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Does anyone else feel this way?

I went shopping in the garden department of Home Depot, one of my favorite places. The flowers are amazing! Everywhere I looked there were blooms and color. I felt home.

 

I wanted to drink up the energy, like my soul was feeding.

 

I thought about the times I lived without Nature. How did I survive?

 

Do you think they’d notice me sleeping among the marigolds?

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Episode 3 of the Fairy Fabulous Web Show from Designing Fairy is now up:

 

Head on over to my Tumblr blog to watch.

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I love fairies, don't you?

They are of course magical, but also I think they really touch that inner child in all of us.


I will be using some of these fairies on our PBJunkies promo postcard which we'll be sending out soon.


 Maybe they will sprinkle some of their fairy dust and find me some lovely fairy books to work on! :o)

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Well, princesses will have to wait until the fairies fly South for the winter. 

I have been given a new project involving these wonderful wee folk, and it's been quite some time since I have painted them. Almost two years in fact! I think I've done one or two here and there, but not many.

To catch you up to date, here are the new members of the portfolio family. It's been interesting to see how the added styles and techniques I've acquired over the last couple of years is being translated into the fairies.

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with confectionary colored hair and wings made of crystals and ice, little alpine and siberia fairies took some time out to snuggle with their arctic bundles of love.

FOR SALE HERE:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/120623014/frozen-fairy-kisses-original-paintings?nc=1

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February is for Fairies!

Two fairy classes are being offered in February:  The Fairy Beginner Healing Class and The Fairy Healing the Feminine Class. Special discount rate if for those attending the Guardian Gateway Telesummit! Oooooh. Head on over here to check the classes out. (Just mention the Telesummit when you sign up!)

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I’m excited!

My topic: The Part-Fairy Survival Kit

On Tuesday, 10 AM Pacific, I will be interviewed as part of the Guardian Gateway Telesummit. It looks super cool. My topic is The Part-Fairy Survival Kit! I’ll cover:

• the secret to seeing and hearing the Fairy Realm
• learn how Nature can help you heal
• find out if you are part fairy and what you need to survive and thrive

Here’s Details:

 I am excited to share with you a FREE one-of-a-kind event taking place this month: The Guardian Gateway Telesummit.

Twenty teachers are coming together to show you how to connect and work with the high-vibrational Beings—angels, unicorns, faeries, dolphins, plant spirits, power animals, and more—who are guardians and supporters of your gifts and soul purpose.

My colleague Kim Wilborn will be interview 20 powerful teachers who will show you how to work with the Guardian Energy that is SO wanting to help each one of us… and the world.

There’s no cost to attend, and even if you can’t attend the talks live, you will get access to each replay for 48 hours.

I cordially invite you to be my guest at this wonderful event. You’ll learn how to work with the High-Vibrational Beings who are waiting to:

•  ~ Bring solutions to your everyday problems
•  ~ Assist you in everything you do
•  ~ Give you the wisdom and support you need to live your best life
•  ~ Help you discover and live your life purpose
•  ~ Raise your vibration and improve what you attract into your experience
•  ~ Assist you in manifesting your heart-based desires
•  ~ Provide an unshakable support system

 You’ll experience:

• ~ Jean Slatter: Learn How to Hire From the Heavens
• ~ Steven Farmer: Receiving Guidance from the Spirits of Nature
• ~ Linda Shay: Joyful Spirit Dolphins…At Your Service
• ~ Sue Storm: Angels for Prosperity
• ~ Pam Montgomery: Discovering Your Personal Plant Spirit Ally
• ~ Ronni Ann Hall: The Part-Fairy Survival Kit
• ~ Cordelia Brabbs: Your Miracles Team
• ~ Raven Many Voices: Dragons – Finding Your Fire Within
• ~ Monique Hunt: Connect with Your Spirit Guide council
• ~ Elvia Nina Roe: Meet Your Angels
• ~ Helen Oceanheart: Open Your Heart to the Whales and Dolphins
• ~ Max Ryan: Raising Your Vibration with the Angels
• ~ Kimberly Mulrooney: Angels on Call
• ~ Lesley Morrison: The Healing Wisdom of Birds
• ~ Annie Day: Tree Spirit Healing
• ~ Carrie Hart: Power Animals Unleashed
• ~ Theolyn Cortens: The Teachings of the Nephalim
• ~ Bernadette Wulf: Faeries Among Us
• ~ Robbie Holz: Working with a Celestial Team

