Seasonal Lenka Vodicka Seasonal Lenka Vodicka

Spring Delights and Ideas

The sunshine is changing, can you feel it? There's a warmth that speaks to longer, lighter days. It's easy to stand in those little pockets of sunshine and soak it up. Of course, parts of the world are deep in winter. Here, though, spring is coming! And we couldn't be happier to see it arrive. Fairyland loves the springtime. We collect our favorite inspirations on our Pinterest board, Spring Delights.

We curated a few of the projects that look especially charming this year. The Easter bunnies are hard at work getting everything ready for Easter. Perhaps one of these projects may find its way into a basket in your home. Or you may want to make one with a child as spring days inspire you.

Egg Pockets perfect for hiding little gnomes inside by Rachel Wolf

Wee Brown Bunny Gift Bags are the cutest! Learn how to make them with 

This Stuffie Bunny and Artful Egg is a charming alternative to plastic eggs. Learn how to make the bunny and the egg with The Adventures of Bluegirlxo

Aw, a Butterfly Finger Puppet makes exploring a spring garden enchanting. Margaret Bloom shares how to make one on We Bloom Here

These Bunny Fingerpuppets enjoy romping in the garden as well. Their little tails! Learn how to make them with Molly's Sketchbook.

Spring Fairies | Bendy Dolls by Lenka Vodicka for Forest Fairy Crafts

Of course the fairies love springtime! They change into all the colors of blossoms and green growing sprouts and blue skies. Have fun mixing the colors of spring! All the details for making them are in our Forest Fairy Craft book*. The little leaf babies are another favorite springtime craft from the book.

Blossom Baby by Asia Currie at Forest Fairy Crafts

So many wonderful ways to celebrate springtime! We look forward to seeing all of your amazing crafts. Enjoy spring magic :)

*affiliate link means that your price remains the same and a small percentage returns to us for referring you. Thank you! The forest appreciates your support. 

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Fairies Lenka Vodicka Fairies Lenka Vodicka

Happy Leprechaun Season

It's the season of little people. They're in the leaves and under newly blooming flowers. They're finding beams of warming sunshine to warm their wings. Creating leprechauns is yearly magic. Of course, they may appear thanks to an adult inviting them into a home (making one to leave in a special place). Instead of building a "trap" which was popular for awhile, we build leprechaun homes, places where they want to stay and enjoy a cup of tea while they sort their gold trinkets. 

This year, I created a new leprechaun with sparkly gold hair and green felt. She wears skirts of green and white speckled with glitter (I was lucky enough to find the glitter-strewn carnations at a craft store). 

Along the way, leprechauns bring stories of magic and luck. Whatever your family story, enjoy creating these magical friends. Make the luck of the little people be with you!

Other leprechaun crafts include : 

Play with Your Crafts: Making Houses

Leprechaun Babies

Of course Leprechauns are in our first Forest Fairy Crafts Book, which you can use for year-round crafty friends *affiliate link gives a small amount to us should you choose to purchase the book while your price remains the same. We all win :)

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Lenka Vodicka Lenka Vodicka

Hearts to Sew and Share

Felt hearts have endless opportunities for decorating. Spread happiness throughout the world. We have one hanging in our window year-round. Love is inspiring all year. :)

We added a cute little pocket to the front to shelter a treasure or sweet note. Learn how to make them with our free tutorial, below.

Tutorial to Sew Felt Hearts with Children by Forest Fairy Crafts

Step One

Collect felt, stuffing, and needle & thread. Choose decorations from smaller felt flowers and leaves to beads and sequins and/or a button. The only limit is your imagination (which is limitless).

Sew Felt Hearts with Children by Forest Fairy Crafts

Step Two

For a mini-pocket heart, cut two hearts the same size, and one smaller heart.

HeartsForestFairyCraftsLenkalandLenka Vodicka-3.jpg

Step Three

Decorate the little heart. Double your thread and tie a knot. Bring your needle up from the back so the knot is hidden underneath. Thread your needle through leaves, flowers, and a button to hold them all down. Sew back down through the button and silk flowers and leaves. Add more if you like. When you are done, tie a knot on the bottom and clip the threads. 

