Gratitude and New Goodies

Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone.  ~G.B. Stern

Greetings everyone!

I hope that all of you have been well and are looking forward to a weekend of relaxation and fun.  It's been quite the week here at Casa Faerie Moon.  And I'd like to start out by saying just how GRATEFUL I am to all of you for your friendship and support!  I was so touched by the kind comments you wrote on my last post regarding my community piece on Bliss Habits.  It truly brought tears to my eyes.  Everything that is here is because of you - and I thank you for that!  I'd also like to congratulate Jingle for reaching her goal of 1000 blog followers and for allowing me to take part in her giveaway celebration!   I'm really looking forward to sending my bookmarks to the lucky winner.

I received a wonderful little surprise yesterday!   My whimsical Annabelle was featured in an etsy roundup of wall art on She Knows.   I discovered this news yesterday from the author of the piece, Lauren Willard.   Gifts can really show up in the most unexpected places.  I am thrilled that Lauren decided to include me in her spotlight of beautiful art on etsy, which includes this gorgeous photography by Haute Whimsy.

Serenity

I've been feeling inspired and a bit bolder lately.  Some of you might remember this photograph from an earlier post of mine. Well, I decided to take a courageous leap and offer it for sale in my etsy shop!   I titled the photograph "Serenity," as I really get a peaceful feeling from it.  We are so fortunate to have this lovely park just minutes from our home.  Believe it or not, I snapped this photo from the road!   Serenity was professionally printed on Kodak Endura metallic paper.   The print is unmatted and measures 8 x 10 inches, with no borders - just pure natural goodness!   I really like the glossy sheen and metallic look - it is unique and gives it such a sparkling look.

Ella Necklace

I am so pleased to announce that Ella the Butterfly Faerie is now available as a necklace!  She is safely encased in a clear resin coating and placed in a pretty silver-plated pendant frame.  I included a cute little charm and this time chose some heavy-duty woven nylon cord in a vibrant shade of red.  I thought the cord made a nice change from the ribbon I had been using. The nylon measures exactly the same and includes a two inch chain extension along the clasp.

Ella Print

I am most excited about finally being able to offer an art print in my shop!  Of course, I had to choose Ella first.  She has become my personal muse.  I've been testing out prints for awhile now, and I was really happy with the final results.  It also helps to have a husband who knows a little something about all the technical aspects! Like with my Serenity photograph, Ella was printed professionally on lovely Somerset velvet art paper with Epson Ultrachrome professional archival inks.  The print looks so much like the original art piece - it's just amazing!  The print measures 8 x 10 with a small 1/4 inch border on all sides.  The print is unmatted, and I can sign it if it so desired.  

Again, I want to thank all of you so very much for your kindness and support.  It really made my heart sing and has given me the strength to try new things with my art.  I'm planning on my own little giveaway soon, but in the meantime I hope you'll accept a little coupon for my shop.  Just use the code GRATITUDE15 at checkout, and the savings will apply to your entire order (before shipping).  

Til next time, take care and be happy!

Theresa

Friday Fun

Greetings everyone!

It's SO good to see all of you.  I know it's been forever since I last posted.  And I truly meant to.  I guess all of the rain we've been having "dampened" by spirits somewhat (no pun intended).   So just know that I really did mean to come and visit with you - and I promise to, very soon.  In the meantime, I've got lots of goodies to share with you today!

 

Ella the Butterfly Faerie

I am thrilled to announce that Ella the Butterfly Faerie is off to a wonderful new home.  But never fear - Ella is currently available in bookmark format.  I love how she turned out.  This photo is a bit dark, but I kind of like it.  I propped Miss Ella up against some wonderful books (can you tell what some of them are?).   It's kind of like she's watching over them.  

I really have been working on new art!  And here is a sneak peek.  I really like the color combination I used for this pretty faerie.  I still have quite a bit of detail work to do, but the background is finished.  Now it's time to embellish her pretty purple hair, her face and her country-style dress.  At first, I wasn't too thrilled with how she was turning out.  But I worked a little more on her and really think she is turning out cute.  I am in love with her blue wings.

My Lily of the Valley finally bloomed...hurray!  For awhile I was going to check on it every day.  I've heard their fragrance is very sweet, so I gently waved my hand in the air so I can get just a small whiff (as I am somewhat allergic to flowers).  It did smell so wonderful...

Now for some more fun stuff!  You can find me and Faerie Moon in a number of places this week.  I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Laura Dickey - a wonderful creativity consultant who I met through twitter.  Laura took an interest in me and my work and has featured me today on her blog today!  You can read the interview HERE.  Laura has a lot of wonderful things to say about creativity and life in general.  If you sign up for her emails, you'll receive the sweetest little e-book filled with nuggets of inspiration.   You can also visit with Laura on Facebook.