If you would like your life to be easier, happier, and more in alignment with your Soul Purpose, register today for the FREE [http://www.mcssl.com/app/?Clk=4956000] Guardian Gateway Telesummit.

“See” you there!

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Fairy Wings

Ridiculed by all but her animal friends, little wingless Fia spends her days on the earth rather than in the sky. But when the boy fairy Kip invites her to attend the May Dance, Fia timidly accepts. Her wingless condition creates a stir until the dance is interrupted by a wicked troll seeking a late-night snack of fairy wings!

If you liked this, try:

Fia and the Imp
The Book of Little Folk
If you See a Fairy Ring
Fairy Houses
How to Find Flower Fairies

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Category: Young Adult Fantasy
Keywords: Family, Fae, Missing Siblings, Fairy Queen
Format: Hardcover, ebook
Source: Borrowed ARC


Kimberly's synopsis and review:

The trees swallowed her brother whole. Now Jenny, seven years later, goes back to the place where it happened. To the place she lost her brother, to where she lost her family, to say goodbye. But instead, she hears a mysterious song, reminding her of her brother Tom, and before she knows it, she's in a dangerous world. And she swears she won't leave without her brother.

I'll be honest--this book caught my eye because of the cover. Did you see it? Pretty. And I like a good fairy tale as much as the next girl so I was really looking forward to reading this book.

This is more of a traditional fairy tale. A missing sibling, a family torn apart, and the sister who is the only one who can find him. Jenny wanders through the forest, with a guide named Jack who has his own intentions. Evading the evil queen, ignorant of the rules of this land, Jenny finds herself in scary and dangerous situations. I love the danger that looms on every page. I enjoy the betrayals and dark nature of the characters. There is some beautifully descriptive writing and a couple of fun twists.

Unfortunately, I am not a fan of Jenny. She's supposed to be seventeen, but she seems younger. I'm told she has a pure, good heart, but she falls into the group of uninteresting, bland main characters. She's too good, there's little fire. Oh sure, her guide Jack sees the fire, the stubbornness, the flame. But as a reader, I really didn't see it. I was told. She seemed a rather tame teenager, honestly.

Jack is the most interesting character by far. Conflicted, with multiple allegiances, Jack's motivations are clouded and he has more depth than any of the other characters by far. By the time we meet Tom, Jenny's brother, who has been in the fairy world for seven years, even he is still too vanilla. You'd think being brainwashed, held captive, and possibly going to be a ritual sacrifice would make Tom into a more layered young man, but alas, no. And the other characters don't do fair well either. The motivations behind the kind and queen are thin, but if you look past it, you'll find a fun story and a fast moving plot.


Overall, I liked the story for the plot, for the creepiness and the world. But I couldn't identify with any of the characters. If you like more traditional fairy tales, you'll like this book!

---

Find out more about the author at rflong.com and follow her on Twitter @RFLong.

You can find more of Kimberly's reviews at The Windy Pages.

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I couldn’t have written a better script… J was off ill a few days ago and M stomped to school with fury all over her face.

“IT’S NOT FAIR! Why can’t I stay at home?”

The pavement (and my ears) got a fair bashing from M that morning, and before 9am I was already exhausted! But my book-fairy-godmother must have heard my exasperated cries for help; as if by magic the postman delivered…

…It’s Not Fairy by Ros Asquith.

Siblings Bill and Mary complain that when they get different things, life’s just not fair. Fortunately, the kids’ parents know about the It’s Not Fairy, who’s on a mission around the world to help sort out what’s wrong and right, but who also likes to eat those who complain a little too much.

