Altered Art Board Book Giveaway

Soooo, it's been a while since I did a giveaway... and I am going to the post office on Tuesday... so I thought I'd do a wee contest on my facebook page.

I'm giving away my the 'Language of Flowers' altered art board book I created for Alpha Stamps.

Here's a few pics...

 

 If you're interested in trying your luck, pop over to my facebook page, find the picture below, leave a comment and give it a share. Easy peasy.

 

This'll be a short and sweet contest with a random winner being selecting tomorrow evening.

Good luck!

A wee ATC freebie

It's Canada Day long weekend here in the Great White North. I'm spending it alone, working my fingers to the bone, and damning the video editing software I just can't seem to get the hang of.

BUT it's not all doom and gloom. Here's a little gift from moi to vous...

Here's the link to a downloadable pdf of back tags for your ATC's. They are not ATC sized, but they're just right for putting all the pertinent information on your little works of art.

Now, go and have some beer, back bacon, maple syrup and poutine to celebrate the Cannuk in you!

Fairy Lanterns, Fancy Brooch & Half Sheet Freebie

Ok, how stinkin' adorable is this fairy lantern?!? Could it possibly be any cuter?

What if I add a tealight to show off those transparency wings?

*dreamy sigh* I had far too much fun making these lanterns for Alpha Stamps. Just look at this little fellow picking a tiny rose for his favourite fairy lovin' lunatic (that would be me).

I've kept the embellishments here fairly quiet. Because I haven't I haven't added too many bells and whistles, individually the lanterns have a clean look and together (totally grouping these for a table centre piece!) they are not too overwhelming.

Sometimes restraint is thought of as boring or dull, I believe that it can be classic and demonstrate a certain elegance. Some days restraint is in order... all other days need three buckets of glitter and a two miles of ribbon and as much dresden trim as you can possibly use.

Did you happen to notice those amazing fairy cameos? Totally swoon-worthy. I've used a gorgeous green one for this very fancy cameo locket brooch.

And the pretty thing opens up to reveal a little altered art piece inside :)

Now, on to the freebie.

Not too long ago Alpha Stamps held a Fairy Fashion Giveaway. There were so many sweet comments (especially about keeping fairy magic alive for children) that I knew I wanted to create some sort of freebie for Alpha Stamps customers. So, here it is...

These are the photos I used in today's lantern project. They will be available from Alpha Stamps for a limited time for you to make your own fairy magic. Just leave a comment on today's Alpha Stamps blog and they'll email you a printable version :)

A Little Thank-You

Yesterday I had two little visitors bring me a "thank-you" card after wandering around the Fairy Tour.

I wanted to post the card to make sure that everyone who shared the indiegogo link, everyone who contributed to the Pixie Project, got a peek because this 'thank-you' is absolutely meant for you.

From 4 year old Ella, 2 year old Will and 39 year old me... thanks. You're a good egg :)

xoxo

The Faerie Tour 2013

Last night we invited a gaggle of lovely people to celebrate mid-summer and kick off this years Faerie Tour. The Faerie tour is a collection of faerie houses and hiding spots dotted around our property. This is the third year that I've created the tour, the second that it's been open to the public. The tour is a fantastic way to make art fun and accessible, and spreads a whole lot of joy.

If you're in the neighbourhood stop by and take the tour yourself. The houses will be set up and maintained until the end of July. Then the faeries will take a trip over to The Gates, near Presquile Provincial Park and reside in the old mini-golf course for a month or two. We'll be opening that event with a fairy tea party the first weekend of August.

Merry Mid-Summer!

Merry mid-summer to all of you!We're celebrating tonight with a little party that is quickly getting away from me. Here's hoping the guests won't starve and the faeries will do the entertaining ;)

Today's a pretty special day too because I'm featured on the Graphic 45 blog today! How freaking exciting is that? Hop over and take a peek...

My pants are quite fancy today :)

Happy Birthday to Me

I'm still coughing and sound as though I smoke 2 packs of ciggies a day, but I'm alive. I think it's safe to say that I probably don't have mono, despite being absolutely certain I would be napping for the rest of my life last week. Last night I managed 11 hours sleep, but I didn't take a single nap today so I figure I'm on the mend.

Being sick put me way behind and I've been working like mad to get caught up on this year's Pixie Project/Faerie Tour and cleaning the old house for a little kick off party on Friday night. I'll share photos of the faerie goodness when it's all gussied up... or you can follow my facebook page for frequent updates.

