As some of you may already know, earlier this year I began studying small business. The opportunity came up and I found myself having a ‘why the hell have I not thought of this earlier?’ moment. The stars aligned, there was magic in the air.. THIS is what I was meant to be doing. I’d never felt so ‘on the right path’ as I did the moment I signed up.
I wanted to absorb everything like a sponge. I ignored the house, ignored the world and studied my face off. I had big plans. I was going to turn B.Inspired into a real living, breathing, business.
I mean, I’d been trying to run B.Inspired like a business, for years. But as it turns out, I had absolutely no idea what I was actually doing.
Now I’ve got a pretty good idea what to do, but putting it all into action is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. Will I succeed? Will I fail? No idea, let’s find out!
My business officially launches on the 10th of June. This is the date I was given to start, and would you believe it happens to fall on a new moon? New beginnings! How perfect is that? My little hobby is growing and evolving, and to mark this new chapter I have decided to change my business name.
No hard feelings B.Inspired, you’ll always have a special place in my soul xx
This is a huge thing for me, because I’ve had the name B.Inspired for about 13 years. It came from my school nick name ‘B.’ and the word ‘inspired’ which at the time suited me well. I was still exploring with my art and wanted to keep the name really broad. However, I feel now it’s a bit dated and due for an upgrade.
Which brings me to.. my new name. I wanted something completely different that has never been used before and won’t be confused with any other businesses. It needs to reflect my art style and cover all areas from faery art and jewellery to witchy crafts and oddities..
B.Inspired is very proud to announce, her new name will be..
Menagerie of Magick
How exciting is this! I am so happy with it, it feels just right. Wait until you see the logo though, it’s a stunner and I’m so proud of it! I’ll be releasing the new logo on my socials this Thursday night, June 10th at 8:52pm (to coincide with the new moon!).
I will also be hosting a giveaway to celebrate, so keep an eye out on my facebook page to enter!
The first thing I look at when decorating is the lid. If it’s an odd colour, or has logos on it, spray with a coat of spray paint. Even if you’re going to cover the lid with wax or twine, it’s worth making the lid a matching colour in case any shows through.
Next, I add twine. You can wrap twine around the bottle neck, tie a bow or use to attach a charm or swing tag. Whatever you do, add some PVA to the knots and let them dry before cutting off any loose ends.
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Rummage through your collection of shiny things for chains, broken jewellery, beads, charms etc. I like to look for colours or shapes to match the bottles. Chains can be used to go around the bottles or fall to the side with a charm on the end.
Finally, for the finishing touches! Sealing wax. Crayons will work too. Simply melt the sealing wax and pour onto the lid or around the edge of a corked bottle and let the wax drip down the sides. If you would like to stamp the sealing wax, this will not work easily on a curved edge! Use a flat surface, or make the stamp separately on baking paper and glue onto the bottle.
Mini Potions
These are a little different. As they are tiny with corks, I didn’t want to fill them with liquids in case they leaked.
Instead, I painted the inside to make it look like they’re full of potion. Some also contain other items, such as large glitter for siren scales, shimmery twine for unicorn hair, and tiny pearl beads for mermaid eggs.
To paint the inside I used metallic acrylic paint with a drop of water to make it runny. Put the cork in, give it a shake, then remove the lid to pour out any excess and leave to dry. Keep an eye on them, if the paint is too runny it may all sink to the bottom. If this happens just rotate the jars or shake them occasionally as they dry.
I also tried using nail polish which worked really well and gave me a range of bright shimmery colours.
I hope you are feeling inspired. Please share your creations with me, I would love to see!
If you are interested in using the labels I designed, you can purchase them using the link below.
Potion Labels DIY
This package includes six pages of over 60 labels for you to download and print at home instantly. Also included is instructions to age your labels an a bonus page of inspiring ideas. Available through my Etsy shop.
With Halloween just around the corner, I thought I would get into the spirit with a little DIY crafting and potion making.
As per usual, I got carried away, but I ended up with this marvelous collection! These can be used for display purposes or add your own edibles for a themed party or strange gift.
