LK Design Team Project by Marfi Bradford: Peter Pan Book/Puppet theatre

Do you believe in fairies?

I think you all know that I do!

Here's a Lisa Kettell Designs Team project

that has everything you need to help you believe! 

-Marfi Bradford

Supplies

• Cigar box or book shaped box (available at craft and hobby stores)
• 2 Baby Bailey unpainted dolls
• Fairy silhouette
• wooden scrolls/trim
• alphabet stickers
• England stickers*
• gold glitter washi tape
• purple ribbon
• treasure map
• hot glue gun, glue sticks
• white glue
• glitter in gold & pink
• craft wire
• green scrapbook paper
• acrylic pant: white, peach, orange, gold, pink, red, light green, dark green, dark blue, brown, black

Directions

1. Paint baby bailey dolls to look like Wendy and Peter. Then hot glue purple ribbon to top           of her head, add pink glitter to top of her ankles.
2. Next fold a small amount of green paper to resemble a hat for peter, hot glue to his head       poke craft wire into back of dolls, set aside.
3. Paint the wooden trim gold and add glitter. Paint inside of box dark blue and add white to create clouds.
4. Position Big Ben sticker in front of the clouds, or, paint him on. Then glue green paper to       lid of box, paint outside of box gold. 
5. Open box add washi tape across the top and hot glue wooden trim to frame inside of box.     add stickers and silhouette to box lid to create the cover.
6. Put a small amount of hot glue on tips of the wire attached to the dolls and position them         to look like they're flying. 
7. Add treasure map to inside lid and dry brush gold paint on corners of cover and the map.

Hope this was fun...I've been outside most of this week adding arches and making a bed out of

bent wood and an iron cot! When it's ready it'll be covered in vines and flowers. -Marfi Bradford

I hope you enjoyed Marfi's project for the Lisa Kettell Design Team.  Her work is filled with so much magic, enchantment and joy.  I just love this project. To create your own using some of Lisa Kettell Designs products visit the artfire shop at: http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/MoonfairesWorld


Stay tuned for more Design Team projects this week!
xoxo
Lisa

 

Come and visit KALEIDOSCOPE Forest.....

Its the start of another week, looking outside at 8 inches of snow, the colors of Christmas are slowly fading as we enter a new year. This propelled me to take a visit to a land filled with color. A place where rainbows are permanent fixtures in the sky. The sound of calliope music and fairy flutes echo in the air. Arrivals of flying vessels sailing into port can be seen overhead and unicorns pull ornate carriages on land and always greet you with a smile.

You might be wondering what this enchanted place is called, not many know of its secret location. I was lucky enough to stumble upon the map to find this enchanted land which led me on an incredible journey where I made lots of friends along the way to this place they call Kaleidoscope Forest.

At the edge of Willow Cove there is a spectacular lighthouse standing several stories tall, illuminating glowing radiant beams of light across Willow Point, Willow Sound and Sierra Bay. On Saturday Morning at precisely 7am a rare beam of light eminates from the lighthouse onto a secret gate that glows a glisting gold. It stays this glistening gold color for 1 hour, then it begins to fade into blue, purple, then brown and poof its gone. This is the only time frame you have to arrive at the glistening gold gate in order to enter Kaleidoscope Forest from the Willow Point location.

Once the Keeper of the Gate and his gaurds approve your visit, you may enter through the gate and begin your journey to Kaleidoscope Forest. About a 1/2 mile down the main path, unicorn rides and floating boats are waiting to taxi you around the forest and its surrounding villages. There is even a series of tours you can take, the best one is Jolly Clover Tours which starts at 11am til 5pm. I picked this tour after reading the reviews in the Scopey Times paper and Scopey Guide book. Scopey is the nickname given to Kaleidoscope Forest by the locales.

I just can't explain to you the breathtaking view all around Scopey. Tree's made of stained glass, giant rose gardens and large glowing lanterns. Unicorn lessons, Mer-tailing lessons at Skully's in Rainbow Bay. Capsule launches and flying vessel air ship dining and hovercraft book lounges complete with coffee, cocoa or tea elixirs.