Sew Felt Hearts with Children by Forest Fairy Crafts

Step Four

Place your smaller heart on a bigger heart. You can hold it in place with a safety pin if you like. Tie a knot at the ends of the thread and start from underneath to hide the knot. Start by one curve of the heart. Sew up and down (the Dolphin Stitch) around the edge to hold the smaller heart on the bigger hear.  

Sew Felt Hearts with Children by Forest Fairy Crafts

Step Five

Stop sewing when you like the size of your pocket. Take out the safety pin if you used one. Tie a knot and clip the threads. Now the little heart can hold a tiny treasure or written wishes and dreams. 

Sew Felt Hearts with Children by Forest Fairy Crafts

Step Six

Place the two big hearts together. You can use a safety pin to hold them together if you want. Sew around the edges of the big hearts. We used a blanket (Rabbit) stitch. You can sew however you like.

Sew Felt Hearts with Children by Forest Fairy Crafts

Step Seven

Take out the safety pin if you used one. When you get a few inches away from where you started, you get to stuff your heart. Add stuffing so your heart is nice and puffy and full of love.

Sew Felt Hearts with Children by Forest Fairy Crafts
Sew Felt Hearts with Children by Forest Fairy Crafts

Step Eight

Sew the hole shut. Tie a knot and clip the threads. You can hide the threads by pushing the needle across the heart and pulling so the heart is kinda wrinkled. Clip the threads near the felt. Then, when you straighten the felt, the threads disappear inside. Fancy!

Sew Felt Hearts with Children by Forest Fairy Crafts

Step Nine

Clip a thread that you sew once through the top of the heart. Slide the needle off of the thread. Tie the ends together to make a loop. Now your heart can hang in a window or a special place in your home. 

Sew Felt Hearts with Children by Forest Fairy Crafts

Decorating hearts has so many ways to be special. You can skip the pocket and decorate the front by itself to look wonderful too. Your heart reflects you. How do you want to make it lovely?

PS: For the lace heart, we first sewed around the edges of the lace to hold it on the larger heart (you can see the light purple thread). Then we trimmed it to match the edges of the felt. Then we sewed just like the rest of the project. It's an extra step that may be fiddly for young crafters. However, the effect is gorgeous! 

Now you can make another heart to give to someone you love. And another and another! Happy Valentine's Day :)

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Ideas Lenka Vodicka Ideas Lenka Vodicka

Inspiration Crafts for Valentine's Day

We love discovering ideas from creatives. Each one is a new way to celebrate the friendship of Valentine's Day. Add to it that this time of year may be chilly outside, so it's a perfect time to sew (granted, I believe that every season is a wonderful season to sew). We collected a few of our favorite inspirations from around the web. Enjoy! How will we choose which project to make first?

Sweetheart Charms by Purl Soho

Sweetheart Charms by Purl Soho

Upcycled Puffy Hearts on Maker Mama

Upcycled Puffy Hearts on Maker Mama

Upcycled Puffy Hearts by Maker Mama

Peg Person Heart Stamp by We Bloom Here

Peg Person Heart Stamp by We Bloom Here

And of course a Love Fairy can join the festivities :). The Forest Fairy Crafts book has all the directions that you need to make her (a few more than will fit in a blog post. We're looking forward to sharing directions for the Sweetheart Fairy Babies in Magical Forest Fairy Crafts Through the Seasons releasing in late summer, 2018. 

Valentine Fairy Babies by Forest Fairy Crafts

Wishing you a lovely time creating Valentines! :)

PS- the links to our books are affiliate links, so a small amount is paid to us in compensation while your price remains the same. Thank you for supporting the forest. Cheers, friend :)

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Book, Coming Soon Lenka Vodicka Book, Coming Soon Lenka Vodicka

Big News in the Forest

Perhaps a quiet forest is not so quiet after all. Squirrels may be harvesting acorns, critters digging dens, birds building nests. This forest has been just like a real forest. While it has looked a little quiet around here, we've actually been frantically creative for you.

