Just What Have I Been Doing Anyway? :)

Hello Ladies! :)

I wanted to show you what I managed to finish while I've been drowning in work, laundry, and leading Lillian's new Daisy troop! First, a bit of paperclay! I have witches in progress, but could just not NOT work on this little bunny couple!

I think they are called Make-Dos? It was really fun piecing this together. The candlesticks were once brass, but are now dark brown and aged. The egg they are sitting in was from Lillian's Easter basket. The bust is also made of Easter eggs. The couple are wearing HANDMADE lace that I bought at an antique store in Big Bear, Ca and dyed them with tea. The buttons are from Lillian's baby clothes...how fun is that?
The eggs were covered in vintage text, but the back was really fun. Those swirls are embossed and you can see the letters peeking through underneath. The bunnies are aged and softly tinted. I like that it would be good for Easter, but could also sit out all year because it doesn't scream holiday. It is listed on etsy as a set and they are more close-up pictures there too.

Next, my painting collage of Alice...all grown up!

Even though Alice probably would have loved to stay young and play in Wonderland everyday, she grew up as all little girls do. That does not mean, however, that she forgot about those times chasing that lovely rabbit! If you look at her skirt, you can see that part of Wonderland is always on her mind!

Even though Alice grew up, she still manages to sneak away from her adult life and visit wonderland every now and then. She leaves the laundry, the cooking, and the stress to travel to that other world, have a very merry unbirthday, and allow herself to be a little girl again...even if just for a little while. Here she is, contemplating yet another adventure.

Were you a little girl once too? Alice wants to remind you to always take some time out for yourself and allow that little girl to come out every now and then and refresh your spirits. After all, if you're not going to have fun now...just WHEN will you have it?

Priceless

My honey, Awesome Guy, had his birthday on Sunday. Look at how Madeline enjoyed the homemade chocolate cake. The look on her face IS priceless, and that I caught it on tape is even better! Happy Birthday Baby!

By the way, the clutter in the background is mine...sorry! BUT it is CRAFTING clutter, so that makes it okay, right? Awesome Guy built me a MoNsTeR crafting table which I will one day show you. It is only 19" deep, but unfolds into a gigantic play space that will hold all three of my sewing machines set up at once AND room in the middle to play. There is storage too of course! We took the bed of out the guest bedroom and I had a studio for 2 or 3 months before I got pregnant (planned, just didn't know when) and we turned that room into Lil's room.

Phew...losing my breath! lol My point is that my fabulous table is now scrunched under the breakfast bar in our kitchen and since I don't have the closet anymore, all the supplies are stashed under, over, and around. lol Yet another reason I am trying to use the supplies I have before buying more, but in the end, I end up buying supplies to finish the projects I started with the supplies I had!

Haha! That was a ramble if I ever saw one, but that is just the kind of mood I'm in right now.

HUGS to all my ArTiStic Ladies! :)

How to Have a Fairy Hunt Part 2

Step 3: Look for fairy dust...you can usually find it where a fairy has sat, danced, or flown. Follow the trail of dust and you never know what you might find!

A fairy CLEARLY rested on this rock...and quite recently too!The trail of fairy dust led us to a small fairy ring, and a few other little nooks. But the GASP didn't come until she saw the chair and tables. There was even a fairy book that was hastily left behind! It was a diary...call us snoops, but we just HAD to read it! The diary belonged to a fairy named Shimmer. She just moved here to get away from a gnome that was stealing all her fairy dust...how dare he! She was currently living with some baby bluebirds, but they were growing so fast she was running out of room. We saw the mommy bird earlier that day! In her last entry, she wished for a home of her own.Madeline, what did YOU find?A canoe! Or as Lillian first called it, a Kazoo!

Step 4: Leave a gift for the fairy.

Lillian made this house all by herself. She painted each wall a different color...even blended them too. There is a bed inside and she decorated it with little baubles from around the house. Broken bits of this and that, but that were still beautiful. The magic keyhole we put on all the fairy houses we make. This glass bauble lets Shimmer know the house is hers and that Lillian made it for her. The glue was still drying, so wasn't clear yet.The door is hinged with fabric scraps and the doorbell is a jinglebell hung from an earring.Two charms that have fallen off and a bit from a broken tiara adorn the top of the house.

Ranger Marian has offered to look after Shimmer's house and keep it in good repair. Later Shimmer wrote a response to the note Lillian left in her diary...thanking her for the house and offering the diary as a gift. Here's a video Lillian wanted to make for you all about her little fairy house.

I highly suggest that one day, you go on a fairy hunt of your own! :)

How to Have a Fairy Hunt

Step 1: Find a forest that has reported sightings of fairies and set up camp. Walk around, scope the place out and let the fairies get used to you being there. We went to Upper Lake Mary.
Madeline, feeling the heat of the fire, just like silly Grampy! She also bonded with the men by sitting in her tweety chair, crossing her legs, and sticking her hands in her pants, but I couldn't seem to get a picture of that. See what men will do when left to their own devices?! lol

Here's a video of our campfire to get you in the mood!

