Incipient wings

Swaps

2012-02-11T15:21:00.000-08:00

Hello,
hope everyone is doing great.
First of all, I'd like to thank everyone that left me a comment on my last post, you all make blogging so worth it.
Before I get to announcing the winner I'd like to share a few pretties with you.
The Tucson Swap Queens had an envelope swap, the one I received was stuffed full of amazing goodies, from the lovely Alex Hardy but I opened it before I had a chance to photograph it....this is the one I made.

I also participated in The heart and flower Valentine swap hosted by Wendy from Bliss Angels and my partner was WENDY!!!She sent me one of her deliciously magical creations:

The beautiful card she created...

this is the tin I sent her,
The lid...

the inside,

Then!Linda from Olde Baggs 'n stuft shirts sent me this beautiful sweet smelling little sachet she made!For no reason, other than she's just an awesome lady, thank you so much Linda!

Once again I used a random number generator to choose a winner for my 2 years of blogging gift and the winner is #16...Kristin from Twinkle Twinkle.
Have a great week and thank you for stopping by.

Two years old!

2012-02-02T23:24:00.000-08:00

The 30th of January marked two years since my first blog post
Thank you to everyone!You have been so supportive and kind.
I've having a give away to show my appreciation.
Just leave a comment and on Friday the 10th I'll pick a winner.

Mushroom Fairy

2012-01-27T12:38:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, in a tidy little cottage, there lived a woman.
Every night she would sit at her window and gaze up at the glittering heavens and imagine her true love. Night after night she sat hoping he would appear, but to no avail.
So one rainy afternoon, she made a decision. After digging through a beautifully carved trunk of books, she found the one she needed.
Armed with a cauldron filled with roses, candles, herbs and her magical book, she set off through the damp, tangled woods.

In a grove filled with wild flowers and poisonous toadstools, she cast a love spell so powerful, even the predators of the forest felt no animosity in their hearts when they spied her amongst the trees.

Once the moon had risen, golden and ripe, she carefully poured the elixir into a vial for safe keeping.
Not noticing the single drop that fell silently to the ground, she packed up her cauldron and headed home.

From that errant drop sprang a beautiful fairy, so tiny, the wildflowers towered over her.
Her small heart was overflowing with love, and everything she touched felt the power of it.
Birds sang sweeter, wild beasts grew tame and human hearts beat faster.

She lives among wildflowers.So remember next time you are out walking on a trail or camping in the woods, if you happen to see a flash of bright red or feel a fluttering in your heart, it could be her. To actually see her, means true love is near.

As for the lady that cast the spell, well that's another story.

The End

Happiness!!!!

2012-01-18T13:33:00.000-08:00

a few years ago, while at the bookstore, I happened to find an amazing book...I fell in love with the inspiring images and the whimsical projects.

I couldn't stop looking through it! Of course I purchased it.
I took it everywhere with me.... doctor's appointments, DMV, the airport to drop off Paul....any place that made me nervous or sad...it made me feel better, it made me feel safe somehow.
It wasn't until I looked up the author Lisa Kettell, that I decided to start a blog.
So you can imagine my absolute delight when she used some of my art...

in her newest printed zine Piddlestix!!!

I'm so, so excited!!!!!
If you get a chance please take a look at this kind-tireless-multi-talented-faerie-woman's blog...you will be completely enchanted!!

And please don't forget that in eleven days i'm having my 2 year blogiversary and giveaway!

see you soon.

Little surprises

2012-01-11T02:04:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!
what do you get when you combine glittery stars and polka dots?? Well, I'm not sure either, but I'm know it's going to be something fun, especially when the stars were only fifty cents.

I love finding magical little treasures on a regular day. Look at these adorable cupcake ornaments that were 75% off.

And this kitty...he's perfect, no knocking iphones off the sofa and shattering the screen...no jumping up and landing in the toilet...no smacking you as you walk by..

And who else has seen the glittery bunches of daisies at Walmart? So cute!

It was a day filled with little surprises, the perfect kind of day to have I think.
And speaking of surprises....I have one for you, My two year blogiversary is on the 30th and I'm working on a glittery give away just for you!
Now to finish off the day I'm off to have a freshly baked brownie:)
see you soon!

A new year

2012-01-04T13:33:00.000-08:00

Now that the dust has settled, and the party goers have gone home...

We move on to sweeter holidays:) I don't know about you, but I love January and February...the air seems sweeter, almost like you can smell candy wafting in the breeze.

This of course, is inspiring to me, I can imagine fairies whispering from the branches of trees, crystals sparkling in the sunlight, goblins selling their enchanted wares...they're there, we just need to look

It's a new year with so many amazing possibilities.
I hope you find much happiness, magic and inspiration.
Happy New Year!!

Glitter and stuff

2011-12-28T15:42:00.000-08:00

Hello!
I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas! We had a great time...watching a four year old zipping around preparing for Santa is very funny and a little sad at the same time, I know it wont be long before she outgrows this.

we tried to create something festive every day.
Some salt dough and cinnamon ornaments,

Felt gingerbread boys,

Glittered paper trees,

cotton beard Santas,

An assortment of oddly decorated cookies,

More cotton ball usage,(remind me next month when I rant about how we've run out of cotton balls)

I also made a sugar plum fairy mobile to hang over Helena's bed, which was so fun to do I am going to make some more to hang out in my fairy garden in a few days.

Have a wonderful evening, take care this weekend and I'll see you next year:)

Candied Oranges

2011-12-17T13:00:00.001-08:00

Candied oranges!
They're delicious and easier to make than you think.
I followed this recipe from food network
All you need is:
6 thick-skinned navel oranges
4 1/2 cups sugar, plus extra for rolling
1 1/2 cups water
Directions
Cut tops and bottoms off of the orange and score the orange into quarters, cutting down only into the peel and not into the fruit. Peel the skin and pith of the orange in large pieces.
I got Paul to help me cut the peel into strips about 1/4-inch wide.

Put the orange peel in a large saucepan with cold water to cover, bring to a boil over high heat. Then pour off the water. Repeat 1 or 2 more times,this helps remove the bitterness.Remove the orange peels from the pan.

Whisk the sugar with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 to 9 minutes (If you took the sugar's temperature with a candy thermometer it would be at the soft thread stage, 230 to 234 degrees F.) Add the peels and simmer gently, reducing heat to retain a simmer. Cook until the peels get translucent, about 45 minutes. Resist the urge to stir the peels or you may introduce sugar crystals into the syrup. If necessary, swirl the pan to move the peels around.

Drain the peels, then roll them in sugar and dry on a rack, for 4 to 5 hours. Return to the sugar to store.

Once they are dry you can dip them in dark chocolate but I like them plain.
Enjoy!

A composer & a circus act

2011-12-15T22:21:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone for their lovely birthday wishes!I had an incredible birthday this year, with good food, great company and beautiful gifts.
My daughter, Gabriella made this for me using products from my favorite artist Lisa Kettell.
I LOVE it!!!

And she made this ring for me too!

We have a winner for the birthday giveaway....
Random number generator chose comment five, congratulations to Ann from tin and sparkle.
I'll be back soon, I'm off to make candied oranges:)

Birthday Giveaway

2011-12-10T01:10:00.000-08:00

It's time to make a...

blow out the candles...

And have a huge chunk of gingerbread cake...

it's also time to leave a comment so you can win a little gift.

Thank you everyone!

Christmas swaps

2011-12-07T18:55:00.000-08:00

Hello! are you having fun baking, shopping and savoring every single sweet minute?

I'm trying:)I've participated in a couple holiday swaps,
Wendy from Bliss Angels hosted The Christmas cheer tin swap, (thank you Wendy!)
This is the tin I made (which you have seen)

this is the inside,

Then Karen from Karen's Monday Musings invited me to join in an altered cigar box secret Santa swap (sheesh say that 3 times fast!)with her super talented friends in the Tucson Swap Queens group.
I was secret Santa for someone that likes Angels,
This is what I made..

this is the inside...

And this is what I got from my secret Santa...

The inside was filled with homemade cookies and peppermint pretzels...which are all gone:) so no pic!
I hope everyone is getting into Holiday mode, I've been busy decorating, even the gypsy wagon has a bitty tree in it..

Come back soon to get a chance to win a small bag of magical goodies on my birthday!
Have a great night!
Marfi

Birthday week (give or take a few days) & it's December

2011-12-01T01:37:00.000-08:00

I love December!
makes me think of gold & silver glitter softly falling, pink frosting, the smell of gingerbread! Wonderful magical happy stuff.

And it's my birthday this month on the tenth:)So you know what that means???Cake!
Candles!