I also had the wonderful opportunity to be a guest blogger on Bliss Habits - one of my favorite inspirational blogs.  I've mentioned Kathy and her awesome blog many times.  Last year, I authored a post on whimsy.  But this year, I tackled the topic of community.  You can read my post HERE.   I gave this post a lot of thought.  Of course, after writing it, there was SO much more that I wanted to say.  Hopefully, I did a good enough job with what I did manage to remember!  Bloggers and artisans are both part of vital communities - and I'm thrilled to be a part of both.  It's an opportunity to share and grow and learn.  I adore sharing the talents of others on my blog, etsy, twitter and even Facebook.  I believe that as a community - we should all support one another.  I steer clear from arguments and unpleasantries.  I've even been on the receiving end of this, myself.  And it's just not healthy - I freely support other artisans and jewelers and knitters, as we all have something vital and unique and special to offer.  And I hope that is the point that I got across in my post!  Hope you'll pop on over and give it a read.   Maybe even leave a comment?

See this bunch of pretty girlies?  Well, there is a possibility that they ALL could be yours!  My friend Jingle is hosting a giveaway bonanza as she approaches 1,000 blog followers (can you believe that?).  She has awesome giveaways today through Wednesday from thirteen different shops.  There is definitely something for everyone!   I am giving away all seven of these art bookmarks to one lucky winner.  And I'll ship them worldwide, too.  Please don't be shy!  You can enter my giveaway HERE.  But I do hope you'll visit all the giveaways - and follow Jingle's fun blog, too!

I'm happy to say that we are finally getting a bit of sunshine here after all the rain.  And what better way to celebrate the sun than with this fun summery song from She & Him.  I just adore Zooey Deschanel...enjoy!

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Theresa

More Spring Goodness to Share (Repost)

Greetings everyone,

Sorry I am late to the party once more.  I hope that things will soon settle down enough for me to return to my regular routine.  I'd like to share some more goodies with you today.  I have really and truly been so fortunate to receive these wonderful gifts as of late.  They have brought many a smile to my face.

Is this not the cutest baby crow you've ever seen?  I was most fortunate to receive this sweet ACEO from Stacy of MagicLoveCrow.  If you didn't guess already, Stacy LOVES crows - as do I.  Her shop is filled with her original one-of-a-kind paintings.  There are no prints available of her work - so what you receive will be yours and yours alone. I always smile when I visit Stacy's blog - and I know you will, too.  Please be sure to stop by and say hello!

These gorgeous labels are coming to me from Sheree of Raven Moon Magic.  I love to turn nature's bounty into all types of preserves and jams, while my hubby makes the most amazing sauces and salsas.  When Sheree shared these on her blog, I was immediately drawn to their organically ethereal style.  I was so thrilled to learn that I would be receiving them.  I feel so fortunate to know Sheree - her blog is a truly magical place. She is honest, full of spirit, and writes deeply from the heart.   Have you visited Sheree's shop?  It is filled with her beautiful and spiritual art.  Please be sure to visit with Sheree, as she is celebrating her 100th blog post...hurray!

Earlier this year I signed up to participate in a spring swap through Mother Moon's blog.  It was a lot of fun.  I always enjoy participating in swaps because you get to meet amazingly talented individuals and hopefully also forge new friendships.  Just for participating, Janie sent me this gorgeous scented mat and morning glory (one of my favorites) seeds.  I am most grateful for her generosity and lovely gift.

I was most excited to meet the person I would be sending my gifts to.  As luck would have it, I met someone very similar in taste!   The talented Eimear from Drawn to Fairytales hails from Ireland.  I was immediately drawn to Eimear's delicate and beautiful work inspired by myth, magic, folklore and fairy tales. Her style is evocative and very linear.  I love that she shares the myths and legends behind each piece on her blog.  

I thought long and hard about what to create for Eimear - and I decided to make spring-themed goodies that were fairy-tale inspired.  I gave Eimear one of my Princess bookmarks, a cedar rose from one of my woodland rambles, silver dangle earrings with ladybug and dragonfly charms, and some spring green wristlets...

All of which I placed inside this collaged book box!  I used acrylic paints, art papers, sheet music, spray inks and inspirational phrases for the box.  I carefully cut this bird from some lovely art paper I had and adorned him with a crown.  And, of course, I included a key to give the box a kind of "secret diary" feel.  I hope that you will pay Eimear a visit - I think you will love her work and her engaging writing. 

