September Challenge Theme: FAIRIES & MERMAIDS

The theme for my September challenge is a favorite on mine (and yours I hope): Fairies and Mermaids. We've done a Fairyland theme before, but this time let's include Mermaids as well. 

Don't miss the Design Team inspiration below, and have a look at some Lunagirl digital collage sheets to get you started! Fairies.... and Mermaids! The DT is working with some images of Faerie Fantasy Showgirls (for something a little different), Faerie Queens, and of course vintage Mermaids.

I can't wait to see what you create ~ link up your entries below. 

CHALLENGE GUIDELINES:

Challenge ends at 2:00 pm CST on September 30.

Any craft or medium is welcome!

Vintage style is encouraged but not required.

Use a Lunagirl image and your entry will count twice in the drawing!

Link to this blog and to Lunagirl.com on your site if you have one.

Prize:  Winner will be selected randomly to receive a $15 credit at Lunagirl.com!

I love it when you use Lunagirl images, and I hope you'll go take a look at my collections... but that's not a requirement!  But do remember that if you use a Lunagirl image, you will be entered TWICE in the drawing! I welcome everyone and every style but also want to give a little something extra to my wonderful customers! Most important is have fun, get creative, and enjoy vintage style. 

An InLinkz Link-up

LUNAGIRL DESIGN TEAM

MICHELE STORMS Art From the Well

CORINNE MARIE Digital by Corinne

CORINNE MARIE Digital by Corinne

VICKI ROMAINE, Cheerful Stamp Pad

Come with us to Fairyland in our next challenge!

I can never stay away from the fairies too long, so here's my next challenge theme: FAIRYLAND.

I can't wait to see the gallery fill up with fairies! For inspiration visit my Fairies and Angels page, and don't miss the Design Team creations below!

Here are the challenge guidelines:

Any craft or medium is OK.

Limit of 3 entries from one person in each challenge, please.

Vintage style is encouraged.

Use a Lunagirl image or element and your entry will count twice in the drawing!

Remember to link to this blog and to Lunagirl.com on your site if you have one.

Prize:  The winner will be selected randomly, and will receive a Lunagirl collage sheet CD of your choice! ($25 value).

Challenge ends at noon CST on September 14.

Of course I love if you use at least one Lunagirl.com product, and I hope you'll go take a look at my collection... but that's not a requirement. But do remember that if you use a Lunagirl image, you will be entered TWICE in the drawing! I want to welcome everyone and every style but also give a little something extra to my wonderful customers! 

LINK UP YOUR ENTRIES BELOW TO PLAY 

An InLinkz Link-up

LUNAGIRL MOONBEAMS DESIGN TEAM

As always, the Moonbeams have created some lovely pieces to inspire you!

VICKI ROMAINE:

I made the background for this tag by using a medallion stamp stamped in three shades of green.  a piece of lace was placed down the side and three bling stones where placed in the center of the flowers.  A butterfly cut from a old greeting card finishes the tag. -- Vicki

MICHELE STORMS: Fairy Watch ATC

MANDY CHILVERS

Alice in Wonderland Blog Challenge!

I love Alice in Wonderland, and I bet you do, too.  I've collected quite a few antique Alice books and illustrations over the years, and used them to create a still-growing collection of Alice in Wonderland digital collage sheets!

I hope you'll join in my Alice blog challenge.  This challenge (#8) will end at 11:55 pm on August 25 ~  The winner will be selected randomly (random number generator) to win two free Lunagirl digital collage sheets of your choice!

Be creative but stick to the theme,
Any craft or medium is OK,
No more than 3 entries from one person in each challenge, and
Please link back to my blog and/or Lunagirl.com on your site if you have one.
 
Of course I love if you use at least one Lunagirl product, but that's not a requirement!  Most important is have fun, get creative, enjoy vintage.


For your convenience, all of my Alice in Wonderland collage sheets will be ON SALE for the duration of this challenge.

For your inspiration,
below are some beautiful creations by the Lunagirl Moonbeams Design Team! 

 By Petra Berendsen, a little tag with Mr Rabbit.

Isn't he handsome in his robe with glittery heart? He certainly has to be the focal point of any project. I coloured Mr Rabbit (from Lunagirl Moonbeams Alice Collage Sheet) with colouring pencils and some Stickles for his hearts and combined him with patterend paper, a clock charm and some pearls.

