FAEteam Exhibition: Return to Renaissance

Unfortunately, the renaissance faire season is already over down here in Florida but it's just picking up in the rest of the country.  If you're still looking for the perfect garb or accessory for the faire, I highly suggest checking out the Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team's current exhibition: Return to Renaissance.  Psst: my Chain Maille Coif is included!

ErtheFae's Faerie Lore: Beware the Nuckelavee!

by AJ Reardon of ErtheFae's Meandering Thoughts

Thanks to the Victorians, most of us have this image of faeries as being tiny winged folk. We might also include elves, gnomes, and leprechauns under the heading of faerie. Perhaps we think only of Tinkerbell and Fairy Godmothers, and maybe the Evil Fairy who gets offended and curses the newborn princess.

But the truth is, the faerie lore of the British Isles is rich, bizarre, and full of creatures that are nothing like the flitting, sparkling spirits we imagine frolicking through the flowers. Today I'd like to tell you about one of my favorite faeries, which I consider to be the most gruesome example of how strange faerie lore can be. That's right, we're going to talk about the Nuckelavee.

Forget your mental image of faeries as small and beautiful. The Nuckelavee is huge and horrific. Similar to a centaur, as imagined by HP Lovecraft or Todd McFarlane, the beast looks like a giant horse, with a man's torso and head rising out of its back. Oh, and did I forget to mention that it appears to be flayed? Yes, just imagine that rising out of the sea, its skinless head lolling on its shoulders, its single red eye staring right at you.

In her “An Encyclopedia of Fairies”, Katherine Kerr describes the Nuckelavee as “One of the most repulsive creatures which the Scottish imagination has conceived; and the Scots are expert in horrors.”  When Froud and Lee included the Nuckelavee in their book “Faeries” (where I first learned of it), they clearly considered it too horrible to draw in full – the illustration instead shows only its arm, reaching towards a tiny, terrified pixie.

Thankfully, the Nuckelavee is a creature of the sea and cannot abide the touch of fresh water. If  you happen to be wandering the Scottish coastline at night and the fearsome Nuckelavee rises from the depths and pursues you across the countryside, you can rescue yourself by splashing into a loch or crossing a stream. Just watch out for waterhorses while you're there!

AJ Reardon has been fascinated by faerie lore ever since she received a copy of “Faeries” by Brian Froud and Alan Lee when she was 16. She doesn't actually believe in faeries, but maybe that's because she lives in Tucson, AZ which is not known for its abundance of The Good Neighbors. AJ uses her knowledge of fae and myths to inspire the jewelry that she makes and sells in her on-line shop, Erthe Fae Designs.

Thanks so much to AJ for starting off the guest blogger series with some really awesome faerie lore!  It's so obvious how much her love of fantasy informs her jewelry.  I love the tribal styles and particularly her intricate seed bead work!!  I'm really looking forward to hearing more faerie lore from AJ in future guest posts!  AJ & I are both part of the Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team. 

Next week's featured guest blogger is Rose from Recreational Art on Etsy and her blog of the same name.  She'll be talking about recycling, upcycling, and repurposing.  

February FAEteam Challenge

Okay, so I'm running a little behind... February's Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team challenge was to design a piece inspired by the name of that month's Full Moon: Snow Moon or Hunger Moon. February is known for enormous amounts of snowfall that more often than not in the old days resulted in (you guessed it) hunger. The challenge entries were amazing again this month!

I used the Japanese 12-2 chain maille weave to create a pattern that resembles snow flakes. The flakes are complemented by clear glass beads representing ice. Here is my piece in honor of the Snow Moon:

It is available in my Etsy shop as well as my Artfire Studio.

Other team members were inspired by the Snow Moon:

Boreas by Gypsy Moon Art

Snowy Moonlight Earrings and Moonlight Faery Ballroom Necklace by Mermaiden

Snow Pixie Vessel by Anika's Art

And of course, after all of the snow comes the hunger for warmth and growth. Here are the items that were inspired by the Hunger Moon:

The Hungriest Pixie Ever, by Erthefae

Sky Will Feed My Heart by Carapace

Friday Finds - Fantasy Valentine

My schedule this week has been pretty screwed up, so I apologize for Friday Finds coming on Saturday! In honor of Valentine's Day, here are some finds from the Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team.

Terra Romantica Map... Print (Fantasy Cartography and Imaginary Places) by paintandink

Magic Vial -- Pure Love by Izile's Oddities

And in honor of anti-Valentine's Day....

No Ring on this Finger, No Walls on This Sky Dark Goddesses Lilith Print by Carapace

Don't forget: Free Shipping in both Athena's Armoury Etsy & Artfire shops until midnight on Valentine's Day. Just place your order and make payment and the cost of shipping will be refunded to you via Paypal.

