Every now and then we run across an artist that makes us want to try new things. I am not sure why some things hit us more that others, but this artist is speaking to my soul right now. To see more of this talented artist work, click on her name Gerda S- Rijisdijk 
What would a fairy do with an oyster shell? 
I hope everyone has a great weekend. I am going to follow the sign.
I forgot to tell you what was used to make the junk birdhouse. I first painted the house with acrylic. Two coats of paint on what would show. I used sanded grout and buttered each section I was working on with a palette knife. You do need to do it pretty thick to make sure the pieces are embedded securely. If the piece did not feel secure I would pick it back up and add grout to the piece itself and place it back down. I let the birdhouse sit out in the sun most of the day. It really should probably sit up for a few days before the next step, but me being the inpatient person that I am and wanting to see it finished, gave it the antiquing treatment. To antique: I mixed Antique Gold and Burnt Umber acrylic paint with antiquing medium(equal amounts on this project). Wipe off excess with a damp cloth. I took a ceramic class way back in the day, and learned that you can add colors to antique gold to achieve beautiful results. One of my favorites Antiquing mediums is the Antique Gold and Burnt Sienna. A good combination for dolls or when you want a pink tint to a project. It would be so cute to do small birdhouses for a Christmas tree, but you would have to use something like Apoxie Sculpt because the grout would be to heavy for the limbs of the Christmas tree. Just a thought!
A wood birdhouse sitting on the shelf. It has been sitting there for years. A box full of old jewelry in really bad shape and not really good enough for most art projects. The really bad stuff! I can not throw anything a way because I might just use it someday. Today was the day it would finally be used and it turned out better than I thought considering the junk that was used. 
I went to my mailbox this morning and another giveaway gift was waiting on me. This one is from The Artful Life. If you get a chance go by and check out Tina's Etsy store. I love my necklace! My family often laughs at me because I have a tendency to wear a little to much jewelery. I am sure their must be some gypsy blood somewhere in the tree. LOL. I do have a little of that Native American blood and they also seemed to love adornment, so maybe that is where it comes from. I also have a thing for leather moccasins which I have worn all winter. I exchanged them a few days ago for flip flops. My shoes of choice for the summer! After receiving my gift, it seemed as if the day wanted to be about birds. I walked down to the beach and watched the seagulls and the shorebirds run in and out of the surf. I come home and these beautiful pigeons were in the yard. I have always heard that the male is the most colorful, so I am thinking the one with the touch of color on his neck must be the male. They did not mind posing for the camera at all. Birds are everywhere. I guess they are as happy as we are for a little warmer weather.
It has been so beautiful here. It feels like spring. I have been sitting outside and playing with sticks. Making tiny wreaths out of crab grass. Taking a piece of driftwood and making a place for a fairy to sit. Making little pillows from rabbit fur. Chairs made with shells. I love my little dream world! 
I have received a few emails and one of my bloggie friends wanted to know more about the paper pixie. I will share more pictures of the one holding the heart soon. She is almost finished. I have a little bit more to do on her. I am in the process of making a booklet with step by step instructions. I began making the booklet for myself. I make so many different types of dolls and they are all constructed differently and I wanted to have some kind of documentation of how I did it. I have already used it since making the first doll. How quickly we forget.LOL! 
She really is completely made out of coffee filters, even the face.
I punched out lots of flowers from wallpaper and decoupaged to the filters. 
I love the tone on tone.
I made lots of little flowers to embellish with.
I am making one right now that is totally different. The coffee filters will be painted. I can't wait to see what that one will look like. It is really interesting to me to see how many ways you can change a piece simply by your choice of media. They are so much fun to make! More coming soon!
Yesterday was like Christmas. I went to the mailbox and tiny packages were waiting for me. The first was a gift from OWOH event. I was the winner of this heart ornament from Gypsy Mare Studios. I love her paintings! Thank you! My Paper Pixie( made with coffee filters)thinks the heart is hers, so I am letting her have her way until Christmas and then she is going to have to give it up for the tree. 
The next package I open up was a gift from Susan of A Walk In The Park I am thinking of using the face for a wildart doll. I love it! I opened up the card and there was one of Susan's awesome drawings. I went and grabbed a frame and put the card inside. I thought the frame might be to much, but I like it! He sits on a shelf in my living room. Thank you! 
As you can see I am still having fun making these tiny treasures. I have always loved miniatures and used to collect them, so this is just too much fun. They are close to being an inch. They are made of polymer clay. I gave each pair varnish and sprinkled with a little fairy dust.
