International Fairy Day Blog Hop

Welcome to Leslie Rahye's 

International Fairy Day Blog Hop!

I realized that before I captured a fairy and put her in a special glass home, I had to actually

make the special glass home! Where does any self-respecting glass home for fairies come

from? Why...The Goodwill Store, of course! I found the perfect shaped jar to keep my fairy

comfortable in, and parted with my $1.29 and brought my future fairy abode home.

I started by making a lid for the jar from chipboard and Prima "Fairy Whisper" paper.

I added some gardener's left-over cuttings, crystal fringe velvet ribbon, sequins, and used polymer flowers and imported heavily decorated beads. Then I glittered some Dresden scrap and wrapped it around the edge of the lid.

I wrapped some bronze metal bead chain around the jar and dangled embellishments that I thought might intrigue my captured fairy - a miniature portrait, a miniture key, miniature brass leaves, miniature brass birdhouse and frame and some lovely fibers and ribbons.

To the inside of the jar, I added gilded branches, handmade mulberry roses, fairy glitter, moss and dyed dried vines. 

What a comfortable and elegant glass home for a fairy to live in!

I found my fairy fairly quickly in the freshly trimmed branches in the front yard. And what a fairy! A fairy queen - complete in 18th century Marie Antoinette garb and wings reminiscent of fine

German paper scrap renderings!

Quickly, I put my fairy into my glass fairy house before she could get away - and here is, ready to celebrate International Fairy Day with Leslie Rahye's International Fairy Blog Hop!

Now, it's time to hop to all the other participating blogs and see what they have in their clever and talented heads to celebrate International Fairy Day!

Participating in today's festivities are:

Catching Fairies on International Fairy Day ....

No! We're not grabbing our butterfly nets and setting out to entrap RuPaul! 

 

It's

leslierahye's International Fairy Day Blog Hop

On Monday, June 24, beginning at 2pm CST, join a talented group of artists celebrating

International Fairy Day by creating and sharing special fairy art, projects and crafts honoring

the mystical magic of fairies!

Be sure to mark your calendar - and go here to RSVP and let us know you'll be attending!

We'll all be waiting for you!

....now go make something beautiful!

♥´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*´¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´♥ Tristan ♥

It all began with a line of Persian poetry . . .

Anna and Nouri, both studying in Chicago, fall in love despite their very
different backgrounds. Anna, who has never been close to her parents, is
more than happy to return with Nouri to his native Iran, to be embraced by
his wealthy family. Beginning their married life together in 1978, their world
is abruptly turned upside down by the overthrow of the Shah, and the rise
of the Islamic Republic.

Under the Ayatollah Khomeini and the Republican Guard, life becomes
increasingly restricted and Anna must learn to exist in a transformed world,
where none of the familiar Western rules apply. Random arrests and torture
become the norm, women are required to wear hijab, and Anna discovers
that she is no longer free to leave the country.

As events reach a fevered pitch, Anna realizes that nothing is as she thought,
and no one can be trusted…not even her husband.

I though this was a fascinating book. I enjoyed discovering, along with the book's heroine,

the Iran and its customs both before, and after, the fall of the Shah and the to power of the 

Ayatollah Khomeini. The last fifth or so of the book, when it was supposed to get 

suspenseful and take a more standard path for thrillers, it didn't hold together for me. 

But the the first 80% was just terrific and I enjoyed and recommended it.

On Goodreads, I gave it four out of five stars.

Get yourself a copy - then go make some something beautiful!

♥´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*´¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´♥ Tristan ♥

 

Enter the "Dolls" Theme Altered Pages Challenge!

The Altered Pages Challenge Blog in June has a classic theme

Baby Dolls

Okay, I have to admit that I don't have much interest in baby dolls ... but I do 

like to participate in the challenges. So this was my take on the theme.

First, I used an image from the Altered Pages collage sheet that has always made me smile.

This girl just looks like the most unpleasant, greedy, piggy little girl ever. The kind who would never share or let another little girl play with her dolls. I love her. Isn't she great?!

Then I realized that I had a few miniature Paris flower buckets which I had filled with vintage dolls which might come into use. I like the idea of having these bizarre creatures used as bouquets, but anything for an Altered Pages Challenge contest!

For the inquiring minds, yes, I have several of these doll bouquets - they often get used after being steampunked beyond recognition on art pieces.

So with my Altered Pages collage image, some 3D Lacquer, the lettering from the Graphic 45 "French Country" collection, some Paris Trunk Eco-Friendly Ink (all available at Altered Pages!) and a few paper flowers and vintage crochet trim and Liquid Pearls, I created my contribution to the 

Baby Dolls challenge.

I hope you like her. I have titled it

"I Love My Dolls to Pieces"

Be sure to enter your Baby Dolls inspiration at Altered Pages Challenges Blog!

Terrific prizes go to the winners! (Trust me, you wanna win!)

... now go make something beautiful!

♥´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*´¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´♥ Tristan ♥

Everyday Finery for the Discerning Gentlemen

For a long time, boutonnières have been thought of as archaic, and something reserved for formal occasions - weddings, proms, cotillions, and other events too few in most lifetimes to bother learning about.

And, though they were popular for men in daily wear during the Victorian times (and even earlier), they made a real come-back for the debonair well-dressed gentlemen mid 20th century, when popularized by some of the most suave and considered sophisticated men of the silver screen.

 
The boutonnière, also known as 'the button hole,' could be anything as humble as a daisy to as elegant as a rose. Most popular was the carnation - a flower readily available and sturdy enough to withstand a day without water in a buttonhole without wilting too badly and still looking nice.

Statice, or sea lavender, is another bloom that will withstand long periods with water and 

retain its freshness.

Roses have long been considered an elegant accessory to a fine suit - and add a splash of color to even the most conservative and dignified of suits.

However, the boutonnière is making a come-back for everyday wear, thanks to stylish and dare-to-be-elegant stars like Sean "Diddy" Combs,

 

frontman Chris (Coldplay) Martin

and movie star, Viggo Mortensen.

To learn more about the button hole from the tailor's point of view (most cheap suits don't have a button hole constructed sturdy enough to hold up a boutonnière today), click here. 

As the website "The Art of Manliness" states:

Why Wear a Boutonnière? 

Why should a man wear a flower on his lapel, especially when he is likely to be the only fellow sporting one?  I’ll give you three reasons: 

1.  It’s a great conversation starter – I guarantee someone will ask about it; the key is to be confident as to why you are wearing it. If a compliment is given, simply say thank you, and then move on with the conversation unless your conversation partner(s) wishes to dwell on it.  Nothing sours a conversation more than a man who displays arrogance and who talks about himself too much – the flower in your lapel should be like a spark….a conversation starter, not the subject of the conversation.

2.  You have something to give – How many times have you spent a wonderful evening with a woman you just met, and at the end of the night the only thing you can give her is your business card?  Try leaving her with something a bit more unique and memorable.  Or perhaps you want to make your aunt’s 70^th birthday even more special – there are few things nicer to receive than a sincere showing of love accompanied by a flower.

3.  It shows you pay attention to details – When wearing a boutonniere, it’s about realizing and showing that the little things matter.

...Now, go make something beautiful!

♥´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*´¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´♥ Tristan ♥ 

Many of the images in this post have come from the website "The Art of Manliness"