We wrote another book!

Hip hip hurrah!

We've thrown ourselves into the very best projects for a return to the forest. And we're so happy to share the news that more Fairy Crafts are coming your way in August of 2018. We embrace each season of the year with crafts. We find inspiration in colors and activities. We brought together our very favorites to write MAGICAL FOREST FAIRY CRAFTS THROUGH THE SEASONS. 

This book was so much work (so much!) and, yet, such a delight. We amuse each other by sending snapshots of the ideas. We hope that you smile as much as we did as you make these crafts. From seasonal families ready for play and decorating nature tables, to stuffed foxes and cats, to new treasure bags, this books has magical toys and decorations for children (or their favorite adults). 

Magical Forest Fairy Crafts Through the Seasons

We reunited with friends at Funstitch Studio for the return to the forest. Lots of people making these crafts look gorgeous while sharing all the directions. Did you know we made more than 250 little samples for the photographs? I should write a post about how we make each project come together. It's a big effort that is also rewarding when we see the book come together.

Happy new year to you! This year will be filled with magic! The book will be available in August of 2018. Until then, keep enjoying Forest Fairy Crafts with our first book! 

*affiliate link will give us a small portion of the amount while your price remains the same. Thank you!

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The Green Fairy

What color is Vert Pré?

The color of meadows greenly growing. Or tree leaves stretching towards sunshine. A fairy who whips up green tea smoothies for her friends. The Vert Pré Fairy.

greenfairyForestFairyCrafts-1.jpg

She invites friends to her home where green pillows decorate a green couch. Her mantle is woven green branches around a collection of sprouting vines that she would never think to burn. She serves feasts with kiwi and broccoli and guacamole with water faintly tasting of lime. Or cucumber.

greenfairyForestFairyCrafts-5.jpg

Her favorite pet is a fluffy green caterpillar that matches the pillows when he curls up for a nap. Don't sit on him! She knows he'll become a moth one day, but she loves him just the same. She rests a hand on his head and promises that she loves him just the way he is, and she will love him when he changes. 

greenfairyForestFairyCrafts-4.jpg

For desert, she serves green tea ice cream while wondering why no one makes green pea ice cream, or green apple ice cream. After all, so many wonderful flavors are green. So many wonderful things are green. 

Magic is green and light and growing stronger.

She enjoyed visiting with you today.

She was inspired by the Colour Collective on Twitter. Join the fun. I look forward to seeing your colorful creations!

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Fairies, Holidays Lenka Vodicka Fairies, Holidays Lenka Vodicka

A Very Mermaid Christmas

Few people know that Christmas is popular even under the sea. Mermaids wear festive hats just for the occasion!

Many years, I create an ornament that shows whatever is enchanting my kids that year. From the Orange Fairy when my son was obsessed with all things Orange, to the Peppermint Fairy from the year my daughter danced as a Peppermint in our local Nutcracker ballet, the ornaments are fun to make, and even more fun to remember. 

The peppermint fairy was a gift the year my daughter danced as a peppermint in the Nutcracker

The peppermint fairy was a gift the year my daughter danced as a peppermint in the Nutcracker

Helping kids make fairies is fun. However, anytime I help them, I take the back-seat in order to support their ideas and choices. So giving myself room to create any fairy that I want is tremendous freedom.

My daughter has a (slight) mermaid obsession. We included mermaids in the Forest Fairy Craft book. They were summer mermaids with crowns. How could I modify the mermaid for the holidays?

I wanted a tail that curved, which took finagling. A few trial and error attempts where it looked too bulky or gigantic. I always draw pieces on paper first to cut out and test shapes. Then I use test felt (inexpensive felt in any color) which I can sew together with a few little stitches to see if the scale works. Once it does, time to create! 

Mermaid Fairy Doll Ornament by Forest Fairy Crafts

Both my daughter and nice love turquoise, so I used that as an inspiration color for both mermaids. 

Mermaid Fairy Doll Ornament by Forest Fairy Crafts

Using just a wee strip of faux fur on their hat was a fun carryover from other fairies that I was working on at the time (Saint Nicholaus). The Faux Fur is a little tricky to sew, hard to get the needle through, so it's definitely an adult quest. You could create a similar look with a strip of white felt.

