I have found by unlocking one creative outlet, it frees up all sorts of other desires and small talents for other creativity to come out.
On top of writing all the time for a large wide of projects, I am crafting as well, and hopefully will have my first painting done in a couple days.
BUT...I had one very special project that I want to share with you!
In our house we have come to understand that every day for me is like playing dress up. Paul on the other hand thrives with themes and parties and like's having reasons to wear an actual costume. This paints a very bizarre picture of us, but it's not weird, I swear, at least most of the time.
The pure joy in this though? My kids get awesome homemade costumes! Paul really has been on the front end of this, since we had boys and I am still a beginner. He loves the construction behind a costume. He can go to a thrift store on 50% day and come away with all sorts of materials, then cut and glue and paint and all of a sudden, the boys are transformed into supehero's. It's awesome!
Well, I got my second shot this year for Little's 3rd birthday. We were going to transform her into a woodland fairy. (When she was 6 month's old, I made her a Raggedy Ann costume. She looked awesome, but the construction of the dress was horrible. I had to basically sew her into it.)
I had no idea how to make a woodland fairy costume. BUT...I knew how to make wings out of old wire hangers, and I had a handful of cardboard wands in my craft room that I knew I could paint. I just wasn't sure about the skirt.
So here are the photo's of the creation of my little Woodland Fairy. The T-shirt she is wearing is my old vintage T-shirt that says "Protect the Forrest." I cut it and make it to fit her since it was perfect!
I took two hangers and bent them to the shape I wanted. I duct taped the ends together to protect from the sharp parts.
You can use nylons or shear fabric, or whatever you have on hand and wrap it around the frame. Tie the material around the middle, glue it, tape it, whatever, just secure it and cut off the extra fabric.
I had feathers, jewels, fake flowers, glitter, moss, leaves, all sorts of things to glue to the wings. I also had knitting yarn that I braided to use for her straps.
My Woodland Fairy wings.
And her Woodland Fairy wand. I painted it and glued fun leaves and flowers on it.
The skirt I did backwards, so I am not including instructions because I will do it different and better next time, but what I wanted was a bunch of contrasting fabrics, based in cream with brown and green and pink thrown in. I needed pink in there, otherwise she wouldn't wear it. Her and I have differing opinions about color.
My mom was in town and I am SO THANKFUL she was. It wouldn't have been completed without her. We basically just kept sewing fabric on. We would drape it and say, "Looks good. Sew it on." We are very structured sewers. Can't you tell. I think this was 1am.
Here are a couple shots of the skirt.
And here is my Woodland Fairy. She is a little excited.
And when she spins, it flairs out all over. It's AWESOME!
So, I get it. She is only three, and this costume is a bit much. I think I enjoyed figuring out how to do it more than she ever will wearing it. So for me it was a creative expression and I learned a TON!
Sewing is fun.
So are cute little girls in a big drape skirt.