Friday Finds - Celebrate the Holidays with FAE

The Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team celebrates the holidays: Yule, Candlemas, Winter Solstice, Christmas. Be sure to search 'faeteam' on Etsy for more fantasy goods!

The Yuletide Fairy by Daydreamer Art by Carri Travis

Peppermint Fairy Wings by On Gossamer Wings

Renaissance Woman Da Vinci Glass Art Ornament by Mermaiden Creations

Friday Finds - FAE Witches

In honor of the magical holiday approaching (Halloween!) and some of my Fantasy Artists of Etsy (FAE) friends...

Ode to Persephone Witch Hat by Mermaiden Creations

Trick or Treat. Halloween Witch Art Bookmark by aquariann

Scinlaece - Dress Up Faerie/Witch Doll by merigreenleaf at Elbit Enterprises

Out of Control But Up in the Sky by Carapace

Where the Day Will Lead...

I went into work yesterday and was having a hard time focusing on anything. It was one of those days where I really didn't have much to do and wanted to be elsewhere were it not for the paycheck. I was quite unsuspecting of how the day would turn out.

First, I found out that they are changing around our health plan at work and are also taking away half of our sick time for this coming year. We only have five sick days now which, even though I very rarely take any sick time, I still think is wrong. My boss's boss continues to gun for our department. Without going into details: I don't know what her problem is, but it feels like she has a vendetta against us. Lastly, I found out that I have to work a very long day on Thursday and come in on Saturday. It's a good thing I don't really have a life. Anyhoo, all of those extra hours meant that I got to leave work yesterday at lunchtime and not have to go in at all today. That's good at least.

So, I go home to find an Etsy Convo from my Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team friend Becky of Up From The Ashes (you must check out her amazing shop full of fairy wings, tiaras, and leather masks!!) telling me that she spotted my work on the Etsy Front Page!
My Titanium Stretch Chain Maille Choker was included in an amazing treasury curated by Green Post.

I haven't gotten any sales from the exposure, but have gotten tons of views and a few more hearts. By the way, I had hearted Green Post just recently and wonder if I made it into her treasury by that simple act. She's got an amazing shop full of eco paper, seed tags, and cards.

After that bit of excitement, I decided to head down to St. Pete to check out a store called Puckett's Store Fixtures that I had heard about from other area crafters. The place is a warehouse treasure trove of all manner of things for your business. It seems like it's mainly geared for people with a storefront, but I managed to pick up a new femaille model for $35 which I thought was a good deal. She's in really great shape and I needed a model for necklaces & such. I had to put a shirt on her, the poor thing looked so naked. I'm thinking about possibly painting her black, but we'll see.

Next stop, was a local nursery. We really haven't done anything with the outside of our house since we moved in. Admittedly, at first I really just didn't know what to do with it, but we also have had so many other big projects that we've had to deal with that it's been on the back burner. I've gotten really bored with how plain it is though, and have been thinking about doing some planting. Being stuck in a drought, however, is making me put that idea on hold a bit longer. It was fun walking around the sanctuary of the nursery and getting some ideas, though. My potted herb garden is certainly making things a little cheerier (I finally found some peppermint yesterday!) and I don't know if any birds have found the feeder yet, but it makes me happy anyway. I'm also thinking about making a garland out of seashells & twine to hang around the lanai to decorate it a bit out there.

Grocery shopping, a stop at Costco,Borders for magazines, and finally a quick browse at Target and I was finally home. I had been thinking about getting a terrarium for our sun room, but scored this adorable little succulent garden at Target for $5. I love it. It feels so Zen, which of course makes me content and happy. I might still add a terrarium later. All of this green is making me so happy lately.

Finally at around 9:00, I sat down on the couch with the cat, my Sage Woman magazine, a glass of iced green tea, and a lovely Aveda scented candle and relaxed until Scott got home half an hour later. What started as a day of scattered frustration at work turned into quite busy and delightful. You just never know where your day will lead sometimes...

Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team Midsummer Revelry Exhibition

I am way behind on sharing this, but... The Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team's Midsummer Revelry Exhibition is absolutely gorgeous. There's such a wide variety of items including plushies, stained glass, jewelry, art, bags, masks, ritual supplies, hair accessories... Athena's Armoury has three pieces of chain maille jewelry included as well! You can see some of the amazing items included in the Etsy Mini on the very bottom of this blog page. Be sure to check it out. You won't be disappointed. But do it soon, because our next exhibition isn't long off!

