A miniature hutch in progress

I'm showing off a project that isn't exactly complete today. Gina's Designs Lasercuts asked me if I wanted create a sample for their new Miniature China Cabinet and of coarse I said "Heck yeah!"

Cute, right? Here's a peek before being all gussied up. 

The size is is 5" x 7" but it 'feels' larger. The shelving space is massive and if you were putting very teeny weeny things inside you might just be able to add an extra shelf or two. It IS larger than most mini-hutches I've come across, but I think people who aren't comfortable with teeeeeeny tiny might appreciate the extra space.

The ornamental scroll-ish bits I've adorned this with are made with Paperclay from this Silicone Mold - Architectural Flourishes. The little lock on the bottom cupboard doors is a Prima Shabby Chic Metal Door Lock. For the feet I've used 12mm Wooden Drawer Pulls stacked with a 3/4 Inch Wooden Wheel.  

As for the hinges, well I used what was on hand and it wasn't perfect. You'll want to find hinges that swing freely and attach with very short screws. Trust me... use the screws. Depending on the size of your hinges, you'll need at least two for each top door and one for each bottom door for 'larger' hinges or three for each top and two for each bottom if you can find some great tiny ones.

And now comes the fun part: filling it! I do have an inkling what will be placed in my cabinet... but my plans seem to have a mind of their own lately so I'll keep it a bit of a secret before showing off the finished piece.

What would you fill this tiny cabinet with?

Supply List:
Miniature China Cabinet
Creative Paperclay* 
Silicone Mold - Architectural Flourishes
Prima Shabby Chic Metal Door Lock
12mm Wooden Drawer Pulls 
3/4 Inch Wooden Wheel
Acrylic paint
Hinges

A Bent Needle Box for Petaloo

A few months back I came across a post about "The Festival of Broken Needles", or Hari-Kuyo, a Japanese custom honoring broken sewing needles. As someone who sees the beauty and worth of ordinary objects, I was immediately captivated. Broken, bent and worn sewing needles are saved, then honored on a special day by placing them in cakes of tofu and offering them thanks before they are laid to rest. It's a bit more complex than that, but that's it in a nutshell.

I wanted to honor my own bent needles and so I've created a little mossy box for them to 'retire' in. 

I've covered the box with paper from the 6x6" Junque Gypsy pad from Marion Smith and fussy cut some butterflies for embellishment. The corners are dotted with Petaloo Chantilly-VelvHydrangeas. I've also included an Embellishment Brad to finish things off.

Supply list:

Chantilly-VelvHydrangeas
Embellishment Brad
Junque Gypsy 6" paper packBagatelle Box 1.5 by 3 inch12mm Wooden Box Feet
Moss
Branches
Glue
Acrylic paint
Bent Needles

And be sure to stop by Petaloo this week. They have a whole week of projects created with Petaloo and Marion Smith papers and there's prizes to be won!

Artisan Style card for Graphic 45

Handmade cards are so handy to have around. Artisan Style is such a perfect collection for creating‘any time’ cards. The designs and colour pallet are sophisticated, making it easy to create stylish cards suitable for Thank-you’s, hostess gifts or any number of occasions.

Supply List

Artisan Style > Decorative Flourish
Artisan Style > Artisan Style Ephemera Cards
Artisan Style StickerArtisan Style 6x6 Patterns & SolidsArtisan Style Journaling ChipboardArtisan Style Decorative ChipboardShabby Chic Ornate Metal Keys
Petaloo Botanica Petites
Petaloo Botanica Spring Berry clusters
Core’dinations Graphic 45 Signature Series - Tuscan Sunset
Black Mayarts Ribbon
Thin Looped Dresden Borders - Black
Flat back adhesive pearls

There's more handmade cards on the Graphic 45 blog today, so be sure to hop over and have a peek.

Wand Specimens

Wands are often lost, misplaced or discarded by the fair folk. Their size, and the natural materials with which they are made, provide excellent camouflage making them difficult to uncover. Today we will take a look at several varieties of faerie wands found at Pixie Hill.

Fig.1 The 'Thorned Goblin Rod' provides all of the magical qualities of a wand and may also be used a weapon. Created from a young black locust branch, the thorns aren't just dangerous in appearance, they are poisonous. A scratch from the sharp points will cause pain that may last for several days.

Fig. 2: The 'House Brownie Wand' is completely utilitarian. It is free from excess embellishment or flamboyance. The wood used in its creation is maple, a good all 'round magical wood. This specimen has a handle of well worn cotton. (Note: If you find a similar wand near your home do not pick it up. Your house brownie likely put it down momentarily and will return for it.)



Fig. 3: This natural bone wand has a moss wrapped handle. Bone wands are far less common than wooden wands but not unheard of. Found in on the mossy ground beneath the big pines on the back lawn, it is likely that this once belonged to a forest dwelling faerie. Possibly dropped by a migratory Duwende.

