Check out my fancy pants in American Miniaturist

I've been sitting on this news for a while and can now jump up and down and sing it from the tree tops...

My "Abandoned House" project from a couple of years ago is getting some love from American Miniaturist in their spooky October issue.

Here are the original blog posts about this project:

The Abandoned House

Progress on the abandoned house...

The abandoned house is done!

For the Birds Collage Sheet

A new pretty collage sheet "For the Birds" freshly listed in the etsy shop.

AND I have a project and tutorial using these cuties lined up for this Friday's blog post.

I think you'll like it :)

Old Timey Tuesday: Something new

I thought I'd try something new with a weekly feature sharing old grungy pictures from my personal collection.

The images are not polished and left in their grungy, smudged and speckled glory. Just how I like 'em! Without further ado...

You can absolutely use this photo in your art and craft projects. If you share your project, a link is appreciated.

You may NOT sell, give or distribute the images, digitally or printed, alone or as part of a collection, collage sheet or group.

Violators will be turned into toads... I mean it... It won't be pretty.

I'm going to my happy place

So, I sort of lost my mind the other week when I walked past a piece of torn wallpaper.

I'd walked past it a million times before but for some reason this time was the last straw. I started stripping wallpaper, washing walls, plastering, climbing ladders. All this led to painting trim, sewing curtains... basically trying to catch up on things that have been left undone for years. (Still not done BTW)

Why all the fuss?

In a few weeks I have an influx of family visiting. We'll have a very full house including a cousin from the UK, an uncle I haven't seen since I was a kidlet (the brother of the father I have no contact with), perhaps my father in-law, and all of this takes place the same weekend I'm hosting a workshop for 6 awesome kidddos. If I'm ever going to have a nervous breakdown it will be that weekend.

I decided it was probably a good idea to go to my happy place for a while. It so happens that my happy place is a pretty productive atmosphere with happy moons and mossy cottages.

Currently listed HERE

Handmade paper clay moon, cottages, mushrooms and ladybugs.

Currently listed HERE

A sentiment from a vintage children's book. And THOSE FEET! They're called Demon Box Feet* but I think they're far more like helpful gargoyles.

Currently listed HERE

And another... 

Currently listed HERE

I love this moons smooshy face :)

Currently listed HERE

And some small ones for good measure.

Currently listed HERE

Currently listed HERE

I feel much better after my romp with glue and glitter and glad to have such a happy, happy place to retreat to.

Currently listed HERE

Hope you're all well and good. I miss you.

______________________________________________

Partial supply list: Demon Box Feet*, Candlestick Holder , Wooden Knobs, Ornate Metal Label Holders, Bagatelle Boxes, Tim Holtz Mirrored Stars, Gold Dresden, Brass Feathery Scroll Filigree*  

Wallpaper, tea cups and wagons

It has been sweltering here. The hottest days of summer. The heat must have affected my brain because I thought this would be an ideal time to paint. Painting doesn't just mean painting... it's stripping wallpaper, cleaning wallpaper paste from the walls, repairing plaster, sanding, cleaning dust, moving furniture... then there's the painty bit at the end. 

The results? I won't bore you with them because they're just clean white walls... a VAST improvement over the peeling and ripped wallpaper I've been living with, but a little dull.

Instead I'll show you some of the pretty bits I've been working on for a custom order.

A slew of tea cup towns/fairy gardens. HERE is the link to the little flowers available from Alpha Stamps.

And here is one of several wee paper wagons I've also been working on. The paper is from Graphic 45, the leaves are Prima and the amazing wheels are from Gina's (the link goes to the straight cut spokes).

Hope you're keeping well. I'll be back and properly into the swing of things quick as can be. xoxo

A Fun Fairy Door for Gina's Designs

A wee fairy door project to share today for Gina's Designs. Isn't it cute as buttons?!

To create this adorable fairy entrance I've used Gina's Fairy Door 'Deann', Faux Metal Number Plates and Keys & Plates Shape Set.

In this example I've used the stone door frame piece that comes with the Fairy Door as a stencil and applied a layer of spackling to give the texture of a stone doorway.

To create the illusion that the door is made of wooden planks, I've scored the chipboard with a stylus before painting. If you don't have a stylus, you could press very hard with a ball point pen to create the grooves. A light wash of dark paint allowed to seep into the impressed lines will emphasize the effect.

The 'hinges' are created by cutting a large keyhole in half, applying to the door and trimming.

Fairy doors are pretty dang adorable and an excellent way to include a bit of magic in your household. Be sure to get creative with them by adding a little plant, a welcome mat and other accessories... great curb appeal will be sure to entice the wee folk into your home ;)

Fairy Door 'Deann'

Faux Metal Number Plates

Keys & Plates Shape Set

Acrylic paint

Small metal brads

Spackling

Glue

Artist Trading Block Clearance

Just a quick note today. I've added a bunch of Artist Trading Blocks to the Clearance section of the etsy shop. Here's a peek at what's available...

Listing for this item is HERE

Listing for this item is HERE

Listing for this item is HERE

Listing for this item is HERE

Listing for this item is HERE

Listing for this item is HERE

Listing for this item is HERE