Fairy Gardens, Part 2 of 4

Here's another miniature fairy garden that I made last week. It was a gift to my mother in law for Mother's Day. The photo is a little darker than I had hoped it would be under our canopy of trees, but you can still see the entire garden. 

This sweet little Daisy Fairy is from Fairy Homes & Gardens. She is another of the lovely little Cicely Mary Barker Flower Fairies. What a sweet little face she has, and her little skirt has a scalloped hem just like a daisy. 

All of the miniature decorations in this fairy garden are from Miniature Garden Shoppe. 

All of the plants are from Calloways.

Thanks again to my sweet friend Shawn for getting me started with these fun little gardening treasures! Be sure to check out her fairy garden blog post.  

Fairy Gardens, Part 1 of 4

Spring is in bloom in Texas, and with the help of my friend, Shawn aka: Poetry in a Pot of Tea/ MiCupoftea. I was introduced to a past time that has been popular on the East Coast and West Coast of The United States for some time now. It has been slow coming to Texas, as far as I know. In just a short time, it seems that I have been sprinkled with some fairy dust and put under the spell of Fairy Gardening! 

This miniature little garden was created as a Mother's Day present for my mother. The little birdbath came with no water in it and no bird on it, but I managed to come up with a way to make the scene look real. At Redenta's, my local organic gardening store I found some small crushed blue glass and used it to create sparkles in the bird bath and give it a blue color. Over the blue pieces of glass, I poured Glossy Accents by Ranger for a shiny clear effect, and allowed it to dry for 24 hours. Last, I glued the little cardinal on top of the bird bath, using Glossy Accents again. 

The little planters contain small plants that were purchased at Callaways in Arlington, Texas. 

Look at this beautiful little fairy! She is part of the Cicily Mary Barker collection, whose published illustrations of fairies inspired  current day artists to create beautiful little china fairies for miniature garden lovers! This little fairy was purchased from Fairy Homes & Gardens. Isn't she lovely?

This tiny hummingbird feeder was purchased at Miniature Garden Shoppe, as were all of the miniature decorations.

Thank you Shawn, for opening the door of Miniature Fairy Gardening to me!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to THE CRAFTY SCRAPPER

LOOK WHO'S EIGHT YEARS OLD! 

This Saturday is the MAKE AND TAKE MADNESS and BIRTHDAY BASH at my favorite place to be....THE CRAFTY SCRAPPER.  When I want to learn about the latest and greatest scrapbooking techniques and check out the latest scrapbooking supplies I take a little day trip to Waxahachie, Texas! If you live anywhere in this area please consider a pleasant drive to Waxahachie....and enjoy the bluebonnets along the way! 

Birthday Bash & Make`n`Take Madness

Wow, I cannot believe its been 8 years since I opened the store! It truly has been a journey of ups & downs, meeting and making new friends, a lot of learning, growing personally & creatively and many many blessings. I am blessed to have an fantastic creative team, hard working employees and the best customers...thank you!

We want to celebrate turning 8 and ignite your creativity by spending the day with our talented teachers and designers as we mix, mingle, and most importantly CREATE! Purchase your Make-n-Take Madness ticket for just $20, and finish 1 make-n-take or all 10 for the same price! We will have scratch off discounts from 10% ~ 40% with 3 BIG prizes valued $50~$300, giveaways, birthday cake and much much more....so come help us celebrate!

Saturday April 13th 2013

10~5pm

$20 (for your MNT ticket)

Purchase your ticket starting today. Must participate in make~n~take, there will be no kits available.

Limited number of tickets.

And now without further ado, here’s a peek at our MNT Team and the fabulous projects that you will create!

Introducing Carolyn Ross.......

Crafty Scrapper Owner/Teacher/Designer

 

I am inspired by colors, patterns and anything old and vintage. My love of gardening inspires me the most!

Who inspires me? Besides all the wonderful friends I have meant along the way in the design world, I would have to say my son. Watching him grow, changing and all the crazy things he does make me what to capture the moment by creating something that will stay with me forever.

~Carolyn

 

Introducing Gena Glover.......

Crafty Scrapper Store Manager/Teacher/Designer

 

My inspiration in found in so many things... family, nature, wonderful products and teachers and designers.

I am very blessed to work at the store and interact with so many talented people.

~Gena

 

Introducing Anita Scroggins.......