The best part is recycling all those old jars and bottles, they’re free and you’re giving them a new life. Everything I used can be found around the home as well, so it’s a really easy and an inexpensive craft to do. You can make your own labels, or if you’d rather an instant download I have made mine available through etsy, which you can purchase here. The download comes with six pages of labels and instructions to give them an aged look, just as I have in the images below.
Once you have your labels ready, you’ll need some potions! These are a lot of fun to play around with. I experimented with a few different methods using a variety of the following household items:
– Water – Cooking oil – Food colouring (both store bought and natural) – Mica powder* – Glitter – Cellophane
*Mica powder is used in make up. I had some on hand from making bath bombs, but if you don’t have any you can use eye shadow, shimmer powder or bronzer for the same results. You can also substitute with metallic paints.
Wildfire
Water + blue food dye + saffron powder + gold mica
This is my favourite combo and it’s super simple. Fill your bottle with water and add a few drops of food colouring. Then, add about half a teaspoon of mica powder and shake well. Add more mica as needed. The only reason I used saffron powder is because I had run out of yellow food dye. Hot tip!
Beetle Juice
Water + food dye + cooking oil + gold mica powder
Fill your bottle 2/3 with water and add food dye. Fill to the top with cooking oil and add the mica powder last. Shake!
To make beetle juice I used a lot of blue and green dye, which turned it almost black. As the oil floated to the top before I added the mica, all the shimmer stayed in the oil at the top. This was unintentional, but turned out pretty neat!
Faery Blood
Water + pink food dye + purple mica + glitter
Mix food dye into water, add mica powder and glitter. The pigments will settle to the bottom and need a good shake to get the glittery goodness flowing.
Milk of the Poppy
Water + white mica powder
Like wildfire, but no food dye to keep it milky white.
Add some metallic white mica to water and bam, milk of the poppy my friend. Use any of the shimmering alternatives – eye shadow or metallic paints.
You may like to try adding a little flour to keep the water cloudy longer as the mica powder does settle at the bottom.
Bottled Dreams
Water + food dye + iridescent cellophane scraps
I really love the way this simple idea turned out. I had a handful of shiny, rainbowy iridescent cellophane scraps I just couldn’t throw away.. and I’m glad I didn’t. I scrunched them up and stuffed them into the bottle. Then just added water, and a few drops of food dye.
If you don’t have iridescent cello you can try using coloured and see what happens!?
Now obviously these potions aren’t to be consumed. But it doesn’t have to be this way..
I used marshmallows as unicorn poo and choc mint balls for dragon eggs. Also cold water as moon juice and wine for poison. Included in my label package is a whole page of labels carefully thought out to be used on food items.
Party Trick: Place one drop of food colouring to the bottom of each glass and surprise your guests when your pour them a drink that changes colour!
Now to decorate!
I think this calls for a whole new post. You can find it here.
Printable Labels
Print your own labels instantlyby following this link to my Etsy shop: This package includes 6 pages of over 60 labels, an instruction sheet to age your labels and an inspiring list of other uses to get the most out of your purchase. Labels can be printed as many times as you wish for peronal use and gifts only.
About 2 years ago I bought some metal clay and after procrastinating for some time, this week I finally used it. Not guna lie, I was nervous. Not only is the clay is very expensive, but the blow torch my husband bought me was way bigger than the ones used in all the youtube videos. I was worried about catching my face on fire.
Spoiler alert: I didn’t 🙂
New to metal clay? Wikipedia can explain it much better than I can:
Metal clay is a crafting medium consisting of very small particles of metal such as silver, gold, bronze, or copper mixed with an organic binder and water for use in making jewelry, beads and small sculptures. Originating in Japan in 1990, metal clay can be shaped just like any soft clay, by hand or using molds. After drying, the clay can be fired in a variety of ways such as in a kiln, with a handheld gas torch, or on a gas stove, depending on the type of clay and the metal in it. The binder burns away, leaving the pure sintered metal. Shrinkage of between 8% and 30% occurs (depending on the product used). Alloys such as bronze, sterling silver, and steel also are available. – Wikipedia
I actually used ‘Art Clay Silver’ which is pretty much the same thing, different brand. You can find it here.
