Find Forest Fairy Crafts in
Monday, March 12, 2012 at 1:18PM 'Tis the season for magic at the end of the rainbow!
Patterns for these little leprechauns are over on our Etsy Shop.
We hope that you enjoy them!
Leprechaun, pattern in Fairies Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 1:28PM The Dragonfly Class at the Nevada City School of the Arts made heart gardens last week. These beautiful creations inspired me to share the project with all of you.
Our young students got to cut hearts, decorate and glue. They all were lovely and unqiue.
Creating the garden is simple. You need
The backgrounds for these gardens could be made with watercolors, but we have a fun technique that kids of all ages enjoy. To make the background, first cut or rip light green and dark green tissue paper into strips of various sizes. I did this project with my three year old son and he had a great time cutting the tissue paper. The wonderful thing is that he cannot go wrong. Even when he started cutting itty-bitty tiny pieces of paper.
He has absolute creative freedom, which is delightful for children. I loved his fierce concentration as he made a pile of scraps.
After he tired of cutting and tearing, we brought out a piece of white paper. This one is cardstock for our family cards, but we used drawing paper at school. We use this technique on watercolor paper, too, with beautiful results. I would imagine that glossy papers wouldn't soak the color in, but anything else should work fine. We used water to stick our tissue paper scraps onto the white paper.
We did a little water first, then stuck the paper, then more water over the top. As the page gets soaked, the first layer isn't as important. Neither is flat scraps :)
The water smoothes down tissue paper nicely. Children start to see the 'bleeding' effect quickly, and that is a little magical. Overlap the colors and keep painting over the top.
Keep going until the entire page is covered with wet tissue paper. Paper going over edges is fine.
You may need to take a break when children notice that the water is turning colors!
Leave the paper for a few hours to dry. When the tissue is dry, pull it off and the colors will have transferred to the white paper. You can use the tissue paper for another projects- tree leaves, etc.
Now you have a lovely background for your garden. Cut out hearts. We did have a heart punch for the smaller hearts. Use a oil pastel to draw stems and leaves. And have fun!
We can never have too much love :)
Enjoy!
Monday, February 6, 2012 at 6:37PM 
Fairies
I am crafting my way through the wait-list for fairies. These two capture this particular 2012 winter-season for me. Winter here in Northern California has been overcast and chilly. But no dramatic storms. No major snow. Hardly feels like winter at all. So here are fairies of the season, with their cool colors, their hints of springtime with brightness here and there. They sing of color.
And they remind me of the quieter days of winter, when the forest is sleepy and still. The girl, well, she is ready for spring with her bright pink wings. She may be dressed in cool colors, but she celebrates the flowers that will be here soon.
I rarely have a plan when I craft these fairies. I sit with my felts and my petals and let them inspire me. I am lucky indeed.
Oh, and the Mama-fairy (or sister-fairy) has a fancy hat. She has an icy bead and silver bell that reminds me of frosty mornings.
The flower bead on her hat is a dark green, as well. A quiet promise. We believe :)
Wishing you a lovely day!
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 7:19PM 
Last week, I went to a teacher-gathering in the evening. My eight-year-old asked to use some felt and thread while I was gone.
"Are you sure you're okay on your own? I won't be here to help you."
"I'll be fine, mom."
A mama's dream. With a twinge of sadness that this little girl is not so little anymore. So away I went and, when I came home, she gave me her heart's wish.
She made this mama teary-eyed. I believe in the power of hearts. And wishes.
She created two small hearts. The pink one is 1.5 inches across and the pocket-heart is about two inches across. They are very simple to make. The little heart has a heart bead inside of it, no stuffing at all. She sewed the bell on, then sewed them together, sealing the heart-shaped bead inside. I doubted her idea at first. But, sure, enough, I find a great tactile comfort in feeling that little heart shape inside the bigger felt heart. The fact that the heart is sewn shut and the bead is safe and sound inside is also soothing. The jingle bell is cheerful. Again and again, I learn to trust the creativity in children.
Her larger heart is a pocket-heart. She sewed a heart shape on the back and front separately, then attached both hearts together with an open top. She gave it to me with a story that the heart is meant to be shared. I can write her little notes and then she can write me little notes and we can both write wishes. The heart keeps giving.
I hope to sew enough for each student in her class, or perhaps put a few in the mail for cousins and grandparents. I asked her where she found her inspiration and she said, "I just thought of it."
I love many things about these hearts (of course), but my treasure is the personal stitching that catches her age perfectly. We may be tempted to guide children towards neat, even stitching and perfectly cut heart shapes, but really, the imperfections shine. Even her little knots with the strings fraying are wonderful.
Children can play with felt like they play with blocks and paints. Their wishes are magical.
Thank you for sharing, Anika!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 8:32PM Only days remain, yet these ideas don't take more than an hour. You could collect the supplies in a cute bag or basket to give on Christmas morning, then share craft-time together that day and sew a memory of the holiday together.
Who can resist a well decorated tree?
Download the free pdf tutorial here
Or heart?
I love shiny happy beads and sequins.
Another quick idea that keeps children busy for awhile, and makes charming decorations for tree or windows (or gift tags), is God's Eyes. Once children pick up on the wind around pattern, they are hooked and will make one after another. The Magic Onions has a lovely tutorial posted here.
Trees and grandparents and parents love handmade ornaments. Have fun!
Oh, and just to share, our fairies from the Dragonfly Class (these take more than an hour):
Sending you sparkles and magic as you enjoy the season!
Christmas, Dragonfly Class in Children, Crafts, Free 
