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

Masked Bandits

 I created these winged fellows for Alpha Stamps this month. They're hosting a "peek-a-boo" swap to coincide with this months Black and White Silhouettes Kit.

They measure 4"x4". The wings are from my Just Wings Collage Sheet, printed on transparency. The antenna are finely cut pieces of paper.

The inspiration? A couple of weeks ago I watch a movie called The Fall and quickly fell in love. Stunningly beautiful, absolutely wonderful and immediately one of my very favourite things. With bandits, adventure, love and revenge... how could I avoid being inspired?! And so, I've been putting masks on just about everything with a face over the past two weeks.

Fair warning: if you decide to watch this film for yourself (and you totally should) prepare for tears. Also, the leading man, Lee Pace, is kinda dreamy so you might find yourself with a new imaginary boyfriend too.