Gnome Hats, Camo, and Paganism

First the crafty then the nitty gritty...

I've made a slew of these little gnome hats from some juicy red felt with sweet white stitching. How cute are they? I just might wrap one up and place it beneath the tree for our house elf ;)

Now, an update on the Halloween Costume vs Black and Orange uproar. A few people have asked if D wore a costume to school on Halloween. He did BUT he looked very much like he does every other day. In the end he decided to go as a zombie hunter, wearing camo, a zombie response tee and an orange hunting vest. No one was the wiser, he wore orange, and he was happy. Win!

Last night we decided to pop into the latest parent council meeting to see what's what and let them know how we felt about that issue. Apparently we weren't the only parents upset by the costume decision as it was already on the agenda. There certainly wasn't a resolution on the issue but I hope that next year they'll re-consider. I have a hard time believing that a better solution, an alternative that is actually inclusive, considering the feelings of everyone, not just the few, could not be found.

At the meeting, I mentioned that we are Pagan. The principal came over after the meeting and asked what 'Pagan' means. It's sort of a complicated question to answer because really, it's just an umbrella term that includes an awful lot of different things. I told her that I identify as a witch but I am not Wiccan. We celebrate the solstices and equinoxes, the changing of the seasons. We look to the old ways. I explained that we live our lives to be as Christian-like as possible, to be kind, to be good and helpful, but we do not adhere to other beliefs of that path. I often find myself completely stumped answering that question.

I've known people from many faiths and those that believe in no greater power at all. There's good and bad in each. In the end, the very best people are those who strive to be happy, gentle and good, who live with a sense of humour and focus on the betterment of their own lives rather than the faults they perceive in others. You? Well, I'm fairly certain you're one of the nicest of the bunch... no matter what your path :)

xoxo

SNOWBALLS!

It's definitely coming... dreamy, white, glittery snow! I can feel it in the air and I've seen a flake here and there. I'm quite certain Jack Frost is on his way.

Winter at the Pixie house = loads of lovely things. Sledding down the hill to the school bus stop, skating on the outdoor rink, gallons of hot chocolate and snowball fights. I am confident, given the number of times I've been whacked by snowballs, that they are indeed rather cheeky.

Here's a few pics of this years fresh batch of cheeky snowballs...

AND for the very first time, there's two available in the etsy shop. I've made two dozen of the wee things and most are already spoken. There will be a few more listed over the next while but there won't be many unless I haul ass and hit a time warp to make another batch :P

A long day

My husband is "RAWR!!!!ing" and my kiddo and his buddies are running around screaming in terror. In other words it's just your average night in the Pixie Hill house.

It's been a long day. Up at 7 for a long drive into Toronto. I do not miss highways and traffic and people who do not look happy.

While there, we stopped by ... (edited to remove unproductive complaining) ... the sort of thing that does not encourage a return visit.

On a positive note, on the way home we stopped by iThai in Whitby for lunch. The spring rolls were great, the service was nice and the lunch special was reasonable. Defo stop by again next time we pass by.

After the long drive, picking up things from the October art show, grocery shopping, mad dash cleaning and  now three crazy kids running around like maniacs, well, I'm beat as all heck and ready for bed. *YAWN*

Because I'm feeling so tired I'm offering two spirit boards that were in the October show for $95 including shipping (Can and cont. US) in the hopes I don't have to shoot and list them on etsy next week. They're hand painted on oak wine barrel lids and are pretty darned hefty.

If you're interested in either one, email info(at)pixiehill.com. These will likely be the only two spirit boards I have available for Christmas.

Mini Mixed Media Journals

I was lucky enough to be a member of the latest Master Craftster team, given the opportunity to try out a bunch of Elmer's products. One of the projects I created using the products I was sent were these little journals with prepared paper. No need to wait for backgrounds to dry, I can jump right in!

For this project I used the following materials...

• CraftBond Permanent Dot Runner
• Elmer's Painters - Neon
• X-ACTO Gripster Craft Knife
• X-ACTO Corner Rounder Punch
• X-ACTO Self-Healing Cutting Mat
• Pages from discarded old books
• Scrapbooking paper
• A stapler
• Paintbrush
• Water

I like to use old paper in my work. Old paper is quite different than modern paper. It generally has a higher cotton content, absorbs pigments better and is more durable. Sometimes old paper can be quite brittle, but often it can be crinkled, folded, squeezed with nary a tear. It's great fun to work with!

For this project I began by saturating an old page with some water.

I let the water absorb for a few moments and then started to dab the page with the Elmer's Painters acrylic paint markers.

I added more layers of paint and water.

Using a cloth I dabbed at the painted areas.  I also smudged, rubbed, squished, folded and even crumpled some pages.

I did a fair bit of experimenting with the Elmer's Painters. If you shake them up and down, they will not leak BUT by quickly and firmly flicking them I managed to get a bit of a splatter on the page. I also tried dipping the tips in water, then dabbing on the page, the paint bled and spread much more than when I simply applied directly to the page. I continued to work and experiment until the desired effect was achieved.

I'm pretty impatient so I like to iron my pages dry. Ironing any pages that you crumpled up has the added bonus of giving a nifty textured effect.