I also use metallic thread similar to this one for that added sparkle. It's tricky to sew with the thread so it winds around their outfit. 

The girls loved their mermaids! And it's a joy to see them again year after year.

Happy creating, one and all! 

*this post does contain affiliate links. Should you choose to purchase through these links, a small amount returns to the Forest while your price remains the same. Thank you :)

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Gnomes, Holidays Lenka Vodicka Gnomes, Holidays Lenka Vodicka

Happy Saint Nicholas Day

Little gnomes are off to help my son's class celebrate Saint Nicholas Day! Many European children leave a sock, stocking, or shoe by the fire in the hopes of a little treat from Saint Nikolas.

My dad is Czech. We celebrated Saint Mikulaš. He visited on a carriage led by a white horse. An angel and a čert (pronounced chert) traveled with him. The cert is a trickster devil who told Saint Mikulaš all the naughty things while the angel told all the kind, good things. You hoped that the angel had more to say than the devil :)

My son is learning about celebrations all around the world. He left slippers that they sewed together out in class today in case Saint Nicholas visited their school (spoiler alert! he did!)

These little gnomes didn't take very long for me to make. I kept things simple while my son was at school one day. In case you need to make many gifts quickly, here's how I made this collection.

  • I painted the bases with watercolor paint and just a bit of sparkle with Iridescent Watercolor Medium mixed together.
  • While the paint dried, I cut a little triangle and adjusted until I liked the height for the hat. I cut twenty by holding one and cutting felt without tracing. After all, imperfections are part of the fun. I sewed them with a few stitches, starting from the bottom and going up. I added a bell at the top and tied off. Set aside and repeat nineteen times. 
  • The capes are simple rectangles. I could have curved the corners at the bottom. Saint Nicholas wears a long cloak anyway. I cut a long strip of felt, measured around the peg person to find the right fit, then cut twenty. I tied a knot in the thread, started in the back midway, then ran a stitch towards the front. I secured onto the dry peg dolls with a few stitches at the front (pulling the first stich to help gather the cape a little). I ran a few stitches towards the back and tied a knot. The hat would hide all of the knots. Repeat nineteen times.
  • Finally, I tucked a tiny bit of stuffing into the hat and glued onto each little gnome. Magic!

My daughter helped sew a few hats and cloaks. Thank you!

I have found, when creating larger projects, it helps me to complete all of an element at once. Say, sew twenty hats, instead of trying to complete one character at a time. It sure is gratifying to see them all come together at the end!

My son came home bubbling with stories about everything he found in his little stocking. Here's to all the gift-givers and magic-makers :)

Gnomes for Saint Nicholas Stockings or Shoes
*this post does contain an affiliate link. If you choose the iridescent medium, a small portion returns to the forest while your cost remains the same. Thank you!
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Community Lenka Vodicka Community Lenka Vodicka

At Make Local Habit

Fairy Crafts are back at Make Local Habit in Grass Valley. We brought kits and finished fairies to the shop this week. Of course, while in the shop, I find dozens of treasures that I my kids and I want as well. Make Local Habit carries local artists along with natural toys, beautiful books, and creative games. 

Our fairy is having fun playing with unicorns handmade by Kiya's Naturals Childhood Treasures. At least until he gets to go home with a new friend. 

I know that we will be going here for holiday shopping. From the carved wood toys to Nevada County stickers, all sorts of treasures are waiting to be found. Asia and I are bringing new things every couple of weeks. If you have a special order, let us know. We're excited to be back on the shelves at this special store!

In addition to the other goodies, Kiya sews clothing for children and adults by upcycling quality clothing. Her styes are eclectic and fun. 

Not all of the toys featured here are Fairy Crafts- I love the little soft star babies, knitting kits, and pegs for birthday rings. We are constantly inspired by new ideas. The little knitting kit is a brilliant way to inspire a young knitter.

We look enjoy being part of this a community of local artisans! 

