Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Butterflies, Fairies and Shamrocks

Hello!
"May the roof above us never fall in.
And may the friends gathered below it never fall out."
- Irish Blessing

I am starting a 10-day countdown to Saint Patrick's Day, March 17.
We'll be doing a bit o' green each day!
This front cover of sheet music is from one of my favorite web sites:

Bit of Irish History
Paragon Publishing Book, ISBN0-75256-139-1
Around AD600 the Irish imported books and copied them in their monastaries. They also took these books with them wherever they went.
An important library was established at Bobbio AD613.


If you are still working on your fairy wing mobile from March 6th blog, here is a web site that has MANY full color butterflies to be inspired by and to gaze upon:

Here is a vintage Irish fairy for you:

If you would like to give a live shamrock plant for the holiday, here is a site I found on Amazon:
I have always loved the delicate shamrock plant with white flowers. Browsing around, I have found there are several different types of shamrock plants. So, do some shopping and pick which one you like best!
image from:
27249-irish-womans-hand-holding-a-green-shamrock-clover-by-the-stem-over-a-white-background-stock-photo-image-by-anastasiya-maksymenko[1]

Altered Paper Doll Wing Project:
Let's make an Irish Fairy Altered Paper Doll!
Take a look at the butterflies on the web site mentioned above.
Put  your Green Oz Glasses on, and envision them in green!
Here is a base doll to get you started:
This is one of Tom Tierney's paperdolls from Dover Publications.

Here is a dress to go with her:
BUT....I want you to turn her into an Irish Fairy!  So, get out those pictures of wings, and play. What style looks best on her? How about detachable wings so she can have new wings for every day of the week?
I bet velcro would work? A sewing hook and eye?

Do I want to make the wings glittery? Refer to the tutorial on Fairy Wing Mobile and apply the glitter/paint suggestions.  Ranger's Stickles would also work great!

Have fun with your Irish fairy altered paper doll. Add some green crepe paper. Add a bit of green lace, or an interesting button. Cover her in shamrock stickers!

You can print out the base, and glue it onto a sturdy piece of cardboard (yeah - cereal boxes!).
What about gluing the base doll to a thin piece of balsa wood? You can cut this with your x-acto knife fairly easily. Balsa wood can be found in Hobby Lobby, or other craft stores.
OR -
Use just the outline of the doll to get you started. Now you can make the face or clothing style any way you want. Give her wild red wire hair!!! Give her dried moss for hair, and twigs for her arms and legs!  Add tiny white silk flowers at her wrists and ankles.  Does she need a proper white lace shawl around her shoulders? Use a bit of an old handkerchief with lace border.

I would love to see your Irish Fairy Altered Paper Dolls. Send me a picture!

Stamped  with Peddler's Pack rubber stamp.

I am so looking forward to getting a new printer/scanner soon. Right now I can't scan any of my projects to show you; I am relying on "old" pictures and clips.  Ah, such a reliance on the electronic age. Once you have it, you think you can't live without it. And perhaps we can't...

"There are only two kinds of people in the world -
the Irish, and those who wish they were!"
- Irish saying

inkspired


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