Next, I trimmed up my pages to the desired size using the X-ACTO Gripster Craft Knife and the Self-Healing Cutting Mat. When it comes to cutting straight clean lines, nothing beats a good sharp X-ACTO blade and steel ruler. Be sure to do your cutting on a self-healing mat. They're really useful and will save your work surface a lot of potential damage.

For these books I simply used a folded piece of thick, double-sided scrapbooking paper for the covers and stapled the edge.

To finish them off, I used the Corner Rounder Punch. I know it's a small thing but I think the rounded corners add a nice little touch. Finally, using the CraftBond Permanent Dot Runner I affixed a small mixed media twinchie and ATC to the covers.



Ta da! Now to pop them in my purse and start doodling!

You can hop over to the Elmer's board on craftster.org to see all the sponsored projects.
Here's the other projects I completed...

A Glittery Bulletin Board

Fairy Crown Napkin Rings

 

Peashooter Stocking Stuffers

Keith Haring Inspired Pegs

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN!

Wishing you all the very best for a very merry Hallows Eve :)

To boo or not to boo

Mucho simplified information: On October 31st the wall that separates our world from the spirit (or other) world evaporates. On this night the spirits, beings and faeries from the other realm can cross over into our world. The tradition of dressing in costume is an attempt to fool ill-intentioned spirits into thinking the wearer is not human and avoiding possible harm. Depending on the culture, the giving of treats is either an offering given to ensure good fortune over the coming harsh months, or an offering to appease/honor the spirits of those on the other side. Now, on with the story...

Disclaimer: this is picture was not taken on Halloween nor is it a costume... this was D's room cleaning outfit c.2007

Last week my kidlet came home and said that they weren't allowed to wear costumes to school for Halloween this year. Instead, they could wear black and orange. The hell?

I told D that if he wanted to, he most certainly could wear his costume. If he got any grief for it he could simply say that he was changing things up and that the zombie butcher look would be his new daily attire. 'Nuff said.

My curiosity about this whole thing has grown over the past week. I've tried to think of the reasoning behind a costume-less Halloween. After much thought I figured it would be one of these five reasons...

1. The little kids are frightened by the spooky older kids
2. It's distracting and doesn't allow for a focused learning environment
3. Some of the costumes in the past have been inappropriate.
4. Someone complained about the sinfulness of dressing like a lollipop.
5. They don't approve of fun.

Last night the class newsletter came home. Again with the 'orange and black'.

I don't know if I got up on the wrong side of the bed, just a bit cranky today, or whatever, but I decided to call the school to get the real answer. Wait for it.... Wait for it.....

'They' decided not to.

Wha? Who's 'they'?

The kids.

Apparently the student council voted for the black and orange so their costumes wouldn't get ruined before the evening trick or treating. I don't know if I buy that. Perhaps with a lot of parent/teacher cajoling and bags full of candy some kids might agree to this sort of lame watered down Halloween but I'm having trouble accepting it. I know my kid pretty well. I bet you $5 that my kid would NEVER vote to wear black and orange over a Halloween costume. Ever.The fact that D didn't mention any of this after being asked a bazillion times about the no-go on the costume front is also fishy.

EDITED TO ADD: I just got a message saying it was the PARENT COUNCIL not the student council who made this decision. The decision was made so that children who do not have costumes would not feel left out. I made the suggestion that the children should then make costumes at school, get an art lesson and learn some history while they're at it. We'll see what happens next year.

Anyway, I've explained to the school that I'm stark raving pagan and that wearing a costume actually has some sort of meaning, there's a reasoning behind it. If the kid decides to show up in his costume he has my permission to do so, he's not just being a pain in the ass. I'm leaving the decision up to the kid, either way, I've got his back.

BUT now they're afraid he'll be made fun of.... for dressing up.... in a Halloween costume... ON HALLOWEEN! Pfft. Anyone who makes fun of him would be a fool. Just look at the math:

ninja warrior > orange pants

I rest my case.

Morehouse Loops Scarf Review

A while ago (okay, a LONG while ago) I was asked if I'd like to try a Morehouse Farm Knitting Kit. I'm not much of a knitter (more of a disaster with needles really) so I figured a scarf would be the safest bet. I picked this Loops Scarf project since it looked the easiest, and the least likely to cause a meltdown.

The kit comes with two balls of Merino yarn and an instruction/care card. This kit didn't come with needles so I had to wing it with a slightly smaller than suggest set I had on hand.

The pattern for this particular scarf was very easy and forgiving (thank the heavens). I was able to  pick up and put down the project several times. If I found myself with five minutes and fidgety hands it was easy peasy to pick it up and just do a few rows right where I left off.

The finished product? I like it... a lot. I have a similar knitted scarf that I wear all the time but if I'm going indoors it gets a bit warm. This has a lovely weight and doesn't seem to get to that "too hot! must take off!" stage. The scarf isn't flyaway weight though, and drapes nicely. Best of all? It's super soft and not itchy in the least.

The pattern required switching of yarn weights and says to clip the tails off but I rather liked those dangly bits and left them loose. In the end, I actually like my finished scarf more than product shot and THAT my friends is proof positive of a pretty darned good knitting experience.

Now that my confidence has been boosted these BigWrap Knit Kits look pretty tempting...