Bill and Mary scoff at the idea of the It’s Not Fairy, but when they hear their parents complaining about life being unfair (for example, when Mum does all the housework and Dad just slouches in his chair), they are quick to remind their elders about her penchant for gobbling up grumblers.

When the parents produce their supposed trump card, “It’s up to us to say what’s FAIR!” the It’s Not Fairy can’t hold back any longer and makes an appearance to berate the family. She ask them to think about what really constitutes fairness and justice, and to see their gripes in a wider context. If they can’t do that, she threatens to bake them all in one big fairy cake.

In lesser hands this could be a pompous moral tale told with a big wagging finger hanging over the reader and listener, but Ros Asquith has brilliantly written a tremendously funny, (and, yes, useful!) story I can’t recommend enough. Everyone has fun poked at them, not only the parents, but even the It’s Not Fairy herself, reminding us that even though we’re not all perfect, and we do all complain from time to time, it’s ok to have a moan, and it’s even more ok to take a deep breath and remember the bigger picture.

The rhyming text is fun to read aloud and also draws in listeners who will quickly be joining in. The illustrations, familiar to those who read Asquith’s regular cartoon strips in the Guardian newspaper, are full of textual detail that pack even more giggles into this book.

A punchy way to start a more meaningful discussion about what is and isn’t fair, every primary school should have this book for use in classrooms. Every parent should have a copy too because it’s a gift – now when I get moans from the kids about things not being fair, I just remind them about the It’s Not Fairy, and a grumpy situation is turned round into one where we can laugh and actually talk about what we’re feeling.

It’s Not Fairy comes with a great recipe for baking your own It’s Not Fairy Cakes so of course we tried them out. For “Fairy Dust”, to sprinkle on the icing, we made

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My computer crashed this morning and it seems new equipment or parts are needed.  Bad fairies.  But the good fairies will still be at our annual Midsummer  Magic art show at Sovereign House, and preparations are still going forward...
even if I have to resort to paper and scissors.

I am also teaching art classes at Sovereign House this summer, painting scenes of the house and garden.
This beautiful Tiger Swallowtail was in the garden while we were painting last week.  Despite a very damaged wing (look closely, top left of butterfly) it was fluttering gamely from flower to flower.

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Naomi lives in the small town of Blackbird Tree.  It is not named because of the shape of its trees, however, but for the many blackbirds that live in those trees.  Blackbird Tree is a bit of a tragic place, where most of the children have experienced some sort of loss.  Naomi is unsurprisingly a bit of a pessimist.  After losing her mother as an infant, and her father in a tragic accident, she has been in the care of Joe and Nula.  But she has always felt a little off kilter about the whole thing.  What if someone comes to take her away?  What if bad things instead of good things start coming out of the donkey's ear from the story that Joe tells?

One fateful day, a boy falls out of a tree right in front of Naomi.  She's not sure if he's real or not-real, so she is happy when her friend Lizzie comes by and lets her know that she can indeed see this boy laying unconscious on the ground.  Where Naomi dwells in the quiet places, Lizzie fills the air with her words, which can be both comforting and bothersome at once.  She fusses over the boy when he comes to, and worries after "Finn boy" who says that he is staying up on the hill with the dim Dimmenses.

Finn has awoken something in Naomi, and she finds that she cannot stop thinking about him.  Each time she runs into him she asks Finn about his life, but he would much prefer to talk to Naomi about hers.  He seems odd, however, visiting the folks in town that others normally steer clear of - folks like Crazy Cora, or Witch Wiggins.  When Finn asks Naomi where he can find Elizabeth Scatterding, who just happens to be Naomi's Lizzie, she finds herself consumed with jealousy.

Meanwhile over in Ireland, Sybil and her caretaker Miss Pilpenny are plotting revenge.  Living at Rook's Orchard, Sybil has enlisted the help of a solicitor to help her with the perfect plan.  There is a Finn boy who used to live there, as well.