I had 22g to play with and it was hella fun! I watched a few online videos (I recommend this one) to get started. Then I played around with stamps, leaf textures, a dragonfly wing (fail, do not try this) and some teeny gemstones. The gemstones are risky because they can crack, so be sure to look which gemstones can be fired if you’re going to try this. Once the clay is dry I was even able to sand it! This stuff is genius..
Now to fire them there are 3 options. One is to use a home kiln which I do not have. The second is to use a hand held butane torch which I also do not have, and the third is to use wire mesh over a gas stove. Which I kinda don’t have. So I went for option four – which does not exist – use the massive blow torch thing my husband bought me.
I needed a flame proof surface to work on, so my partner suggested a tile. I was a bit hesitant.. and rightly so, because the tile popped and snapped apart with a bang! At this point I decided to remove the gemstones to avoid further loud noises. (Upon further research I discovered that amethyst and aventurine do not like to be fired. I’ll glue them in place later)
Plan B was this interesting contraption Dustin put together. A stainless steel seive in a clampy thing, held in a squeezy thing, in a vice. It seemed to work quite well firing from underneath. The first attempt resulted in a fail, with the pendant getting too hot and the silver melting into a blob. This may be due to user error.
Round 2 was much better. I found the right temperature, distance, movement and timing. Also, I was the one holding the torch this time 🙂 I think Dustin got a little fire happy when I left because I noticed a melty hole in the mesh when I returned. (See pic below left) Hmm..
It didn’t take too long to get the hang of it, and in a shortish while I had a bunch of silver pendants! They’re a little rough, but I’m pretty pleased with them. Next step was to give them a bit of a polish with the dremel. Followed by a little tappity tap with the tiny hammer to straighten some pieces out and a massive file to smooth out the edges.
My conclusion: this stuff is the BEES KNEES! It’s easy to use and I love that you can fire it at home without any super expensive equipment.
Now that I’m comfortable using the torch I am pretty keen to make more. First, I need to finish these off with some sterling silver chains and some neat packaging!
Interested in giving it a try? Here’s a few links to help you get started:
Check out the video tutorial, making a leaf print pendant here.
Purchase Art Clay Silver online here. 20grams with a bonus 10% free! (22g which is what I used to make all the pendants above.)
You can use a torch like mine, but instead I would suggest this one.
Decorating time Time to decorate our potion bottles! If you’re not sure what I’m on about, you can see my last post (part 1) using this link here. To decorate…
With Halloween just around the corner, I thought I would get into the spirit with a little DIY crafting and potion making. As per usual, I got carried away, but…
About 2 years ago I bought some metal clay and after procrastinating for some time, this week I finally used it. Not guna lie, I was nervous. Not only is…
Floating moon wishes have had a make over! What are floating moon wishes? If you haven’t already heard, floating moon wishes are specialty pieces of paper that you write your…
Today I’m showing you a behind the scenes look at what happens when I create something that doesn’t go to plan. This is what happens most of the time, but…
If you haven’t already heard, floating moon wishes are specialty pieces of paper that you write your wish or intention on, scrunch up, roll into a cylinder and set alight. As the paper burns down the remaining ash floats up into the air like magick!
What’s new?
The new envelopes are premade so no more precise folding, and the wish papers can be tucked neatly back inside the envelope when not in use. The new design comes with a selection of coloured wish papers, a set of instructions, moon phase chart, moon phase meanings and colour meanings all printed onto 200gsm card stock.
Wait, there’s more?
In true me style, I just had to create more work for myself and now I am releasing a range! Introducing.. Floating Ritual Paper and Floating Wish Paper! They all have the same contents, the only difference is the name and the different coloured labels.
How lovely do they look together though?
Where can you purchase?
The new look Floating Moon Wishes, Ritual Paper and Wish Paper are all currently available from my website, in the shop section.
Special Offer!