And of course a giveaway for you!
I'll let you know what goodies I have in store for you soon.
Meanwhile, it's time to go outside and soak up the December weather, it's overcast, 57 degrees and sprinkling!
Have a magical day!

Sweetness

2011-11-27T22:50:00.000-08:00

Hi, how was your holiday weekend?
Ours was very nice, quiet & uneventful, plus My dad is feeling much better (thank you!)
Once stress slips away my muse comes by for a visit, so I was able to finish up a swap I was working on.

I found some adorable lollipop ornaments,

which inspired me to make a little garland, using pompoms and foam marshmallows

November just flew by for me, and I'm hoping that December can be enjoyed more thoroughly, I'd like to squeeze every last bit of sweetness out of it if I can, and savor every moment.

I hope everyone has a sweet week.

Incipient Wings

2011-11-20T18:25:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone
Just wanted to write and share what's been going on in my little corner of the desert with you...
My dad is feeling under the weather so I'm pretty stressed out about that.
I wont go into to detail...but prayers would be helpful:)

Another thing is that I recently found another blog using my exact name.
It's a bit upsetting because it's not just a name I picked because it sounded neat.
The title of my blog was something that I took a while settling on, I was new to blogging and afraid of putting myself out there for fear of rejection of my thoughts and ideas..
So I chose Incipient Wings because that described how I felt with everything...barely emerging, art, life, writing, photography, friendships.
it also represented how we are always learning and no matter what we all have incipient wings about something somewhere in our lives.

I just wanted my amazing friends and followers to know this, just in case this other blog leaves comments for them...

So that's the long and short of it around here, thank you for visiting a not so happy blog post.

I hope everyone had a good weekend.
Marfi

PS When I went to look at this other blog, I noticed a couple comments from people that know of My Blog I don't know who you are but I thank you for trying to help out:)

M

Song to the moon

2011-11-15T15:16:00.000-08:00

I think I have four favorite fairy tales, & most of you know that The Frog Prince is one of them. Now I'd like to tell you about another one...
The Little Mermaid...
everything about this story is beautiful to me.. her incredible garden under the sea, with it's treasures salvaged from ship wrecks, the immense love she feels for the beautiful prince, even the way she perishes in the end.

Sometimes I find different versions of this story which are good, But I recently read this..

It's absolutely enchanting!If you've not read it yet, I highly recommend it.

I've created this painting in honor of The Little Mermaid and for another of my favorite things, the opera Rusalka. The first song on my playlist is from that opera, in case you want to give it a listen.

Have a magical day!

I won I won I won

2011-11-13T02:01:00.000-08:00

Hello again..
I got a wonderful gift in the post today:)Don't you love getting fun stuff in the mail??
OK, I unwrapped the package and this is what was in it.....

and inside this (giant) glittery box was all this magical witchy goodness!
You see I won a give away from the super generous Celia at Adventures of the striped stockings!

There's so many wonderful things to play with in here!There are pot holders, tea towels, socks, stickers, butterfly clips, stamps,(there's even a dia de los muertos stamp) cookie cutters, a skeleton key, ornaments, acrylic paint, a package of hot apple cider and a gorgeous gypsy print for me to frame and hang in my gypsy wagon!!!
Thank you so much Celia!You certainly know how to brighten someone's day.

Since we are on the subject of give aways I have my own give away winner to announce...
It's Betsy at From the mind of alphabetsy
congratulations!
Hope everyone has a beautiful Sunday.
I'll be back soon:)

Liebster picks

2011-11-10T16:23:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!
I have a list of my Liebster award choices.
Conversations with the muses
Tricia's blog is truly a fairyland! ethereal and stunning. The Lucky Few is her non profit organization dedicated to helping unwanted animals.
Karen's Monday Musings
Karen's artwork is just gorgeous! her blog is filled with amazing swaps and beautiful photos!
Dianie MacDesigns
Diane's blog has the most incredible little creatures!!!She is an extremely talented artist!!you're going to want to scoop up her whimsical hand made creations!
La Llorona Arts
Georgina's blog is very entertaining, she never fails to make me laugh out loud...and her art dolls are awesome!!
Sinderella's Studio
Dana's Blog is filled with her wonderful paintings and art journalings, and...she rides a Harley!!! she's too cool!

I hope you take a look at these wonderful blogs, you wont be disappointed:)
goodnight!

It's a big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey...stuff

2011-11-08T23:30:00.000-08:00

When I first met my husband I'd never heard of Doctor Who...
I didn't really know the extent of his obsession, it was a show he'd watched all his life and to be honest I was too enchanted with his lovely British accent to really care about what TV shows he grew up with..lol

He gave up a lot of his collection to move here from the UK, including a full size 'robot' called a Dalek , which he built himself.

Since then he has built up his collection significantly. From Dalek pencil boxes....

To Sonic Screwdrivers....

We have about 3000 Daleks now.....ok not really 3000, just seems like it.
(this is only a few of them)

They make a plush toy of everything!!This is a TARDIS, which is a time machine Doctor Who travels in.

Paul recently built a full size TARDIS...but it doesn't really travel through time....yet:)

Speaking of traveling, Paul's job requires him to go allllll over the world...while traveling he enjoys taking photos of the amazing destinations he's visiting.
He is currently selling a book of his photos

If any one is interested in more info about his photos please click here.

He's a big geek and even though the TARDIS, Daleks, and Cyber men are taking over I don't mind at all.
That's it for now, I'm going to make a cup of cocoa and watch an episode of Doctor Who...what can say, it grew on me:)

Goodnight!

Blog award!

2011-11-07T13:54:00.000-08:00

Guess what? Pattie from hollyhock farms has given me a Liebster award.It is given to recognize up and coming bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers.
I have to choose five other blogs for this award (which I will do by email) once they are notified I will post them here!
Have a great week:)

collage obsession challenge:Gracielus Cattus

2011-11-06T17:41:00.000-08:00

The subject on Collage Obsession Challenge this week is black cats

I just made this for my niece Grace who seems to be a sort of 'cat whisperer'
and since we have so many kitties it seemed appropriate.
Thank you for visiting.

First week-end of November

2011-11-06T01:21:00.000-07:00

Hello..we've been having delicious weather lately! the high today was 59 degrees!
To some of you with snow falling that might seem like t-shirt weather but to us here in the desert, it's a sign that winter is on it's way!
In honor of the Dia de los muertos parade tonight, I decided to post some pictures of a few things I've made.... a Frida canvas.

This chandelier was actually two separate sconces that I stuck together with liquid nails then I painted it with a green patina and added the skulls, flowers and crystals.

This mini shrine is on my work table in the gypsy wagon
It gives me great comfort to have a reminder of my mother in there.

It even has a miniature wood burning stove I found at a thrift store!
My mom had two full size wood burning stoves & making tortillas or an amazing dinner was something she enjoyed doing for us.So finding this bitty treasure was especially fortunate.

Last but not least, here's a picture of Helena in her sugar skull make-up, she's all ready for the parade!

I'll post some pictures of the festivities later this week.
Have a great Sunday.

Tea Party Under a Halloween Moon 2011

2011-10-30T01:18:00.000-07:00

Greetings fellow witches!!Hope everyone is having an amazing Halloween weekend!
Let's join Anna from Frosted Petunias at her Witches tea party under a Halloween moon!
First, through the pumpkin patch

It's getting dark now... follow the lit pumpkins....

Oh look, here comes someone to help us get to the party

I think we're getting close, see the stars?

I smell something wonderful and sweet! It's a candy house!

Let's go inside and see what treats we can feast on...

I think I will have the magic cocoa

Oh! I think someone wants a sip...

Did you know there's a fortune teller here??
Want a peek into the future?Let's go outside to the gypsy tent...

Here she is!She looked in her crystal ball and told me that one of you is going to be the lucky recipient of a magical giveaway in two weeks!!!Yay!

Now, before we head back home lets pay our respects to the dead in honor of Dia de los muertos.
This is a shrine I created for my mother.

I'll leave a candle lit for her.

Thank YOU for joining me here tonight and many thanks to our witchy hostess, Anna.
Have a sweet, glittery, magical Halloween!!!

Halloween Tin swap

2011-10-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

Wendy from Bliss Angels hosted an altered tin swap and she paired me with Karen from Karen's Monday Musings who lives about 15 minutes from me!! We met for lunch and talked and talked and talked!
She gave me my tin in a cute little drawstring pouch she made herself, she even included some delicious candy she bought from her recent trip to Germany, but, I didn't get a chance to photograph it:)

Inside was this gorgeous ATC she created..

This is the tin...

the inside...

and this is the one I made for her...
I decided to make it a shrine so I removed the lid completely.