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A Mermaid Birthday Gift

Summer isn't done here. The sun is still warm, even though the air gets cool in the evenings. We were recently invited to a birthday celebration for a girl what loved mermaids. The entire party had an amazing attention to under-the-sea details. I decided to bring a little mermaid doll as our gift.

I sprinkled sequins along the tail. For her crown, I wanted to her to remember this birthday. She was turning nine. I sewed the star to the center first. Then I moved to one side and sewed four sequins. I tied the thread and started a new thread on the other side of the crown to sew four more sequins- nine in all. The extra steps tying knots saved me the trouble of measuring out how to make sequins even across the crown. I could have made light dots with a marker to space out sequins as well.

Her hair was a little tricky because these fluffy yarns tend to fall apart at the ends (because they are often a few different threads wound together on the skein). I usually solve this by creating braids, which tie off the ends. This way, if it unravels, the yarn is still held together in the braid.

However, for this mermaid, I wanted long, loose hair. So I tied a knot at the end of each strand. You can see the little knot in the blue strand of yarn in photos above. Tying those knots may sounds like a lot, but I only use about six strands of yarn, which is twelve knots in total. You can see the technique I use to glue hair onto the bead in our book. The fuzzy yarn is nice and forgiving about hiding the little knots. I may show the technique in another tutorial for those crafters who love the long, loose hair.

Best wishes on your next adventures, little mermaid!

You can learn how to make your own mermaids with our book, Forest Fairy Crafts

The links in the article are affiliate links. If you decide to purchase a book, a small amount returns to the Forest while your price remains the same. Thank you for supporting us! Happy crafting!

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Creative Kids Lenka Vodicka Creative Kids Lenka Vodicka

Duct Tape Clothes for American Girl Dolls

My twelve year old daughter challenged herself to create outfits for her dolls using duct tape.

These long rainy days become an opportunity for new creative projects. My daughter found me last week with a Big Idea. “I am going to make clothes for my dolls,” she announced.

“Oh, good,” I said. “You know where to find your fabric?”

She has her a shoebox size collection of her own fabric, which she can use for any project that strikes her fancy. “I don’t need fabric,” she said. “I’m using duct tape.”

“Really?"

It wasn’t such an unusual proclamation. She received new rolls of duct tape for the holidays after she made wallets and complex flowers. Still, I wasn’t quite sure how duct tape doll clothing would happen.

So began her adventure. She loved that she could create without worrying about frayed edges. She used her flower petal technique to make the triangles for her dress. She really enjoyed the duct tape because she didn’t have to worry about fraying fabric.

She tried a few different ideas, especially with how to put the clothes on and off the dolls. Even though they look form fitting, they can be changed. She tested ideas. Learned new pointers by browsing Pinterest. And one idea led to another. She could make shoes. And add fabric (tulle). Now she’s working on a backpack.

Inspiration! 

She made the fireworks pattern on the tank top by cutting thin strips of tape. She needed her own textile. Fancy that.

Her favorite things that she learned were using tinfoil to help shape the shoes, and it’s harder to make skirts than dresses, because the dolls are tougher to fit for skirts. And that clothes designing with duct tape is fun! 

PS- All of her clothes are lined so tape isn’t touching the dolls. She used a rotary cutter with a scallop blade for the wavy effect on the skirt. I hope she inspires you or inspires kids in your world! And, just for the future, Anika is 12 years old. She loves creating!

If you are interested in more detailed instructions for her clothing, let me know. I may be able to inspire Anika to create a tutorial!

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Holidays Lenka Vodicka Holidays Lenka Vodicka

So Thankful

We appreciate all the magic. The creativity. The support. The sharing. The love. The wonder. The delight. The laughter. The surprises. The adventure. The ideas. The colors. The surprises. The gifts. The joy. 

So much gratitude. We hope you get to spend the day with family and friends, enjoying lots of treats and laughter. Happy happy!

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Crafts, Projects, Tutorial Lenka Vodicka Crafts, Projects, Tutorial Lenka Vodicka

Spiderwebs and Spider Craft

My girl and I love Halloween! As we brought out this year's decorations, she really really wanted to decorate her room. In our family, that means creating new goodies!

