Shake, Rattle. and Roll!

I love a good thunderstorm. The kind where the wind blows the rain sideways, the lightening lights up the sky in crisp, white, electric zig zags and the thunder booms so loud that it shakes the house. After a month of absolutely not a drop of rain, this week we've had intense nightly thunderstorms and I have to admit I think they're wonderful....even when they wake me out of sound sleep! Besides enjoying the show, I think of my garden getting a good soaking and how that will turn into all kinds of lovely flowers and yummy things to eat...what's not to love?

Speaking of lovely things to eat, this fellow wandered into my head recently demanding to be made...these Looking Glass Rats are very demanding! Let me introduce you to Bander and Brillig. Not only are they obvious fashionistas, but they (he?) are also connoisseurs of gourmet foods, fine wines, and evenings at the opera. These fellows can quell or inspire with just a glance and are often to be found backstage at the best fashion shows. Appearing now in my shop!

The Swap is ON!

Well the show last weekend was kind of slow but definitely lots of fun. Wonderful friends getting together to turn my humble abode into an amazing art gallery for a day...how could it not be fun? I'll post some pictures from the actual show this weekend but for now I wanted to get to the 'Swappin' that I promised!

So Swappin' Fun Time!
First off I want to give credit where it is due and say that I absolutely lifted this idea from Jo over at The Cart Before the Horse blog...a wonderful, magical place that is one of my favorites to visit and if you have not been there do yourself a huge favor and go check it out as soon as you're finished here...I only hope that I can do as good a job of organizing as she did because she made it such fun! Of course being the complete fiber-aholic that I am this idea was too good not to share, maybe one of you will be the next to pass it on?

Okay here are the rules:
Cut four 9x9 inch squares from five different fabrics (100% cotton only, please). That's 20 squares in all. (You can easily get four 9x9 inch squares from a quarter yard or a fat quarter.)
Try to send fun interesting fabrics ...the kind that are so hard to resist. I'll gather them together, shuffle them up in a precise pattern known only to me because I haven't figured it out exactly yet, and send out 20 new pieces to everyone! Who could resist a plethora of riches like that? So the first 19 people who respond that they want to play will be in...don't forget to include your email so I can send you my address and the fun can begin!

I uploaded a BUNCH of new stuff to the shop this week, with more to come, so drop by for a visit and we'll have a cuppa tea! Well it will be virtual tea but the sentiment is there.

A Naiad

So here is the doll I made for the ADO Elements challenge. She's a Naiad, a type of fairy or nymph that inhabits the rivers, streams, lakes, marshes, fountains and springs of the earth. Naiads, or Undines as they are also called, are found in the folklore of many cultures. A Naiad's essence was bound to her spring, so if a naiad's body of water dried, she died. While poking around on Google today I found out that naiad is also the name for the immature form of a dragonfly...how's that for serendipity? So my element is of course Water! There is tremendous concern in the world today about the availability of clean drinking water for both humans and animals and the naiad, with her dependence on her water source, seemed a perfect representative to me. This doll was made by stretching a cotton knit "skin" over a cloth and wire armature.

Have a wonderful weekend and be sure to check out the other elements from the doll artists of ADO. You can find a complete list of participants by clicking on the link at the top of the page or right here!
Tomorrow is the art show here at the Nest...pictures to follow later.... and fabric swap info as well!

A New Kitchen and a New Doll

I've been so crazy busy getting ready for the homeshow next weekend that I've been neglecting my blog terribly! But I've finally had a chance to take some pictures of the kitchen remodel and here they are! You can see the "before" shots here.


I am SO loving the new counter tops that I may be in danger of polishing them a bit too much...

The whole remodel came together so quickly that it was really amazing and I am SO happy with the results that I've been cooking up a storm ever since! I made 11 batches of pesto, a big pitcher of gazpacho and a yummy Mediterranean eggplant and orzo salad yesterday morning and made a big ole mess...it was great! (Actually my hubby made the gazpacho... to give credit where it is so richly due.) Of course just minutes after I took these pictures my husband went to open the basement door and the handle fell off in his hand...with an old house remodeling is always an ongoing project.

I've also managed to get my doll for the ADO Elements challenge finished, something I seriously felt was not going to happen! I can't post full pictures of her until Friday but I will give you a little sneak peek...can you guess which element she represents?

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Baking Shoes

Work on the new kitchen is progressing nicely but I'm not quite ready for the unveiling yet. Perhaps after this weekend,when we're done painting the ceiling and refinishing the floor. Ah the sweet smell of polyurethane... Bleck!! In the meantime I'm working steadily on my other goal...making enough stock for my upcoming show. So with that objective, today I baked a tray of shoes. Yup...I was baking shoes today. These ladies looked on in wonder as the tray filled...


I love the hair on the far left doll! Can you say extremely bad hair day?! Poor little Alice, the flowers did say that her petals were very untidy. Luckily she had a hair appointment later that day...

Of course there's still the one on the right that's bald... Back to the studio I go. Have a wonderful weekend folks!

Happy Solstice from The Nest!

Happy Litha or Summer Solstice everyone! Celebrate Summer, abundance, and all the wonders of Nature in Full bloom...and raise a glass of honey wine to the Sun! Regular wine is of course very much allowed... :)

I'm sorry to have been so out of touch lately but I do believe I have a good excuse. You see, I am seriously out of my mind. I must be and I'll tell you why. Every year I have a show at my house where I gather a group of local artists and we turn my home into an art gallery for a weekend. This has been going on for some time, and in fact this year will be our 10th anniversary so it's looking to be even more of a production than usual. It's quite a bit of work but I have to say that the results have always been wonderful. Now here's the crazy part. Despite the fact that I know I'm doing this in less then one month and that I have hardly any dolls made in preparation, I am in the middle of remodeling my kitchen! Not just a bit of paint and sprucing up either...oh no. We're talking tear it all out and start from fresh here. What was I thinking?!?! Take a look...

Before...

After...

See?! Now I have been promised that it will all be finished by the end of next week but I'll still have to move everything back in, get the rest of the house cleaned up, and find time to make some dolls all before the show July 18th. No problem, right? Yikes!!!
So there, proof...I must be out of my mind!

I do plan on hosting a fabric swap but I think it will have to wait until after July 18th so plan on coming back to sign up then. And I promise to post pictures of my lovely new kitchen soon....fingers crossed! So if I'm a bit absent in the next few weeks, you'll know why. I'm flying in 20 directions at once and making magic happen. Well, what else would you expect from The Fairies Nest?

Swappin' Fun

Today was the last day of school and now that our traditional last day ice cream sundae party is over, a boisterous board game marathon is going on in the living room...Summer has officially begun!

I recently participated in a fabric swap arranged by Jo at the wonderful Cart Before the Horse Blog. New fabric? You know I'd jump on that, and it was such fun! Each person contributed 20 9"x9" squares from their "stash" and the contributors came from all over the US and as far away as the Netherlands. My package came in the mail today and it was so beautifully packaged that it felt like Christmas opening it up!
Such wonders to Behold...


The gorgeous stenciled bird person was made by Jo, isn't it great?! (If you've never seen the amazing dolls that she and her husband make you should go there right now and give yourself a treat!)

This was such marvelous fun that I was thinking I may have to see if I can host a swap myself. What do you all think, would you be interested in a fabric swap?