Thanks to Wendy for hosting such great swaps!
I also wanted to add that I have a winner for the Practical Magic painting used the random number generator and it chose #24 Victoria, from Brushstrokes
Congratulations!

Practical Magic 2011

2011-09-22T03:33:00.000-07:00

Hello!
it's been too long since we last spoke. Time has been passing very quickly, my gypsy wagon is almost ready and here we are all set for the amazing Practical Magic party Anna is giving.
I hope we are set...!
Let me tell you what happened one evening last week
.....I was looking for ingredients and what not to finish up my party post
pictures...when I heard a strange little noise, I looked up and saw a frog, of all things just sitting and croaking a happy little tune

I got closer and it hopped away a bit, I followed and it disappeared into a storage shed, it was starting to get dark, but I was very curious...I went in and saw so many interesting things!

what caught my eye though, was a large dusty old chest I'd never seen before..

I had to look inside!The lid creaked as I opened it, what could be in it?

I took the shelf out and found this too..

old family treasures hidden away all these years...a gypsy belt, and jewelry box carved of ivory, rusty spice tins and silver picture frames. And the most amazing looking antique doll, I lifted her from the chest carefully, her dress looked as though it could fall apart at any moment! As I held her I noticed a small scroll fall from her hands and land on the rug

I set her down and began to read the faded words...

next thing I knew,the doll was gone & there were frogs everywhere,
there were candles
and an old book lying on the table.

Something caught my eye... I turned and saw..... Maria! She was picking flowers..holding them in her palm...

I watched as she whispered words into her hands...the petals she gathered started to fly!

Once they floated away into the sky, she turned and thanked me for releasing her for the night
we spoke of many things then we climbed onto the roof and she convinced me to jump!!!

The fall made me dizzy so I sat on the grass for a bit...the sun coming in through the bedroom window woke me up..I was tucked into bed...it was just a dream I'd had!
none of it had happened..

I sadly got out of bed and went in to the kitchen and found breakfast waiting on the table, and a lovely little guest!

I swear that's what happened to me one evening last week....
Have a magical weekend.
leave me a comment if you wish...let me know you stopped by, i'm giving away the painting of the witch with the umbrella in two weeks:)

My Frog Prince

2011-09-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

hi everyone,
remember when I posted about my favorite fairy tale?
Well about a week later I get this in the mail...

Paul saw my post and bought the album for me!Isn't that sweet?
Oh, and I've been painting a bit and I wanted to show you my version of Little Miss Muffet,

her dress is crushed up tissue paper and I used paper doilies for the apron.
I have a few more things I want to share with you, but I'll wait until after the Gypsy party.
Thank you for visiting,
m

2011-09-07T00:02:00.000-07:00

We Miss You!!!

weekend

2011-08-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

hi everyone,
well it's been hot and sometimes rainy here.
Ive been playing in the gypsy wagon often...I'm also working on some ideas
for Celia's Gypsy Dreams blog party and Anna's Practical Magic party.
There's a swap I'm participating in and some packages I need to send out:)
So i'm going to be a little busy for a while, but I'll be back in a week or two, hopefully with some Halloween goodies or a fairy tale to share.
Have great weekend.

fairy shoe swap & sneak peek

2011-07-31T23:09:00.001-07:00

I received my fairy shoe from Michelle and Ashley!
It's a little pincushion. She used an actual child's shoe and covered it over in cardboard, paper, and cloth .

This is the one I sent her..

Now I want to show you a very sneaky sneak peek into the gypsy wagon:)
This is the "work table" area

I've been having way too much fun in there...Painting and decorating and rearranging.
I lose track of time when I'm in there. I love it!
Another thing I've done is create a small gallery of art from amazing artists that have sent me ridiculously creative gifts.
OK, that's all for now, I hope you have a great week.

oh wait, just quickly I wanted to add that today was a pretty nice day, Paul and I spent the day together and he bought me two fairytale books, a magazine and some Halloween goodies.
Alright, that was my random happy for today:)

See you soon...

Happy weekend

2011-07-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

Hi again,
it rained all weekend!!!!!You know how that puts me in a Halloween mood!

It's so amazing to see an overcast sky here, even during monsoon season...this ominous looking cloud yielded light rain!

It didn't matter though, it came back later and made up for it...And the thunder was so loud!!!
We put a CD of Halloween music on and made Caramel apples dipped in peanuts and white chocolate chips...

And an un-birthday cake cause it just happened to be every one's un-birthday this weekend:)

Then we watched Hocus Pocus and made some Fall decorations.

Also....June from I sew cute has nominated my blog for an award...I have to post 7 random things about myself and nominate 7 recently discovered bloggers with this award...so here goes
1.I love cold weather
2.I'm allergic to pumpkin guts, so I can't carve jack o lanterns.
3.Easter is my least favorite holiday.
4.I love love love to read.
5.Costco makes me happy!
6.I have very vivid dreams.
7.tornadoes fascinate me

I will be contacting the 7 bloggers via email...:)

Have a good night!

A trip & a tale

2011-07-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Guess what?
I made a fairy house to put in the tiny garden I have!!
There's all kinds of fun stuff in this garden, magical secret things that I will only be sharing with you...but not all at once!
want to come see?
We have to go through a tunnel of leaves,

To a place where the roses are as big as dinner plates...

fairy plates...

where flowers are pillows and teacups are chairs.. (click for a closer look)

and fairies are in plain sight!

It's one of the best places to be...under the moon, sharing secrets, watching the fairies fly by...
since we are here, in the magic garden, I will tell you a tiny story..
when I was a little girl, my older sister had a record player, it was red and white, and it closed up like a suitcase when it wasn't in use.
This was something I'd coveted for a while...it was FINALLY given to me along with a few old albums.
One album had the Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. Another was a night in a haunted house (loved that one)
But my favorite one was a fairy tale, The Frog Prince.
I don't remember what was on side B anymore, I just know I felt so bad for that poor frog! I wanted the princess to be nice to him.I wanted to punch her nose!!
And I was always disappointed when the frog transformed...a talking frog was more magical than a prince! Don't you think?
What's your favorite fairy tale?

I guess we should go back now, it's almost dawn, and it's quite a journey home.
Luckily we have a gigantic kitty to guide us:)

thank you for letting me share a little bit of my garden with you..Have a magical day.

Where Bloggers Create 2011

2011-07-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

Hello!I'm so glad you stopped by today.
I'm joining in with Karen from My Desert Cottage for the third annual Where Bloggers Create party!!!

Not much has changed in here...

I love using shoe dividers to hold my artificial flowers and other bits & pieces.

We bought this wooden file cabinet at a yard sale for 5 dollars!

Glitter, ribbons, and beads.

I found this Kewpie at a yard sale under a pile of shoes.

This is my fruit and bones basket

Some of my jars...I have collected several more but I've been storing them in the gypsy wagon/camper

I love glass bowls, cups, and glasses.They're perfect for buttons and sequins.

This is a storage shelf for excess materials. There's a train case up here filled with rolled up felt sheets.

My yarns and some fabric fit in this shelf.

As you can see my studio is tiny!and not very fancy, but it serves it's purpose.
I don't have an inspiration or mood board, but I figure I don't need one, I just look around and feel inspired:)
I have everything within arm's reach, and if I feel like it, I can close the curtains and pretend I'm in a tent!

Thank you for stopping by and thank you to our hostess Karen!

Gifts

2011-07-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

Hi!
It's Guerrilla Friday again!
I left this little fairyhouse on a car at the bank:)

And look what I found when I got home!!!! I know, I know, you must be thinking big deal, a 2 inch mushroom! but we never get them much around here, it's so dry all the time, I've not seen a real live mushroom for years! And here, in my yard...right where the fairy party happened to be...so you see, it's magic, a gift from the fairies!

I hope you all have a magical weekend.
see you soon!

Rain

2011-06-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

It rained last night!
First storm of the monsoon season for us...it was gorgeous, claps of thunder, brilliant flashes of lightning, we even lost power for a few minutes!It was awesome.
Plus i'm feeling much better now, so I really enjoyed it. (thank you so much for your well wishes!)
Whenever there's rain, or it's overcast, I get into a happy/let's bake/tell stories/Halloweenish type mood.
So I'd like to share some pictures of a couple of stuffed characters I created.

This girly went to haunt a ghost hunting friend of mine..

And this young lady is going to a new home in N.M.in the next few days:)

I have a 'spooky' painting I started but that will have to be for a later post 'cause it's not quite finished.
Ok, I need to stop writing and get to work on the camper (since I've been neglecting it lately)
Hopefully it will rain again tonight!
Have a great Thursday, I'll see you soon.