Day One was overwhelming, so much to see, do and explore. But first I needed to check into my hotel, The Carnival Wiltmore Hotel which over looks the whole City of Scopey and Rainbow Bay. Conceirge checked me in and my brought my bags to my suite which had a hanging boat waterbed with adjustable controls. My tea table was in a corner nook to the left that edged part of the crystal like cliff over looking the enchanted Pickering Alley similar to an indoor shopping arcade.

I sat down at the table and looked over at Pickering Alley, reading my area newspaper and guides deciding what to do first. Finally deciding on exploring the Alley with lunch at Tinkerbink's Tea Room and a day of shopping.....

Come back for a visit to the blog to read the rest of my adventure my trip to Kaleidoscope Forest.

xoxo
Lisa

(Note: All photos colored in and digitally enhanced by me. Some of these images in their raw state are available on my collage cds?

DT Project: Baby Bailey/Pan ornament, Marfi Bradford

Here's an amazing enchanted project created by DT Member Marfi Bradford using the Baby Bailey Unfinished Doll embellishment from Lisa Kettell Designs and other magical supplies.

Materials:

• Baby Bailey unfinished doll, Lisa Kettell Designs
• moss
• mushrooms
• toothpicks
• artificial flowers
• dark brown acrylic paint
• light brown acrylic paint
• peach acrylic paint
• acorn tops
• glitter
• Clear plastic ornament
• hot glue gun and glue sticks
  

Directions:

1. Paint baby Bailey peach and brown, let dry.
2. Cut toothpicks into fourths and glue on top of head for horns.
3. Glue moss, mushrooms, acorn and artificial flowers to the inside of ornament half.
4. Make a pan pipe out of toothpicks by gluing five toothpicks together then cutting them at an angle.
5. Attach them to baby bailey.
6. Glue baby bailey inside ornament.

How amazing is this project from Marfi? Love it. I could see a whole series of enchanted storybook ornaments, couldn't you?

More projects on their way including the launch of the new website.
xoxo
Lisa

My New Scrapbook Paper Line!


Hot off the press, I picked up 2 huge box samples of the new paper in my new scrapbook lines!

These collections are based on my love for fairy, fantasy, apothecary, storybook, party and dolls. With a grunge/steampunk twist and a sweet shoppe feel for the others. I created coordinating papers for easy layout layering, for card making, atc's, party hats and banners. Create unique designs with each one, use my doll parts and embellishments for extra flare or just place in a frame and hang on the wall. Each of these papers will bring you to a world of pure imagination and solve those magical mysteries!
Meet the Steampunk Fairies:

Visit the Apothecary Shoppe:


Go to the Wizard Ballet:

Set Sail on the Mermaid Mercantile Steampunk:

Storybook Steampunk:

Go Shopping at the Kaazbar:

Whimsical Scrapbook Layouts !


I am not your normal scrapbooker, never have been, I have always loved popping out my pages, adding dimension and unusual details, basically playing with each detail on it, and letting it tell a new story. When I was in college I chronicled by senior year using a used storybook page calender as the background paper, instead of the scrapbook paper that was available at the time, which was plain and boring, now scrapbookers have more options and themes to play with.


In this post I am showing you a Whimsical scrapbook layout I created using papers from my new paper line. I used the Doll House Curiosities Sheet, Tatterkins Royal Style and the Sweet Shoppe Carnival, Taffy Crowns Style.
I choose a vintage French postcard image which digitally altered in Corel Paint Shop Pro and layered it onto sweet polka dot paper from Making Memories, followed by K and Company photo corner accents.

I then attached the layered image to the main paper; Tatterkins Royal Style. Now comes the fun part embellishing.

I aged flowers from Prima in Tea and Distress Inks from Ranger, handmade and distressed crepe paper flowers, millinery pearls/stamens.

I used handmade paper frame, chipboard, aged ribbon, lace, trim/yoyo's from rat's pajamas, velvet trim and other embellishments.

I finished the layout with 2 embellishments from my doll parts line: Large Kewpie and Small Kewpie, which I hand painted, dressed, and extra embellished.


