Three Little Birds.....

This little craft was inspired by a walk in the woods. It's simple but I think it turned out so cute!

We took a little twig hot glued on some sweet tiny birds and used fishing line to hang it. The whole thing is only about 4 inches long. Hang it in a window and maybe on a little tree.....

How Cute is This?

No sushi eating fairy would be caught dead without these Twiggy Chopsticks from Anthropologie!

find them here:
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=973403&navAction=jump&search=true&parentid=SEARCH_RESULTS

Make Me! ~ Fairy Houses ~

We found these little bird houses at Joann Fabric on sale for $1.00.

 We couldn't resist the urge to turn them into little fairy houses. We gently used a hammer to tap in the little perch so that it was level with the rest of the "house". We painted them and then decorated them with things we found in the woods as well as a few silk leaves.  This was a great project for kids and grown-ups!

How Cute is This??

 Back to School supplies for every Pirate....

from MudPuppy.com:

And finally, you'll need something to hold all of this stuff.....

find this at http://www.wraptingifts.com/

Festive Paper Garland

I love paper! My craft room is filled with odds and ends of scrapbook papers, wall papers, old cards, rice paper, etc. So many textures and colors, I love them all! This paper garland is a fun way to display all of those cool paper products and it looks great! 

I used a scalloped circle punch and punched out dozens of circles. Be sure to use something that looks pretty on both sides. I don't have a regular sewing machine so I dug out my mini machine and set to work.

Line up the circles and start sewing. Make sure each circle overlaps just a tiny bit to ensure your garland doesn't unravel. Wrap it around a tree, hang it from a chandelier, drape it across a garden fence.... there are so many places and ways to use a garland the possiblities are endless!

Summer Shadow Boxes

Every summer I add to the ever growing collection of beach finds. I have jar after jar filled with beautiful shells and sea glass. Some of these small treasures are too special to place in a jar and are best displayed in a shadow box. Here are a few....

For years I have collected pieces of shell, stone or glass shaped like hearts, I love seeing them all laid out together!

Tiny coquina clams measuring about a half an inch look like colorful fairy wings in the sand. I absolutely adore them so I came up with this little poem to add to their shadow box. 

Hopefully these shadow boxes will inpire you to create your own personalized art :)

How Cute is This?

Every mermaid needs something from Mangiacotti's "Ocean" line. Not only do their products come in the cutest containers but they smell wonderful.They have lotion, body wash, dish soap, air fresheners and much more.

The Mangiacotti company "creates, designs and produces environmentally and socially responsible bath, body and homekeeping products". So you can't go wrong! There are so many wonderful things on their site, be sure to check it out:
www.mflorals.com

Beach trips, family visits, pool time, reading in the hammock.....what a great time of year. No school work, sports, instrument lessons. etc. We've been taking it easy and enjoying the holiday. Our list of things we'd like to share has been growing so we are happy to be back at it! We hope everyone is having a great summer!

How Cute is This?

Since we showed you the cutest fairy baking products from http://www.bakeitpretty.com/ we thought it only fair to give the pirate baking products some love.

These are almost too cute to use!

Are you tough enough to use skull doilies?

Tissue and Wire Butterflies

 

These are a little messy to make but so much fun and the result is so pretty!

Here's what you need:

Wire - I used 20 gauge

Tissue Paper - cut into small strips

A small twig

Elmer's Glue

Glitter

Wire Cutters - you could also use a pair of old scissors

Wax Paper

                                                                                                                                                                                 

 Step 1:

Starting at the top op your twig wrap the wire down and then up again, leaving extra wire at both ends to make antennae. Use a pencil to curl the antennae.

 Step 2:

Cut a piece of wire about 8 inches long. Start at one end of your wire and form your wing, twisting the ends together.

Step 3:

Make a glue mixture of two parts glue, one part water. Gently dip a piece of tissue into the mixture (smooth off excess glue with your finger) and wrap it around the wire wing form. Keep adding pieces until the front and back of the wing form are covered. The tissue paper is very forgiving and will pretty much go where you mold it to. Work on wax paper to avoid a mess!

Step 4:

Sprinkle the wings with glitter and let dry in a sunny spot on the wax paper. After about an hour of drying flip the wings over to dry the other side. Once dry, wrap the long piece of wire at the base of each wing securely around the twig and your finished!

 

How Cute is This??

 Some seriously cute baking products from http://www.bakeitpretty.com/ !

In the UK they actually call cupcake wrappers "Fairy Cake Cases" - how cute is that?

Who doesn't need mushroom doileys?!

The "Mini Gnome" cutter is the cutest.

This kit could make the most awesome cake ever or you could use the pieces in a terrarium!

Check us Out!

If you are in the Annapolis area and are looking for an awesome place for a great breakfast or lunch, check out the B.B. Bistro. They are one of the first restaurants in Annapolis to receive the Environmental Stewardship Certification. Their food is made fresh every day (they don't even own a freezer)! 
Each month a new artist is featured in their restaurant, for the month of July we will have our Little Magic Doors on display and for sale. We are very excited to show off our doors in such a fantastic place. 
For their hours and location check out their website: http://www.bbbistroannapolis.com/

Tips and Tricks Thursday!