Remaining ‘old style’ Floating Moon Wishes are still available in my Etsy shop, and I’m offering 20% off until stock runs out. That includes free shipping Australia wide!
Today I’m showing you a behind the scenes look at what happens when I create something that doesn’t go to plan. This is what happens most of the time, but you wouldn’t know, because I only share the pretty things. Lets keep it real. Here’s my creative process, warts and all..
Over a year ago I started a painting, and just this week I finally finished it. Hoorah!
I’m really pleased with how it turned out, especially looking back at my first attempt which is a bit on the embarrassing side. In fact, it’s downright hilarious!
I completely painted over it so it could never be seen by mortal eyes again. I did however, take a photo before it was destroyed. And now that everything has turned out ok, I thought I might share my process (ugly phase and all) with you so you can see what really goes on behind the scenes.
Spoiler alert: it rarely goes according to plan.
It all started with this watercolour sketch I did back in 2020. No prizes for guessing where the inspo might’ve come from. I was practicing painting skulls, had the pandemic on my mind and came up with this bird skull on a person. A bit of a plague mask type thing.
Now even though the artwork is dark and gloomy, it doesn’t reflect how I was feeling at the time. I was painting while binge watching Grace & Frankie, so I was anything but doom and gloom. But the painting looked cool and I thought it would look good on something bigger.
So along came the canvas and my first attempt at painting it. I made a textured underlay of gesso, to give it a rough look. Just because. No plans, just kind of went for it – I don’t think I even drew an outline, just went ahead and splashed on some paint. (May have had some Frankie vibes going on..) Turns out this is a really shit way for me (personally) to approach an artwork.
Bahahahhaaaaaa! What the hell is that?? It is so cringeworthy! It looks like a sad weird bird with a human eye! I still remember painting this part and thinking ‘well this is it, I’ve lost my skills. Yup, gone.’ This happens from time to time. It’s so annoying.
After a day or two of accepting the fact I couldn’t paint anymore, I thought screw it, let’s try again. I painted over the whole thing and started from scratch.
THIS time I put a bit more thought into what I was doing, and used a reference picture or two. Why hello skills, it’s nice to have you back! This is the perfect example of an artist having a good day vs a bad day.
Instead of just splashing on paint this time, I drew an outline, got the composition right, and started out with a wash of yellow and burnt umber. I wanted to try painting a backlight too, which is something I’ve never attempted before.
Now that I had a better vision, it was time to add some colour. I really need to plan my colour palettes better, because usually I just go on instinct. And if I’m not sure, I just go with purple. In this case I added pink, blue and purple.
So I’m happy with the makeover, and I’m painting away.. when I get to that tricky part of the painting where I don’t want to ruin it. It’s like I don’t know how to continue, but I know it’s not finished. This is real life artists problems. It must be approached with great caution. Too many times have I gone full steam ahead only to completely ruin something I really liked a few layers back. And dammit, there’s no ctrl Z!
I also ran out of burnt umber. In lockdown. So I had to put the painting aside until I ordered more paint and it arrived by mail.
The paint arrived, but I was too scared to work on the canvas. What if I couldn’t get the colours to match? What if I made it look like round one again? So, the painting sat there. I tried to convince myself a few times it was finished, or ‘that’ll do’ but it wasn’t right.
Then, a year or so later, along came another burst of inspiration and I had this grand idea for a new canvas! But I wanted to get this one finished first. So the drive I had to do one painting, pushed me to finish the other.
Turns out matching the paint colours wasn’t as tricky as I thought it would be. And in the cases where it was, I just painted over them. Take that mismatched paint.
I tried to fix up the skull, the roses and blend some colour into the background. I was slightly pleased with the background. All ready I preferred the previous layer.. but I figured I’d just keep painting over each part until I liked it.
When all of a sudden.. a day of painting and three reference pictures later..
Roses are looking better! Skull looking better! Eye looking better! Hair.. hair just became a whole lot longer but I’m not sure what else to do with it. More background colour, I like the cloudy look. There’s also shimmery paint but it’s difficult to see in the photographs.
