THE WINNER OF DZFANTASY'S OCTOBER GIVEAWAY!!

THE WINNER OF MY DZFANTASY, OCTOBER GIVEAWAY OF

THE "COLORFUL DANCING HEART FAIRY" SHOWN BELOW

IS

KIMBERLY B.'s entry of October 22, 2008

Kimberly said: "That faerie would love it at my house! There's already lots of mermaids and faeries for her to play with!"

CONGRATULATIONS, KIMBERLY!!

Kimberly's entry was randomly drawn, by my husband, from the 128 entries received for this giveaway.

KIMBERLY, you have 5 days in which to notify me of your shipping information by contacting met at dzfairies@msn.com

If I do not hear from Kimberly by Thursday, Nov 6th - 12 Noon CDT, I will randomly select another entry from the remaining 127 entries.

I am currently hosting "giveaways" for 3 other artists for the month of November, along with 2 of my own giveaways. Be sure to enter for a chance to win some really great prizes. All "giveaways are posted in the right upper column of my blog under DZFANTASY GIVEAWAYS. Just click on each giveaway's photo to go directly to that post to entry.

FEATIRED ETSY SHOP - SEW BETTIE

The SEW BETTIE shop out on Etsy is run by Mark Cesarik and Cara Angelotta, who are the designers, writers, crafters, shippers, and business managers behind SEW BETTIE. Mark is a graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is a practicing oil painter and multi-faceted designer. Cara went to Swarthmore College where she studied history. She also studied fine arts at Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy. Now she is a medical student at Northwestern University. To stay sane, Cara makes stuff (lots and lots of stuff). Read below to hear what Cara has to say about the work that is being offered by SEW BETTIE. Below is a photo of the dog BETTIE, who inspired the name given to Mark and Cara's SEW BETTIE shop.

BETTIE

What led you to start creating your art/craft?

I have always been a maker. I can't remember a time when I didn't make stuff. I've done everything from oil painting to weaving to jewelry making.

How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?

The Sew Bettie product line is a combination of my love for sewing and Mark's (my partner) graphic design skills. I started sewing again a few years ago and found traditional sewing patterns really hard to follow. We started making our tutorials so that we could include color photos of each step. My sewing craze led Mark to create fabric because I was so tired of spending so much time creating unique creations just to see the same exact fabric everywhere. Our fabric designs are printed in limited editions of 100 yards.

What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?

Every aspect! One favorite part is brainstorming an idea for a pattern, and then working to make the idea a reality. I also just love the actual sewing process. It is so relaxing. I get lost in the process.

If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?

Hmmm ... I would have to pick a pineapple because pineapples are delicious, happy, and bright.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

It is really important to price your work so that you actually make a profit from it. Otherwise, you won't enjoy selling your work. I write about business topics on my blog "Craft Yourself Rich". http://craftyourselfrich.blogspot.com/

If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your “creativity”, what would that be, and why?

I've always wanted to learn to blow glass.

What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?

Mark and I hope that Sew Bettie inspires creativity in other people. We hope that people are able to use our products to make things they will always treasure and love.

THANKS, CARA for taking the time to share your thoughts and ideas with us. Be sure to check out SEW BETTIE to see what products Mark and Cara have to offer, which might just inspire the "creative streak" in you!

CRAFT YOURSELF RICH BLOG

FLICKR

" WEAR A FAIRY" FUN, COLORFUL, FAIRY FACE PINS

WEAR A FAIRY FACE PIN

I've been designing and creating these whimsical "fairy face" pins for almost 10 years now, and each one always ends up with her own unique face and personality! They make great conversation pieces, and the wearer is sure to receive a lot of compliments! I've had customers come back a couple years later, after having bought a pin or two at an art show, to tell me about all the compliments and comments they receive. I'd thought I'd share a few of the little fairies I now have available in my Etsy shop. They will all be going to an art show with me this weekend, so if you see one you like, you better grab her! They are colorful and fun to look at, and make unique, affordable gifts.

This colorful little fairy face has the most fun hairdo...it is an Italian yarn with all kinds of texture to it....loops, and poofs with a sparkle!

Swarovski crystals as her accents. A truly fun, accent for any outfit!

