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.