Creech has woven together a magical story about family and friendship and the ties that bind.  Each character, no matter how seemingly small is tied to another, and readers will find themselves spell bound from considering the ways in which this is possible in their own lives.   Naomi herself often wonders about the connections between people and places - 


"But I thought about all the things that had to have spun into place in order for us to be alive and for us to be right there, right then.  I thought about the few things we thought we knew and the billions of things we couldn't know, all spinning, whirling out there somehow."  (p 223 arc)


The Great Unexpected is a story that defies categorization in terms of story and of audience.  Found within its pages are mystery and magic, old and young, boys and girls, rich and poor.  I just finished it an hour ago, and I already want to read it again!

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Paterson, Katherine and John Paterson. 2011.  The Flint Heart. Read by Ralph Lister. Brilliance Audio.
4 hrs. 9 min.

First written and published in 1910, by Eden Phillpotts, The Flint Heart is a re-telling of his fairytale by Newbery-winning author Katherine Paterson and her husband, John.  

In the same vein as the better-known "one ring," from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, a heart of flint is forged, containing both evil and power.  It survives for thousands of years, occasionally surfacing and disappearing, landing finally in a British moor, where it is unearthed by a kindly farmer who falls immediately under its wicked spell. With the help of fairyland creatures, the farmer's children, 12-year-old Charles, and 5-year-old Unity, undertake the task of finding the vile heart and ensuring that it does no more harm.  Though they receive help from fairies, pixies, and the all-knowing Zagabog, their most delightful helper is the hot-water bottle, an ancillary character who will win your heart.

Ralph Lister's reading is decidedly British, both in accent and style, calling forth comparisons to English classics.  Winnie the Pooh comes immediately to mind.

The audiobook book was nominated for an Audie Award, and the print version is beautifully illustrated by John Rocco.  The audio version contains lengthy and interesting commentary by Katherine Paterson regarding the making of The Flint Heart.

This chapter book will make a great family read or listen-aloud, and will appeal to fans of British fantasies similar to The Chronicles of Narnia.

Listen to a sample of The Flint Heart here.

John Rocco's illustrations may be one reason you might prefer this one in print. (Either way, you can't go wrong.)  Take a look.

The Flint Heart Book Trailer from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

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I need some fairy loving! It’s a visit to the Fairy Bakery to sweeten your day.

Raspberry creme, yellow cake, & may have wobbled a bit to the left

Made out of the dreams of fairies

Strawberry Supreme: Fairies like pink things

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Thank you for taking the New Class Poll! We have a winner! (For those of you sighing because you wanted an Advanced Animal Communication class, don’t worry. We’ve got a monthly teleclass scheduled in November on that subject!)

New Fairy Class! Let me take you on an adventure.

I invite you to enter deeper into the fairy world. Maybe you took the Fairy Beginner Fairy Healing class, or dipped your feet into Fairies 101 for a look, or maybe you just love fairies and they’ve been sparkling in and out of your life. The Fairy Tools class (part of the Fall Session) we’ll dive into new healing tools you can use and apply in daily, practical life, while having fun exploring different parts of the Fairy Realm.

We visit the Cacti People for targeted help, dive down deep with the Water Spirits, enter Indian Gardens to clear out holes, go to the fields of manifesting magic, head to the Pond of Mirrors, and visit the Flower Garden to heal with color. Sign up in the next two minutes (just kidding), but seriously, if you sign up this week, each student receives a FREE guided fairy meditation to play with later! Go here.

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By Amanda Lynch, The Children’s Book Review
Published: August 23, 2012

Dust Girl 

By Sarah Zettel

Reading level: Ages 12 and up

Hardcover: 304 pages

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (June 26, 2012)

What to expect: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Magic, Jazz & Blues

I confess, I judged Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel a little unfairly—I made the mistake of reading the book flap and the author biography and I groaned inwardly.  It seemed to be doing too much, first by incorporating a sci-fi/fantasy story in the setting of the Dust Bowl-era in Kansas.  Then she threw racism into the mix, and for good measure developed a relationship between a half-black girl and a Jewish boy, and wove it all together with a tapestry of fairy lore.