Currently the doll parts are available in my Etsy Store, Website and at my store Front: Piddlestixs. The first printing of papers are sold out, the 2nd printing and new line will be available from the distributor before the end of the year!

Stay tuned for more scrapbook layouts and Lisa fun.

The New Boxes on the Block!

Lately I have been drawn to decorated boxes, ones with cute assemblages on each box top. After searching and searching for the right components for the boxes, I found some of the items were too cute to use only on one box, so once again I hand molded my items and poured some of them with paper mache, others pressed with my handmade clay and others with a blend of paper clay and apoxie clay.

The first of these new boxes are:
-Blue Bear's Party
-Lady Primrose's Tea Party


Blue Bear is on his way to a party in Pink Valley at Sammy Petalsmith's house located at the tip of Pinksby Mountain, where Sammy has set up a Pink Wonderland filled with sweets and treats!


Lady Primrose is on her way to a Garden Tea Party at Abigail Brewster's Arboretum in Sunnyvale. The Tea Party begins at 12noon inside the Climbing Roses Gazebo which will be glowing with Oriental lanterns and twinkling lights laced between layers of roses and vines.



Both were made from my molds and a paper mache mix, then sanded, hand painted and decorated, not to mention loads of glitter. Blue Bear's Party has vintage multi tinsel glitter I had from Woolworth's and Lady Primrose's Tea Party has fine German glitter from Art Glitter.

Hope you enjoy them!
Magic and Joy,
Lisa!

Meet the Storybook Toys, Friends of the Charlottes!
Pictured are: Violette, Bluebelle, Taffy, Pippie, Piccadilly and Percy!Each Doll is hand sculpted, (no molds), painted, felted, glittered and brought to life w/ a variety of techniques, each started with an illustration! These dolls are apart of my new illustrated doll line.
Now available on Etsy at http://www.moonfaires.etsy.com/
or click on the direct link to their listing at:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29165141
In my Etsy Store you will be able to pick which style doll you want and it will be handmade and assembled for you, all one of a kind.If there is a specific toy wood block base you'd like, I will do my best to accomondate you!For your doll you must pick between these styles: A. Violette B. Bluebelle C. Taffy D. Pippie E. Piccadilly F. Percy. Then your doll will be handcrafted and mailed off to you safe and sound. Each doll w/their toy block measures between 5 1/2 inches to 6 inches tall.The dolls are available and custom dolls as well!Magic and Joy!Lisa!

Their Story:
A whimsical symphony of music can be heard in the faint distance, as you walk closer it becomes more profound, sending delightful chills through you. Now just a short distance away the smell of chocolate, candy apples and cotton candy have filled the air, flickering lights in colors of the rainbow can be seen over head, the pitter patter of footsteps abound. Birds with pointy hats can be see flying overhead followed by racing dragonflies and Charlotte Flying Muses.

"Where is that red and white striped gate?", you have just asked yourself outload, then a little voice replies, "Straight ahead bare a quick left by the grand oak tree"
You turn to find a tiny chick who introduces himself as Piccadilly, an enchanting chick with a tinsel hat. After a grateful sentiment, you proceed ahead, bare a quick left at the grand oak tree and voila there it is, The red and white gate!

This is an enormous sized wooden gate with 2 pink column turret structures attached to it, followed by a line of giant bushes, to thick to pass through. The sign on the gate reads: "Ring Bell, To Enter", Once you ring the bell, the door slowly opens, revealing more and more glimmers of light and amusement.

Within minutes the gate opens to reveal the most magical, the most enchanting, the most amazing site to lay upon the eyes, a feast of pure imagination begins to surround you as you enter this most mystifying place. A Carnival, A Toyland, Storybook Land, A Fairyland, what else could you call it? Wizards of every kind, fairies, carnival-ites, real life dolls, charlottes and toys. "Could that be Pinoccio walking with a Princess?" "Is that a pool of mer-chicks frolicking around in the water?" As you walk by, you come across the most fabulous carousel ever seen with gilded golds, pinks, aquas, every color of a cupcake palette, with beautiful storybook characters gracing its floors, did I mention it is a three tier carousel!