I wanted to share the link to a new feature of Faerie Moon Creation on my friend Kim's blog!  I'd love if you stopped by to take a read.  Kim is a wonderful person and generous friend.  She lives in one of my favorite states (Maine) and creates naturally scented sachets, eye pillows, bookmarks, home decor and a whole lot more!  Take a peek at all the amazing aromatherapy treats in her shop - there are even sachets for cats! I am deeply honored that Kim chose to feature me on her blog, which is still quite new.  If you get time, visit with Kim and read about her life in the woods of Maine and all the new products she's working hard to create.

I hope that you are all enjoying a wonderful week filled with creativity and the things that make you most happy.  My whirlwind tour of your blogs shall begin this evening!  Hopefully, I will have a few new Faerie Moon treats to share with you next time.

Til next time,

Theresa

Happy May and Mother's Day

Greetings everyone!

Can you believe it's finally May?  Everything here is in full bloom, and it's all just so lovely and inspiring.  I took this photograph at our local park last weekend, when we went to the outdoor festival that was hosted there.  

So sorry it's been awhile since I posted.  I'm very thankful that you are all still here with me!  I've been tending to my shop and other life matters - which have taken me away from both my blog and yours.  But I do hope to catch up with all of you very soon.  In the meantime, I'd like to share some beautiful goodies I recently received from some talented friends.

You may recall that I mentioned winning a little calendar from the wonderful and talented Cindy.  Well, as luck would have it, I was gifted again during Cindy's Alice in Wonderland celebration week.  What made this gift so special was that it was actually crafted by Cindy.  Isn't this little teapot matchbox so cute?  And when you open it up, a multitude of sweet hearts come falling out.  I adore Alice in Wonderland and was so thrilled to be able to add this to my collection of Alice-inspired goodies.  Thank you again, Cindy!  Please be sure to visit Cindy's blog - and she is so generously giving away more of her incredible work.  But hurry - it ends Saturday night!

Isn't this the sweetest little butterfly?  As you can see, I perched it atop my little moss terrarium and you can see the faint magenta blossoms of our crabapple tree outside.  This little sweetie came to me from Debbie of Craftymoose.  Debbie loves working with seed beads to create lovely French beaded flowers, butterflies, home decor and much more!  You can see her amazing work in her shop.  You'll also find Debbie's artwork there, as well.  Do be sure to drop by and say hello!

My dear friend Clarice created this beautiful candy dish.  I love the sweet shade of blue that Clarice used to paint the metal dish with.  She then affixed some jewel-like drawer knobs for "feet" and tied an adorable fabric flower with ribbon to the handle.  Clarice was also kind enough to include a bar of chocolate with my candy dish.  Alas, it was eaten before I thought to take a photo of it!  Trust me when I tell it was most delicious!  Have you ever happened by Clarice's blog, Storybook Woods?  It is a place filled with enchantment - Clarice offers her amazing recipes, crafty tutorials and homemaking tips.  Clarice is also a published author!  Her book, Wren Bay, is a historical novel loosely based on her blog. It has an engaging heroine, a handsome hero, original recipes, and many gardening and homemaking tips.   If you enjoy historical fiction, you are definitely going to love Wren Bay!

I also received some gifts of a different sort.  Two wonderful artisans showered me with blog love recently.  The Stylish Blogger Award came to me from Rhonda of Roban Studio.  Rhonda is a talented artist with a shop on Artfire where she sells her watercolor, mixed media and abstract work.   You can also view her oil paintings here.  Rhonda has also created a charming couple by the name of Wormy and Wormelia - you can follow their adventures on her blog.   The couple will soon be married - be sure to sign up for an invitation!

The characters are part of a children's book series that Rhonda is working on.  Hope you get a chance to visit with Rhonda soon!

 My second blog award comes from Caroline of Craft Mix.  Caroline shares many of her amazing creations on her blog and even has a Youtube channel. Caroline was born in the Netherlands but has lived in England for a number of years.  Just wait until you see this lovely butterfly piece she created!  Hope you will drop by and pay Caroline a visit!

And since this is Mother's Day weekend, I want to wish all my dear blogging friends who are moms a most spectacular and pampered day.  Here's a photo of me and my dear mom from a few year's back.   She's really a wonderful mom and is always there for me when I need her.  Even though we don't get a chance to visit with each other as often as we could, I know she's always a phone call away.  And although I didn't care to admit it while I was growing up, mothers ARE usually always right.  And I'm glad she was!  

I will do my very best to catch up with all of you, as I miss you very much.  Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day weekend!

Til next time,

Theresa