Guerrilla Friday

2011-06-25T22:20:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a very short post as I'm feeling a bit under the weather right now..
for this week's Guerrilla Friday, I decided on a scroll..which I left on a bench at the park..

On the inside, I wrote

I'll be back later this week, hope you all have a great Sunday.

Fairy Day party

2011-06-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

Last night before bed, Helena & I snuck outside and left bread crumbs and a bitty teapot full of milk and honey for the fairies.

This morning right before sunrise deep in the garden, we found the remains of what could only have been an enchanting party! There was still fairy dust floating around!

upon closer inspection, we saw a beautiful fairy sitting in a tiny swing! She thanked us for remembering Fairy Day and held up a piece of stardust for Helena to take.
She said if we each took a bite we would become fairies for the whole day!

We thanked her and ran back inside the house. I turned to get one last look but the fairy was gone, just a naughty kitten sniffing around.

I asked Helena if she wanted to take a bite....but she already had!

Now it's time for me to have my half and fly around to visit the rest of the fairy day participants!
Thank you Jorgelina for hosting this magical event!

A recipe, a winner, & some fairies

2011-06-23T00:34:00.000-07:00

I made some peanut butter french toast with strawberry jam topping! It was great, not too sweet either.

In case you feel like trying it:
Ingredients
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or butter
4 slices bread
Directions
Whisk together milk, eggs, peanut butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Heat the oil in a griddle or frying pan over medium heat.
Dunk each slice of bread in egg mixture, soaking both sides. Place in pan, and cook on both sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve hot.

Some people heat up the jam before they place it on the toast, I guess it spreads around better, but I don't think it's necessary.

I used the number generator to choose a winner for the 'Gypsy Dreams' painting and it picked #8 Angela from Free Spirit Haven.

Now i'm off to get things ready for the Fairy Day Party

Have a great day, I hope to see you here later!

More Cupcakes

2011-06-18T16:21:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone..been working on the gypsy wagon and I decided to take a break and rest a minute or two.
I know I've mentioned before that I love sweets..I'm not gonna lie:)I like drawing them too, candies and cupcakes are so brightly colored and pretty, you can't help but be happy:)
I created this on an especially happy day. I call her Queen of Hearts and Cupcakes.

I also have a Guerrilla Friday picture..I left this tiny canvas on a bench outside a grocery store.

This is it for now,I hope everyone has had a great weekend!
It's back out to the wagon for me...!

Bees

2011-06-14T19:43:00.000-07:00

The theme this week in the Take a Word Challenge is insects...Here is my version of a queen bee...this little lady is made out of paper clay and she's 2 1/2 inches tall.

Thank's for dropping by:)

Gypsy Dreams

2011-05-31T12:45:00.000-07:00

when I was a little girl my dad made me a playhouse...

I remember it had a toy stove, a cot and a big trunk for all sorts of magical things.. a bitty tea set with dragons painted on it, thick stacks of paper, cigar boxes full of crayons and paints, two rag dolls named Lilly and Polly that just knew I was their mommy, and the gypsy bag!
The gypsy bag was a huge beaded bag that held ribbons, make-up, bits of costume jewelry and an ever-changing supply of clothing that looked very much like my mother's and sister's old things.

I would spend hours in my make believe world,(dressed as a glamorous gypsy queen of course) on a pirate ship, in a haunted house or just having tea in a gypsy tent with my two girls.

I was separate from everyone,on my own, so to speak(sigh).
As I grew older my playhouse began to fill up with 'stuff'. It sort of became a catch all area for things that weren't even mine.
It was very sad to watch this amazing place turn into storage.

Our home is very small, my studio is tiny! And while I appreciate what I have, I still yearn for a place of my own, a place of dreams, to imagine and create.

Guess what???? My husband has gifted me with the most adorable amazing little haven!
It's a 1958 vintage westerner camper!!!!!
this is it here....

It's painted an icky black right now as it was used for hauling ghost hunting equipment at one point:) but now it's mine and I'm all set to turn it into a gypsy wagon/studio!!!!!
I'm over the moon!!!
I'll be posting my progress in converting this camper and maybe asking your advice on decor if you don't mind.
When I'm finished I will have a place to dream, create, nap, lol... It can be whatever I want it to be, a pirate ship, a haunted house or a gypsy tent where I can have tea with my two girls:)

Now I have a gift for you...I will be giving away this painting on June 22nd, just leave a comment so I know you stopped by:)

Have a beautiful night!

PS the winner of the Sugar Queen give away is Jill from Bucks County Folk Art
**update**
the give-away is over:)

Sugar Queen

2011-05-21T02:38:00.000-07:00

You know what you get when you combine this:

And this....

And this....

And this....

With this???

you get a candy crown!

Perfect for your sweetie, or yourself...
There's instructions on how to make one of these and so so many other styles in this book!
I made most of the candy with paper clay or artificial fruit, there's even some "fake" jelly babies on it:)
I was pretty inspired to make some of these too..

But sadly they were gone before the camera could flash:)
If you want to try out these cupcakes, leave me a comment and I'll send you your own 'sweet' package, and maybe some other goodies too.
Have a great weekend.

Wings only

2011-05-10T18:25:00.000-07:00

I was sitting outside the other morning and about a thousand butterflies were swarming all over the citrus trees..OK, OK, maybe there were 5 or 6, but it looked like a lot more. I don't know about you but aside from the wings they creep me out a little. Either way they inspired me to paint these two butterfly winged fairies.

So something pretty cool has been gifted to me and I am going to share the news with you in the next post, also a giveaway for you lovely bloggers is coming up soon!
Hope you have a great week.

Wand Swap

2011-04-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

this is my wand for the Spring Wand Swap hosted by Wendy at Bliss Angels
I was inspired by the amazing Lisa Kettle at Faerie Enchantment for this creation.
Thank you Wendy:)

So this is love...

2011-04-09T20:55:00.000-07:00

Today is my anniversary.
We've not been married very long, and we only just met a few years ago...but I've known him all my life. At least it feels that way.
I didn't know when I met him that his hand holding mine was going to be so comfortable yet start my heart racing.
I didn't know what it was going to be like, but it's better than I expected.
This was created for today, to express what it feels like to me.
I've titled this:

My Heart Has Wings And I Can Fly

Happy Anniversary Paul

Rosie and Marlena

2011-04-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

I read Water For Elephants last year and fell in love with Rosie. I started on this canvas a couple of months ago, but you know how life goes...one thing after another kept stopping me from finishing it.
To top it off Helena had a painting mishap and her cup of rinse water somehow exploded and landed alllllll over this canvas...unfortunately it was a dark blue paint that she was using so I had to re paint the pale yellow background...that put off finishing for another couple of weeks..
either way I'm done and I think my favorite part of it are the circus peanuts I made out of paper clay:)
If you get a chance to read this book you should! it's such a treat.
have a great night.

untitled

2011-03-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

I've been in a 'painty' sort of mood lately...could be the weather..it's been gorgeous lately, sunny around 78 with a cool breeze:)
I have yet to title this one...any ideas?

Have a good night!

Birthday 3/22/07

2011-03-24T03:21:00.000-07:00

four years have flown by so quickly...I feel like I just had her! she went from infant to preschooler in record time..at least that's what it seems like.

She decided she wanted to go to the zoo.We couldn't make a move without the map..

She wanted me to take a picture of every single animal, living or bronze...I wont put all of them on here:)

So many incredible creatures, and she was fascinated by a spitting frog!

Stopped at a toy store and we had the place to ourselves for almost an hour before we left to go watch Tangled.

We had an amazing time, just me and my girl...I'm very grateful.
Everyone was ready for cake at the end of the day.

Thank you everyone for your concern...I'm feeling better now and I've actually made a few things to show you all very soon.
goodnight!

Cupcakes, fairies,and flying hearts

2011-02-18T23:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday to everyone...
before I show my Guerrilla Friday art, I thought maybe you would like to take a stroll though the cupcake garden.
Her hair is a cotton ball covered in white glue and glittered, of course!

Now take a peek at the St. Patrick's Day fairy I'm giving away next week:

This is what I left in the post office:)these are on sale at Michael's and they're blank.

If you want to win the little elf/fairy, leave me a comment and I will pick someone on Friday.
Have a magical weekend!!!!

OWOH give away winner

2011-02-17T17:37:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, I hope you are having a great Thursday.
I used the random number generator to choose the winner for my OWOH give-away...and it's:
Threads of a tatting goddess thanks to everyone that entered.
I will be having another give away next week so stay tuned:)

Guerrilla Friday 2/11

2011-02-11T19:40:00.000-08:00

Today was a gorgeous day, warm and bright, and I was actually pretty happy:) so Helena and I went outside and spent a few hours out there painting/glittering (me) and playing on the swings/sliding (her). It was

Since Valentine's Day is on Monday I made a little "love" fairy for Guerrilla Friday. It's a Christmas ornament that had a snowflake on it,(which I removed) and added a beaded heart and extra glitter to.

