Margaret Hogs the Stage

That Margaret! She's sure she's destined for stardom, but that danged trio act is holding her back. Not tonight, though; she's added a little extra flair to her costume, and made sure she was performing front and center. Nobody will overlook her this time!

Margaret and her friends are from the Alpha Stamp's Little Darlings CS. I tinted their skin and clothing with Copic markers before adding ribbons to all the waistlines and some tulle to Margaret's dress.

Where is Margaret dancing? On this lovely Arch Top Cabinet with Doors, also from Alpha Stamps.

This shrine kit looks pretty with the doors closed,

But it really comes to life when the doors are opened! I put Narrow Window panes on the inside of the door, because I'll most likely leave these doors open, but they'd look great on the outside, too. Perfect fit!

I really like the way the stark black and white striped paper contrasts with the soft pastels. I mitered the corners on the insides of the doors for a fun look. 

From the side you can see how determined Margaret is to stand out during this performance. She's such a ham.

For a complete list of supplies I used in making this project, click here.

Fairy Garden

I've been wanting to make a fairy garden forever, and now that Alpha Stamps is carrying all sorts of wonderful miniatures, I finally got my chance!

I took a bright blue pot that was currently only hosting dead annuals (so sad!), and replanted it with tiny plants to create a sweet little garden. You can tell it's early spring, because my grass has only just begun to green up.

I made a little bunting for the garden, because fairies love festive things. The bunting is made from scrapbook paper, cut into little flags and strung with baker's twine across two painted bamboo skewers. It's a nice little entrance to the fenced in sitting area of the garden.

Tiny gardens are pretty popular right now, and my local nursery even had a table full of miniature plants specifically for fairy gardens. There was lots to choose from, including some that can look like bushes, and several varieties of tiny trees. My "tree" is a small boxwood.  The grass is a lovely moss that will eventually bloom with tiny white flowers.

What really makes the garden fun is the adorable accessories, scaled perfectly for a tiny fairy. This garden contains a white picket fence, a stepping stone path, several clay pots, and a bench for resting (someone's been doing yard work; there are clippers and a watering sitting on that bench).

Two of the pots, the one with pink flowers and the hanging pot, contain paper flowers and a little bit of moss. The large pot on the right is filled with some cuttings from a butterfly bush. I may go back and purchase another tiny plant to actually plant in there. I'm not sure you could have a real plant in the hanging pot; it's so tiny! I made the shepherd's hook with a piece of wire: just bend it into shape.

Here's a bit of aerial view. Can you see the tiny porcupine hiding near the pink roses on the right? He is the cutest! Here's a closeup:

  

Because the flowers and bunting are paper, and the accessories are small and not fastened down in any way, this garden will live on my covered porch where it will be protected from rain and leaf blowers. Hopefully the fairies will be able to find it and will visit often! 

Alpha Stamps has oodles of great miniatures now. For a list of supplies I used for this project, click here, or click here for a huge list of fairy garden supplies.