Things are looking good! I’ve added some hair texture – after about 4 or more attempts I decided to just go with straight flowing hair. (Lets pretend there’s some wind.) The cloudy background called for some stars, so I covered the girls face while I splattered some paint. Upside downies for a different perspective. Also to paint the edges. We are on a roll..
..almost. I’m unhappy with her top. I tried painting it green, then blue, then pink. In the end I decided it was too bright, it should be in the shadows anyway with that backlight.
And finally… the finished piece! I’m really happy with the result, but it didn’t happen easily. I think all up this took me over 20 hours, I’d guess between 20 – 25 hours.
I’m planning to hold onto this treasure and *hopefully* display her when I organise an exhibition. It’s been a bit tricky to plan anything at the moment, but I’m sure I’ll get there! Thank you so much for making it this far and reading all about my creative process. Hope I’ve give you a little bit of insight.
If you would like to be kept updated with upcoming markets and exhibitions, please subscribe to the Secret Society or follow me on facebook!
I came across this wonderful post about the ‘Faery star’ which I’d never heard of before. Isn’t it lovely!? I think I need one of these in my life. Thank you to Rhapsody Boheme for allowing me to share! (Please see link to Rhapsody’s blog page below)
Picture: faerie.com.au – (The faery star pendant is available for purchase here!)
Have you heard of the faery star? To me it sounds magical, perhaps a star of magic and wonder. Where the world is magnificent and filled with hope and stories of old tales and make belief.
The septagram, or Faery Star, is used instead of, or with, the Pentagram by many Faerie and Celtic based traditions. The seven points represent the Sun, the Forest (or Wood), the Sea, Magic, the Moon, the Wind, and Connection (or Spirit.)
An alternative set of definitions test upon use of the Faerie or Elven Star as a gateway to the Otherworld; each point of the Star is one of the entrances to the Faerie Realm, a pathway, or the 7 rays of manifestation of the Higher Self, as follows.
1st point – Power, Personal Will and Determination
2nd point – Unconditional Love, Wisdom, and Growth
3rd point – Knowledge and Intelligence
4th point – Harmony and Tranquility
5th point – Powers of Mind and Science
6th point – Devotion and Honesty
7th point – Magic
The points blend with each other, nurturing and joining us as one with the Universe, bestowing personal and spiritual transformation.
The hopeless romantic and dreamer in me, beliefs that this is beautiful. It leaves me inspired in my crafty ventures to make a piece of jewelry or other artifact using the Faery Star as it’s motivation. Would you wear it or display it somehow?
As promised, I am hosting a giveaway to celebrate the launch of my small business ‘Menagerie of Magick’.
I couldn’t decide on a prize so I’m offering a choice of one of 3 mystery boxes.
They are:
Fantasy – a mystery box of faery and fantasy themed treasures
Witchy – a mystery box of witchy themed treasures
Shadow – a mystery shadow box with a specimen inside
Entries are open worldwide with shipping included!
To enter, simply sign up to the Secret Society and comment below with the box you would like to win. You can gain bonus entries by entering on my instagram and facebook posts too. (Links to those on the footer of this page)
Finally! I have my logo out in the wild, along with 3 faery vector images I created because I simply couldn’t stop myself. Here they are all together in an insta-style vision board type thing, enjoy!
There’s a menagerie of mysterious things happening here at B.Inspired headquarters and I want to share them with you all, but only with those who are truly worthy of such knowledge. Those who truly want to know the secrets, musings, inspirations and creations.
Those who are willing to subscribe..
By subscribing to The Secret Society you’ll be updated with a seasonal-ish newsletter, but most importantly, you’ll be first to know about my big announcements. They’re coming.. and they’re big. And they’re top secret.
Announcements.
Big ones.
Top secret.
So if your curiosity has got the better of you, please creep on over to my Secret Society page, or click the button below to take you there.
It is well known in faery folkore that one must never dance with the faeries, and whatever you do, never ever ever eat faery food.
You probably shouldn’t collect their corpses in jars either, but some rules are just made to be broken.