She wanted to create cute spiderwebs and spiders. They're fun, easy, and quick. My niece visited and she had just finished reading Charlotte's Web so this craft especially inspired her. That gave my girl the chance to be Teacher, which is always fun.

Along the way, we learned more techniques for different looks. We hope you enjoy!

Supplies:

  • Pipe Cleaners
  • Wire Clippers (or scissors if you don't mind possible nicks in the metal when cutting wire)
  • Yarn
  • Fuzzy Yarn (we used Festive Fur)

The Making:

Clip three pipe cleaners in half so you have six in all. If you don't clip the pipe cleaners, they get weak towards the outer edges of the circle. I've also seen this project made with dowels which lets you make larger spiderwebs. The fuzzy pipe cleaners are easier for the yarn to stick in a spread out design.

Lay them them down and tie a piece of yarn around the middle. Spread them out and start winding the yarn around the center to hold them together.

The yarn can be white or black or purple (or any color). You can tie the pipe cleaners together while they are straight and then fan them out. My daughter insisted on tying them while they were all spread apart, which is trickier but still doable.

Start wrapping the yarn around the pipe cleaners, going around one, then the next one and the next one. Give yourself a little space between each layer as you go around and around the spiderweb. It may take a few passes to get the hang of it, but even spiders must practice making their webs (don't they?).

Continue to the outer edge of your spiderweb. Clip the yarn and tie around a pipe cleaner. Leave a little extra that you can use to hang the web.

For the spider, clip three pipe cleaners again to make six. The fuzzy yarn is a little tricky for little hands, so I helped with making the first spiders. We tried two ways that both worked. 

First, we wrapped the fuzzy yarn around three fingers a few times. We clipped a length of plain purple yarn and tied around the middle. After our little fuzzy ball was secure, we tied it again around the middle of the three pipe cleaners to give our spider six legs. 

Spread out the legs and bend to give your spider personality.

This version of the spider was a little flopsy (which was totally fine) except it inspired us to try again.

This time, we wrapped the fuzzy yarn into a ball. To learn how make a yarn ball, you can visit here. Basically, wrap the yarn around a few fingers, take off your fingers, wrap a few times in another direction, and again, and again. Once you get the hang of it, yarn balls are simple and fun.

Once the ball was about the size of a grape, we laid the three pipe cleaner legs across and wound around them too. Now we had six legs. We could fan them out and wrap the yarn between the legs. This technique made the spider more durable.

Isn't she cute?

Once our spider was nice size, we tied the yarn around the middle to secure it. The nice thing about fuzzy yarn is that it hides all the knots and loose ends. We tied a strand of plain yarn around it to give a thread/web for hanging.

Hurrah! The excitement kids show when they love their creating gets me every time!

Meanwhile, the girls realized they could spin a piece of orange pipe cleaner in a spiral to make pumpkins! So many pumpkins! A tiny pice of green tucked into the spiral became perfect stems.

spiderwebfairycraftsOctober092015-43.jpg

What lucky spiders getting decorations of their own! 

Then, my favorite part of creating! The kids took off with their own ideas. My niece spiraled a white piece of pipe cleaner into a hat. 

And my girl realized white pipe cleaners and white yarn can make an awesome ghost. Little pieces of orange pipe cleaner tucked into the yarn made perfect eyes. 

Sometimes, all we need to do is give children the opportunity (and supplies). I am constantly amazed!

What a darling little ghost!

*I might need to write a tutorial for her ghost because I'm so curious how she made it :) 

I hope these inspire your own decorations. A few pipe cleaners and yarn sure gave us a fun afternoon. And now our house is pleasantly spooky!

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Holidays Lenka Vodicka Holidays Lenka Vodicka

Zombie Bride and Groom

My daughter created this charming couple. We love zombies! In the Fairy Forest, the zombies are the wild children. They embrace mess. Tangles. Layers of rough-cut felt. 