Crafty Scrapper Teacher/Designer

 

I am inspired by everything around me! I usually start with my photos and go from there. I love to pull my supplies out and find new ways to use them too. The whole creative process is part of my daily routine - every single day.

~ Anita

  

Introducing Jim Hankins (The Gentlemen Crafter)....

Designer/Teacher

 

I am inspired by so many aorist's and designers. To name a few, Dyan Reaveley, Tim Holtz, Dina Wakley and Donna Downey. Each has their own special way to "do" art and from each I take inspiration.

I love paper crafting and find inspiration for my paper projects from just driving down the street and observing life. There are so many interesting things to out there to take note of and mimic when creating.

~ Jim

Introducing Sonia Doneghue.....

Crafty Scrapper Designer

 

My inspiration is found in everyday life. I am constantly framing things in my head...images of trees at sunset, an elderly lady crossing the street with groceries in tow, a runaway balloon ascending into the clouds, the fastener on a seat back tray in an airplane, my pup's nose, freckles on cheeks...all very ordinary, but extraordinary in my eyes.

I am inspired by music, by the way a complete stranger can sing words that are fragments of something I am feeling or have felt. Being an aural person, when I hear those fragments I am instantly transferred to that place, to that time. Words alone are powerful, but put some music notes behind them and those words take flight!

I could go on and on about all of the things that inspire me but I think I have given you a good idea. Although I LOVE to buy craft supplies…papers, embellishments, chipboard, stamps, etc., those things do not necessarily inspire me. However, they do allow me a very unique and beautiful way to filter out the stream of consciousness, the love, the hurt, the anger, the funnies, and even the ridiculous things that go on in my head, in my heart.

I have had two constant inspirations in my life, my parents. I was blessed with my mother’s creative nature, and my father’s appreciation for music. I am also inspired by artists such as Kelly Rae Roberts. Kelly Rae is amazing and inspirational and many are surprised that I own so many of her pieces. Although I have been known to create some “not so positive” pieces of work, I do surround myself daily, whether in my office or at home, with encouraging tokens of art. As I look around the room now, I see “Our dreams give us wings…”, “Express yourself, do something creative.”, “She lived her heart’s glowing truth every single day.”, “Put your heart into it!” and an over sized eraser that says “For BIG Mistakes”. Hehehe.

~ Sonia

Introducing Shelley Hamilton.......

Crafty Scrapper Teacher/Design team

 

What inspires me: new techniques and products

Who inspires me: anyone who enjoys creating

~ Shelley

 

Introducing Frank Vento......

Crafty Scrapper Teacher

 

What Inspires Me? Everything...from the turning cogs of a clock, to the colorful hues of the evening skies.

Who Inspires Me? Everyone. Everyone has something in them that makes them unique....to ignore those aspects of other people robs me of the opportunity to be inspired by their differences.

~ Frank

 

Introducing Tina Covington........

Crafty Scrapper Teacher

  

Who inspires you? I really can't answer this question with an individual person. I am going with all the stampers in blogland, as I get so many of my ideas from other blogs, pinterest, stamping forums, etc.

What inspires you? My creativity comes from many different places. It might be a set of stamps, or a great sketch (as most of my cards begin with a sketch), or pretty papers. Or, it might be something not related to stamping at all, like a photograph or a combination of colors. I never know what might inspire me and allow my creativity to flow.

~ Tina

 

Introducing Patty Rogers.......

Crafty Scrapper Designer

 

Inspiration for my paper crafting comes from nature, love of art, human relationships, family history and stories. Most importantly, I am inspired by family members, both living and those who are no longer with us.

~Patty

  

There will also be alternate sentence strips for this sweet magnet that can be made as a Mother's Day Gift or a sweet "Just Because Gift" for a friend.

Introducing Christy Gilbreath.....

Teacher/Designer & Sales Rep.

 

Inspiration for me comes from many different angles. I love color and flowers. Anything floral that has the touch of Spring will set my mind to create. A rainbow of colors are the most fascinating things to me. I am drawn to colors, bright cheerful colors! I love whimsical fun products to create with.

Who inspires me? Depends. Most of the time it is the cheerfulness of my grand kids. I love to create with them in mind. I find a lot of inspiration from their energy and the way they see the world.