Step 2: Dress so that the fairies know that you are a friend to their kind. We picked flowers and made ridiculously large hair garlands. The girls dressed in white to show their innocence and purity of heart. Looks a whole lot better with the garland than a camping sweatshirt too! lol

Remember I did say RIDICULOUSLY big! The face is priceless...someone has not learned how to pose yet. lol I take what I can get! :)To be continued!

Halloween ACEOs

Good Morning All!

Thank you for all the Kindred Spirit love! :) It truly is an amazing community we have here!

We went camping over the weekend and went on a fairy hunt! You won't believe what we found!

For now though, Madeline wants to go down for her nap. I do have time to show you the ACEOs I put up on ebay. I made 4 others, but they are for a swap and I can't show them just yet. This was my first time making ATCs. It was fun to see how small I could do a face! Boy, did I get on a roll!
I just treated them like mini paintings. Lillian had me hold them up like cards and she would pick the one that I would paint that day. It was a great game, and she'd rush home to see it finished.

I just love that little girl! I hate to take her to school, but can't help but smile watching her run off to get in line. She's so brave and it makes me realize that she's her own little person and is seeing the world through her own little set of eyes. Now if she would just remember it when I ask her how her day was!

Have fun today ladies!

"Have You Ever Discovered Another Kindred Spirit?"

I'm a bit of an oddball in real life. I don't know anyone that crafts the way I do...obsessively. My sister quilts, my neighbor knits, I have a friend that can do amazing things with puff paint (*wink- Hey Lindsey!), but it's just not the same, you know? I get made fun of a bit too. I probably deserve it when I bring my sewing machine on vacation! When someone is crafty, around here it is called "pulling a Meredith." One friend choked on her drink as I was talking to her...I asked what was wrong and she said, "Sorry, I just never thought I would hear "So I was making 10 detective capes when..." in my life." In this respect, I stand out around here with no one to relate to.

That's why I love blogland so much.

It didn't hit me until I saw this:

Two marvelous paintings of Anne and Diana...the famous kindred spirits.

"I've always dreamed of having a "bosom" friend...a true kindred spirit"~Anne

So here I am thinking, first "I LOVE that book/movie!" Practically grew up on the series and SERIOUSLY thought I had to have a ton of doilies ready before I got married just like them! What I would not give to live on PEI and walk along the Lake of Shining Waters.

Secondly, how glad I was to find someone who loves Anne of Green Gables so much that they would paint them like this! This person, who is by the way, the very talented Lisa Lectura of ll*creations, gets me. I get her. Here, in blogland, we are kindred spirits of sorts.

This led me to think about all the other blogs I read. How happy I am to see people who have so many craft supplies that they need their own rooms...just like me! That thrive on imagination and creativity, and frankly, can't live properly without making something on a regular basis. That understand the joy it is to just sit down and create and see where the process takes you. You are a kindred spirit too!

This community that I have found supports its members, providing encouragement, friendship, and sharing knowledge.

"Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?" -Anne

You all have shown me wonderful things. My blogroll is full of positivity and focusing on the joys of life, big and small. All this optimism has affected my daily life and the inconvenient, frustrating parts of it seem a lot smaller in comparison.

“Kindred Spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. Its splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.” - Anne

I have created an award, inspired by Lisa Lectura's paintings, to give to you. If you are on my blogroll, this award is for YOU. If you read my blog, this IS for you. Our common love for creating has made us kindred spirits and I am thankful for you. Please accept this badge:

Take it, save it, place it with your other awards. Pass it on if you like, but only if you want to, no pressure. It is a gift, not a tag. All I ask is this, have a glass of raspberry cordial on me.

"I love bright red drinks, don't you? They taste twice as good as any other color." -Anne

You can find the recipe here.

"That's awfully nice raspberry cordial, Anne," she said. "I didn't know raspberry cordial was so nice." -Diana

Thank you for sharing this part of your life with me, and thank you for allowing me to share mine.

P.S. Let me know how you like the cordial! :)

Miracles for Mallory

*Taken from the website


"Mallory Marie was born with Trisomy 18. She had a severe heart defect and an omphalocele. Throughout the pregnancy, Mallory was given little hope of surviving the birth. Beating those odds, Mallory fought to stay alive for four wonderful days, touching every person that came into contact with her. She was a magnificent little girl who only blessed lives and knew love."

Starting September 7th, Mallory's family will be holding a silent auction to raise money to help other families affected by Trisomy 18. I lost a niece to this chromosomal defect, Kaleigh Jane, who passed on February 7, 1994. In honor of her and my sister, I am donating my original painting of Kaleigh's little sister's softie.

I would greatly appreciate it if you would please visit Miracles for Mallory to see their story, the auction, or even find out how to donate. I'm off now, to hug my girls a bit tighter and longer than usual. :)

Thank you,

I have a new nephew! :)

Hudson Alexander...born just yesterday...isn't he cute?! Such a little gentleman already!