Flower faerie infestation!

Speaking of old photos...

Many people in old photos have a certain charm, a sort of magic about them. I wonder if the darlings in these old black and white photos knew they'd come back to life as garden fairies? 

In any case, here are a bunch of oldies infesting my garden and flower pots Cottingley style.

I'm taking their appearance as a sign that the summer solstice is just around the corner.

I'm also counting my blessings that the gooseberries and currents haven't ripened yet because I'm sure they'd have gobbled them all up!

Any sightings of winged things in your neck of the woods yet?

P.S. Here's a pic of Pixie Hill looking mighty pretty just because xo

A year of Free Photos

My birthday is coming up. I think I'm creeping up 'old'.

Age has never really bothered me. The truth is, I like old things... so why shouldn't I like an old me? 

One of the old things I particularly like is old photographs. I have a good sized collection and I'm trying to scan and organize them all digitally. It's something I've been meaning to do for years (but I get easily distracted soooo....)

I did make a start and have enough photos processed to post one old timey pic, once a week, for the next year. So, I'll be sharing my collection of oldies, one at a time, every Friday over the next year. Feel free to use them in your mess making.

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

Please do NOT sell, give, or distribute the images as your own, digitally or printed, alone or as part of a collection, collage sheet or group. BUT DO absolutely make stuff with them and sell the stuff you make. If you share your project, a link is appreciated.

Violators will be turned into toads, given warts, all the bad stuff... I mean it... It won't be pretty. 

Practical Masculine Cards

I LOOOVE me some layered fussy cutting with sticky-outy things and loads of depth and ribbon and frilly bits and embellishments.... but let's be honest, sometimes that isn't the most practical thing to pop in the mail.

Sometimes you just need a little "I'm thinking of you" to slide in the mailbox. No fuss. No muss.

Wanting to make something for my father-in-law for Father's Day, I set to work with Graphic 45's A Proper Gentleman, and some kraft coloured card blanks.

I ended up with 6 simple cards. All easily mail-able. Well under the weight/size to send using single stamp. Nothing to get in the way or bulk up the envelope.

They are exceedingly simple. Seriously. Get your kids in on this and show the fatherly types in your life that you're thinking of them. Or, make a batch to have on hand 'just in case'.

Now that I've made something simple and restrained, I need to balance it out with something ridiculous and opulent and stuffed to the gills with fussy things!

It's all about balance (or something like that).

Another re-do when I should be doing laundry

The laundry was piled high on the couch, waiting to be folded. Instead of doing the grown up thing, I decided to revamp this little jewelry box I snagged at the thrift store. Here's the before:

Some white spray paint and a bit of Bloom paper, and here is the after:

That glass insert had an 'interesting' design on it that I manage to scratch off with blade.

I did put the glass back in, but I put a pretty sentiment behind the glass instead. I might replace that with a photograph later. (Who am I kidding? It'll stay as is forever because I'm forgetful and lazy.)

The inside had pink flocking which I kept intact as it coordinates well with the papers. I carefully taped off the interior before spray painting.

I really do love the look of that flat matte spray paint.

Them dainty feets! And it occurs to me that I really should look at old pieces like this for their hardware. Seriously, feet and handles can get super pricey and jewelry boxes fairly easy to find and thriftily priced (this one was $4). They are usually screwed into place and easily removed. Hmmm.

And now that I've shown this redo off... I gotta grown-up and do a boatload of unfun chores. Bleh!

Wish me well as I tackle Mount Saint Laundry-pile.

Flutter Box #G45LightSide

Ah, Flutter. Such a bright and cheerful collection. Believe it or not I’ve take that brilliantly vibrant bunch of papers and made something light and airy for #G45LightSide.



I’ve taken the original hardware off of a simple wooden box and covered it with “Flutter”



Using sploshes and splashes of white paint I’ve subdued the brilliance of the paper.



I like the crusty old look created with the layers of paint and bit of white glue.

But I think the REAL stars here are the Antique Brass Claw Feet and the Antique Brass Door Pull (there’s an Antique Brass Stamped Metal Brad in there too).



I’ve spray-painted the decorative hardware with flat matte spray paint and I LOVE the effect.



(Now that I’ve done them in white, I kind of want to paint some in hot pink!)

There are a few tricks for great coverage:

• Apply in several light layers rather than one thick layer, you’ll get MUCH better coverage
• Make sure that your pieces are clean and free of fingerprint oils
• Spray in an area free of dust (ha! I know) and pet hair. You want to avoid these at all cost.



I’ve upturned the drawer pull and popped in some small flowers from the Rose Bouquet Collection—Classic Ivory & Natural Linen and then popped in a tiny fussy cut butterfly because… well, I just can’t help myself.



Inside? Well, I’m not all light and airy, and thought I’d put a cheeky bit of dark inside this piece. I really like the darkness of “Iridescent” from Flutter for contrast. I think a totally brilliant and colourful interior would have been fun too and was totally torn between a black or yellow for the insides.



Finally, I included a sentiment from the Flutter Stickers sheet and a few more butterflies tucked into the lid. These are nicely out of the way so that the box is still usable.

This is a pretty and simple project with just a few products and steps. Still, I’ve made a little walkthrough if you’d like to see the process of making this #G45LightSide box.

Here are all the bits used to make this happy little box:

Flutter
Rose Bouquet Collection—Classic Ivory & Natural Linen
Antique Brass Claw Feet
Antique Brass Door Pull
Antique Brass Stamped Metal Brad

Other Supplies:
Box
Matte white spray paint
White acrylic paint
White Glue
Narrow Gold Fleur Dresden BordersTiny Dot Dresden Borders - Gold

Happy Papercrafting!

Shamrock Chapel with Walk-through

There is a beautiful little church I visited while in Ireland, St. Finbarr's Oratory at Gougane Barra. A wee chapel situated on a bit of a jetty on a lake.

Looking at the Mausoleum Kit in my stash I was inspired by my memories of this place to create a miniature chapel of my own.

For the exterior stone texture I've used drywall compound and the Cobblestone stencil.

Tip: coat your stencil with boating wax to seal it and make it reusable!

I quite like the roof of this piece and the wee turrets that flank the two sides. For the saintly statues I simply painted some miniature figures used for railway models grey and popped them inside. That fancy bit at the front peak is the handle of a chipboard key from the Keys & Plates Shape Set. That spire is a Cabana Row House.

The windows are a stained glass image that I downloaded then printed onto a transparency sheet. Rather than cutting out individual windows, there is a piece that covers the whole windowed area. It's much easier and less fiddly and if no one is going to be peeking inside, why the heck not.

That spikey Gothic trim to the roof? I deconstructed (aka chopped up) a Gothic Border to add some vertical interest.

You can follow the process I went through making this piece with THIS video walk-though.  And here is the supply list of all the bits you'll need to create your own version.

Mausoleum Kit

Chipboard Shingles - Pointed

Chipboard Shingles - Half Scale Sampler

Cobblestone
Gothic Border 6 Inch
Keys & Plates Shape Set
Cabana Row Mini

Other supplies needed for this project:

Stained glass pattern printed on transparency

Acrylic paint

Drywall compound

Glue
Cross charm
Railway figures

Psst... Did you find a four leaf clover in those pics?

The Secret Garden Tin Revisited

A few years ago I made a series of Secret Garden themed Altoid tins. I revisited that project last week.

The Secret Garden tins have had loads and loads of tutorial requests since they were first posted. I've always been reluctant to attempt an instructional guide because of the size of the project. It's got a lot of parts, there's drying, and waiting, and fiddly bits. They all come together to make something rather nice, but writing a tutorial for a project that needs to be done over a few days always seemed rather daunting.

I set my mind to it however, and I made a tute. 

It's a big one.

Four jam packed pages of instruction. I am literally attempting to reduce the whopping file size as I type this entry because etsy is telling me it's too flipping big.

These tins are only ever so slightly different than the original set. The handmade robin has been replaced with paper butterflies. The door hardware on my sample is a little fancier than that on the first. But I think they're just as cheery.

If you're interested in making your own tin, the tutorial is available on etsy HERE.

If you're curious what you'll need to make these sweet wee things here is the recommended supply list:

• Altoids style tin (flat/not embossed lid)

• thick card (think cereal box)

• wooden sticks

• egg carton

• drywall compound

• mod podge/sealer/top coat

• old book pages

• bits for door hardware (my sample uses THESE) 

• faux flowers, leaves, moss (lots of texture is nice)

• hot glue & white glue

• acrylic paint

• chalk pastels

• green paper

• tape

• permanent marker

• star or leaf punch

• stylus or other pokey tool (you could use a pen in a pinch)

• disposable piping bag

“It made her think that it was curious how much nicer a person looked when he smiled. She had not thought of it before.” 

― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

I hope you're having a smiley day.