These two are cake toppers for a contest she entered featuring Ugly Cakes (yep, it's a real thing) at the Nevada County Fair. She was inspired to make a zombie wedding cake. She could make layers, and drizzle raspberry sauce, and add black icing (yuck)! We knew that a bride and groom cake topper would bring the entire cake together.

We used the zombie patterns from Forest Fairy Crafts. The layer of creepy cloth is easy to find in the Halloween season. I bought a mantle decoration years ago and use it for all of our zombies. 

Our biggest challenge was their fancy hats. For the bride, we cut a strip of felt to hold her veil. We sewed the tulle onto felt with a few stitches and ended up securing the back with a stitch as well. Otherwise the tulle stood straight up! 

For the groom, we used the same pattern as the witch and pirate hat. Except we created a tube instead of a triangle. I sewed a black rectangle to the top, then clipped around the edges to make it circular. I ended up doing these tricky parts because my daughter was distracted with lots of gooey decorating on the cake. 

zombiesForestFairyCraftsAugust092015-37.jpg

We wrapped a little creepy cloth around the hat as well. The nice thing is that we didn't have to worry about messy stitching or uneven edges. He is a zombie, after all.

For their faces, we used sharpie and smeared the ink before it dried. Again, we love the freedom of imperfections!

I hope these might inspire you to make happy zombie couples of your own! I ended up going to great lengths to keep them after the cake won a Blue Ribbon. Yes, she won first place!

And here's where they belong. On a zombie wedding cake!

zombiecakeAugust102015-34.jpg

Aren't they wonderful? The little dish at the top protected them from all of that icing.

And, don't worry, no one ate this cake :)

Remember, you have time to come to Circle of Hands Toys and Gifts on Saturday, October 17 to meet me and Margaret Bloom of We Bloom Here. Visit our Events for more information.

*this post does contain an affiliate link to our book. Should you choose to purchase, a small amount returns to the forest while your price remains the same. Thank you!

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Seasonal Lenka Vodicka Seasonal Lenka Vodicka

Favorite Fall Fairy Crafts

A few of our favorite Spooky Fairy Crafts

A few of our favorite Spooky Fairy Crafts

Spooky in the Forest is all about the fun of October. We love the darker paths, the gnarled trees and long shadows of evening. In the forest, our zombies have a sweet tooth. They enjoy tea parties. Our witches are candy-makers. Their cottages are sweetness and celebrations. 

We have collected a few of our favorites through the years in this post. We have the link for a Free Moody Pumpkin Tutorial here! Moody Pumpkins can change their mouth to show happy, sad, angry, or confused. Kids love sewing them all over the world. Thank you for sharing photos of your moody pumpkins with us!

Moody Pumpkins in the Forest

Moody Pumpkins in the Forest

We also have hints for sewing pumpkins with groups of children here.

A subtle change in an afternoon breeze signals a wonderful new season. Hints of falling leaves and a slight golden shimmer to sunshine whispers "autumn is here". 

We love autumn in the Forest. The fairies adore a summer ball and a winter holiday, but they also love autumn. They love the way trees become a riot of color. How wind rattles leaves along the ground. They love the crisp air. They love pumpkin spice everything (don't we all?) They love to decorate!

A few of our October favorites are here. We have a few new ideas to share over the next couple of weeks too. Fairies love to dress up for the season!

Fairy Witch by Lenka

Fairy Witch by Lenka

I love to make witches and warlocks. The tutorials for step-by-step instructions are in our book.

I also love zombies. The fun about fairy zombies is that these fairies really, really don't care about being tidy. Smear the ink on their faces. Wind the thread in wackadoodle directions, layer torn fabrics... Zombie fairies love it all.

One hint for zombies is to look in local Halloween displays for 'creepy cloth' or other table decorations that can become clothing. I bought a mantle cover of gray creepy cloth about three years ago. I still have tons of it left!

Fairy Zombie by Lenka

Fairy Zombie by Lenka

Instructions for the zombie and Pumpkin Fairy are in our book as well.

Pumpkin Fairy by Asia

Pumpkin Fairy by Asia

This pumpkin fairy is such a sweet Halloween friend and decoration. The stuffed pumpkin is attached to the fairy. Though I imagine you could make the pumpkin-styled sleeping bag that the fairy sleeps inside... ooh, ideas!