Happy Thursday to All!

Most of the time on Tips and Tricks day we offer suggestions for you 'fairy' door owners, but there are mermaids, pixies, gnomes, trolls and pirates out there too.

So we thought we would give you some ideas of things you might want to leave at your pirate fairy door!

gold coins
gems
pirate flags
bandanas
old maps
scrolls of parchment
mini sword toothpicks
citrus fruits (noone wants scurvy!)
little toy pirate ships
treasure chests
a pirate dictionary

There are tons more, but that's some place to start!

Have a great day!  Avast!!

How Cute Is This? Maybe not?

Today's how cute is this is not really that cute in the rubber duckie and baby pj's kind of way. But more in a clever, funny and weird kind of way. 

We know you know what pirates look like but what do they smell like? Well, seaweed and rum right? So if you want to smell like a pirate what do you do?  Here is the answer:

Seaweed and Rum Soap

it can be found here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/49079812/seaweed-n-rum-soap?ref=sr_gallery_16&ga_search_query=pirates&ga_search_type=all&ga_page=2&order=&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

Arrgh Maties!  Scrub up me hearties, Yo Ho!!

Avast! Create Ye Own Pirate Booty!

Here's what you need:

metallic gold and silver paint

black embossing powder

heat tool

pirate rubber stamps

slow drying ink pad, black or clear (I used Stampin Up Craft ink)

wooden discs

Here's what you do:

 Step 1: 
Paint the discs gold and let dry. Use the silver paint too paint around the edges of each coin.

Step 2:
Stamp the pirate image on to the coin. I used the following stamps: Pirate Skull by The Cat's Pajamas and pirate ship by A Muse Artstamps.

 Step 3:

Sprinkle embossing powder over the wet image

Step 4:
Gently tap off the excess powder

Step 5:
Apply the heat to until the powder melts (do NOT use a hair dryer!) Repeat the process for the other side of the coin!

~*~ Fairy Kabobs ~*~

These mini Fairy Kabobs are the perfect way to appreciate the last of the summer berry crop. We dipped blueberries, strawberries, mint leaves and lemon balm leaves into chocolate and chilled them in the fridge for 30 minutes. While they were chilling we took a few tooth picks and decorated the tops with mini Prima flowers and fancy paper strips. Once the chocolate on the fruit was firm we skewered them up and had the perfect fairy desert! Of course you don't have to dip the fruit in chocolate first but we can't comprehend why you wouldn't ;)

Craftyness without the mess!

So generally speaking we are pretty crafty around here...we bet lots of you are too! So we wanted to show you a cool outlet for your craftiness that makes no mess to clean up after!!

Check out this website where you can be your own fabric designer! Its called Spoonflower. ( http://www.spoonflower.com/welcome ) There are some super cute designs already there or you can upload your own design and get the designer discount!! Can't you just see tons of ideas swimming around in your head right now? There is a lot of mushroomy and gnomey deliciousness to be had there!!!

I especially love this one:

It's called 'Gnome, Alaska"   ( Hee hee!)

So go and check it out and start dreaming up your own fabric designs, I know we will be!!!

How Cute Is This??

Family Fun has the Fairy Village cake on their website. This is one seriously cute cake. It even has little mushrooms! We LOVE this idea.
Find the instructions here:
http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/fairy-village-cake-841589/

Make Your Own Pirate Map

No true Swashbuckler would be caught with out their trusty treasure map. You can make your own authentic looking map in no time at all.

Here's what you need:

-White canvas (in whatever size you want your map to be)

-paint brushes

-5-6 tea bags

-acrylic paint

-black Sumi Ink or a good black journaling marker

Step 1:
Cut your canvas to the size you'd like your map to be. Also cut a smaller sample swatch to test your paints on.

Step 2:

Fill a large sauce pan with water and bring to a boil, then remove from heat and add tea bags. Once the tea has steeped add the canvas, let soak 15 minutes or longer (if needed). Remove the canvas from the tea and rinse in cold water.

 Step 3:

Let the canvas dry completely - you can put it in the dryer if needed but it dries best in the sun. Don't iron it before painting, the wrinkles add to the old look and do not make it any harder to paint.

Step 4:

It's a good idea to draw a rough draft of your map on paper first. Start by using the black ink on the canvas first. The Sumi ink works great and does not run but you have to apply it with a paint brush. I found that my Stampin' Write Journaler maker works great and didn't run. If you have a black or dark brown marker to use try it on your test canvas first. Once all of your outline work is finished it's time to paint. Use a small dollop of acrylic paint with water added to it to give it a more watercolor look as well as make it easier to paint. I tried each color on the test canvas before I added it to my maps. FYI, metallic paint dilutes well and looks awesome.

AAAARG! Here be my map!

I couldn't resist the urge to make a map of Fairyland while I was working...

Your map doesn't need to be this detailed, this would be a great project for the kids too! You could draw a map of your own neighborhood - Pirate style!