I'm going to make a St. Patrick's day fairy this week and I think I might just give it away to one of you awesome bloggers.
Ok, that is all for tonight, I hope you have an incredible Valentine's Day, with lots of chocolate, flowers, bright shiny baubles and the person you love the most.
Goodnight.

Guerrilla Friday

2011-02-04T19:24:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone.. hope everyone is having a great time on the OWOH blog hop..I also want to say "Welcome!" to the friends that have joined my blog recently.
I have a quick Guerrilla Friday post...
This is a small block of wood which I covered in pretty paper, then I molded a heart out of sheet music and tacky glue, it's covered in glitter and the "LOVE" is written in red glitter fabric paint.

It has to be left indoors right now because the weather is so cold...the ATM machine inside of a grocery store sounds perfect dont you think?

I also have some sad news...my best kitty, Baby Tuna passed away this week, he was very friendly, so loveable and always ready for a cuddle. I'm going to miss that happy fat kitty more than anything.

Have a good weekend and give your cats and pups a big smooch for me.

one world one heart

2011-01-30T22:44:00.000-08:00

I'm Marfi and I'm participating in the final one world one heart event, for the first time!
I'm a mixed media artist with two daughters, a husband, four dogs and a clowder of cats.
I love:
to paint
use glitter(lots)
paperclay
wax
GLUE
And I'm addicted to decorative paper:)
I also love to create little works of art and leave them for unsuspecting strangers!
When it's breezy, cloudy or raining my muse is in overdrive.
On the 17th of February I will chose a winner of my little door prize...

just leave me a comment so I know you were here.
So come in, take a look around and (hopefully) have a good time.
Thanks!

Blogging anniversary and give away

2011-01-30T11:12:00.000-08:00

It's been a year since my first post. I remember sitting here at my laptop filled with trepidation. I wasn't sure what to write about, how to introduce myself, and who was going to bother reading it anyway? And if someone did read it, were they going to criticize my ideas, my creativity?
Fortunately I got over that hurdle and wrote about my itty bitty studio

This blog has saved me...in so many ways.
Thank you for your beautiful uplifting comments and the wonderful gift of friendship you have given me:)
Now I promised that I would draw a winner for the 'Frost Fairy' canvas and the winner is.....Mina from Green witch with sprinkles
Congratulations Mina!

Guerrilla Friday...or ..Saturday

2011-01-29T15:17:00.000-08:00

I'm a day late!
After asking Helena what fun things she could think of to do...we came up with this list. love them all but 2 and 9 are my favorite ones:)
This list was left in a library book.
Have a great day and feel free to grab the guerilla button on my sidebar for your blog.

Guerrilla Friday

2011-01-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!
Welcome to another installment of Guerrilla Friday...
I used a key ornament left over from Christmas. This is the key with the added ribbon and message

This is it on a bus bench...

Maria from Bubble gum and duct tape has also posted a guerrilla Friday adventure!
have a great weekend.

Oatmeal box fairy houses

2011-01-19T16:46:00.000-08:00

This is Helena's fairy house:

This one is mine...I took a bit longer on the application of flowers and paper...although her slap-dash method worked fine for her:)

the bitty little fairy at the doorway of my house is a creation from Lisa Kettell
Cover the oatmeal box with decorative paper,add whatever embellishments to inside the box, fairies, a nest, tree branches, birds etc. Glue popsicle sticks halfway around the top, then tie ribbon or yarn around the tops of them to make a conical shape.
Hot glue flowers to popsicle sticks. I added mushrooms I made out of paper clay.
Also used gliter, (of course) tulle and a bird from a craft store.
Have a good night!

Blog award!

2011-01-16T14:10:00.000-08:00

Mina from Green Witch with Sprinkles and Linda from Olde Baggs 'N Stuft shirts have given my blog a stylish blog award!
I have to list 7 things about myself and pass the award on to 15 other blogs.
So here are my seven.
1.I love make-up
2.I do not leave the house without perfume, ever.
3.I recently found out that retail therapy works very well for me:)
4.I've never met a person with my name before.
5.I don't like barbies or fake hair.
6.There's always paint, glitter or glue on my hands and clothes.
7.my favorite month is February.
Now I'm off to award 15 other blogs.
Thank you so much to Mina and Linda..and if you get a chance, check out their beautiful blogs.
Have a happy weekend!

Guerrilla Friday

2011-01-14T20:31:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!
I'm late for this post...I had a busy day today, Airport at 5 am to drop off Paul, then at 10 am I actually went and had my hair done! Came home made dinner for my dad,then I took the girls to Sweet Tomatoes, where I left this week's guerrilla art offering:)
We left it on the table with the tip,

the other side of the little card says "this is for you"
This was made out of paper clay and it's only abut 1 1/2 inches tall.

I'm leaving now to go walking on the bike path at the park,hope you all had an amazing day...

I'm going to visit and catch up with everyone this weekend, can't wait to see what you've been up too!

Guerrilla ....Friday

2011-01-07T22:05:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I skipped a post last week so I'm going to post two of the guerrilla pieces I dropped off tonight.

We went walking at a local park that has a huge path and I dropped them there...one on a fence post and another one on the low hanging branch of a tree. But I wasn't able to take pictures..the camera on my phone is fine during the day but night shots leave a lot to be desired, (my regular camera is too heavy to take on a jog/walk) plus I didn't want anyone to see me.
Now if anyone wants to join in on this adventure please feel free!
you can leave a link with your comment.
it doesn't have to be every week...it doesn't have to be something extravagant either, but it IS so much fun, and I would love to see what you come up with:)
Have a great weekend!

New year and a giveaway

2011-01-01T01:03:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!
May this year is better than last.

I love the way an ordinary painting can be enhanced with added paper to make a skirt or dress.
The amazing artists at Faerie Enchantment and Maygreen Fairies, have inspired me to create this Frost Fairy.
The anniversary of my very first post was created on the 30th of January last year and if you leave a comment to let me know you were here you will be entered to win her.

I hope you have a great week-end, and thank you for such an inspiring year.

Happy Christmas

2010-12-24T17:36:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!
I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas eve.
I've not been around much lately to visit and hopefully this week I will be able to catch up.
My little one has been ill for a while now...almost all of December with one virus after another..this past week being the worst, but thankfully she is now feeling a bit better and is excited for Santa's visit. she got these cookies all dressesd up for him..

Oh, and here is my guerrilla art offering for this week!

I hung it on a fence, but didn't get a chance to photograph it there because my battery died as I tried to turn on the camera...:(
This is it for now, I will be back soon to visit and let you know about a super secret give away here. ok not so secret, but it's going to be fun.
Have a beautiful Christmas!

O Christmas tree

2010-12-17T04:25:00.000-08:00

It was cold and rainy all day, absolutely amazing weather!
It really puts me in a happy Christmas-y mood!
So..I wanted to show you our little tree..

We made these cinnamon ornaments, they smelled so good when they were in the oven!

If you want to make some, the recipe is here.
Since Helena was ill all week with a stomach bug, I didn't get to create what I planned for this week's Guerrilla art..but I did make this,

and written on the back is this quote..“Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it”
This is where I left 'the goods',lol, that mailbox is going to smell yummy:)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Thank you!

Windfall...a very long post

2010-12-14T16:42:00.000-08:00

Having a December birthday always meant very little birthday gifts for me...
too close to Christmas I guess..
Don't get me wrong I have had a couple birthdays that were great.
But this year!
Wow, I have never ever been this blessed, not only did I receive goodies, but I was wished wonderful sparkling tidings from so many of you!
I hope it's not in poor taste to show the gifts I was given..
Here they are in chronological order:)
From My love...(there's also a set of slipper boots and a fuzzy hat with ears that I'm wearing, so they aren't in the pic)

This is from the amazing Anna from Frosted Petunias She sent me one of her scrumptious paper dresses along with a lovely card with her incredible artwork on it... a gift from the Faeries,
Some warm fuzzy socks, enchanting ornaments, silver nail polish, a ring!
She also included these cigar boxes, they are too pretty to alter don't you think?

This is a surprise gift from the very talented (Victoria)Bear's Mom
A beautifully crafted shawl,

And one of her exquisite hand made cards!

My daughter got me this because she knows how much I love perfume! There's a Michael's gift card and something she created for me...

She used an unfinished doll head from Lisa Kettel's AWESOME shop!
she used real candy sprinkles!

My best friend flew out for the weekend from San Fransisco to surprise (and spoil) me and she brought me this,(and more perfume!!)