Welcome, and behold my latest collection of rare faery specimens! One of a kind bespoke pieces for your curiosity collection. It is unknown if these specimens are entirely deceased or under a spell, perhaps some kind of fae trickery to fool us mortals. In which case I recommend you do not touch!
I should also warn you that by taking ownership of any faeries or faery artifacts, they may attract unwanted unseelie fae and mischievous folk. So if you own any or feel there has been some suspicious fae activity in your life, I have a list of faery protections you may want to consider in order to protect yourself..
Protection from faeries
Iron – It is believed that fae folk are repelled by iron, even poisoned by it according to some. Placing iron on your front door, such as a horseshoe, will ward off evil faeries. The magick is even stronger if you mount the horseshoe sideways, to represent the crescent moon.
Bells – Not just any bell, but a deep toned bell like those in churches. Moody bells and chimes by the front or back door will help to protect your home. You may consider carrying a bell with you, just in case.
Clothing – If you suspect the bad fae are about.. simply turn your jacket inside out! A quick and easy repellent to use any where. No jakcet? No problem, other clothing items will work too. A jacket is just much easier to turn than your pants.
Offerings – Place a bowl of milk or cream by the back door as an offering to the fae, to keep you on their good side. Be careful not to offer anything sweet, or they may not want to leave.
Salt – A ring of salt around your home or under the windows will help protect your family and ward off evil of all kinds.
St Johns Wart – Carrying posies of St Johns wart or planting them around your home is known to repel the evil faeries.
Daisies – Particularly a daisy chain, worn on the head or neck of children will protect them from being taken by the faeries.
Four Leaf Clover – While this may not protect you from the faeries, it will allow you to get a glimpse of them if they are nearby. The more you have, the more glimpses you will get, so you can keep an eye on their mischeivous ways.
This post was never published when it was supposed to be, back in October. I suppose I ran out of time? I felt it was worth sharing, something I will always reflect back on when I hear the number ’20-20′.
It’s funny how at the beginning of lockdown, way back in March, I had all the time in the world. But I soon found myself so busy I had no time at all.
Granted, I have spent around 6 months home schooling so that took up most of my time, but I also had heaps of creative inspiration so I also spent every spare moment I had working on all my new ideas. Housework took a back seat, not like we were having visitors anyway.
My last post was April 21st and I mentioned I was 30 days into (the first) lockdown. It’s really weird to look back on that. I’m in Metro Melbourne Victoria, Australia, and for those who don’t know, we have only just started to lift restrictions from our second lockdown, which was much more severe than the first.
In a nut shell, we went into lockdown back in mid March through April, to late May. Restrictions began to lift, through June, but by July 9th we were back in lockdown again. Less than one month in and the restrictions were even harsher including a curfew and 5km limit.
As an artist, who sells pretty things, I figured my work was over. Markets were closed, retail was closed, and all I had left was my online shop. People were losing jobs, no one knew what was ahead, and it seemed everyone was spending their money on toilet paper.
I bought my first face mask in July and thought I could make my own. I gave it a go, made a few masks and shared them online.
BOOM. The mask making frenzy began.
Orders came pouring in and overnight I found myself sewing masks full time. I had never experienced anything quite like it. I had a constant stream of emails, orders were stacking up and I found myself cutting, pinning and sewing until the wee hours of the morning. Buzzing on Irish coffee and listening to podcasts. It was really exciting, but also a tad overwhelming. One day I felt like a helpless artist, the next I was in high demand.
A few days later, masks became mandatory, and the madness continued.
Of course, I wasn’t the only one. Craft stores soon ran out of elastic and black fabric. Lines were huge and only got bigger. I was part of a crafting phenomenon.
In the stores, behind the fancy custom patterned masks, fellow crafters would give a ‘nod’ of understanding to one another in line as we waited to be served. We were all there for the same reason.
To the people who bought handmade masks from local artists, thank you. You gave us income and a purpose. The feeling of being needed in a time like this, and be able to support our families in such an uncertain time, was empowering.
