Designing and bringing the pieces to life is such a special pleasure for me. It involves purposeful mental observations, a bit of fantasy, some vision, lots of experimentation and finally, the reward, fruition. Its so satisfying to have a finalized set of disparate objects come together to create a meaningful group that not only speaks to me but to others as well. Whether it be resin blanks, rubber stamps, foam stamps or simply just searching out unique and wonderful things to share with you. Our little company is a delight and a labor of love! Thank you all for traveling this road with us and for supporting this endeavor!
Spring Fairy Frames & Fairy Eggs by Relics & Artifact MUSE Jenn White
Springtime is my favorite season. I am so grateful for every single one I have been privileged to witness.
The knowledge that Spring is almost here thrills & excites me.
Every day I watch & listen for the signs. Wild bird & animal behaviors. New leaves unfurling from budding branches. An awakening. Newborns & Reborns.I love watching it all slowly green, & bloom.
It is magic.
Some of the best & most memorable days of my life are celebrated in the Spring.
My daughters were born in April & May. The anniversary of my dream fairy themed wedding to my beloved best friend heralds the Spring Equinox in March.
I delight in painting, decorating & embellishing eggs, arranging bouquets of the Spring flower blooms I grow in my gardens & filling colorful surprise baskets for my daughters & grandchildren.
I incorporate my love of nature & fairies in everything I do.
I have been fascinated by fairies my entire life. I surround myself with them. They are everywhere at my home. Inside & outside.
You have no idea how thrilled & excited I was when Sandra Evertson released & listed her new DIGITAL DOWNLOADS.
They are from a priceless treasured 1840s book full of French fairy prints by artist J.J. Grandville. They are over 170 years old. If you love antique ephemera like I do you will adore them.
I had never seen many of these particular images before so I was squealing with delight & so tickled when I saw them for the very first time! Gasping at their whimsical & delightful gorgeousness.
So many ideas of how I wanted to use them immediately filled & danced through my imagination.
My first thoughts were of framing the images with Sandra's exquisite ITALIAN BAROQUE FRAMES & CATHEDRAL WINDOW FRAMES. Displaying them throughout my home to admire & bring joyful smiles to everyone's faces as they gaze upon them. Happy fantasy daydreams for one & all!
My second thought was to use them in varied sizes on & within Sandra's IMPERIAL EGGS SET & EGG SHRINE. The great thing about digital downloads is you can size them as large or as small as you wish to fit anywhere. Sandra's digital downloads are a fantasy dream come true for me! How about you?
While playing with Sandra's EGG SHRINE I was reminded of my favorite Russian Imperial Egg created by Carl Faberge "Lilies Of The Valley". I created my own fairy themed version of it using Sandra's NOUVEAU SET.
I even made some fairy themed pendant ornaments using Sandra's IMPERIAL EGG SET.
Feel free to be inspired by my creations & create some for yourself & your loved ones too!
Enjoy this Spring!
HUGS! YOU ARE LOVED!
- Jenn White
Product shopping list:
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS:
Les Fleurs Animees- The Et Cafe DD
Le Papillons - Danse Les Airs DD
Le Pappilons - Enlevement de Cypis DD
CRAFT BLANKS:
PAINTS & INKS
A Message From the Wood Nymphs- Jenn Pipe
Once upon a time, there were three wood nymphs who lived in the forest and hid out among the moss and the toadstools…
Read moreLong Ago and Far Away
Editor’s Note: This is a re-cap of a challenge we had in the Tribe a couple of months ago. Then a pandemic ensued. Enjoy!
MUSE Spoon Challenge Blog Post by Jenn Pipe
There is a flea market that comes to town three times a year. Last September, I was scouring the grounds for finds that I could use in my upcoming studio classes. I was seeking inspiration while sifting through fields and fields of antiques and other people’s junk.
I eventually came upon a vendor who had lots of bits and baubles and an inordinate amount of old silverware. Once I saw the box full of old spoons, I knew I had hit the jackpot—I bought the whole lot from her and went on my merry way. My love affair of transforming these utilitarian instruments began that day!
Fast forward to February 2020: I was teaching an in-person women’s “spoon” class in the Self Esteem Through Art studio and I also volunteered to host a challenge in the Relics and Artifacts Facebook group. I thought, “Self, why not have the tribe create some spoons as well?” It seemed like a no-brainer and something that probably hadn’t been done in the tribe yet.
Over the course of the challenge, we had quite a few beautiful submissions. There was a stunningly created winged spoon with a rich VerDay finish and lots of Relics and Artifacts products. There was another spoon that was transformed into this magical woodland scene, complete with tree branches, a swing, and these adorable little mushrooms! There was a solar system with a beautiful golden sun. A gorgeous submission that looked like a very intricate hand-held mirror that perhaps a god or goddess would own. One participant created three different spoons with three different themes and R+A products. And there was another spoon that was straight out of a fairy tale, complete with Apoxie Sculpt snake, candelabra base, and the quintessential good vs evil theme.
When all of the MUSES convened to vote on the winner, we certainly had our work cut out for us! After discussions and deliberations, we decided that we had to award two prizes.
Our 1st place challenge winner was Lyneen Jesse. She was the participant who created three separate spoons. But, it was her ocean-themed star spoon that truly captivated the judges. The composition was breathtaking, the finish was rich and vibrant, and the use of craft blanks was very well executed.
Lyneen shared with me that mixed media is where her heart is, so she was excited to create on these unique little spoon “canvases.” Never having used VerDay before, she purchased some from sandraevertson.com. She admits to being disappointed after the first coat, but completely blown away after adding the second coat and applying the activator.
This is how Lyneen felt after applying the activator and watching the transformation: “OH MY! The transformation was AMAZING. I never would have believed it if I had not seen it with my own eyes. I am loving all of the finishes so far and the only one I still have to try is the bronze. Trust me, you will not be disappointed when you work with VerDay!”
Here is Lyneen’s award-winning spoon. Her spoon won her a $30 gift certificate at sandraevertson.com.
Our runner up was Naomi Montana Walsh. When I first saw her spoon, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. I knew it was telling us a story and it reminded me of something from a fairy tale. I couldn’t wait to reach out to Naomi to learn more!
Naomi calls her spoon “Eve’s Temptation” and it is rich with symbolism. She wanted the bottom of the spoon to be like a pool. The foot represents Eve dipping her foot into that pool of temptation (in this case, the temptation is knowledge). Naomi sculpted the snake with Apoxie Sculpt and twisted it down the spoon handle. She then built a fruit tree at the top and then attached the spoon to a broken candelabra-like Halloween ornament for the platform.
Naomi believes Eve was best represented by an expressionless face as she was somewhere between her fall from grace. She also included an element of hope, which is represented by the dove at the bottom of the platform. So brilliant! So unique!
This is Naomi’s spectacular spoon. She won a $20 gift certificate at sandraevertson.com.
I want to thank everyone who participated in the challenge. I also want to thank my fellow MUSES for their creative contributions, which certainly helped this challenge to gain a bit of traction, and for their expert opinions on the submissions.
This was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to host my next challenge for the Relics and Artifacts Tribe!