embellished with three Faux Metal Number Plateswhich are flanked with some copper brads to give them a finished look.
I've created some honey in the chipboard Honeycomb embellishment I added, and while there are some chipboard bees included in that set, I couldn't resist using this divinely detailed bee charm to top off the piece.
I've added a few teeny weeny buzzy things too.
And because everything looks better framed I've mounted my triptych in an 11 x 14" shadow box.
I'm not going to lie, this piece took a while to create. The process isn't exactly difficult, it's just time consuming to achieve the right look.I do have a video tutorial of the process but for time sake it's been edited to the bare bones. If I've missed something and you have any questions feel free to ask :)
I stayed up wayyyy past my bedtime last night. I totally lost track of time making these toadstools. Cross my heart, I looked at the clock and it said 5am! Oops!
After a nice sleep in, today was spent doing chores (I now have clean dishes but the floors are still a wreck.) and making potted fairy gardens. Yesterday during our gallivanting, I picked up some miniature roses and this pot of clover. How could I resist?! Look at all those four leafed beauties!
Still in my jammas I went wandering on the lawn and harvested some mosses, pinecones and stones.
The results are pretty dang cute. Three little magical gardens have been completed and are ready for the market next Saturday :)
I'm not too proud to admit that this year has been a bit difficult for me creatively. I've been creating work. I've even made some things that were quite nifty... but I've kinda felt 'disconnected' with my work.
Anyway, I finally feel as though I'm getting back on track. I've got one or two projects I can't show off just yet, but I also made something just for the hell of it that I think you'll like. Some very important altered awards
Ever since seeing the Tim Holtz trophies shown at CHA I've had it in my head that I wanted to create some altered trophy cups. I found these babies in the party supply section of my local discount shop, four for $1.25! I've simply grunged them up with a bit of acrylic paint.
Each little darling has a sentiment taken from vintage book pages that reflects the gentle nature of these 'awards'. How nice would it be to receive an award for twinkling?
The base of each of the awards is just a simple wooden block that has been gussied up with fabric, ribbon, buttons and burlap.
Just a funny story that makes me look like a complete dip. I'm editing video today and my phone keeps ringing. I answer it and no one is there. It happened no less than a dozen times. It's really driving me flipping nuts because editing is one of my least favourite jobs and I have to stop, and retrack before starting again. I call Mr Pixie to see if he is trying to call me. Nope. I check all the phones to see if they are charged and not giving a low battery signal. They're all fine. I start to worry the call is coming from inside the house *Oh the horror!* ... then I realize the ring is from the video I am editing, not the phone. I need coffee and chocolate.
I created this little chipboard reliquary while playing with my stash of Gina's Designs Lasercuts.
Although I run like hell and scream like a ninny when one comes near me, I do have a soft spot for bees. Can we talk for a moment about THIS be in particular?
It's all sorts of spectacular. It's big and beautifully detailed. I've dulled up the brassiness of it with a wash or two of dark paint, which also enhances those little details.
There were a number of requests for an image transfer tutorial after posting my Petaloo project the other day. There are LOADS of videos and online tutorials available demonstrating this technique. I learned by watching others and you should absolutely view a number of tutorials, get as much information as you can, then experiment for yourself.
I've done a fair bit of my own experimenting over the past week and put together a quick video tutorial with a basic 'how-to', a couple of variations, and the results using different materials.
Here are a few points I didn't include (err... yes, I forgot) but are worth a mention...
Paint
In my demonstration I show an example where a wood block is primed with a wash of white paint before applying the transfer. I think this looks fab and provides a solid base, creating greater contrast in the finished image. Keep in mind that you will be saturating and rubbing your piece. Will your paint be able to hold up or rub off and take the transfer with it? Just some things to keep in mind.
Heat
Some people say that heat may help the transfer. You can create a weak transfer with heat alone after all. When I attempted to speed up the drying process with a heat gun the results were not pretty. I would even go so far as to recommend avoiding hot water when removing the paper.
Patience
It really does pay to wait. I know others have had success lifting the paper soon after application but in my trials I found that the longer I waited wait, the stronger the transfer was. Let that sucker dry!
More Patience
Let your piece dry before applying a top coat or sealant. Some of those paper fibers can be pretty sneaky! By allowing the piece to dry you can spot those smokey, foggy areas where some paper residue has been missed. Simply re-wet that area and rub the paper away. When satisfied with your piece after it has dried apply a fancy pants top coat or simply apply a layer of gel medium or Mod Podge.
Practice
In this case practice doesn't exactly make perfect, but you will learn a lot! Don't expect perfection. If you are okay with some distressing and having fun with your mess making, the entire experience and results will be much more satisfying.
Once in a while things come together so easily it sort of feels like cheating… that was the case with this little box.
I began by simply painting all of the edges and corners of an ATC book box black.To the top of the box I added Artisan Style Decorative Flourish, the sides areThis Old House.
Finally, a set of those fabulousClaw Feet. The top has an amazing chunkyFancy Handlethat I’ve affixed in the upright position. A little bit of distressing on the edges and the whole thing is complete and looks really elegant.
Now to decide if I should use this fab little box to store these cute Artisan Style ATC’s or maybe some fancy costume jewelry!
It's a market with 20ish local makers and artisans. It's going to be great :) The people participating are amazing and have absolutely gorgeous stuff that I am proud to show off.
If you're near my part of the world on May 2nd you should totally visit because...
A) It's almost Mother's Day and I pinky swear that you will find the perfect gift.
B) Supporting local artists and small business is good for the soul.
C) It's at Casa-Dea Estates Winery. They have divine bubbly wine that you can buy and take home to celebrate the fact that you are awesome for shopping at the market and buying local.
D) It's FREE for crying out loud!
Still not convinced?!? Here's the outstanding list of participants...
Come check out the market page on Facebook and help to spread the word by liking and sharing all the beautiful things.
Have you ever tried your hand at wood transfers? I spent some time this weekend playing around, moving images from paper to scraps of wood. I suspect the people who created the tutorials I followed used some sort of voodoo because my results were far from perfect. No matter, I like vintage distressed images so imperfection suits me just fine.
After transferring the vintage image I created some areas with a crackle finish, a dash of glitter, dresend scrap butterfly and finished the piece off with a bow ofCrochet Lace Fancy Trim and some sweet tealSugared Botanica Mini's.
Now to pillage my husbands workshop for more little pieces of scrap wood!
Even if you aren't a fan of the sweet stuff, you can certainly appreciate the vibrancy of it technicolour packaging... maybe there's even a memory or two of nibbling sweeties as child.
When I first saw the Marion Smith TIMEKEEPER papers in my design team box my immediate reaction was to create a masculine steampunk something-or-other...
... but the pretty ANTIQUE EMPORIUM tugged at my imagination and said "No! Make a frilly something for a steampunk lady to hide her treasures!" I know better than to argue with the voice of my inspiration.
And so I present this funky lady's box. The base is aTrinket Box from Gina's Designs. I've fussy cut ANTIQUE EMPORIUM so that those floral elements remain in all four corners. Believe it or not, that handle is a broken chess piece. I applied a small element from the TIMELESS collection and applied a glossy accent layer to make it shine and give it a finished look.
The interior and sides of the box are embellished with papers from Marion's Junque Gypsy 6x6 paper pack. They Gypsy papers pair well with the Timeless collection and add a little more femininity to the piece.
Although you can't see them, there are four tiny feet under the box, giving it a bit of 'lift'. The piece is finished off with a bit of Petaloo's natural burlap trim and a few ornate keys affixed to the handle of the lid.
Now I just need to hunt for some treasures to fill my lady's trinket box!