Anyway, this playful fairy is so fun for the season.

Of course, if you want an easy way to create a few spooky fairies and crafts of your own, you can visit our Etsy Shop. We have one Pumpkin Fairy Craft Kit. We also have a Spooky Toy Maker Kit that has lots of supplies, including creepy cloth!

Spooky Toy Maker Kit

Spooky Toy Maker Kit

And if you would like to have a witch of your own made by Lenka, we have one left. She's a bit sassy :)

Fairy Witch by Lenka

Fairy Witch by Lenka

You can find her here.

Enjoy all the fun of the season!

*this post does contain affiliate links to our book. If you choose to purchase, we receive a small commission while your price remains the same. Thank you for supporting the Forest.

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Coming Soon, Events Lenka Vodicka Coming Soon, Events Lenka Vodicka

Fairies will be in Sebastopol

What a lovely flyer that Circle of Hands created for our event next month. These little pegs will be so sweet to create with visitors. 

I am so excited to be visiting Circle of Hands Waldorf Shop with Margaret Bloom! We will be making little butterfly peg dolls and signing books.

It's such a treat to visit with Margaret Bloom of We Bloom Here. Her books are Making Peg Dolls and Making Peg Dolls and More. All of her projects are lovely and inspiring. I look forward to what we create together :)

Meanwhile, this change of seasons inspires me to choose new colors, imagine new ideas. Wishing you plenty of inspiration today!

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Children, Kids Lenka Vodicka Children, Kids Lenka Vodicka

Summer Mermaid

Ah, summer. Your long days that go so quickly! With kids home from school and temps soaring, we spend more time in the water than on land :)

Summer is for mermaids.

We are slightly obsessed with Fin Fun Mermaid Tails over here :) as anyone who follows my Instagram knows well. My daughter and niece adore becoming mermaids.

The next best thing to being a little mermaid is making a little mermaid. I am super-lucky that my niece spends a few days a week with us in the summertime. We play outisde, go to the river, and craft together. We call it Camp Lenkaland :)

My daughter needed Forest Fairies for an entry in the county fair (more on that later). While my daughter sewed her fairies, my niece made a mermaid.

So sweet :). These mermaids aren't for swimming in real water, of course, but she's already joined my niece's collection of Very Special Things. We can create magic :)

Yes, summer is fleeting. Yet the memories last forever :)

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Children, Crafts, Magic, Projects, Tutorial Lenka Vodicka Children, Crafts, Magic, Projects, Tutorial Lenka Vodicka

Magic Wands with Yarn

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So simple and so fun for the class today. I collected fallen branches about a foot in length. I brought sandpaper, yarn, and a few beads to class. Students chose the branch that "spoke" to them. They could use sandpaper to smooth rough patches. A few spent ages making their sticks all smooth.

I showed them how to tie a knot around the branch- the short end dives through the loop, wrapping around the long end. I showed them how to hide the short tail by wrapping around it. We discussed layering colors and adding beads. I said they could fingerknit then wrap the knitted chain. They wanted to engage quickly so no one tried that. Another day :)

Their wands went home with them today, all unique and beautiful! Just like the children :)

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Magic, Nevada City School of the Arts Lenka Vodicka Magic, Nevada City School of the Arts Lenka Vodicka

Fairies for Good Causes

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An invitation. Over the years, we have made fairies for donations. We hear stories about generous people who make fairies and treasure keepers for childrens' hospitals and school auctions. I forgot how much fun I have creating to give. Crafts help children in many ways. Crafts carry love. I made these for my son's class basket. It went to an auction benefiting his school (and arts in schools, including handwork, yay).

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Along the way, I found myself enchanted. Giving gives to the giver :)

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Don't they look cute on the basket?

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Fairies given away have a certain special magic :)

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Have you given fairies to a good cause? Where did you give? 

I am sure inspired to keep a supply of sweet little fairies just for donating. They are magical :)

Hope you get to enjoy giving :)

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