Wish you were here

After showing off the Pixie tree, covered in goodies specially priced for visitors to our Yuletide open house this Saturday, I realized something... I couldn't possibly leave out all of our far-away friends!

And so, on Sunday, I'm going to have a big ole sale for just for you.

Sometimes I may forget to say it, but I really and truly do love each one of you. Every single visit, kind word, and message means so much to me. YOU are a bigger part of this magic than you will ever know.

***All purchases made Sunday will be shipped out Monday
to meet the Canada Post suggested US Christmas mailing date.***

Who knew a left thumb was so important?

I've been crafting at half pace over the past week because I sliced my thumb off.

Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration.

I didn't slice the whole thing off, and it was my left thumb...

...but I did do quite a number on it. ANYWAY, it's healing nicely but the tip is totally numb. I never realized how much I need my left thumb (especially in making little things). Kinda miffs me that it's being a bit of a jerk and not helping out as much as it should :P

Still, I have been making stuff and here's a few things you might want to peek at...

Pixie Books and Sleepy Moons nestled on the Christmas tree in the studio. I'm getting ready for my Christmas Open House this Saturday and so the place is looking rather seasonal. If it would just snow a little I'd be bursting with that holly jolly holiday spirit!

And below, a trio of Christmas ravens about to make a long journey to Western Canada. Ho ho ho!

Be good to your thumbs my lovelies... you never know when one will try to jump ship.

xoxo

Two Turtle Dove Houses

The fab folks at Alpha Stamps are hosting a 12 Days of Christmas event. I'm a lucky duck and got the number 2 to work with. I decided to stick with tradition (sort of) and make two turtle dove houses.

They're pretty darned cute and I'm going to show you how you can make your own!

Grab an old teacup and a chunk of florist oasis. Shave, cut and trim the oasis until it fits snugly into the cup.

Glue the oasis in place and then cover the top with white glue and create a mossy lawn. This is just loose moss, but you could use sheet moss as well.

Next I added some beautiful Mica Fragments - Pearlized which look just like antique snow. You could leave this step to the end but I found it easiest to do it at this point. Now your base is complete!

 

For the little house, I've used Paper Mache Birdhouses. To make life easier I simply pulled out the perch and worked with it as a flat surface.

I covered the sides in different papers from the same colour pallet for interest and added a cute  Ruffle Edge Trim - Cream.

The roof is made using Velvet Ric Rac. Starting at the bottom edge just apply strips. When your glue has dried you can just snip off the extra rough edges.

To hide the cut edge, I applied a Thin Fleur Dresden Border.  That background? It's Aesop’s Fables - Tortoises and Hares Collage Sheet. Using an image for the background is a great way to add visual interest to a piece.

To the peak of the roof I added a Black Zig Zag Dresden Border, and rolled a piece of coordinating  scrapbook paper (this is the reverse side of Botanicabella: Birds in Paradise) and a couple of vintage buttons to finish it off the ends.

Now for the real fun part. Adding embellishments! Whoever said "Less is more" probably wasn't a crafter. Here I've added, Brass Turtle Doves, paper embellishments and Clear Acrylic Bead Sprays.

To create the stand I took a piece of wooden dowling and painted it white. Then I wrapped a ribbon around it (I used  3/8 Inch Iridescent Ribbon). A perfectly striped effect! 

Top your striped dowel with a Small Wooden Box Foot, and affix it to the bottom of the house. When dried, you can push the dowel right into the oasis base and it should hold your house firmly in place.

Finally I added some Christmas Pixies and paper trees to my scenes. I used my new favourite, the Little Darlings CS Sheet. This sheet really is fab! Each of the kidlets appears in twice, once in reverse, so that you can paste it back to back, leaving a clean and neat backside. Add wings and crowns and you're turtle doves will have their very own little pixie guardians. 

Here's the materials list for both houses in case you want to make your very own:

Old teacups, Florist oasis, Glue, Moss, Buttons

Paper Mache Birdhouses • Little Darlings CS Sheet • Small Wooden Box Feet • Gold Fleck Trim 

Velvet Ric Rac • 1/8 Inch Drapey Ribbon (red) • Mica Fragments - Pearlized • Brass Turtle Doves

 • Royal Christmas Red Drop Scallop Trim  • Glittered Holly Berries

  Olde Curiosity ShoppeButterfly Specifics Scrapbook Paper  • Aesop’s Fables - Tortoises and Hares 

3/8 Inch Iridescent Ribbons   •  Botanicabella: Birds in Paradise  • Black Zig Zag Dresden Border

Thin Fleur Dresden Border • Ruffle Edge Trim - Cream
  Clear Acrylic Bead Sprays - Teardrops

 

Yeeeeehhhhaaaa!

I grabbed the mail from the postbox this afternoon and then trudged down to the school bus stop. I was going to flip through my husbands cooking magazine but then realized it wasn't a cooking magazine at all!

Yep! Those are my wee ATC's in Somerset Studio! Christmas came early at the Pixie House :)

Paul Peel

The Art Gallery of Ontario posted a Paul Peel image on fb this morning and it reminded me of our trip to there this summer. Every time the husband and I would gasp at an astonishing piece, well, it was a Peel. I think his work is simply divine and absolutely inspired.

This one, The Young Gleaner, hangs in the Art Gallery of Ontario. It's so full of life. The light coming through the girls hat is astounding. I could stand and look at it for hours.

Here are a few more beautiful Peel's to peek at. Imagine what he would have painted had he lived past 32!

*Dreamy sigh*

If you go into the woods today...

Yesterday afternoon, Mr Pixie, the kidlet and I went for a hike at Presqu'ile Provincial Park. While there, we helped the park faeries spread a bit of magic and left some treats behind...

A gnome hat perched on a log with old toadstools, along with a couple of miniature books for good measure.

And what is that spied on a piece of birch bark? A tiny crown and book of fairy tales!

The place is infested with faerie folk.

We passed a family walking in the direction of the gnome hats while doing our sneaky business. There was an attempt to follow them and overhear their reaction, but they didn't spy the shocking red of those caps.

In the Art Abandonment FB group I belong to, it's common to leave a tag with the work that is left behind. In this case I thought it would spoil the magic for the finder. They are left as if forgotten by wee people with no pomp. If the items are not picked up immediately that's fine, other people will get to enjoy the discovery too.

I feel as though leaving those things tagless, without instruction at all, will absolutely ensure those little things find the right home.

A finder-keeper who loves those things so much, they're willing to swipe them?

Happily ever after indeed.

Santa is on the way!

While our American friends are just now celebrating Thanksgiving, my little town is prepping for Christmas. Last night was Brighton's, Santa Claus parade. Twenty minutes of small town floaty goodness. Yep. 20 minutes. We waited longer than we watched, but that's a good thing! The kids don't complain, feet don't get sore, and all is right with the world.

The beaten and battered school bus below was the 'float' for my kiddo's school. I'm pretty sure it was a left over from the local race track's annual school bus race. How fun is it?!?!

I was really liking the hand drawn signs on the floats.

And finally, the fat man himself. It wasn't the REAL Santa (this one had a fake beard) but he was very funny and quite jolly.

Here's the to start of the holiday madness. May your cups be filled with spiked nog, your wallets not drained dry, and your sanity remain intact. (A little crazy is ok.)