Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Howloween!!

Halloween is a bit different for us this year. We are making up new traditions and having a howling good time doing it!

The Oregon Zoo had a Howlaween celebration. They also had a awesome pumpkin crawl…

To the left there’s Tigerlily and Grandma Dewey with one of the amazing sculpted pumpkins.





Tigerlily and I always get a kick out of the ride-ons at the zoo!





I am the proudest Momma ever! Tigerlily received a “Sucker” (it’s not a lollipop MOM it’s a suker” from Sunflower House. I said she “may eat it, however you can not jump with a sucker in your mouth, because t could really hurt you.” So Tigerlily went into the kitchen climbed up in a chair and sat at the table to eat it (with out anyone telling her to)!

Then when we were photographing her pumpkins she started threading wooden beads onto the leaves. She is an excellent little maker! I am a very happy momma.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Fall Fuzzy Pre-Sale Announcment

Coming soon…Fall Five Dollars Off Fuzzies sale!
Sunday Nov. 2nd through Sunday Nov. 9th all pre-made hoods for sale at http://fairytalefibers.etsy.com will be marked down $5!
In an effort to keep us all warm and fuzzy all through the cold season!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

What's an Etsy or a Street Team for that matter?

I have a habit of starting jokes with the punchline, and jumping into conversations in the middle...So here's a little backround on these "Street Teams" and "Etsy" that I keep talking about:
Etsy, www.Etsy.com, is a an online community for people to buy and sell handmade items. Since Etsy's launch in June 2005, over 100,000 sellers have opened up shops. A real sense of community has grown among this international group and continues to grow. I am a part of this growing community with my wee Etsy shop: http://fairytalefibers.etsy.com. I have also joined
two street teams, Etsy Trashion, and HOST.

Etsy street teams are groups of organized Etsy members who network, share skills, and promote their shops and Etsy together. Teams are Etsy’s biggest and most creative grassroots engine for support, networking and marketing – for each team member’s shop, for the Teams themselves, and for Etsy as a whole.

Trashion:
We are a Street Team of Etsy artisans dedicated to the Art of Trashion. We create art, jewelry, fashion and objects for the home, made from materials that were leftover, discarded, and found. Trashion is all about bringing out the beauty in unconventional objects and materials.
For us recycling is an art and an ideal. The Trashion philosophy encompasses environmentalism and innovation, and respects the human creative and healing potential. You can discover more about the trashion team at our blog: http://etsytrashion.blogspot.com which I help to curate.

HOST:

Our goal is to give unconditional support to any fellow Estian in their time of need. Support being prayers, thoughts, hugs; a shoulder to cry and lean on; money; sales. We only care about the person, not their race, religion, or nationality... We are a community here of caring hand made artisans who just want to extend a helping hand all year long."I am a new member of this group but I've found the people very friendly and willing to help, often even when they're experiencing emotional or financial difficulties themselves. This is a generous and dedicated group, and worthy of our support!

HOST helps out financially through some individual contribution of team members and also through their team shop that you can find at http://HOST.etsy.com This shop is made up of items donated by HOST members. When the items are sold, 100% of the proceeds go to helping Etsy members in need. Below you can see just a few of the amazing items offered at the HOST shop...you may even see a couple of my hoods that I donated!

Etsy
Buy Handmade
HOST

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY


Oh my how very lovely! This incredible costume is being given way. To find out more click over to the Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

While you are there check out this lovely blog: Grosgrain. She has bi-weekly giveaways with the most fabulous dresses and costumes!

She says "this was by far the most ambitious dress I've ever sewn. After this, I have fewer qualms about sewing a wedding gown. With all the man hours I put into the gown itself, not withstanding the fabric, I would say this gown is worth $500....if my time was worth $15 an hour. You can do the math. Like I said...ambitious. At least I knew what I was getting into from the beginning."

Tigerlily and I are duly impressed by your handiwork!

Mashing Trashion style!

Here are a couple of my favorite Monsters from the Trashion Team's 1st Annual Monster Mash!


Karma the Kosmic Kitten Donated to HOST by ButterCupBloom
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=16407754


Yummm...Ain't Nothing like a Cell Phone for Breakfast by PegGradyArt
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_16&listing_id=16019997

Sweet-tooth Sam the Spider Donated to HOST by thefiligreegarden
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_5&listing_id=16335603

Such amazing creativity can come from swapping unwanted materials!! Hooray for upcycling!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

We are doing the Monster Mash



The Trashion Team, www.etsytrashion.com is having it's first annual Monster Mash! We partnered up, palchemy style, to swap unwanted, found, and ready to upcycle materials. Right now, team members are making two plush monsters each. We are listing these critters in two different places. One will be listed in our own shop, the other we are donating to the H.O.S.T. (Helping Others Street Team) Shop. We chose to donate a Monster from each participating member to the Helping Others Street Team (HOST) in order to raise money for fellow Etsyians in need. That is perfectly aligned with the Trashion Team's philosophy of environmentalism, innovation, and embracing creative healing. So be on the look out for Trashion Monsters coming soon!
Search for "Monster Mash" and "Trashion Team" or check out the H.O.S.T. shop! Here's a list of participating shops:

Kiki at http://allthenumbers.etsy.com/
Keri at http://bayousalvage.etsy.com/
Wendy at http://buttercupbloom.etsy.com/
Katie at http://crookedthumb.etsy.com/
Maija at http://davaeva.etsy.com/
Elena at http://elenamary.etsy.com/
Drew at http://fairytalefibers.etsy.com/
Linda at http://fashiongreentbags.etsy.com/
Olivia at http://thefiligreegarden.etsy.com/
Lori at http://fisheye.etsy.com/
Jen at http://jen1kanobi.etsy.com/
Kae at http://kae1crafts.etsy.com/
Jane at http://lilmonsters.etsy.com/
Millie at http://misscourageous.etsy.com/
Carly at http://nectorgirl.etsy.com/
Ashly at http://normalisboring.etsy.com/
Peg at http://peggradyart.etsy.com/
Pam at http://remaker.etsy.com/
Ricki at http://rixiepixie.etsy.com/
Cathie at http://sweetwolf.etsy.com/
Kim at http://theredcan.etsy.com/
Evy at http://thirdhanddesigns.etsy.com/
Kelly at http://tresijas.etsy.com/

Not Too Creepy Bug- Donated to HOST by Fisheye
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=16378679

Monday, October 20, 2008

Leaves and Smoke

Autumn Fires Hood Furry and Woolly
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16330783

Autumn Fires

In the other gardens
And all up the vale,
From the autumn bonfires
See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over
And all the summer flowers,
The red fire blazes,
The grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons!
Something bright in all!
Flowers in the summer,
Fires in the fall!

By Robert Louis Stevenson

Fuzzy Autumn Sprite Hood in Burnt Orange Brick Red and Smokey Greys

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_3&listing_id=14815452

This one, in similar tones is up for sale in the Helping Others Street Team (HOST) shop. The HOST is a group of Esty sellers dedicated to helping one another. We know running your own wee business can be a challenge and sometimes things like flood insuance or health insurance fall by the way side...and then you need a little help. HOST helps out other Etsians in their times of need. The purchase price of the above hood will be donated to Etsians when they need it most!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Farm visit for Pumpkins

Tigerlily was over joyed by our visit to Lee Farms. We checked out the Chickens, Pigs (and piglets), Calfs, Horses, Turkeysonies, and Ponies. Rode in a hay trailer behind a tractor "with a real farmer" driving it. She was quite delighted to meet "real" farmers, it wasn't until mid-hayride that i realized it was because we play farm at home with a "toy" farmer and "toy" animals.
Real farmers they sure are! For six generations they have worked the land and today, three generations are actively involved in their farming operations. We felt blessed to be buying local, and getting to experience a bit of farm culture. Tigerlily was so enchanted by the wee Christmas trees we may have another adventure there in our near future!

Then we picked pumpkins! We also learned all about types of pumpkins and which ones make awe inspiring pie! It was an all around treat of the season!

Friday, October 17, 2008

About the hoods

Fairy Tale Fiber creations are handmade in the Pacific Northwest using sustainable materials. We use 100% wool selvage, which is a “waste” byproduct from the textile industry. This wool is so soft you could mistake it for cotton!

The Fairy Tale hoods are an exceptionally versatile design. You may choose to wear it like a hat and scarf to keep you dry in the pouring rain. If you get too warm, it flips down like a hood. You may find it handy as a satchel (just tie the scarflette and sling it over your shoulder) to forage for treasure while romping through the urban forest... These hats will become a furry tagalong you can't bear to be without.

Care instructions for Fairy Tale hoods: please hand wash in cold water; towel off excess water, then wear as it dries to make a perfect fit (if absolutely necessary lay flat to dry). Each Fairy Tale Fiber creation has its own personality. Love your hat and it will love you. Tease it and coax it in to the perfect shape, then wear it in the rain to set its shape to your head!

Custom Orders: if you love our hoods but don't see the perfect color or size for you, check out our Etsy alchemy page: http://www.etsy.com/shop_alchemy.php?user_id=61653 We happily do custom work. We require a 50% deposit for custom orders, paid after we have decided on materials and size. Custom orders may take as long as two weeks. Any hood that says OOAK or one of a kind can not be reproduced in a custom order.

Contact: Etsy convo is the quickest way to reach me but if you are not comfortable or familiar with convo’s you may email me at ftfdrew@gmail.com. I also have a Flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/287922@N25/ Come and post pictures of your hoods and yourselves - Tigerlily and I would love to see you!

Once upon a time...

Link
...there was a cheeky sprite who took the form of a little Earthly girl, whose Mother gave her the magical name of Tigerlily. As a gesture of fondness for her former fairy life, little Tigerlily inspired her Earthly Mom to create wonderful fairy hoods - filled with magic - to be worn by those who loved all things whimsical and... well, furry.

As mama Drew's Etsy shop grew in popularity, Tigerlily discovered that there were many Earthly friends who secretly pined for a magical fairy life, so she became the muse behind her mama's new "Fairy Tales and Tigerlily" blog, where they could share their stories - magical and otherwise - and show the world why every head lost in whimsy needs a fairy hood to protect its dreams...