Finished photo props

I wanted to share my mostly finished letters with everyone. I finished painting each of my letters, and promptly took the family to the beach for our Christmas photos. The image below is just one of the configurations of the letters. I will be sending out Christmas cards with another arrangement, and will be posting a digital version as well closer to the holidays when everyone has had a chance to receive their cards. I hope you all enjoy.

Photo-props

There are a plethora of lovely large letters on Etsy and even in main stream craft stores, but they are so expensive! Well not really, but I just can't see putting $10-15 dollars per letter for cardboard (mainstream stores) when I can make at least five letters for about $25 when complete. Now this is a work in progress, but I wanted to take a minute and share with everyone else. I bought two half pieces of MDF at the hardware store for $20.95. You can also buy a full piece for the same price, but I have a crossover SUV and it wouldn't have fit. So back to what I was saying. I brought them home, drew my letters on the board then had the hubby cut them out with a jigsaw. Here are the results thus far.

As you can see just by re-arranging the letters, taking one away and replacing it you can create multiple words which can cut down on your cost. I will keep everyone updates as this progresses. I plan on using these for photo-props for my Christmas cards. I hope you all enjoy.

Change is a coming

After being in Germany for 2 1/2 years, we are safely back in the extremely hot states. Back to our roots in Sunny and did I mention HOT Florida. I hope that all of you can keep cool during this heat wave that is baking our beautiful USA.
Though it is short, I just wanted to pop in and say hello to my fellow bloggers. Within the next month after about a dozen new appointments, I will be happily back to my sewing machine, and mucking around in some dental stone again, to bring you new creations.

The fey are excited as well, for most of them are very familiar with Europe, but not so much with America, so they asked me to give them a bit of a tour around, incognito of course. ;D. As I do a bit of traveling and getting re-acquainted with forgotten things, I will happily share my findings with you as well.

I hope you all are enjoying your summer, and tell you embrace the wave of change, for it can be glorious and not just HOT!. Much love to you all.

Etsy Craft Night

So, tonight is Etsy's craft night. Whatever crafts you want to do. All night long. Unfortunately I have no buddies near me that may be participating, so it will be me and the girls, as daddy will be at a buddies playing D&D. Soooooooo. If anyone would like to participate long distance, I'll be online off and on all night long. Feel free to play the music loud, and cover the floor with paper, fabric, beads and glitter. ;D

Need some inspiration to get you going. I made this little mouse for a larger project that I will be doing, and will possibly be offering some on Etsy in the future.

Isn't she adorable. My inspiration was a little pincushion but you had to purchase the pattern, while it was a reasonable price, I figured I could make it myself, so I did. The pattern needs some tweaking, but perhaps, I will offer it as a freebie when I get it right.

So, Hope to see your crafties. Feel free to comment, and add links showing off your blog, and crafts.

saddness

I have been neglecting my blog lately, though I am trying not to. Unfortunately the day after I posted about the wonderful Percival, he passed away. He simply went to sleep and did not wake up. Now he soars with the Seraphim's and guards Nevermoore forever.

Due to his death as well as the insanity of getting ready to move, as well as family coming in for vacation, I will be postponing my creativity challenge, and will post a new notice as soon as I begin again. Due to the time delay in between, I will be starting over, and encourage you to start with me. I will still be making posts to my blog, and sharing inspirations with you. Please feel free to share with others you know who may need some inspiration in their lives. Thank you.

A visitor from Nevermoore

It was a dark and stormy night when there came a rap, rap, rapping at my door... (Okay, so it was a bright windy sunny day, but doesn't the other make a much more interesting beginning?) Back to the tale. Busy was I at my crafting tasks, undecided as to what I should create for day six of my 30 days of creativity, when a rap, rap, rapping broke my thoughts. I hastened to the door, and what did I find, but a baby Raven in much despair, staring at me with his soft black eyes. A friend had found him outside on the sidewalk, and knowing our love of animals brought him to us.

I stared back into his dark eyes, and in a voice much like that of Antonio Banderas, pleaded: "Please, my lovely lady of Nevermoore. I beseech thee to take me in until I can recover from my mishap with el Gato."

Of course I took him in, who can refuse Antonio Banderas. ; D

My friend had no idea at the importance of this particular Raven, for he whispered his name only to me. 


"Percival, the great messanger of Airẽnatlica. The Serepherim's blessed me upon my hatching. Unfortunatley I was a bit too cocky and when I stepped to the edge of my nest I slipped quite ungracefully and fell through the Veil to Earth. That was when I met el Gato, daughter of el Diablo himself. It is a shame, I must say, for she was quite a beauty, with such a silky cream coat. I feared that I had startled her, but when I begged amends she batted me with outstreatched claw, and bared her teeth at me. I tell you though, she got my tail feathers, but I beat the boots off of Puss. I must admit, this was quite new, as normally I have no trouble at all with the ... ladies."


By this time, my friend had become quite tired and nestled himself down in the crook of my arm where he received a well deserved kiss from an adoring princess.

He went to sleep and has been recovering with us since. Many tales he has related to us of Nevermoore, and we tell him tales of Earth here. Eventually we know he will bid us adieu, and he has said as much, but I believe he is waiting for nicer weather as it has in truth turned dark and dreary outside our window.

Day 5 & 6: 30 Day Challenge

I'm going to do this a bit different today, and put day six first since it is the freshest in my mind. So day six is another bracelet. I made it for my daughter. The beads are made from paper scraps. You take long triangle strips, wrap around a bamboo skewer starting with the fat side rolling toward the skinny, (think crescent rolls) add a tad of glue, and wait to dry. For added durability you can add a paper glaze, or a mod podge to the outside. Here are the results.

For day five, I began work on a ruined tower with blocks made from castlemolds, from Hirst Arts. These are similar to the Dungeon pieces I am selling on my Etsy store. I am so excited with how this piece is turning out. It is still not finished, but I have started on it, and have the finished piece done in my head. The tree was entirely hand shaped from ultra light Fimo clay. Then painted. The broken blocks were all hand busted with a hammer and flat head screwdriver to give it the ruined appearance. I hope you enjoy.

Here are the before shots, after I just finished cooking the piece in the oven to set up the clay.

And here are the shots, after I added the paint and touch up's to the tower.



Day Four: 30 day Challenge

So for day four, I have a pretty cute little soda tab braclet. It was a pain in the butt. I will not lie to you. After a while you get a hang of the threading pattern, but it was a pain. Either that or the headache I had from work, just overwhelmed me. : (. But a promise is a promise. I have been seeing all over the place that Kristen Stewart from Twilight wears one of these, so for you Twilight fans, or recycled accessory fans. Here are the results.

30 Day Challenge

So first. Let me apologize for forgetting to post reminders about the upcoming 30 day challenge. Plus I fell off the boat in posting my own creations. So today you get three times the photos. :D Also, the rules of this particular challenge can be found under the challenges and contests page.

Day one: Unfortunatley, not the most creative for me, I worked on some rough sketches for my Army Ants book, that is with an agent. Hoping to get the sketches done before their book conference in New York, but I don't know if it is going to happen. I'll keep my fingers crossed. So here is a photo of day one's creativity.

Day Two: Resulted in much more creativity, even if my husband says I cheated because I helped my daughter on a project. It's still being creative. : )~  We made a tamborine out of recycled pizza boxes, and a soda box. Then filled it with beans to rattle. Painted it black, my daughter cut out a moon and star shapes, then we sealed the whole thing with a coat of Sparkle Mod Podge. Tied some eyelash yarn around with beads, and that's that. See the photo below.

Day Three: So far my favorite day. I created a hat, for a surprise I am planning for next Mother's Day. I know that is a way's off, but I figure maybe if I begin planning it now, I will have everything ready within a year. LOL. So I began with a plain white velor plastic party top hat, I had left over from my girls Un-Birthday celebration. I cut circles from masking tape for the bubbles and then sprayed the hat with Ritz fabric dye in green and blue. Then removed the masking tape circles once the dye had dried. I had my daughter show me how to create tissue paper flowers (Because it has been to long for me since elementary and I forgot how to make them), then added ribbon. Presto chango, boring white plastic hat, to tea party worthy hat.

I hope you enjoy my first three days of creativity. Please feel free to share what you are creating. Oh and just a P.S. I am considering doing a how-to possibly on you-tube, or even step by step by pictures. If there is any interest. Please let me know, as I would love to share my creative insanity with you. It can be contagious if exposed to the right elements.

Slow and Steady

Wins the race. Or so I've been told in the Tortise and the Hare. I now have a posting under the tea party section, with a photo. : D I say I'm very excited to have figured that out. Now if only I can figure out how to get in text links to work, I'll be all set. Enjoy the posting thus far, and keep a look out for new items in the etsy store, as well as new challenges and contests.

Re-vamp

Working on re-vamping my blog. I have added new pages. You can now find how my family discovered Nevermoore on the Beginnings page. I will be working on updating, the site for a couple of weeks, so please do not become discouraged if you visit the site and everything is discombobulated. : D

I look forward to you traveling between the realms with me, so hop on the back of our gypsy wagon, and travel with us.