The mask making lasted over two months, then just like that, it came to an end. The break was welcomed. I was exhausted but also very proud of what I’d achieved.
As the world went into isolation in early 2020, photographers from all over the globe documented their experiences through pictures.
I however, did not.
I was a bit bummed that I hadn’t thought to. But little did I know I would get another chance with a second lockdown from July – November, here in Melbourne, Victoria.
Now that we’re on our way out, with most restrictions lifted, I feel it’s time I can share these images and reflect on a moment in history.
And lets hope with all our might that we will never have to home school ever again.
Ever.
Hour of daily exercise
Cooking with kids
Stay Home
We’re all mad here
Iso haircuts
Practice makes perfect
Can we go to the park yet?
Fun at home
Let me out
Towards the end of lockdown I had an appointment to get my eyes tested. I took my camera with me and snapped a few pictures of the almost empty shopping centre. It was very surreal to see so many stores closed, red and white tape everywhere, signs on every window stating how many customers were allowed inside at one time, not to mention all the social distancing stickers and Xs on the floor.
I mentioned a few posts back that I had a bunch of crafty supplies on the way.. they came, I created, it’s been heaven.
And now I can finally share some of my new creations with you.
I am SO excited about these..
Crystal cauldron candles.
They’re cauldrons with candles and crystals in them! What more could one want? Why not a few herbs and gemstones thrown in? don’t mind if I do! Rock incense, yes please. And top it all off with a dash of eco glitter, because sparkles are the bomb.
The cauldrons are metal and I’ve filled them with soy wax, added colour (as you may notice I’m still getting a feel for how colour blocks work) and a heap of essential oils because I want the scent to knock your socks off!
While they were drying I added some dried herbs from my garden, crystals, tumbled stones, incense and glitter. I am so in love with them I just had to keep one for myself.
I gave it to myself for my birthday.
The other three were claimed before I even had a chance to put them in my shop! I think others are just as excited as I am. I will definitely be making more of these beauties so if you are interested in buying one please send me a message, I have a feeling they won’t last long..
I thought I’d be making a whole lot more than I am, instead my brain has gone into overdrive and I have SO many ideas, like, so many.. it’s all very exciting! Problem is I keep ordering more supplies, soon I’m going to be overwhelmed with a whole lot of new crafts to do. All in time for my birthday, so the timing is pretty neat actually.
I’ve got more soap making supplies on the way, I’m going to be making some magick bath products – a whole new witchy inspired range is coming, so that needs some packaging designs as well, I’m super excited about that! AND now oh my goddess, I had the most amazing candle idea. I won’t give away too much, but I’ve seen a new kind of style appearing on the market and I’ve put my own twist on it. I love it so much in fact I’m making one for me, one for a friends birthday, and two more which, if all goes according to plan, will be available on Etsy.
And, if it doesn’t go according to plan then I’m sure I’ll have some funny craft fail stories to share with you all!
Oh the waiting is killing me I just want to start them all now! NOW!
So other than day dreaming about making new things, I have also been getting on top of a few projects too. I finally finished painting this limited edition batch of wands! The ‘crystals’ (plastic) came from a wedding I attended last year, so I only had these 5 to work with.
I also finished something I had started moons ago, which is always satisfying. Finally my first printable! A range of herb labels with magick properties on them, available to download and print out yourself. I had the design I just needed to get around to printing them and taking photos. Feels good to get it done, and I’m pretty pleased with how it all turned out.
And finally some perfume bottle necklaces. I had a friend over a while back and we made some of these bottles into necklaces, then created out own perfume oil elixirs to put inside! These bottles come empty so you can create your own scent.
These and all of the above are now available in my Etsy shop. Thanks so much for stopping by!
What better time to write a blog post than when I’m self isolating right here at home!? It’s one of those things I just never seem to find the time for. Well, I’ve got plenty of time now so here we go.
Blog post.
New things are brewing..
During my first few days at home I made some small soaps. I suspected my online sales would drop due to these uncertain times, so I may as well offer something useful. And making soaps is fun so, winning!