On Saturday morning the post dropped off another surprise gift! From the beautiful Carrie at cottage cozy
Look at how she wrapped it up..

This is what was under the lovely wrappings:

I know this was a very long post and I applaud you if you have actually stuck around to read it all...I just want everyone to know that I love and appreciate every word that was written and every gift that was sent.
You have made this one of the very best birthday memories ever!
Thank you so much!
m

Kiss me..I'm a guerrilla!

2010-12-10T05:48:00.000-08:00

And it's my birthday today!
I want to take the time to thank everyone that has joined me here on this blog to celebrate life and creativity every day!
You all have saved me from anxiety, depression, and fear.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart:)
Here's my cake...

It's white chocolate frosting dyed pink with triple chocolate cake inside.
I wish every one of you could have a piece.
Here's my card..

I have some gifts I will open later:)
And I was able to drop off a bitty gift at a bus stop bench last night...so exciting to be able to give something away on my birthday!!
Here are the pretty young things I created, lol

I only dropped one off because the other one is going to take a trip in a mail truck soon.
I took a picture of her on the bench too:

I'm going to post a guerrilla art project every week...on Thursday/Friday...I want to do this until..forever...not just for December, if anyone wants to join in and leave a link you are most welcome to do so. It will be ongoing so if the holidays are super busy, like I know they can be, then join in afterwards if you want to.
I cannot describe the feeling I get doing this.I love it.
Thank you once again..I am grateful for ..my love, my girls, my dad, my home, my dogs..and cats, and the awesome, incredible, super generous lovelies I have met in blogland!

ok, time for chocolate breakfast...

Doll Swap

2010-12-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

In October I joined The Holiday Ball doll swap hosted by Vagabond creations.
We could choose any holiday and create a doll to go with it.
My partner was the wonderful Georgina from La Llorona Arts.
Well I received my doll, and She is beautiful!
Georgina chose Valentine's Day, One of my favorite days.
The detail on her face is incredible.

And she sent me a little ornament she made too!!!!

I chose Dia De Los Muertos and sent her this doll,

Georgina is such a sweetheart, she even sent me a handwritten Thank you card once she received her dolly.
Thank you Zan for hosting this and thank you Georgina for the beautiful art doll you sent me...i will take very good care of her.

Guerrilla Art

2010-12-03T00:49:00.000-08:00

So I was sitting in my studio making some gifties and I happened to look up at a shelf I have and spotted a chenille sock just begging to be something other than just a sock.
So I got to work and this new critter developed. Again I asked Helena what we should name it and she came up with Freddie.

And, I painted and dressed the mini pumpkin and he's going to be dropped off in a while across town!

I think I'm going to start making one thing every week to be dropped off randomly.
This little one is going to go to a house, but the next thing I make will be left at a bus stop.
I'm going to do a guerrilla art post every week!
Oh, the skeleton I dropped off the other day is hanging on their front door in a wreath! Yay!
Have a great day:)

A pink tree and a glitter skelly...

2010-12-02T02:53:00.000-08:00

Happy December to everyone!
I have set up the bitty pink tree in my studio...I love it, we use it as a night light all through the month.

Here's a picture of the holiday skeleton I left at a house around the corner from ours.
Last year this family set a skeleton out for Halloween, but left him up through December, just put a little Santa hat on it. He was so cute sitting on the fence post...well he disappeared before Christmas..(maybe he was stolen) so this year I dressed a skelly up and at 3 am I went and put him in their yard on a bench. With an attached tag saying 'Happy Holidays!"
I hope they like him.

Ok, I'm going to go paint some left over pumpkins to look like elves...there's lots more houses to 'decorate':)
Have a great day.

December paper dress

2010-11-30T23:50:00.000-08:00

Well here we are, the last dress of the year. I joined this wonderful challenge in July, and it has been so much fun.
I love the smell of gingerbread, the taste and the look. almost every year, my birthday cake is a huge gingerbread heart.
So December's dress is my version of a gingerbread cookie. And what cookie dress would look complete without the cupcake purse?

Here is my wardobe of paper dresses...they all fit just right.

Go take a look at Alice and Camilla for more dresses.
Thank you Margaret.

January paper dress

2010-11-29T00:41:00.000-08:00

Wow! How late am I?
Either way, I have my January dress all ready for the dress up challenge at Alice and Camilla.
I included the 'fur' for added warmth...you never know..ice skating with Mr.Darcy is very possible:)

I'm going to include February's dress in this same post.
These have to be some of the best type of kisses don't you think? Plus I love this image so much.

True passion expands the soul,
Enraptures the heart,
and enchants the mind with a feverish bliss. -Neil Martinique

One Lump of Sugar

2010-11-27T23:33:00.000-08:00

Sometimes there are little creatures clamoring inside my head....trying to get out and see the light of day...
Are they silly looking? yes, most of the time they are...but they are funny too, as soon as they are finished they make me laugh.
This one has the faint scent of candy floss, like she dropped by after a night at the carnival:)
Helena named this happy monster, Sugar Lump.

The winner is....

2010-11-26T22:14:00.000-08:00

Since there were 26 comments on my Birthday post, I decided to use an old calender to select the winner.
I cut up the page, here are all the numbers....

Threw them in a box...

Closed the box...

shook the box...

Opened it...

The winner is...

Carrie @ Cottage Cozy
Congratulations Carrie!

Day after Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T18:32:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving yesterday!
My Birthday give away is tonight, and I couldn't resist adding these awesome little candies(they smell incredible) to the gift box...aren't they cute?

We took Helena to see Santa Claus last Friday...to beat the crowd, (have you seen the line to see him after Thanksgiving???)this was the first year she has been ok with him...and she talked his ear off!
Not only did she tell him what she'd like for Christmas (an Olivia pirate ship)
she told him a very boring, very long, very drawn out story about absolutely nothing in particular!
So all in all, it was a success.

I will be back later to announce the winner:)

Thank You!

2010-11-24T16:18:00.000-08:00

The leaves on our apple and pomegranate tree are finally turning color and dropping off the branches. there's a freeze warning tonight too, the first we have had this year.
Last summer, my husband started working for a company that sends him out to different countries..he's home for two weeks, then he leaves again for four.
I had a hard time dealing with it. It got so bad for me I started suffering from anxiety attacks..I thought I was dying!
I couldn't breathe, I couldn't stop being afraid ...then I started blogging, I have to tell you,it has helped me in so many ways!
The support and friendship all of you wonderful people have shown me is staggering!
I will be forever grateful for this.
I'm thankful for my family, of course, it goes without saying, but I am very thankful for you, my dear friends.
I hope you have a delightful day tomorrow, whether you are celebrating Thanksgiving or not.

Eggplants and socks

2010-11-19T21:17:00.000-08:00

I made some silly creatures and wanted to share them with you...
First I have Aubergine...she's an eggplant fairy, and she's royalty of course!

She was created with a plastic eggplant and a soft doll body..
She seems to have brought along her court jester..don't know what his name is yet though...

This guy was made using a soft chenille sock, some felt and a feather boa.
Oh!
I've been adding more gifts to my Birthday Giveaway!!!I'm so very excited about it,
there's still time to enter!
that's all for right now,
I hope you have a beautiful, magical Saturday.
XO

Pink Saturday

2010-11-12T23:22:00.001-08:00

Happy Pink Saturday!
I hope everyone is doing good today..I would like to please ask that you send some happy positive thoughts and energy to Joane at Ivory Pumpkin she's received a phone call that has her very frightened....if you could go take a look at her blog and leave her a little note it would be awesome!!
Here are my pinks for this week.
Another Frida painting...

The bird that lives on my desk in a nest..:)

Some candy in a lovely little bag....that also lives on my desk, but doesn't seem to stick around as long as I'd like, haha!

Alright,That's it for now, but I'd like to thank Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for hosting this for us...Thank you!!
Have a great day!

Birthday fun!

2010-11-10T15:06:00.000-08:00

Hello,
My birthday is next month on the 10th and I want to have a little give away for you!I would like to do something fun!
Not only will you win the silly stuff pictured, but other Christmas-y birthday-ish randomness (say that 3 times fast) is going to be included...and of course something handemade by me:)
I'm leaving this drawing open untill the 24th so I can pick someone and send it out to get there by the 10th, that way we celebrate MY birthday and YOUR un-birthday!
I will announce the winner on....the day after Thanksgiving.
you will get:
Some awesome gingerbread poptarts,

Christmas sprinkles,

A journal,

Ok, dont forget, this is just SOME of the gifties..there will be way more!
All you have to do is leave a comment. I dont ask that you follow me, I refuse to bribe you,but maybe you would get something extra if you did, lol I just need a comment so I know you were here....
now have a great day and good luck!!!

Creative Spirit Challenge

2010-11-08T13:41:00.000-08:00

This is for Cindy Adkin's Creative Spirit Challenge!
I'm often inspired by music, this image was what I could see in my mind's eye whenever I listened to a song called 'This Lullaby'.
A cool night, fresh flowery scented breeze blowing through a tree of lavender blooms and twinkling stars.

some of the lyrics...

You can see other the other entries at Cindy's blog Whimsical Musings.
Have a great afternoon.

March Paper Dress

2010-11-08T02:54:00.000-08:00

"He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same"
- Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights, Ch. 9

I'm still playing catch-up with my paper dresses, that's why it's March in November!
For this month's dress I let Wuthering Heights inspire me, I imagine that Catherine might wear this to afternoon tea. there's a little cape to keep her comfortable in case she feels a draft.
What can I say? I'm reading the book right now and it's on my mind:)
Please go to Alice and Camilla to see more paper dresses.
Thank you for looking.

Great news!

2010-11-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

My studio has been included in Cloth Paper Scissors magazine!
It's in the Studio Vignettes section. I'm so excited!

I've also been given a triple blog award from Jennifer at Confessions of a kitchen witch.
Thank you Jennifer!
I'm supposed to award 15 other blogs (which I will do by email) and I have to list seven things about myself...
1.I cannot remember a time when I didn't have a sketch book with me.
2.I have two daughters, one is 19 and the other is 3.
3.I can eat raw mushrooms like they're popcorn.
4.If it's shiny I want it...but I don't own any diamond jewelry.
5.I have to read before I fall asleep.
6.I'm bewitched by a British accent.
7.I have a tendancy to over-gift sometimes:)
Ok this is my great news for today...hope you have a wonderful day too:)

Dia de los Muertos

2010-11-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

Every year we make a special trip to the cemetery to set up an alter for my mom.
I placed some pomegranates on a plate which you cannot see in the picture, a small book of the songbirds she loved so much is also there.

one of the traditional offerings or ofrendas is a bread called Pan de los muertos
which is delicious, I have to bake an extra large batch of it because everyone loves it here..
There are many recipes for this but this is the one I use.
Ingredients
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons anise seed
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons white sugar
Directions
Heat the milk and the butter together in a medium saucepan, until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add the warm water.
In a large bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, yeast, salt, anise seed and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Beat in the warm milk mixture then add the eggs and orange zest and beat until well combined. Stir in 1/2 cup of flour and continue adding more flour until the dough is soft.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. This will take about 1 hour. Punch the dough down and shape it into a large round loaf. Place dough onto a baking sheet, loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until just about doubled in size.
Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven let cool slightly then brush with glaze.
To make glaze: In a small saucepan combine the 1/4 cup sugar, orange juice and orange zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 2 minutes. Brush over top of bread while still warm. Sprinkle glazed bread with white sugar.

sugar skulls and marigolds are also added to the alter.
I love this tradition, the colors are so rich and the artwork and creativity you will see while walking around the cemetery is remarkable.
Here are a couple more Day of the Dead pieces I have made.

I hope you have had a wonderful day today and thank you for coming along as I remember my mother.
I hope the birds are singing, the flowers are in full bloom and the rain is lightly tapping your windows, wherever you are Ma.

November Paper Dress

2010-11-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

Dia de los Muertos is on the 2nd of November, and since it is a tradition my family celebrates, I decided on making a dress with a sugar skull image on it.

I also have my paper dress cabinet ready. It was an old corner shelf I bought at a yard sale for 2 dollars...it was a dirty white and had a small divider in the middle of it, which I knocked out with a hammer. The outside was painted hot pink, a coat of turquoise followed, then a coat of dark bronze, I took a steel wool and distressed it. Then a keyhole was added to it.

I drilled a hole in it and fitted in some doweling I'd painted silver.
Silver ribbon wrapped around the end of the dowel then glued to the ceiling keeps it from drooping down with the weight of the dresses.

The inside was "wallpapered" and painted. The chandelier is foam and the mirror is wood appliques painted with acrylics.
There are more paper dresses at Alice and Camillas.
Have a magical night.

A Frida Halloween

2010-10-30T23:10:00.001-07:00

Hi !!!
Wanted to post some pictures of my girls when they were Frida for Halloween...
Cindy from Cindy Adkin's Whimsical Musings also has a picture of her lovely daughter as Frida, so we thought it would be fun to post them all up together.
This my daughter Gabriella

Here's Helena...this is on her first Halloween, I tried but flowers would not stay in her hair, she kept trying to eat them.

This is Cindy's Daughter Jenny

Have a good night!!!

Halloween Tea Party Winner

2010-10-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

Hello,
I don't really care for the random number generators very much, although I'm sure at one point or another I will have to use one...So for now, I decided to use the method that Bear's Mom uses...she asked a wonderful child to pick their favorite number.
So, I asked Helena for a number and she picked #19, I checked the comments and the
19th comment is from Lisa at Suburban Retreat
Congratulations Lisa, email me your info please!

Awesome Gifts

2010-10-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

Hello...
blogging has been like a magic amusement park for me.
Gorgeous things to see, delicious treats to eat, wonderful things to do, and the most incredibly inspiring, talented people to meet.
Right now I would like to show you some gifts I've recieved from two very special ladies.
Anna from Frosted Petunias has been helpful and inspirational from the very beginning, answering my questions and giving wonderful advice.
She sent me this:

That's one of her paintings! And here's a handmade spell booklet that holds three of her beautiful ATCs. She's an incredible artist.

Please click on the link and visit her if you have not done so yet...you will be spell bound with her blog.
Cindy from Cindy Adkin's Whimsical Musings is another glorious person. When it comes to new ideas, faith and giving, Cindy has no limit.
I ordered the little dream girl from her Etsy, and she sent me all this!

Then the other day we spoke some more about dreams and she made me this breathtaking 'Shrine to my inner-self'
it's filled with treasures!!

She also has prayer blog called I Owe It All To Him.
Thank you both for the gift of your friendship, and for the tokens of beauty and generosity you have shared.
If you get a chance please visit their blogs, you will be delighted!
Goodnight:)

Spooky Monday

2010-10-26T01:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Spooky Monday to you!
Thank you so much Wendy, I enjoyed every single one of them...
I hope everyone had fun at the Tea Party Anna From Frosted Petunias threw on the night of the full moon.
The Give-away winner from my party is going to be chosen on Friday night!
you will be receiving a fairy guardian

and a (new)Spooky Town piece called Skull Toss.

Today's Spooky Monday/Tuesday is a figurine I altered, the head fell off a few years ago, this is what she looks like before:

This is her after:

I put an old angel doll head on her & she's now a gypsy witch creature,
this is where she lives(it's really an old cabinet I got at goodwill..

Please go visit Wendy's beautiful blog to find more Spooky Monday treats.

Tea Party Under a Halloween Moon

2010-10-23T02:04:00.000-07:00

It's a special night tonight! The 23rd...the second most magical night in October...it's true, it is written in a spell book, which was given to me by a very wise witch!

The book tells of a gathering that must be held on this night, A Tea Party under the Halloween moon!
Hurry! we are to meet at the pumpkin patch...our guide will walk us through!

Follow along!

Listen close, our guide is saying something.."we've not too far to travel my dears, And there's moonlight & flowers on the way"

but stay close together and don't look to your right..that house is a ghost and has been known to trap unsuspecting travelers.

We must be getting close for there is a glow! Why, it's a Jack-o-lantern, warming up the night!"

our guide must now leave us, we've arrived safely!
we pass by the fairy guardians of the woods.... aren't they beautiful?

Our table is set it's time for tea!

Now pull up a toadstool and have a seat.
What kind of tea are we having?

Caramel bat wing of course!
Here come the sweets..oh I can't wait..
Black magic cupcakes...

Sprinkle dipped ghosts..

and caramel apple cake bites!!!

Oh no, that bothersome Percy is trying to get our attention by flapping his wings!

He wants us to peek in on the wonderful witch that is hosting this party...you see his cousin Oliver is there with her and they have loads of catching up to do.
So let us finish up here and start our visiting...there are lot's of parties to see!
Thank you to Anna from Frosted Petunias for hosting this party and for inspiring me with each new post!
Leave me a comment if you please...there's a give-a-way...not in time for this Halloween, but nice and early for next, lol
goodnight!!!

Pink Saturday

2010-10-23T00:22:00.000-07:00

Wow! The weeks are just flying by...it's Pink Saturday once again!
This is strawberry lip gloss, couldn't resist the container.

Helena and I made this little birdhouse.

These are rings!

