Open for Business!

Now that I am officially reopening my Etsy store for business, let me tell you what is new and improved about my wings.

As much as I loved the frame design that I had spent eight years developing, I wanted to make my wings sturdier and for the back piece (which holds everything together) to have a smaller footprint, which in turn, makes the wings look more natural.  So I went back to the drawing board, and came up with a new idea.

As you can see, my wings are now built on a sturdy fabricated metal ring, and the straps are now attached to metal D-rings to allow for more movement and comfortable wear.  But no worries - they are still hinged to fold open and closed for ease of movement.  The new design leaves the center of the back open, which not only looks more natural, it makes it super easy to display your wings - just hang them from a decorative hook and you have a beautiful piece of wall art to enjoy!

But because of the design change, I am left with no where to place an unobtrusive tag.  Instead I will sign each pair and attach a custom made, removable hanging tag which will included the style name, manufacture date, series number and care instructions as a certificate of proof that your wings are an original work of art.

I have also decided to retire some of my older designs to make way for new ones.  So if you are looking for something in particular, please check in as I may not be making it any more - but I would be happy to offer alternative ideas.

Etsy Finds Feature!!

OMG! My mauve and black Christina Wings were featured on Etsy Finds this week under the "knot a typical affair" and the fairy tale wedding!

Cello Wings!!!

So here they are as promised, my first two cello wings:As you can see, these graceful wings catch light with iridescent flashes of pink, green and blue.
I will be making some changes to future versions based on what I learned making these two, but in all I think they turned out pretty darn well.

In other news, we seem to be stuck in a blizzard! It started snowing late Tuesday night and continued all day Wednesday. Fortunately for me, my work shut down on Wednesday and Thursday: our very kind landlord plowed our driveway, but missed a large patch of snow in front of my car and with the build up, there was no way my little car could have made it out the drive. In fact, it is still buried, but I suppose that is okay since J and I are going away for a few days. We are going to Virgina Beach for the weekend, and yes, I know it is freezing. We sometimes like to go to the beach during the winter because it is deserted.

Blizzard!!!

I had a feeling this would be the year: after so many mild winters, we in the northeast are getting slammed with multiple snowstorms. Last weekend we had around 2 feet and tomorrow we are going to probably get at least one more. Where in the world will we put it all??

I have to say I do love snow days when I don't have to be anywhere. My favorite thing to do would be to cuddle up on the couch with a good book or movie and a nice big cup of chai but what I actually do is lock myself in my work room and have at it. I try to spend the time finishing up old projects, organizing, and custom orders if I have any. Last weekend I spent some time playing around with new materials to use in my giant feather wings: just wait till you see what I have come up with! I am working on better ways to make the long fabric faux feathers and I think I have finally found the perfect medium. In addition to that, I am working on making feathery fabrics that actually move. I know, I know, I have been pondering that question for ages, and I am sure I have mentioned it before, but now I am actually at the hands on stage, having already worked on a frame that shows a whole lot of promise.

AND last weekend I finally (FINALLY!!!!!) finished making my first two pairs of cello wings. Yes, that would be the two pairs that I started oh, maybe nearly three years ago and never got around to finishing. Yes, that would be the frames I spent tons of time making, then managed to mangle when I got to the adding of the cello stage. I ended up getting so frustrated that I balled them up, dropped them into the bag and tried to forget about how much time I had wasted on that epic failure. But since I can't throw anything away, I ended up carting them along when I moved to my new apartment, where they continued to languish ignored. But since my unspoken goal for this year is to complete my old abandond projects, I dug them out last weekend and reapplied myself to the task. They turned out fantabulous, but now I need to find some time to take the darn pictures! *sigh* Ooooo, if we have a snow day tomorrow, that will be at the top of my ungodly long to-do list!

:) I have my music on random and Breakin Benjamin's "Forget it" just came up - love that song, no idea why, but it might be pretty darn near the top of my all time favorites list.

WOOT! Treasury Feature!!

Muchas Gracias to Studio Seventy Five for including my Morgan wings in her fantabulous pixie dust treasury!!!!

Introducing Odette!

This is my newest small fairy wing design which I have dubbed Odette (as in the Swan Princess). It is actually a minaturized version of my very popular Bella wings.


Adorable!!! This is number two, done in magenta and navy.

I was updating my facebook profile a few days ago and I had to pause at the favorites section. Can anybody possibly pick just one favorite movie or book or band that they adore above all others?? I know I can't. They don't give me enough room to mention all my favs so I usually just end up writing too many to mention.

I actually rotate through a random list of "go-to" band of the moment when it comes to music. Sometimes it is new, sometimes it is old, but always fantastic. At the moment my Go-To Bands are Ra (Black Sun) and Muse (Origins of Symmetry).

Upcoming Event! The Rock Bass Rainbow Fest!

Mark your Calenders! Update your Blackberry! Block out some time in Outlook!

I am going to be at the Rock Bass Rainbow Fest on Saturday December 12th!!!
The place is 2424 Studios - Philadelphia/Fishtown's newest workspace and gallery!
The event is sponsored by the Cohoquinoque Crew and Skybox Productions and there will also be a food drive for Philabundance during the festival.
So stop on by from 10 am to 6 pm!

In other news, I am making updates to my UftA website! (finally right??)
I added four new wing designs yesterday:
Kaylee
Jaenelle
Odette
and Selene (sorry no pictures yet, but they will be coming soon).

And today I spend several hours building products under my Bejeweled catagory for customizable crowns, mini-crowns, tiaras and hair combs. I need to finish editing the pictures and create swatch pages for all the crystal and bead options, so they are not active just yet.
So stay tuned-more lovelies on the way soon!