Now isn't she a "wild child" with her funky, multi-colored hairdo.

She is wearing a gold plated, filigree leaf charm with a teeny, tiny bumblebee dangling from it, and several Swarovski crystals at the top of the leaf .

I think of her as a little "blue bell" fairy face. She has a loopy, curly hairdo designed from an Italian yarn and it is accented witha silver plated leaf charm and Swarovski crystals

SO SWEET describes this little fairy face...with her deep mauve hairdo, which has a bit of sparkle to it. She is wearing a silk rose colored flower in her hair, which I accented with several Swarovski crystals

She is just one "glistening" little fairy with her sparkly AURA yarn hairdo, with Swarovski crystals as accents.

A VERY magical little fairy, you can wear whereever you go!

This little "green haired" fairy face is a bit more subdued then my usual wild haired creations. She has a very sweet little face! Her hairdo was designed from a soft, wispy Italian yarn which has bits of ribbon running through it. Her accent is a Swarovski crystal bead in silver, and several other Swarovski crystals.

There is a "free giveaway" now running throught August 14th for one of my "fairy face pins" with butterfly wings. There is still time to sign up for the drawing. To enter just click on the WEAR A FAIRY FACE PIN posted on the right hand column at the top of the page. Be sure tp stop back for a visit or subscribe to my DZFANTASY newsletter, as I always have a monthly FREE giveaway for one of my creations, and sometimes an extra drawing for one of my pins.

MEET MY "FAIRY PRINCESS"

FAIRY PRINCESS

I can't believe I managed to finish her, as I've been very busy getting together a huge list of more Etsy artists, who will be featured out here in the coming weeks. I just finished her today, and thought I'd bring her out here, so you can see what else I've been up to.

She was such fun to create, and is full of sparkle! She is wearing a lot of Swarovski crystals, and even has one in her "belly button". She has butterfly shaped wings, and measures 4" tall from her "seat" to the top of her fluffy hairdo! I hope she finds a good home before I get too attached to her!

If you'd like to learn more about her , you can visit her in my DZFANTASY shop on Etsy by clicking on any one of her photos above.

FABULOUS DESIGNER YARNS FOR FANTASY DOLL HAIRDOS, AND WHERE TO FIND THEM!

"FIZZ" YARN BY CRYSTAL PALACE

Several posts ago, I showed how I used some of the beautiful "designer yarns" out there, to create fun, colorful hairdos for my fiber fantasy sculptures. In this post, I will show you photos of some of my favorite yarns, and also where to find them. Several years ago, I used to know the name of every designer and the name of the yarn I used for each and every creation I made. In the past few years, there have been so many of these new delightful yarns, that I have lost track of a lot of their names. Hopefully, I can give you enough information to get you started on a fun journey of finding out about all of the colorful, whimsical yarns that can be used to give your creations one-of-a-kind, magical hairdos!

In the photo on the very top of this page, you will see some of the colors I have of FIZZ yarn, which is made by Crystal Palace. These are just a few of the colors that FIZZ comes in. There are also "varigated" shades of FIZZ, also called "print". This is a shorter eyelash yarn and you can use it by itself, or mix it in with other yarns for a very colorful effect. CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO SEE ALL THE DIFFERENT COLORS THIS YARN COMES IN:

FIZZ YARN COLOR CHART
I used 4 different colors of FIZZ to create the fairy's hairdo below.

Crystal Palace also makes a fun textured yarn, which I just love to use...it is called BeBop, and comes in 16 different colors. Its texture is "eyelash" and "poofs" of color. Here is a photo of a fairy whose hairdo was designed from colorful BeBop yarn.

Click on the link below to see what other colors BeBop yarn comes in.

BEBOP YARN by CRYSTAL PALACE COLOR CHART

Another of my favorite yarns, that I have been using for quite a few years now, is AURA by TRENDSETTER. Aura is a sparkly eyelash yarn, which really glistens and sparkles, especially when the sun or light from a lamp hits it. It makes very magical fairy hair, either using it alone or mixing it in with other yarns. I use AURA in all of my mermaids' hairdos, mixed in with other "eyelash" type yarns. It makes the mermaids glisten and look as if they have just come out of the sea! This yarn also comes in a lot of magical colors. At one time, I think I had just about every color there was. Here is a photo of some of the colors I now have in stock. This yarn also comes in solid, "print" and antique colors.