And look at these little doughnut earrings!

Please visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for a list of all the pink contributors this week.

Three Muses Challenge

2010-10-21T01:21:00.000-07:00

The challenge at The Three Muses this week is Things with Wings.
This is what I came up with.
We all have our graces... but sometimes we look at what others have and we don't notice our own. And we already have what we need to be amazing.
The title of this painting is;
We have the key, the wings and the light.
It's also a tribute piece to one of my favorite artists, Mark Ryden

for more things with wings please visit The Three Muses.

Guest Artist!

2010-10-18T19:42:00.000-07:00

I'm delighted to be a guest artist on Cindy Adkin's Blog I owe it all to Him
She's an incredibly talented artist with amazing artwork...and she's just a joy to know!
Her beautiful prayer blog is full of inspiration...Go have a look!

Thank you Cindy.

Spooky Monday

2010-10-18T02:16:00.000-07:00

I just LOVE Spooky Mondays! Thank you Wendy !
I'd like to start off with some Halloween nutcrackers...

This little witch had doll hair which was falling off, so I removed it and replaced it with these fibers.

A silly little ATC I made...

And this guy... I found him at the thrift store the other day too, it flashes bright white every couple seconds. He looks pretty creepy against our Spooky town collection don't you think?
Hope you enjoyed my Spooky Monday this week..
Oh, one last thing!!! I found this at the grocery store, more spooky food!

Pink Saturday

2010-10-16T00:18:00.000-07:00

It's Pink Saturday again and I'd like to say Thank you to Beverly From How sweet the sound for hosting this for us.
Here are my pinks for this week!
A strawberry fairy...

A dress I found for 2 dollars at the thrift store, it's perfect for a certain little girl to play dress-up.

An ATC I Felted...

This super cool Pop-tarts case, I guess it's supposed to hold them in your lunch box.
I'm using it to hold some of my ATC's...

That's it for now...there are more Pink Saturday posts here
Have a great day!

Creative Spirit

2010-10-12T03:55:00.000-07:00

This is for Cindy Adkin's Creative spirit challenge for the month of October.
I love Halloween and Dia de los muertos...
this is a larger canvas.The heart in the background is a Valentine's day chocolate box lid covered in velvet fabric. It was so much fun to make.
There are a couple more but this one is my favorite:)
Thank you!

Spooky Monday

2010-10-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Spooky Monday!
I'm having some breathing issues so I'm a bit off today..
but I do want to show off this curious gypsy witch lady I found at a thrift store.
She was 2 dollars and looks handmade.
I think she feels right at home amidst the the pumpkins, crows and cats!
Check out Wendy's Adventures in Wonderland for more Spooky Monday fun.

Halloweek-end

2010-10-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

We try to make each day in October as spooky and fun as possible. It just doesnt last long enough!
I started decorating outside tonight, it's not much but since our main decorator is out of the country, it will have to do .This is what I have so far...

Paul made this for me a couple years ago, it's right outside our front door.

This is Bandit. he was trying to play with the lens cap on my camera, and I got a bit too close, but it shows him in all his sulky glory.

We also made Caramel Apple bites tonight...
they're small and easy to eat.
This is what you need to make them:
4-inch lollipop sticks
Melon baller
Granny Smith apples (one apple makes about 8 mini apples)
Butterscotch or peanut butter chips
Chopped nuts, nonpareils, sprinkles, shredded coconut (optional)
Small paper candy cups
Instructions
First, cut the lollipop sticks in half at an angle (the pointy end will go into the apple pieces easier). With the melon baller, scoop little balls out of the apple. Each ball should have a section of apple peel. Push half of a lollipop stick into the peel of each ball. Pat the apple pieces dry.
Melt the chips according to the package directions. Dip and swirl the mini apples in the melted chips, then roll the apples in nuts, sprinkles, nonpareils, or coconut, if desired. Place the mini apples in paper candy cups to set.

There are a whole bunch of fun recipes and crafts for kids Here
Ok, now I'm off to watch a scary movie...

Practical Magic give away

2010-10-09T11:58:00.000-07:00

Hello beautiful witches!
Last night under cover of darkness, beneath the enchanted trees, My assistant and I said a magic spell over the cauldron....then we threw in everyone's name.....and danced around....

She even caught a crow in mid flight!
Then, once the steam and the sparks settled a bit...she put her hand in, and pulled out the name of the witch that would be the caretaker of the Ophelia chair!

We all watched anxiously,

The first name! the winner of the chair.....
then the second name..the winner of the ....grab bag....the third name....the winner of something spooky.....
All in my hand!
Then my wonderful helper/assistant backed up, tripped on the cat, started to cry because she fell and it was pretty late anyway and threw off her hat and ran inside....
(what can you do when your assistant is 3?)
Well the picture taking had to be put on hold..since she needed cuddles and a warm set of pj's...
so the winner of the chair is
Bear's mom.
The winner of the grab bag is Cameron
and next winner is jennifer
Thank you everyone that came out to fly to my party!
Please come and join me for a cup of tea on the 23rd, and we can visit Anna from
Frosted Petunias at her Halloween Tea Party!

Pink Saturday

2010-10-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

It's Pink Saturday. I hope it's a good one.
I have this hanging in my studio, It's a Valentine's Day garland, I think they look a bit like cookies.

This is a garden fairy I made a while ago,

This next creation is a little shrine of items I saved from when I first met my husband...the watch I wore, some bracelets, a lip gloss shaped like a cupcake. And a small bottle of perfume. The box it's in is the watch box.

There are some amazing Pinks at How sweet the sound.
Thank you for looking!

Give away day

2010-10-07T00:38:00.000-07:00

Hello!!
I was out and about most of the day.
When I got home I noticed the cauldron was filled with shooting stars!
Then I heard a tapping on the window...it was one of the crows from the party....you remember them right?
Well he had a special message for me,(as if I didn't know!)
Saturday is the give-away day for the Practical Magic Party prize!
I will toss every one's name in the cauldron and chant a spell...then....A winner will be chosen!(for the Ophelia chair).........
Then another winner will be chosen!(for the super secret surprise grab bag thingie)
Then...I might just pick another name, for the heck of it and that person will win....something!.... something spooky and Halloweenie!
Goodnight!

Spooky Monday

2010-10-03T23:51:00.000-07:00

I cant believe it's the very first Monday in October...the days are going to just fly by.
Halloween decorations are being set up outside houses now...I noticed a few dressed up front yards today!
At first I was going to just post about spooky foods, but I got sidetracked...not everything in this post is edible, hahaha!
This little tin is filled with green, purple and orange kettle corn.

I don't usually like Poptarts, unless it's the brown sugar flavor, but I had to get these! They're really good. With a name like Choc-o-lantern, how could they not be?

This girl has been living here for about 6 years or so, sometimes on the sofa, sometimes a bookshelf..Helena started calling her 'Pumpkin Pie' last year and now we all say it.
Stuff like "why is Pumpkin Pie on the floor?" or "Gidget is eating Pumpkin Pie's foot!" I'm sure if any one heard us they would wonder.

Ok, this is the last thing I wanted to share today...
it's part of our Spooky Town collection, which has grown uncontrollably, this year!
It's fiber optic so it turns all different colors and the little ghost wiggles and jiggles.

Have a look at Wendy's Adventures in Wonderland for more Spooky Monday treats.

Tea Time!

2010-10-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

A wonderful gift arrived in the post!!
I was the winner of this adorable little stretched canvas from Cindy Adkins' whimsical musings

It is even more beautiful up close!
Not only that, she sent me this ATC with my initial on it!!

Thank you Cindy,your talent and generosity are much appreciated.

One Lovely Blog award!!!

2010-10-01T17:43:00.000-07:00

I have been honored with a "One lovely Blog" award!!!!
Ms. Bingle's vintage Christmas has chosen me to have this! I'm so excited about it,
it's my very first one!
We are to choose 15 other blogs to pass the award onto so I have chosen the following:
Frosted Petunias
October Farm
Plumrose Lane
Things I learned from Bear
The wood beyond the world
Suburban Retreat
The Abramyan family
Altered Book lover
Sinderella's studio
Enchanting the invisible
The scrap happy witch
Heart of a wizardess
E-Witch
Cindy Adkins' whimsical musings
Jul's art niche
Thank you thank you!!!!!

October Paper Dress

2010-10-01T01:46:00.000-07:00

October is my favorite month. I love Fall, and Halloween and the promise of cooler weather.
This is my dress for the Alice and Camilla dress up challenge
I tried to go for a masquerade look, kind of Anne Boleyn meets Hocus Pocus.
Did I achieve the look? I dont know, but it was fun to make.
Have a great day and Happy October!