Deviously Planning

Soooooo, there went October!!!
This was a most amazing Halloween season for me, and I would like to thank all my wonderful customers for their love and support. I lost count of how many wings I made for custom orders, which was just overwhelming for me that so many people wanted to wear my creations.
Thanks so much!

I took the day off yesterday to recouperate, and in a day or to I will hopefully have some pictures to show you so I can tell you about MY halloween (which was awesome despite the rain!).

For now, I am turning my concentration to my AMY BROWN FAIRY COLLECTION, and a potential show I may do in December.
More to come!

Treasury Love!

Thank you MiniMade for this wonderful fairy inspired treasury!

Custom Strapless Fairy Wings

Just finished these gorgeous wings for a custom order. This fairy is going to pair these wings with an exquisite teal gown for her Halloween costume this year.

Just Finished: Customized Small Fairy Wings

This pair of small fairy wings in my Hilary design were customized for a little girl to wear to her mother's wedding. The white edges are a little unusual for me, since my standard is to paint the edges a darker color for contrast. This time, I painted the inside and left the edges the white of the fabric.

Instant Faerie Kit

I made this gorgeous little outfit as a charitable donation for a benefit one of my friends held this month.
The "Instant Faerie Kit" includes a pair of small fairy wings (this is Anorra #14), a matching tulle tutu, a feather wand, a glitter fairy dust necklace, and a tiny sparkle tiara.
It turned out so darn cute I may have to start making them to sell, or at the very least start making order forms for sets in custom colors and sizes.

Treasury Feature!

Huge THANK YOU to fundamentalfindings for including me in her bewinged treasury!

Maryland Faerie Festival 2009

The 2009 Maryland Faerie Festival was a blast. The weather was cooperative (for the most part) this year, with a bit of rain Saturday and Sunday morning but clearing up for the rest of the day. Saturday was gorgeous and warm and the fae creatures were out in force. I saw dragons and trolls, tons of sprites, fairies and pixies of all sizes, even a parade of greenmen blessing the faire.
I remembered to bring my camera, and took some pictures of happy customers to share with you:

































On Sunday, I loaned my Fire Fairy Tiara to a charming young Faerie Queen named Sophie so she could preside over the day's festivities in regal style.


In all, I would have to say it was a very good event. The attendees braved the morning gloom to frolic in the afternoon sun and I was thrilled to see several fairies bedecked in my wings from previous years flutter by to say hello.

I just realized that I don't have any pictures of myself, but the night before I left for the festival I made a black fox mask to wear with my furry black fox tail. I *may* have scared a few children, being accidentally mistaken for a wolf. I will post pictures of my mask and a few other new ones once I finish unpacking.

I swear I'm not being a slacker!

Seriously-I have been insanely busy! I can usually sneak in a post here and there but lately I have had no time whatsoever. Between a wedding and a funeral and many very late nights editing photos on my computer, I am plum worn out.

I am going to be at the Maryland Faerie Festival Saturday and Sunday (the 16th & 17th-keep your fingers crossed for good weather this year!). Yes, tonight I am packing up my little car and tomorrow at 5am I am driving due south for 3 hours to reach Upper Marlboro, MD.

I have kept up with a pretty steady production pace for wings over the past several months, so for the first time since I began this venture, I don't feel like I am scrambling to get them done at the last second. Unfortunately, I wish I could say the same about my masks! I have several out on consignment, but my own stock was down to a paltry 5 pieces. I made 10 in the past week and a half, and if I have time I am going to squeeze in one more for myself to wear at the show. :)
I made a few oldies but goldies and have a few new designs to showcase. Of course it would help if I remembered to take some pictures to share before they get snatched up....

In addition to mask making, I have decided to learn a new technique and subsequently started a new product line. It is something I have wanted to do for years, but just never got around to learning. I will be unveiling my first piece at the festival, and will post pictures here when I get back. No, I'm not telling yet-it's a surprise!

So if you are free, come visit me this weekend-I'll be bringing my masks, fairy and dragon wings (sorry, still no feathers yet), crowns/tiaras and my fairy dust collection, which includes my potion bottle necklaces, my children's fairy dust vial necklaces and a few of my brand new vessal necklaces filled with semi-precious gems.

Ordering Custom Wings Just Got Easier!

After receiving several requests for custom wings for flower girls and brides, I decided to add a way to easily order custom wedding wings from my FairyTaleWedding Etsy store.

Customers can now specify their desires based on the following criteria:

1. The base fabric color-I use organza and crystal organza for a sturdy wing base, and it is available in a rainbow of colors. (a color chart of available colors is forthcoming, but I can also do special buys if you are looking for something special).




2 The painted edging color-I can airbrush the edging to match just about any color as long as a good color swatch is provided.








3. Ribbons-these are the straps the hold the wings on, so you can pick a color that matches the wings or the outfit you plan on wearing (or go strapless, +$10)







4. The back decorations-I use a variety of items to decorate my wings including silk flowers/leaves, all sorts of feathers, gems, and fabric paint. Please be specific in your description of colors or the style in which you wish your wings to be decorated.





At the moment I have all five of my small fairy wing designs available and my Bella large fairy wings-one of my most popular designs. I will be adding more just as soon as I finish editing some pictures. And as always, I am more than happy to create custom wings to fit your needs!

Mini Wings!

These Mini Wings are a prototype for a custom order, based on my Annora small fairy wing design. The purple one is a clip and the other is a foam back sticker. Each tiny pair of wings measures 3" across and is 1 1/2" tall. They are so cute! I think I may start making hair pins

Featured on Handmade Philly

I am so excited to be one of the local artisans feature on Handmade Philly's blog this week!
Sarah of lilithsapothocary wrote this lovely spring theme article and featured my gold Anna Maria wings: