Turning Fairies into Scaries

 

I’ve always had a soft spot for fairies.

My childhood ambition was to grow up to be a fairy. I almost achieved it ( read about that here)

I have a very scruffy looking gothic fairy sitting stiffly on a cloud tattooed on my left breast/upper chest. It was a moment of madness, literally.

I was a lady of a certain age going through a difficult emotional time when I stepped into that tattoo parlour on a whim.

Most people would look at it and think that I’d regret getting such a clumsy piece of skin art, but I don’t. Like many people’s tattoos , it symbolises a time that I like to remember to keep me grounded.

Not the best piece of skin art in the world but it works for me.

I think most people go through a period in life when things go dark : if you don’t, you’ve lived a charmed life. We can’t avoid darkness in our lives, be it bereavement, loss, relationship breakdown  and so on. As painful as those things are , I believe they still play a part in the rich tapestry of life and can sometimes be our making rather than our undoing; character building stuff.

So I suppose you might say my tattoo predicted how my love for fairies would also, in time, include my love for ‘scaries’. I have been walking around with a prediction marked into my skin for over 10 years.

This

My favourite flower fairy. She flew away some time ago now.

has managed to turn into this:

My L’il Devil. Now with a new owner.

 

I’m not saying the Scaries have replaced the fairies, not a bit of it! I’m saying they’ve balanced the world out a little.

I’ve got to shoot off and be a children’s entertainer now in my incarnation as Diane’s Puppets.

I’ll be back to show you what else has crawled out  of the shadowy dark side that is Crochet Dark and Decadent 
very soon.

Toodle pip.

 

 

 

 

 

I believe in Fairies!

I’ve managed to leave making kittens alone for a millisecond and focus on making a fairy… here is my latest creation:

I just love fairies!

She doesn’t have a name yet. Suggestions would be welcome.

Five pence piece to show scale.

Here she is, sitting on a magic toadstool.

Showing the back of her.

Rather than go for my first impulse to make glittery wings, instead I’ve chosen the simplicity of green leaf wings. I think the green is a perfect compliment to her exotic purple hair. ( I’ve used the same wonderful sequinned-scattered yarn that I used in these cushions to make her hair.)

Her hair is fully attached strand by strand on a crochet cap. Making the wig for the fairy is probably my favourite part of the process.

Off I fly

This little fairy measures 12″ (30cm)  and comes presented in her own little white box.

Available from my Facebook page

Crochet Bright and Beautiful on Facebook

or soon to be included in my Folksy shop.

CrochetBrightandBeautiful on Folksy

Like all my collectibles, she is a one off, original piece for careful ownership. She is NOT A TOY… but would make a great decoration /talking piece and costs £20 plus p+p.

She needs a name.

Any suggestions?

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Brand New Fairy Hippie Chicks

Flo and Lulu Festival Fairies

Presenting the coolest Fairies on the block : Flo and Lulu.

Here's funky Flo with her neon welly boots

Here's lovely Lulu and her stripey tights.

They are best of friends and love nothing more than dancing to the latest tunes and wiggling their wands and wings and stomping their fluffy pink welly boots in time to the beat. Both lovely fairies have the best hair do’s around; Flo has great grey and pink braids that are beaded and Lulu has vibrant purple high pony tails that are festooned with feathers.

Isn't she pretty?

Flo tucked up in her box.

Both fairies are not toys despite having safety eyes; they are collectibles suitable for the older child.

Available on my facebook page  

These lovely fairies cost £25 and come packed in their own dinky white box . They are totally unique creations, no other fairy like them exist.

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• Fairy News (fairynews4you.wordpress.com)
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Rosy, the 50’s Crochet Pinup Fairy

Meet Rosy

Say hello to Rosy, my latest crochet fairy. She’s a one off and totally unique.  She’s inspired by 50’s Rockabilly styling. I would have given her tattoos if she weren’t so bumpy ( she is crocheted after all) but I thought her big quiff and high pony tail plus the polka dot halter neck top gave her the flavour I was looking for. I love the contrast of the green eyes with her mainly red clothing and hair.