~ Christy

 

We have a special guest joining us from 10~noon ONLY

Introducing Caroline Lau......

Maya Road

 

What inspires me? Seeing people in all different stages of paper crafting using Maya Road products.

Who inspires me? My two kids - Noah and Olivia

~Caroline

 

Feel free to call the store with any questions

972-923-3151

MAKE A WISH

This layout was made in honor of my son, Lee. He was about a month old when these photos were taken, and was taking his first official trip to see his paternal grandparents and to meet his aunt, uncle and  cousins. It was a very happy time for my husband and me.  

I used technique after technique to do this layout , and had a lot of fun getting goopy! First of all, I tore the paper circles and curled them. Before adhering them to the layout, I applied a thin coat of gesso in the area around the circles to create interest. Using  a stencil and modeling paste I added more texture to the area surrounding the circle. After adhering the curled paper circles to the layout, I painted a little gesso onto the curled paper. 

  

My sister in law made the prettiest cake in honor of Lee's birth. She is quite a cook, and cake decorator! She wrote, "Hello Nephew" on the cake, which everyone enjoyed.....except the birthday boy, himself, as he was only partaking in milk at the time!  

This little Maya Road tin seemed perfect to showcase the cake. I painted it with gesso, then used a little lime green ink to give the raised design a tiny bit of color. That's when it started....my obsession with dabbing gesso onto almost every embellishment and every square inch of the layout!!! 

See what I mean? It's on the linen heart, flower and the chipboard frame. I couldn't stop!

The two little children are Lee's two cousins. They were so cute inspecting his little baby feet and fingers! The photo in the little flower petal frame is that of my sister in law, who made the lovely cake!  

This layout will be on display at The Crafty Scrapper Booth at Scrapbook Expo in Grapevine, Texas from Thursday through Saturday. If you will be there,  drop by the booth to see it and all the other awesome art created by our design team members.

Products used:

Bo Bunny Press
     Surprise Collection paper and stickers
Delta Cream Coat
     Gesso
Liquitex
     Modeling Paste
Little Yellow Bicycle
     burlap stickers
Maya Road
     canvas flower
     linen heart
     tin
     twine
     star pins
Ranger Ink/Crafter's Workshop
     stencil
Ranger/Tim Holts
     ink

SO MANY OF MY SMILES BEGIN WITH YOU

This layout was created for The Crafty Scrapper design team. What a treat it was working with all the Maya Road and Bo Bunny products! The Maya Road tin heart, below, was painted with gesso before outlining the scallop with another favorite of mine, Snow Writer by Deco Art. 

SUPPLIES USED:

Bo Bunny Press, C'est la Vie Collection
DecoArt Snow Writer
Fancy Pants Designs stamp
Inkadinkado stamp
Kaiser Craft ribbon
Liquitex modeling paste
Martha Stewart punch
Maya Road butterflies, birdcage, velvet flowers,
      large heart
October Afternoon stickers
Petaloo paper flowers
Pink Paislee Artisan Elements
Prima zipper, resin bird, stencilRanger ink
Ranger, Claudine Hellmuth GessoSpell Binders die cut

Tim Holtz stickers and Vagabond 

The stencil and modeling paste work can be seen in the upper left corner here. 

I enjoyed working with the Maya Road metallic  and canvas butterflies. It was so easy to apply a layer of gesso to the metal butterflies to achieve a shabby chic look! For the canvas butterfly I stamped and inked it, then used wire to create the body and antennae.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!!!

I ENJOY BEING A GIRL

This was a fun layout to do  for THE CRAFTY SCRAPPER design team using the "Love Story" Collection by Echo Park! I took this photo about a year ago, just for fun, after giving myself a pedicure. I never imagined that I would share it with the world....but here I am sharing!

I like to add dimension to my layouts when possible, and the Martha Stewart die cut "Heart Loops Trim" Punch Around The Page seemed perfect here. Using the corner punch, I created the pretty heart edge around the center circle, then folded each section back to get a 3-D effect.

SUPPLIES USED:

Echo Park Paper Co.
     Love Story Collection
Martha Stewart 
     Heart Loops Trim Punch Around the Page
     XOXO punch
Maya Road
     Burlap Trim, Fuchsia
Prima
     Interlude Collection, Red
Thickers
     Chipboard Stickers, Marquise 
Ribbons
     Unknown