Click on the link below to get to a page on the web which will show you all the colors this delightful yarn comes in. There are also two other links on that page which will take you to the "Print" colors, and one for the "Antique" colors available. There is also a "Store Locator" link on this page, which lets you pick your state, and then will list the shops in your area that sell AURA. There are also "on-line" shops from which you can purchase AURA.

AURA YARN by TRENDSETTER COLOR CHART

I used an AURA "print" yarn for this little "butterfly fairy face pin's" hairdo. See how she sparkles and glistens!

Below you will see one of my drawers full of yarn, which I usually try to sort by colors. Looks like one is in there that should be, as this is my "green toned" yarns! As you can see, I love using a lot of fun textured yarns, which have "eyelash" and "loops" in them. They all make great fantasy hairdos!

Another one of my "favorite" yarns is made by Moda Dea. The most magical one is called FRIVOLOUS, and comes in a variety of colors, but my favorite color is Tutti Fruiti. Below is a photo of a fairy whose hairdo was created using FRIVOLOUS - Tutti Fruiti yarn! It is a very soft, wispy eyelash yarn with a metallic thread running through it. I use this yarn quite a bit, as it is so much fun, and colorful.

Below is a link that will take you to the MODEA DEA page that shows the other colors this gorgeous yarn comes in.

MODEA DEA - FRIVOLOUS COLOR CHART

These are only a "very few" of the yarns I have used when creating my colorful, whimsical hairdos. I used to purchase a lot of these "designer" yarns at a small yarn shop in my area, but in the last several years, I tend to look for them out on the internet, and purchase them "on-line". It takes a bit of time and searching to find what one is looking for, but once you know names of the designers you like best, and the name of the yarns, it makes it a lot easier. I have found out, over the years, that if you find a yarn you really like working with, be sure to get enough in several different colors, as the "designer" yarns tend to be produced for several years, and then you can no longer get them. Below are several links where I have been purchasing yarn on-line.

YARN MARKET

HERRSCHNERS

I will be continuing this "yarn" information in another post in the near future! Do stop back, and have fun trying some of this fabulous yarn for your fantasy dolls!

MEET MY NEWEST MERMAID!

This little mermaid is my newest creation, and I just finished her today! I was so delighted with her, that I thought she deserved to have her photo out here.

She was just 6.5" tall before sculpting her into her current, permanent sitting position. These tiny little mermaids are very hard to work with, and to get them to sit, through the use of wire armatures in her tail and arms, takes a bit of doing! Sitting, she measures just about 4.5" tall from her "seat" to the top of her fluffy hairdo. Her fins span approximately 5" wide.

I used a shimmery dark teal fabric for her tail. When using a silky textured fabric such as this, it is necessary to use iron on interfacing on both sides of the fabric, to give it more strength. Her upper body and face are 100% silk tussah fabric. Tussah silk comes from wild moths whose's main diet is oak leaves. It is the amount of tannin in the leaves that determines the silk's natural color. Tussah silk can vary from a light beige (this is what I have used for this mermaid) to a darker tan color. Tussah silk is getting very hard to find, and keeps going up in price. The lowest price I've found so far is $15.00 per yard, and it can go as high as $40.00 per yard depending on the supplier. Her face, of course, has been individually hand-drawn, needle-sculpted, and hand-painted. I use a Micron .005 pen for the features, and acrylic paints for the eyes and lips. Her little face is approximately .75" long, and .50" wide. I can't get much smaller than that and get a good face.

Her wild hairdo was designed from a unique textured Italian yarn with wisps and poofs in it, accented with a metallic thread running through this yarn. I added another yarn call AURA, which makes her sparkle even more.

Her accents are all hand-sewn onto her, using a 4# test, clear fishing line. She has a Swarovski crystal belly button, necklace and her waist is also decorated with Swarovski crystals, and a real sea shell.

She is sculpted so that she can sit all by herself.

If you'd like to see more photos and learn more about her, click on the link below:

MERMAID