Crafty With Canvas'

What to get a 10 year old girl for her birthday!?

While visiting my bestie Miss M and her daughter Miss K recently, the topic of conversation and imaginary play for Miss Tamar and Miss K was adventures in the garden - Searching high and searching low for the magical fairies that lived there.. This garden in question would have been a definite haven of mine as a child as it is overgrown with fish bone ferns, and coloured daisies.. Australian weeping bottlebrush tree bursting with brightly coloured blooms and hearing the rainbow lorikeets trill as they guzzle down the nectar.. Coloured butterflies dance along the flower heads gathering their liquid gold as they flutter by.. the soft brown earth between your toes feeling exquisite.. 

The fairy realm holds such a magical place in little girl's hearts, a place of excitement and enchantment.. The very idea of perhaps catching a little glimpse of a fairy ring or fairy house is truly motivating.. and the two girls - every day searched and searched.. the excitement in their voices when telling us their stories of what they have seen and heard in the garden was very warming.. With a birthday coming up for Miss K, I decided to make her  a Personalised Name Canvas for her to hang up in her bedroom.. 

And This is what I came up with!

I know that black isn't a great colour for little girls - But I thought it would make all the other colours really POP off the canvas.. I used scrapping paper for the letters which were hand-cut, and chipboard letters for the 'Let the fairy in you fly' quote which I got from www.scrapbook.com - A wonderful place to source some really beautiful words!! I have used this website for many years for many projects! So you should check it out if you are in need of some inspiration!

I painted the chipboard letters with acrylic paint, and once dry, then re-painted over them using clear glitter paint.. I LOVE GLITTER! :) Just incase you didn't know.. Something about it just makes me happy. A kind of reminder in the daily grind of sparkly pretty things and happiness.. 'All that glitters..' :)

The larger butterfly is painted the same way.. Paper flowers with scrapping jewels for the centre, I have also accentuated some letters with these. I have added some pretty buttons to some letters and the larger butterfly.. 

The other butterflies I picked up from my local crazy bargains store for a steal at $2.00 with some other little garden friends (caterpillar, worm, and lady-beetle) - I chose paper to match the colour scheme, and glued the shapes to the paper. Once stuck, I hand cut around them and then used my trusty nail file to shape the excess perfectly smooth. I love this method - so easy and flawless! (Thanks to my mum for sharing that tip)

My little fairy - I assembled her from many different pieces of scrappy paper - Found her black and sepia toned image online and replicated it.. Using my own version of colours, gave her stripy stockings, and gave her a big smile..And placing a little button in her hair too! Ain't she sweet..!?

I recently made a few little canvas' for Baby Lewis and Baby Matilda for their nursery's. 

Baby Lewis - 'We made a wish.. And you came true!'

Baby Matilda - 'Cute As A Button' - I LOVE the pretty pinks
and greens together.

Miss Tamar and I made this one together -
For her own bedroom!  Miss Tamar cut out her own letter
Didn't she do a great job!?

My hubby and the girls gave me some new blank canvas' for my birthday -I am throwing around some ideas and can't wait to share them.. Just remember - I am a freshie..just tapping into what I was blessed with - A passion for creativity and one that needs to be polished and perfected.. :)

BRING IT ON!