Her full outfit

Her hair and feet are adorned with pink roses, her full skirt is made of flower petals and her wings are glittery green on a rose hue. She stands a full 10″ tall and her arms and legs are wired, making them pose-able.

Isn't she pretty?

From the side

Rosy’s eyes are safety eyes but she is only suitable for older children due to the fact that her arms and legs are wired. She is intended mainly as a collectible, being handmade but is sturdily enough made to withstand a certain amount of hands on play.

She would make a great gift for a special child. She is available in my Folksy shop. 

I have lots of other things there, do have a browse sometime.

A Fairy Lovely Gift

A place to put those precious teeth

And no, I’m not talking about a glass by the side of the bed for the dentures!

I’m talking about those first precious teeth that fall out and are stored under the pillow for the tooth fairy to replace with money. What is the going rate these days? In my day it was 5p but then I am rather old ( born in the Year of the Dragon) . I’ve asked my little birthday party clients and they tell me it is now at least a pound. With the invention of the £2 coin, I bet the tooth fairy is fairly generous in some establishments.

Sometimes the tooth fairy finds it really hard to find those tiny teeth . I know she/he is magical and has superpowers but I’ve experienced times firsthand when I was a child when the tooth fairy couldn’t find a tooth and I missed out on my money. I worked hard on pulling out that tooth, I really deserved remuneration. It’s mentally scarred me, clearly.

The solution

I’ve come up with the cutest solution for lost fairy teeth: a squishy tooth box that can also double up as a pincushion for mummy once those big teeth are firmly in place and the tooth fairy moves on to younger mouths.

Of course it features crochet. I mean, what else would it be? I’ve made a magical crochet fairy mushroom with a butterfly or bumble bee resting on top.

Open up the mushroom cap to reveal a glittery inner that is just big enough to hold a few teeth and a £2 coin or two safely. It’s even robust enough to fit under the pillow should you not want to break with tradition, but I think it would really please the tooth fairy to find it displayed next to the bed. Indeed it is pretty enough to serve as just decoration.

The box itself is a very sturdy card and the top is a crochet cushion. I’ve put a circle of green felt on the bottom to finish it off nicely.

For no extra charge, I’d be happy to personalise these precious containers with the name of the owner of the baby teeth.

I’m soon to upload them to my folksy shop if you would like to buy one. They will cost £9 + post and packaging.

Related articles

• day 56: crafty kiddos/ a visit from the tooth fairy/ fairy dust/ free printable gift certificate, tooth chart, and a special note/poem from the tooth fairy! (ipinterest.wordpress.com)
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• The tooth fairy visit (babyccinokids.com)
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• On Being An Immigrant’s Child: The Tooth Fairy (sairasays.wordpress.com)
• Tooth Fairy Note (duffinfamilycircle.wordpress.com)
• The Tooth Fairy Knows Where You Live ~By Gabby Angel (autumnsunshineandgabrielleangel.wordpress.com)
• The tooth fairy: just a fairy tale, as one kid sees (teresaedmond.wordpress.com)
• To Catch the Tooth Fairy (bacurran.wordpress.com)
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Crochet magic for new fairies and pixies

In a crochet making frenzy

Well it’s been far too long since my last craft blog post and I really must apologise. I have been very busy making and planning and doing hands on stuff rather than documenting. It’s now time to document and show you what I’ve been doing.

Since my very successful debut crochet stall on Xmas Eve in Brixton market, I’ve had lots of very useful feedback as well as selling lots of produce that I needed to replace. The best sellers were the fairies, dogs, finger puppets and baby slippers.

So it’s a fond farewell to:

Sold!

Oh I just love fairies. And crochet. And crochet fairies. Sigh.

Sold!

Did I forget to mention that I love dogs too? And crochet? And crochet dogs?

Sold!

Sold!

Sold!

sold!

I mean, just how could you not fall in love with those puppies? Those lovely woofy crochet creatures all went to very loving homes. They’re all properly house trained and won’t cost you anything in upkeep. You could take them to the park if you wish ( you can leave the pooper scooper at home!)

The crochet baby slippers really made an impact and you can see why. They’re just sooo cute.

Sold!

Sold!

There were a few hats that were sold too, all in all it was a very successful debut stall. The feedback I got was that I needed to make more items for baby boys and for small babies. So I’ve been busy with that in the forefront of my head.

So this is the result.

Told you I'd been busy!

That is a box of shoes and a toy or two… I’ve since made hats to go with it.

The shoes are worth showing individually. So here they are:

A warm welcome to:

Sleeping Bunnies slippers (0-3mo)

Cotton ballerina pumps ( 0-3mo)

Blue star booties (0-3mo)

Sailor bling shoes

Red sailor bling

Bunny booties

pixie feet ( with jingle bells)

Elf shoes with jingle bells

Pink preemie shoes ( smaller than newborn)

Just delicious strawberry boots

Baby ladybird slippers

Toadstool toes

Buttons and bows

Tiny preemie mouse booties

Cute pompom grey cable boots

Grey boots showing detail

 

and finally, Scrappy the shy puppy.

Crochet crochet crochet crochet… I love crochet. There’s more to come, oh  yes, much more.

That’s enough for now. The next post will be about hats.

Please pop over to my shop Crochetbrightandbeautiful to have a look at( and purchase at really good prices)  my latest creations.

You are guaranteed to be buying a very original gift for your baby or toddler ( or young at heart) made with heaps of care and love and totally unique. No piece I make is ever the same. ( Call it a low boredom threshold).

I don’t know about you, but I sense a change in the air. Are you feeling it too? I’m sensing people’s growing disinterest in the corporate label mass production thing and a growing appreciation for the human touch and the hand made.

I’m loving it… * whistles*

Flower Fairy cuteness

I’m still beavering on, crocheting items for my upcoming Xmas Craft stall at Morley College.

I know, these darlings are labour intensive and really you can’t charge what they are really worth in man ( woman in my case) hours, but I so love bringing these magical creatures to life.

The pattern is based on the wonderful work of Beth Webber ( she of the muse status in my previous doggy amigurumi posts.) A fabulous photo tutorial for making this fairy doll with her moveable head is available here

The blue haired one is rather punky and funky with her textured dreads and curls and far out eyes. She wears green boots and a flower tutu.

Funky flower fairy

She's so sweet

She looks like she’d have a kick-ass attitude. I like that in a fairy.

Her sister sprite is a little more delicate with her long legs and green fluffy hair.

Pretty gorgeous

Flower fairy loveliness

I'd make a wonderful gift for a special person

Well, I’m off now to start something new.

So many things to crochet, so little time!

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Don’t mess with my tutu!

I’ve had the absolute joy of making a tutu for my granddaughter. It’s a really easy no sew method of making ,from a length of elastic and a few equal lengths of tulle of different shades. Cut the tulle into strips twice as long as you need them to be for the tutu, fold them in half and loop the two ends through the fold over the elastic and pull tight. Tie on a few contrasting ribbons and a flower or two and eh voila! Simples.

 

Finished tutu, fit for a fairy.

 

Detail of tutu

 

Cute!

 

Wearing my new hat and tutu

Ah! Being a granny is so wonderful.

 

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Fine Art Fairies, original hand-made greetings cards

I’ve been fiddling away with my fingers and think I’ve come up with some really cute greetings cards.

I’ve taken images from Fine Art,drawn them up in my own hand  and added fairy wings and wands to them ( and a liberal sprinkling of glitter) to what I think great effect. I know I’d certainly like to receive one, but what do you think?

And which one is your favourite? Do you have a favourite painting that you’d like to see turned into a fairy?

Once I’ve made enough I shall be selling them. Let me know if you’d like to place advance orders. ( They’ll cost £4 each plus £1 p+p)

Modigliani fairy with flowers

Seated Modigliani fairy

David Hockney Fairy Godmother

Monochrome Rembrandt Fairy

Fluffy Rembrandt fairy

Whistler Fairy

Pensive Ingres Fairy

Ingres Odalisque fairy

So , that’s all for know. Which one do you like?

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