Then my mind went down the rabbit hole. I fell into a daydream of all the lovely soaps and bath products I could create! What I could name them, what scents I would mix, how I could package them.. I’ve been here before, and it was a delight to go back.
Long story short, I have a large order of supplies on the way, so watch this space for new and exciting witchy soaps and bath brews!
All these little soaps are available in my etsy shop right now, hooray!
I love to dress up. So I was pretty stoked when my friend had a dress up party for her birthday. It was around Halloween, so I wanted to do something creepy.. but with a twist. And so the evil tooth fairy was born.
GIVE ME YOUR TEETH!
To create this costume I wore a simple fairy costume (white dress, white tutu, white wings with stripey tights) and dressed it up with some handmade tooth jewellery and toy tools. Oh and blood, plenty of blood.
I used food dye to splatter blood on the dress which I was amazed to see it totally washed out leaving no stains at all! For a nice bloody tone I used red food dye with a few drops of blue to darken it. I watered it down a little and flicked it onto the dress with a paint brush.
To make the necklace, I used white polymer clay to create little rooted teeth and added a bent piece of wire to make a charm. Cook, paint blood, then add to a pearl necklace.
My what lovely teeth you have..Photo taken after I wore it, so it needs touching up here
The crown turned out so well! I just used a cheap headband and layered it up with some hot glue. When I had some height I added the teeth I’d made from polymer clay, and secured with more glue. Then all it needed was a few coats of pink paint (I used acrylic) and finished off with, you guessed it, lots of blood.
Bloody nice!
To complete my outfit I also painted some plastic tools I bought at the cheapo shop. I sprayed them gold then added some dark red blood splatter. Muaahahahaaaaaa!
And there you have it! My evil tooth fairy costume. For an added storyline (and because he isn’t huge into dressing up) my hubby agreed to black out his teeth! I thought it was a great addition until I found out one of the party guests thought he really had no teeth and I was an arsehole for making fun of it. Bahahahhahaaaa!! We sorted that out, but gosh did I laugh!
During April (and er, overflowing into May..) I took part in a little art challenge set up by a fellow faery artist and friend, Faerie Sarah of Handmade Wonderland.
5 Mondays in April exploring Art Witchery..
Week 1: Meet the Art Witches
It seemed fitting to do a self portrait for this prompt and it was interesting to compare the painting to my actual real life face afterwards. Turns out I painted my features too big, note to self: don’t paint features too big.
Week 2: Elemental Week
Considering I’m an Aries and my element is fire, and also due to the fact I need more practice painting fire, I decided to go with – you guessed it – the water element. Nah kidding, fire element! I had no intentions of painting Rhianna but she kind of looks a bit like her to me. My fire painting skills need more practice but I think I’m improving.
Week 3: La Luna Week
Ah the moon! I was going through some scraps of paper with music on them when I thought to myself: ‘If I find the word moon in the music, then I’ll use it to paint on’ and guess what.. yah huh. Moon-lit. Close enough.
Week 4: Muse Week
So many muses, who to pick!? I just had to go with Brian Froud as he is responsible for my love of watercolours and squashed faeries. This is a quickie sketch of Mr Froud in the form of an elf which I think it is his true form really.
Week 5: Art Witchery in Action
This was a thought provoking prompt because I’d never really considered my art as witchery in any way, other than the subject matter, but it made me really think about my creative process and where the magick comes from. And after some thought I realised that there are many little rituals that come naturally. One of which is shown in the photos below where I hang many of my creations to cleanse in the insence smoke, especially if they have feathers.
My adorable 6 year old gave me a shadow box for Mother’s Day which is such a sweet and thoughtful gift! It’s also full of pink sequins and kind of hideous, so I asked him if I could decorate it. He was totally cool with that, thank goodness.
Such a sweet gift, sickly sweetSequins kept for for craft box of courseI did feel a wee bit guilty scrubbing off this message.. just a wee bit. A little all purpose cleaner and a scourer did the trick.This was fun, finding dyed pieces of paper and pictures to peg. A pop of colour..The best part, messages and drawings from my boys along with a recent photo
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