However, after three days of being unable to put the book down, I completely fell in love with the story and the characters, and left feeling bereft and thankful that there will be two more books in this trilogy.  Because this engaging story (with a fabulous ragtime soundtrack) is an engaging, exhausting romp that will leave the reader wanting more.

Callie LeRoux lives in a hotel in Slow Run, Kansas, slowly dying of dust pneumonia.  Her mother, who runs the hotel, refuses to leave because she is convinced that Callie’s father will someday return to them.  Then one day, her mother mysteriously vanishes in a dust storm—and Callie is confronted by a Native American man who miraculously heals her from the disease that was killing her and tells her she must embrace her identity and her destiny, and go find her parents out in California.  Accompanied by a young hobo named Jack, Callie sets off on her quest—only to encounter humanoid locusts, warring fairy factions, and a zombie-like bull marshall who wants her and Jack dead.  Because Callie, as it turns out, isn’t exactly human, and Jack is hiding a secret or two of his own.

The book is extremely fast-paced, barely allowing you any time to breathe between the calamities that befall Callie and Jack.  While there are strong themes of loyalty to family, Callie and Jack are on a journey where they can’t trust anyone, which adds to the tense, exciting atmosphere of the novel.  I am eagerly awaiting the second installment of this series.

Add this book to your collection: Dust Girl: The American Fairy Trilogy Book 1

Original article: Review: Dust Girl: The American Fairy Trilogy Book 1

©2012 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

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This woman had a gorgeous fairy costume. The Henna Hut was a cute little building.

The Ohio Renaissance Fair opened yesterday in Waynesville and I went with some family members and fellow artist Amy Bogard. The first weekend is a 2 for 1 deal which convinced me to go.

Amy and I spent most of the time sketching. The festival has expanded a lot since I last visited; there are tons of really cute buildings and cosplay has really exploded in recent years. Lots of elves, fairies, and pirates were represented in addition to the medieval garb.

I actually felt sorry for the people in costume because the air was a humid soup. It was not pleasant.

The Swordsman Theatre and a cute little fairy girl with matching orange crocs.

Lady in the Lake with curious bullfrog.

Loved this tree decor.

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Yesterday I went with Vanessa Sorensen for a little walk at Spring Grove and some sketching. It is so beautiful there.

It is interesting because I did not know that Spring Grove was constructed in the 1830s after a Cholera epidemic and the overcrowding of little church cemeteries was unsightly.

This is the Robinson Mausoleum. I found out after that it was built in 1874 for $35,000. The Robinson family owned Robinson’s Circus from 1824 to 1916 when they sold it to the American Circus which later merged with Ringling Brothers. The place is cram-packed with these historical goodies.

I forgot to post a couple weeks ago this sketch of the dock at my in-laws at Lake Barkley in Kentucky. It was a great place to view birds. I saw herons, a turkey vulture,and many others.

My little setup next to my sketch...

 Finally, I just started a new blog. It is meant to be a place where I develop children's stories. First off is Francis Tales. I did a dummy a few years ago. This is a new iteration of that to start, but it will be a home for stories, experiments and little nugget ideas. Stop by and say hi: http://christinawaldtales.blogspot.com/

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Fairie-ality Style: A Sourcebook of Inspirations from Nature, is the sole creation of David Ellwand, the creative mind, eye and hands behind the first Fairie-ality book, Fairie-ality: The Fashion Collection from the House of Ellwand. With this book, Ellwand moves beyond Fairie fashion to Fairie lifestyles. There are photos of Fairie houses and fairie furniture as well as a little bit more

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Before Disney's Tinkerbell and her newly created hometown of Pixie Hollow took over as the face of Fairie, David Ellwand opened a window on their world in 2002 with his book Fairie-ality Style. From Candlewick Press, traditionally a publisher of children's books, this book is hard to classify. Where I work, it ends up in the Art/Fashion section of the bookstore. However, I see

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