Honey Bee Shadow Boxes

While I can often be seen running, arms flailing, yelling "get lost" to wasps (in not so lady-like language) honey and bumblebees are welcome visitors in my garden.

Just look at that buzzy bum in the chive blossoms!

Inspired by my pollinating visitors, I've made a couple of sweet honey bee shadowboxes.

With Fold Up Oval and Fold Up Box Rectangle boxes as my base, I've added beautiful yellow papers from Graphic 45's Floral Shoppe. Inside there's a pretty image of a vintage lady, a pinch of moss and paper flowers.

For the exterior I've used Honeycomb & Bees. The bees have been painted and have Transparent Wings added. A tiny bit of black fuzz finish off these chippy bees.

The interior background is vintage music paper with a splash of white and blue acrylic paint.

Want to make your own? I've created a video walk through for you to follow along and create your own. You can find it over HERE

And here are all the bits you'll need:

Fold Up Box Oval 

Fold Up Box Rectangle

Honeycomb & Bees

Graphic 45's Floral Shoppe

Transparent Wings 

Paper flowers

Moss

Vintage portrait images (These are the ones I used)

Glue

Foam spacer squares

Black flocking

Note on the flocking: Don't buy a pound of flocking for this project!  You really only need a very small amount. A few pinches! If you can find it, "Ultra Fine Flower Soft" will work well for the bee fuzz. Or search for miniature landscape "scatter" or "static grass" and you should find something suitable.

New and Improved Moon Maidens with Tutorial

While I loved my first batch of moon maidens I knew they could be improved. So I set to work on those lovelies and colourized them, gave them blushed rosy cheeks and some extra golden splatter.

I think they are much improved!

I am all sorts of in love with the gold and blue combination. 

And I've always been a fan of stringing sweet words together. When they fit together it's like getting encouragement from the universe.

If you'd like to make your own Moon Maiden ATC's here is the list of supplies you'll want to consider: (if you don't have something experiment, make do, or try something unexpected!)

- vintage images and words (see below)

- card or board for the base

- old paper for the background (I think old paper absorbs pigment better)

- black, blue and white acrylic paint

- floral stamp

- stamp pad

- gold embossing powder

- heat gun

- gold paint or ink

- scrapbook paper (for back)

- glue

If you don't want to source your own vintage images, I have a collage sheet of the ladies, birds and words I used HERE

To help you make your lovely moon ladies, I created a video walk through over here on my YouTube channel

Oh to delight in beautiful nights and under full moons! To send messages on the wings of songbirds!

Here's to making new and improved glorious messes, my lovely friends.

P.S. I almost forgot! All ATCs in the etsy shop are 30% off when you use the code ATC30 at checkout.

Free Photo Friday

Once a week I share an old timey photo from my personal collection. Feel free to use them in your mess making, art and crafting.

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

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. 

A Deconstructed Butterfly Garden

If the past few weeks have taught me anything it's that things don't always go to plan. That sometimes, no matter how hard we battle against them, there are things beyond our control.

Life and death don't care about deadlines. The post office and customs doesn't care about my little packages. There are things beyond my control and sometimes you just need to find an alternate solution rather than fight and struggle.

Sometimes you have to throw your hands in the air and give in! Sometimes that is the right thing to do to preserve your sanity.

These pieces, made with beautiful papers, glorious collage sheets, and super thick chip board bases should have been a hinged bookish boxy thing-a-ma-doodle. But something went sideways and the monkey wrench flew across the room and instead of one piece, I ended up with a several smaller bits.

I'm okay with that. I mean it's not what I set out to do, but honestly, some days I'm grateful for any beauty that comes my way. If things aren't going to plan, and that means a deconstructed butterfly garden... so be it.

Instead of assembling the Wide Letter Box Book as it should be put together, I've used each of the chipboard elements as a base for some pretty collage pieces.

I've embraced the *Butterfly Garden Kit theme, but used the pretty parts as separate elements.

And boy are they pretty! There's a reason I'm growing a butterfly garden this year.

And you know, I'm pleased with my butterfly garden pieces. Together or apart, they are rather pretty.

When you're struggling, I hope you know it's ok to give in a little. Struggles and mistakes can result in something just as nice as something made with purpose. And when your talking about butterflies and toadstools? Pfft, mistakes can be wonderful.

To make the above pieces I used:
English Fairy Garden Collage Sheet
Bees Collage Sheet
Butterfly Garden 6x6 Paper Pad
Antique ATC Pockets & Butterflies Collage Sheet
Wide Letter Box Book

All the bits can be found HERE

I hope you make loads of mistakes too :)

Free Photo Friday

Once a week I share an old timey photo from my personal collection. Feel free to use them in your mess making, art and crafting.

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

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. 

Moon Maiden ATCs

Playing around with pictures and words today, I made some Moon Maidens.

The aren't perfect, but I like the idea of them.

I like the idea of women dreaming under moonlight with messages carried by songbirds. 

I'm going to redo them. Give them a second chance.

I have ideas on how I'd like to improve them.

 But I think that the work made in the process of making is worthwhile too.

While these aren't where I want them to be...

... the are part of the journey.

And the journey is where so much of the good stuff takes place!

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