I will share a pic of my birthday cake. I'm not big on the whole birthday thing but it's a fine excuse for cake. My husband picked up this gorgeous slab of chocolaty goodness and my kid shoved in the "170". Yeah, he thinks he's hilarious.

No worries, he made up for it by covering my slice of cake with Smarties :) All was forgiven.

Germs and Flowers

I'm sick. Thankfully I'm past the "Oh my god my skin is on fire!" phase and have moved on to the "I'm coughing lava!" stage. These germs have whopped my ass and seem immune to my many attempts at thwarting them with drugs and miscellaneous concoctions. Even worse news, the Mr. is starting to feel a bit iffy too. If you think I'm dramatic... eesh! I am not looking forward to his interpretation of this particular strain of germs.

Besides being sick we've had day after day of drizzles here. All I really want is a couple of non-rain drenched days where I don't feel like I'm going to fall over so I can get some serious work done on the Faerie Tour. *sigh*

BUT, on a more positive note, I do have something pretty to show off. An altered board book using items from Alpha Stamps  The Language of Flowers Kit ....which was so awesome it's now sold out!

And now I'm heading back to bed to lull these germs into a false sense of security before I wallop them with a hot toddy and mind manipulation later this afternoon.

Fairy Tale Bookmark

Alpha Stamps sent me some of these sweet little Fairy Vials and I FINALLY sat down to make something with them. I'm sure a couple will end up in a miniature house but this one is now a pretty bookmark...

I've also used:

Organza ribbonSheet Moss

Small Ceramic Mushroom Bead

Tiny Antique Brass Leaves

and an Ornate Metal Key from Graphic 45

 Quick, easy and a little bit pretty :)

Paper, paper, everywhere...

I've been having a grand time making things with all of the fantastic products sent by Graphic 45. There's a few things I can't show off just yet, but I've also made a few extra bits in an attempt to familiarize myself with the collections a little better.

Last night I pulled out A Ladies' Diary and Secret Garden and went to town making a few ATC's.

I've used Secret Garden Beautiful Blooms for the background of each and embellished with ladies from A Ladies' Diary Garden Stroll. The wings and butterflies are from Olde Curiosity Shoppe Butterfly Specifics Scrapbook Paper.

I've also used pieces from Secret Garden Tags & Pockets,  Secret Garden Stickers and Secret Garden Chipboard 1. Even a stamps from G45 Cling A Ladies' Diary 1 managed to sneak in.

Because I wanted these to be quick and painless (and because I misplaced my good scissors!) I used some beautiful Dresden scraps from Alpha Stamps, rather than fussy cutting the night away.

The pieces are finished off with some May Arts ribbons. I'm not really much of a ribbon person BUT these are truly gorgeous and divine quality. I've actually been thinking a lot about making ribbon flowers just so I can dive into the yummy stash on hand.

One last bit of gushing... Scor-Tape. If you're a paper crafter go out and buy some this minute. It's not messy. It's really sticky. It tears easily. It's soooo handy for ribbons and trims. Definitely a new staple for my craft room.

Toadstools of the Giant Variety

I'm getting ready for this year's Faerie Tour and decided to add some giant toadstools. I have no idea why, it just seemed the right thing to do.

It did occur to me afterward that it would create a lovely photograph opportunity for my visitors. So I made two.

 

They are still in the process of being sealed... and they might be moved to another location... but otherwise they are finally done!

I created mine using building tube for the stem and the top was formed using chicken wire over Styrofoam.

Over that, I did layers of paper mache. I did old school paste with just flour and water, and I'm not sure how well that will hold up, but it's what I had on hand and it does make it quite stiff.

Next I painted them. I used an enamel rust paint for the red part and an outdoor latex enamel for the white.

I looked into ways to protect paper mache outdoors and came across a recommendation to use marine varnish. The varnish was the most expensive item but I figured it'll be worth it if I can make these last through the summer. I'll keep you updated!

To give you a better idea of size here's my almost 5' kiddo posing with the pair.

Now, I saw a comment in which someone said they wished they could afford these. I can tell you right now, as a broke-ass-bumpkin and proudly thrifty gal, they didn't cost very much at all.  If you're willing to put in the effort, have a bit of time, and don't mind getting really flipping messy, you CAN create these on a tight budget.

Want to see these for yourself? The tour will run at Pixie Hill from June 22nd until the last week in July before moving to The Gates in Brighton for August through to September. xoxo