Just around the corner from the carousel is The Magic Toy and Apothecary Shoppe, owned and operated by Percy Withermoore who also owns The Percy Withermoore Circus!
One glimpse through the large framed windows, one can see rustic shelves lined w/colorful bottles in odd shapes and sizes, ornate handmade toys and special goodies, a feast for the eyes.

In the garden of Mysterious Delights located on the outskirts of Storybook Land, is filled with secrets labrinyths, and tunnels, which lead to many other areas of Fairyland, including the Land of Charlottes, who are close friends with the Storybook Toys and Friends, One day if you come across a flickering light caused by a sweet chick, ask him or her the way to Storybook Land!

The Gingerbread Castle, Hamburg, NJ!
On the way home from the Earth Angel Toys held at Charlotte's Tea Room, I wanted to stop off at a place I used to go to as a child called The Gingerbread Castle located in Hamburg, NJ!Tucked away, deep in the countryside of northern New Jersey is a place called The Gingerbread Castle located on Rt. 23 & Gingerbread Castle Rd, Hamburg, Sussex County, NJ. The grounds of the castle started as flour mill built in 1808 called: Wheatsworth Mills, then it became something called the Plastoid Corporation. This changing of factories was the result of the unprofitable flour company, so it was turned it into the Plastoid Corporation which was actually a wire and cable factory this sale was actually became the basis for the castle. In 1928 the owners used their wire and plastics to create several plastic dinosaurs which adorned the property. As children came to visit these life sized creatures, the owners added more dinosaurs and finally, they added the Gingerbread Castle which was built hanging off one of the factory walls, evolving into a fairy/story book style amusement park, built in 1930 by F.H. Bennett, inventor of Milk Bone Dog Biscuits and the owner of the Wheatsworth Mills, whose original tiling can still be seen on the stone gate structures today. Mr. Bennett created a life-sized castle to tell the story of "Hansel and Gretel," this painted pink structure would be called: The Gingerbread Castle. He also created additional life sized vignettes which showcased other stories from Mother Goose Rhymes including Humpty Dumpty who sat on his wall, the park even had a miniature railroad for children to ride and get excited over. Along with fave replicas of Cinderella, Jack and Jill and A Woman Who Lived In A Shoe.During the latter part of the 1980's, the Gingerbread Castle fell into a state of disrepair, this showed the lack of maintenance and care of the castle. Eventually, the property was primarily closed and used only as a haunted house attraction during Halloween, not a fitting event for this once storybook place. This demise seemed so dark and dreery, don't you agree?But around 2002 someone had taken a renewed interest in the property, a man by the name of Frank Hinger who bought the property. Mr. Hinger started a series of fundraisers to help fix and restore the castle to its original state. This restoration project was boosted, by some donations and contributions from the Hampton Inn hotel chain who prompted its workers and other to volunteer work as part of the restoration attemps.The sad thing is Mr. Hinger's attempts to restore the castle failed, so did the structure he built across the street called the Gingerbread Grill. It just seemed no matter what he did his attempts failed, having resistance from town officials/municipal I'm sure didn't help his cause and efforts, but that is something the public may never know, a battle between parties.

The next measure was to sell off the property to someone who would elaborate on his vision and have the money to do it. In the beginning of 2007, the properties were finally sold, this time to Gene Mulvihill who vowed to not turn the property into condos, townhouses or a strip mall. Gene was quoted in saying: "It's in blood, I won't change the castle," and created the Historic Hamburg LLC, which he is a principal holder in, formed especially for the castle renovation project. He also is a principal holder in Grey Elephant LLC, which own the vacant 15 acre Plastoid Factory site adjacent to the castle. Basically Mr. Mulvihill bought the 1-acre castle site and another 7 acres across from Gingerbread Castle Road that includes a the Gingerbread Castle Grille.

I hope to see a surge in restoration on this historic site, which I believe will be turned into a children's museum and park again, a day I'd love to see and watch come alive. To read more on the sale of this site visit:
http://www.crystalspringsbuilders.com/Content/Articles.asp?SID=1&CID=24&AID=109
To learn more about the Gingerbread Castle and to see old pictures, visit:
http://www.thegingerbreadcastle.com/