By Vicki Romaine, a colorful collage card with an Alice page and book cover image:

The mat of my card is actually a page from an old paperback book of Alice in Wonderland.  I made some color blocking behind the  Lunagirl image with scraps of cardstock from my stash and finished off the card with parts of the Queen of Hearts playing card.

  

By Michele Storms, a beautiful collage piece:


this week i chose to make a gothic arch with a collage of several images from the watercolor alice and alice book covers collage sheets.  love alice!

The Spinner

Some thoughts about spinning, inspired by this old postcard. Spinning was a magical act ~ think how often it appears in fairy tales (like Sleeping Beauty and Rumpelstiltskin).

Fairy tales are remnants of old mythologies, often girls' initiation stories whose roots are lost in the mists of time. Spinning was connected with coming of age for young women, and you can see that in the old stories if you look.

Spinning and weaving (like baking) are transformative, turning one thing into another, and at least in European mythology these tasks were nearly always performed by women. Spinning is sometimes associated with the moon, which measures the months and pulls the tides.


The Three Fates in Greek myth were portrayed as spinning our lives and our fates.

Clotho spins the thread, Lachesis measures it out, and Atropos cuts it! In Greek mythology even the gods feared the Fates (usually called the Moirai). In Norse mythology the Norns are very similar.

On the third night of a child's life, the Moirai were supposed to come and determine a child's destiny. Sound familiar from The Sleeping Beauty? Three fairy godmothers?


One more spinner who often shows up in mythology and folklore all over the world:












Neith, the spinner of destiny, to the Egyptians. Arachne, whose weaving rivaled that of the goddess Athena, to the ancient Greeks. Anansi the trickster in West African stories, who is also the bringer of rain, the king of stories and the giver of gifts such as agriculture. From the Native Americans, Iktomi the wise/foolish god of the Lakota and Ojibwa dreamcatchers (ever notice that they are like spiderwebs?) Spider Woman or Spider Grandmother in Hopi mythology is the creator of all life. In the Southern U.S. it is good luck when a spider weaves her web in your house or garden (not the poisonous kind of course!)

That's a lot of stuff from just thoughts about a lady at her spinning wheel! Spinning stories, spinning lies, spinning thoughts into words, measuring our time and destinies ~ girls and goddesses and sleeping beauties and brides spinning straw into gold ~ maybe all this meandering will inspire someone's art.

Beautiful New "Garden Fantasy" Collage Sheets

We listed three new collage sheet designs yesterday, and they are so lovely.

The "Garden Fantasy" collage sheets feature flower fairy maidens and queens, angels, and little verses. Then there is the story of a little girl's daydream in the garden, specially adapted by Lunagirl.

These are now on our website and in our etsy shop: www.lunagirl.etsy.com.

The middle one doesn't show up too well in the samples, but if you go to the etsy shop you can find a larger sample image! (and the last picture below enlarges)

Hans Christian Andersen's Birthday

Today is the birthday of Hans Christian Andersen, the author of so many beloved fairy tales. While he did adapt folktales, many of his best-known stories are actually original works, including "The Snow Queen," "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Little Mermaid," and "The Ugly Duckling" which is somewhat autobiographical.

Andersen grew up in poverty and suffered much in childhood from "not fitting in." However, he was an imaginative and intelligent child and was fortunate to have parents who indulged his love of literature and a grandmother who told him stories. He built a toy-theater and spent many hours creating costumes for his puppets and reading, even memorizing entire Shakespeare plays and acting them out with puppets. After a short time working as an actor and singer, Andersen began writing. His novels and fairy tales made him an instant success, and by his death at age 70 he was famous throughout Europe.

As a child I loved these stories, especially "The Little Mermaid," which I must have read a hundred times. If you've seen only the cartoon movie and never read the story, it is much different. The original story is a haunting tale, and while the ending is hopeful it's also melancholy, hardly the traditional "happy ending"! The sadness was one thing that I loved about The Little Mermaid (although my favorite part was imagining the undersea kingdom!)

If you ever go to Denmark, see the statue of the Little Mermaid overlooking the harbor in Copenhagen. H.C. Andersen's birthday is also International Children's Book Day, so enjoy a storybook today!

Thank you, Mr. Andersen!

Quotes for the Day: Einstein on Fairy Tales & Imagination!

“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales." :-)

"When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking."

“There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.”
~Albert Einstein~Scientist (1879-1955)

Fairy Tales Art & Beautiful Nuns

As promised, here are sample views of more of the new Lunagirl collage sheets.
All Lunagirl collage sheets are available for purchase with INSTANT DOWNLOAD at www.Lunagirl.com.