Love at First Flight FAE Exhibition

I spent a lot of time today thinking about what I'm going to do for Scott for Valentine's Day. Especially since it is only 10 days away (I swear I started thinking about it back in January!). For those of you who are like me and still thinking about what to get your honey, the Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team's Love at First Flight Exhibition is chock full of options. You will find: mermaids, fairies, dragons, steampunk, magic vials, and more. Follow the above link or you can get a small sampling of the items included in the mini at the bottom of this page.

I've got three items included in the exhibition -- see if you can find them!

Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team Charity Event

I am a proud member of the Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team: it is a fantastic group full of friendly and supportive as well as amazingly talented fantasy artists. Right now, we're trying to support one of our team members who is going through an extremely trying time. Nora of the Etsy shop Nora Blansett has undergone some very serious surgeries and continues to undergo treatment and further surgery. It is hard to explain just how much she has been through without disclosing details, but suffice to say my heart goes out to her and her family.

A long, long time ago, our team endeavored to do a round robin project. We had two teams working on two separate fairy dolls: a Light Doll and a Dark Doll. We decided that we wanted to auction off the Dark Doll (I contributed a chain maille breastplate to her) in honor of Nora. All proceeds from the sale of the Dark Doll will go straight to Nora to help pay her doctor's bills. Right now, the Dark Doll is getting some finishing touches put on her by a team member, but once she's done, I'll post some pictures and tell you how you can place a bid.

In the meantime, the amazingly talented Valorie of Battlemaiden Studios has done an original watercolor called Brief Respite which is currently up for auction at her blog. The auction will end at 11:59PM July 15th. At that time, Valorie will list the painting in her Etsy shop for sale to the high bidder. Shipping to the US is $5. To win, just comment at her blog with your bid. Be sure to check back and make sure you haven't been out-bid. Be sure to include your E-mail address so she can contact you if you're the high bidder. Want to contribute, but can't necessarily afford an original? You can also buy a print or bookmark from the Nora Section of Battlemaiden's Etsy shop.

Thank you so very much in advance!

Summer Solstice Shopping

In honor of the Summer Solstice tomorrow, I'd like to share with you the Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team's Midsummer Night's Dream Exhibition! There's a little something for everyone here: art, jewelry, art dolls, hair accessories, statues, ritual oil, bags, vases. . . I've got three items featured including my For a Good Cause: The Nature Conservancy Bracelet: $5 from your purchase of this bracelet will be donated to the Nature Conservancy. It's a gorgeous exhibition full of beautiful items from some very talented folks. The exhibition is maintained by the tremendously talented Kristin of the Etsy shop aquariann.

Check Out Athena's Armoury in TWO Places!

I'm pleased to share with you that three items from Athena's Armoury are being featured in the Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team's Spring Fever Exhibition! There are all kinds of fun goodies included in the exhibition, such as: artwork, jewelry, ritual oil, dolls, sculpture, accessories, housewares, masks, and more. Items from the Armoury include:

Napkin Armour for that spring picnic:

A Beaded Daisies Bracelet to wear to the picnic:


And the Katie Collar for your pup:


Athena's Armoury has also been featured at MyFairyBabies, a blog run by Hyla with the Etsy shop of the same name. This shop contains all kinds of fun kiddie items, fairy dolls, and dragon ornaments. I actually love Hyla's other shop: Steampunk Box Books. It is thanks to her that I was introduced to this fabulous genre. And finally, Faewood Creations houses her fingerless gloves, tote bags, and jewelry. She's a busy lady!

Playing Catch Up in Pictures

Last week I received such a phenomenal wire order! All kinds of yummy stuff including a sampler of anodized aluminum rings, a sampler of scale maille, 2 pounds each of 16 gauge and 18 gauge bright aluminum (BA) wire, and 10 pounds* of 14 gauge BA wire. I already finished a custom dice bag with some of the anodized aluminum rings and am starting on an Uber bag (yup, that's the Crown Royal size) for a friend. Part of my mom's birthday present this year is a pouch for her iPod with the green (her favorite color) anodized aluminum rings. Then, I have so many plans for more armour and some production line jewelry. So much metal to play with!!

I've been talking about the fact that I'm working on the Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team's Round Robin for FOREVER now!! Come Hell or high water, I will finish my part for this doll! Here's a work in progress picture so you know I'm not lying. . .

<== Scott recently bought me this fabulous tool chest, I just had to share with you. It's beautiful!





On a side note, I'm so excited to finally have my taillight guards on my Jeep! I've had these things for probably a year and a half and have been searching for the correct hardware for them ever since. ==>

Lastly, Jack wanted to say hi. Here he is "overseeing" my maille work: