Heads up!

For you crafty folks out there I am organizing (at the requst of the idea's orignator cackle) the Tiny Fairy Tale House Swap on craftster. Make one wee house, max size 4" x 4", based on one of your partners Fairy Tale theme prompts. Send outs are December 10th.

I know it's close to Christmas/Yule and all that jazz but it's only one small house. Come on! You know you want to do this :) *arm twisting in action*

There are only 20 spots for this swap so get in there already!

More Landscapes

I love the nights here. The sky is like blue velvet all lush and such.

I worked on landscapes all day today... including a couple of night/dusk ones. Here's the fruits of todays labours. I know it's rather minimal but the first is my favourite :)

An Update on the Noise Thing

Before moving to this magnificent place of inspiration and fairy magic we endured months hell. Basically, we moved into our dream home, quickly discovered a neighbouring facility is making loads-o-noise, the city refused to do anything about it, and I was slowly driven crazy. While officials outright lied about the situation, company representatives said they could do as they pleased, and I was called a nut, a troublemaker and a drain on society.

Within seven months of the day we moved in, we put the house up for sale.

We moved on to bigger and better things, but for those who had to endure my ramblings I thought that perhaps you'd appreciate an update.

After conducting their own laughable noise study, city officials hired a real acoustic consultant to determine if I was a crazy lady or if there was something fishy going on. The findings? The noise, at it's peak, was compared to that of a Hercules, four-engine military aircraft flying over your house... for hours on end.

"... the eight-page noise study, completed by J.E. Coulter Associates Ltd. of Toronto, proved the neighbours right — the sound is at times 60-to-80 per cent over the acceptable level of noise.

You have no idea how happy I was to read that sentence in the local paper.

I just hope this means real, positive change for those still living there.

Related Articles
Noise study makes noise at QW city council
City looking at solutions for noise complaints
Council has failed its constituents
CB Freezers reassures residents that noise will decrease

Getting a jump on the xmas panic

Last week I came across a stack of fabric pages I was going to make into a fabric chunky book. I decided to make them into wee scribble books instead.  There aren't a ton of pages in them so I was able to just zip them through my sewing machine rather than get too finicky about binding.

The pages inside are from different sources (antiques newsletters, typing textbook, novels, foreign language books) that have been given a coat of white wash. They are put in any which way... sideways, upside down, and have torn edges rather than crisp neat sides.

A few of the pages have some colour splashed in for good measure.

I've also been working on these clothes pegs. I swiped this idea from someone far more brilliant than myself :) So far I've done 50 of them but I know a few people who love their laundry lines so I think I might have to buy a few more packages of pegs.

And seriously? How wonderfully quirky and whimsical are clothes pegs to begin with?

The Fortune Teller

I finished my wee 'shrine' box! So, what finally went into that little space?

A fortune teller! I sort of like him... even if he doesn't have hands ;)

The Real McCoy... no really.

I am a wealth of useless knowledge. For some reason my brain can't seem to remember what was for dinner 2 nights ago but some trivial factoid from 15 years ago sticks in there like nobody's business.

Last night I made a batch of cookies and after the goodies had cooled I took down my cookie jar to store them in. This is my cookie jar.

A few years back, on the way home from the kiddo's swim lesson, we stopped by a yard sale at a seniors centre. Our eyes met from across the room and it was love at first sight. "How much for the head?" I asked the old gal behind the table. "One dollar." she replied. And fast as lightening my loony was out and he was coming home with me. I was terribly excited about my bargain, I mean look at him! He's so fantastic.

And so, for a couple of years now I've been storing cookies in this head. I've carefully packed him up for each of our moves. I've shown him off, putting him on permanent display in each of my kitchens. But it wasn't until last night, when I tipped him upside-down to remove some old rouge cookie crumbs that I noticed this...

Remember when I said that I am wealth of useless knowledge? I just happen to know that the saying "The real McCoy" originated because of McCoy pottery. A quick look online and that $1 cookie jar I loves to bits was made between 1952-54 and is worth about $250.

I'm still keeping my cookies in it.

WIP's What do you think is behind door no. 1?

So I've got a few things on the go at the moment. Some I can't share because they are in swap secret mode. But I can show you two works in progress...

First, a bearded lady. This is my second attempt at a hairy gal, the first looked like a man with lady hair. Truth be told many bearded lady photos I came across looked like men with lady hair. Anyway, this fine female is coming along much better than the last time. Fingers crossed she turns out super because I've swapped her for something quite fantastical from one of my favourite artsy folk.

Next is this wee little cupboard. I really rather love it. It's just the right size for something but I have no idea what. I've been sticking all sorts in there but nothing seems quite right. Any ideas as to what might be hiding behind those doors? I'd love to hear your ideas...

...and swiftly run away, crafting them into something grand :)