Fig.4: This very small wooden wand has a decorative carved handle. Although it's carving suggests elf or gnome origins, its size is more indicative of imp ownership. More exploration may be warranted to see if pygmy elves are inhabiting the grounds.

Fig. 5: This small wand has a webbed grip indicating that it's owner was in good standing with spiders and other insects. Flower faeries are known to have an excellent relationship with arachnids, often working together to aid in the maintenance and care of gardens.



Fig. 6: It is well known that most creatures with fae blood are repulsed by iron, steel, silver and other metals. There are a few examples to the contrary, dwarfs, ogres and some trolls, creatures who mine and forge are less affected by some metals. This delicate tiny wand seems unlikely to have been wielded by a troll so one must wonder.... to whom did it belong?

This collection of wands and other faerie artifacts will be on display at the studio throughout the summer. Please check the events page for open house dates.

One Little Thing - Rain

Ok, crafty people, this week your prompt is 'Rain'

Spend just a few minutes reflecting on this weeks theme, then create one little thing. Easy peasy!

Have fun!

A Gift / Memory Box for Dad for Petaloo

In our household we celebrate simply. A small token gift, maybe dinner out, or a trip to the movies is standard gift fare. Just because our gifts are small and sentimental rather than large or elaborate doesn't mean that we can't gussy up the presents!

This year for Fathers Day I'm planning a night to our local drive-in to see Mad Max (woo hoo!). Using Cogs & Gears from Marion Smith I created a simple gift box, then topped it with an image from Portfolio. I've finished off the exterior with Embellishment Brads, Burlap Trims and a Spring Berry Cluster.

Inside the box I'll wrap up those tickets and add a little floral touch with a little Chantilly-VelvHydrangea

And even better, after our drive in adventure we can store photos and ticket stubs, in the box to remember our 'Dad' night together.

Supply List:
Embellishment BradsBurlap Trims
Spring Berry Cluster
Chantilly-VelvHydrangea
Portfolio
Cogs & Gears

Gina's Designs Birthday Blog Hop!

Welcome to Gina’s Designs 3^rd Birthday Blog Hop!

The Birthday Blog Hop will run from today, May 22, until May 29 at 8pm CST.  You should have just come from Diana's Crafts Blog. If you didn't, don't worry! Just pop over to Gina's Designs Birthday Blog Hop post and follow all the blogs in order.

We are having two great giveaways associated with this blog hop.

The first one is the Birthday Prize Giveaway!

The Birthday Prize package includes:

Filigree Frames Shape Set , Dressforms 1 Shape Set, Butterflies & Dragonflies,Grape Vines, Feathers Shape Set, Dressforms & Wings Shape Set, Steampunk 2 Shape Set, Clockwork Penny Farthing, Garden Fairies Medium, Garden Fairies Large, Damask Singles, Button Shape Set, Skylines, Landmarks, Collage Border Splash, Mermaids Shape Set, Stackable Labels Shape Set, Steampunk Shape Set, Vintage Ladies Silhouette, Dressforms 2 Miniature Shape Set, Candelabra Set, Dressforms 1 Miniature Shape Set, Barbed Wire Deco Frame Square, Barbed Wire Deco Frame Rectangle, Alarm Clock, Layered Border Victoria Small, Flourish Frame Sienna, Flourish Set Amanda, Wishing Well, Butterfly of Gears, Longstem Rose, Grape Vine Frame, Barbed Wire Frame Circle, and a Brush Caddy !!!!!

To be entered into the Birthday Prize giveaway, you need to:

1. Stop at all 15 designers’ blogs for a secret word.

2. After you collect all of the 15 words, create a sentence.

3. Email your answer [email protected] for a chance to win the Birthday Prize!

 This is why you will want to make sure you stop at each blog. That prize package is fantastic!  

Now the second giveaway will be done on EACH of the designers blogs. The shape set I am giving away is  

the Steampunk Shape Set which is filled with really amazing and useful pieces. 

I used this set in the piece I showed off the other day.

To be entered into my blog's giveaway,

1.  Subscribe to my blog. 

2.  Leave a comment on this blog post.

THAT’S IT! So easy!

So many great ways to win some fabulous chipboard pieces! My word for the Birthday Prize giveaway is PROJECTS.

The next blog you will want to visit is Carla's Creations.

If you get lost along the way, here is a list of all the blogs you need to visit to collect your word.

Kim - AngelDream Crafts
Angela - A Crafty Blether
Barb - In the Studio With Barb
Melissa - Ribbons, Lace, and Good Intentions
Mary B - The Damsel of Distress
Shanna - Shanna's Designs
Kathi - Kathi's Creations
Amy - Amylove Crafty Kingdom
Kim C - Kreations by Kimber
Lynne - Scrappy Squirrel's Nest
Dianna - Diana's Crafts Blog
Nichola - Pixie Hill
Carla - Carla's Creations
Deann - CraftDee1
Mary - The Craft Hoarder