Monday, 13 June 2011

Some Of My Favorite Fairy Artists Plus Some Fairy Freebies!

There are a lot of fairy artists whose work I admire, and I thought it would be nice to share a couple of my favorites with you so you could also see their beautiful fantasy artwork.

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First off, I want to share the art of my friend Connie Persampieri (Faye) with you.

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From faeries, elves and dragons to vampires, zombies and gothic angels, Connie's art inspires and intrigues. Her faeries are delicate and strong, while her vampires are beautiful and fierce. You can find her artwork on her Facebook page and also in her DeviantArt gallery.

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I've known Connie for many years, and I have never tired of viewing each new painting that she completes. Her artwork is available for purchase on a number of gift items and can be found in her Etsy store too.

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Next, I want to share with you the art of Selena Fenech. She shares some of her art and her artistic methods on her Facebook page, but I first met Selena on DeviantArt.

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Her faeries and sprites, mermaids and other fantasy figures have always enchanted and inspired me. You can see more of her artwork on her website and you can buy her art on prints, jewelery, keychains, mugs, bookmarks and lots more in her store.

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One of the really great things about her website and store is that she has a page that shares some freebies with you. There is a game you can download, coloring pages you can print for your children, desktop backgrounds you can use, free decorative alphabet letters with a matching poem and free avatars for you to use non-commercially.

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So what about you? Who are some of your favorite fairy and fantasy artists?

Sunday, 27 March 2011

Why We Need To Believe In A Bit Of Fairy Magic

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"Children are creatures of magic. In a child’s eyes, anything is possible, from the mundane to the truly magical. Through their innocent eyes, the world takes on a whole new presence, full of mystery, magic and wonder." ~Rebecca Fyfe


The world is full of magic, but it is easy to get lost in the mundane responsibilities and chores of everyday life and to become blind to the magic and beauty that is all around us. When this happens, we run the risk of letting ourselves become cynical. When we let ourselves lose that part of ourselves that can see the miracles in everyday life, we let a part of our soul escape from us.

One of my favorite quotes is found in the book series The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. In it, the wizard Harry Dresden states, "There is more magic in a baby's first giggle than in anything the most powerful wizard can conjure." It is this simple magic, the beautiful miracles that happen every day, that we tend to miss when we let ourselves grow cynical and let our souls grow blind to these everyday enchantments.

All it takes is opening our eyes and appreciating what we have in this world, grabbing the innocence from our childhood that we may think we have lost and embracing it anew. And when we let the fairy magic back into our lives, it blossoms and grows until we begin to believe again, and our lives become sparkling and fresh and full of wonder once more.

Monday, 14 February 2011

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine Cupid


Okay, Cupid is not exactly a fairy, but he is cute enough to be included here at Fairy Magic.

Sunday, 19 September 2010

Finding Magic In Everyday Life

Stanton Park 18 Sept 2010


There are so many reasons to be happy in this life, and there are so many miracles that happen on a daily basis and in even the most ordinary of lives. It's important that we each take the time to cherish the beauty that this world holds for us and to appreciate the magic that each new day holds. There are several things you can do to help yourself find magic in your everyday life.

Open your eyes to the beauty that lives in the world all around you. Whether it is by noticing the first rays of a new morning or seeing the fresh morning dew sparkling in the sunshine, you can begin your day enjoying the natural beauty that surrounds you. And soaking in the sight of the golden rays and pink cotton clouds of sunset can bring you a new appreciation of the natural majesty held within this world. There are numerous sights that you see throughout each day that are wonderful examples of the beauty and magic all around.

Listen carefully to the joy and peace that comes with the sounds that surround you each day. From the magic of a child's laughter to the thunderous sound of waves crashing against a sandy beach, there are sounds everywhere that can evoke rich and deep emotions within you. Maybe you like listening to thunder storms or to the sound of rain as it patters against the windows. Or maybe you love to listen to music. This world we live in is full of wonderous and enchanting sounds.

Embrace the diverse sensations that you can feel with the variety of different textures in this world and how they feel against your skin. Luxuriate in a hot, soothing bath until your skin turns pink and the tips of your fingers wrinkle. Swim in a pool and feel the cool, wet water as you glide through it. Hug your son or daughter close and feel the warmth of his or her little arms around you. Lie between silk sheets on your bed at night. There are so many wonderful things that you can touch and experience against your skin every day.

Stop to smell the roses, or for that matter, to smell anything with a rich, wonderful aroma. Different smells can evoke emotions in us as they can be associated in our minds with different memories. And some smells are just enjoyable to each of us for different reasons. Let the rich aroma of a freshly brewed pot of coffee help you start your day each morning. Or fill your bath with scented soap and bubbles. Bake a vanilla cake and let the scent of the vanilla fill your kitchen. There are so many ways to find the everyday magic in your sense of smell.

Taste the delightfulness that this world has to offer with a variety of different foods. From the juicy, natural sweetness of strawberries to the spicy, warm taste of a curry, your mouth has the ability to distinguish an endless variety of taste sensations. Bake some chocolate chip cookies and eat one while it's still warm. Make yourself a fruit salad full of the tangy sweetness of apples, the juicy tartness of oranges and the succulent sweetness of strawberries and other berries. Cook up and enjoy a salty and tangy chicken stir-fry. There are many different taste sensations to experience.

Pay attention to the magic and the miracles that occur in even the most ordinary lives. From the birth of a new baby to the blossoming of a flower, from the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly to the golden honey created by bees, all of these things and many more are miracles and examples of the awesome magic that this world holds.

Create some miracles of your own in order to bring the magic of this world more closely into your heart. The best way to create a miracle of your own is to do something wonderful for someone else. Give someone who is feeling down a hug. Tell someone a truthful compliment. When you are at the coffee shop, anonymously pay for the person behind you in line's coffee. Buy small gifts and deliver them randomly (and anonymously) to neighbors. If you know someone who is struggling financially, slip some money through his letterbox when he isn't home, or take him out to dinner. Offer to babysit for a tired mom who doesn't get out much. There are a myriad of ways to create your own miracles, and the magic of it is that the more miracles you create, the more you want to create, and the miracles that you create for others have a far-reaching effect in that those people tend to pass them on with new miracles for others.

This beautiful world that we all live in is full of magic and wonder. All it takes is to let yourself perceive the magic and the beauty that is all aorund you.

Saturday, 21 August 2010

Moonlight Fairy Art - How You Can Make A Silhouette Fairy

I have been inspired by some beautiful silhouette fairy art that I have seen lately. My husband Robert created some silhouette fairy art a year ago or so, and I've recently seen other artists' versions of silhouette fairy art. I am not very good at drawing, but I wanted to create some fairy art of my own.

So here is what I did, I took a photo of a beautful girl who one of my teenage daughters is friends with in which Robert had already cropped the girl out of the photo and added fairy wings to her when he created this image:

Flutter Fairy


He had saved a lot of the different elements as one piece, so I had a lot of work to do to bring it back to just the girl and the wings. Then I used the "fill" tool in Corel PhotoPaint to turn her into a silhouette.

Of course, then I still needed a background. That's when I realized I had a moon and stars in the night sky graphic that I had created many years ago. It was perfect as the backdrop for my silhouette fairy!

And the resulting silhouette fairy art (which I will be adding to my shop right away) is this:

Moonlight Fairy


If you have a photo editing program and know how to crop something out of a photo, then you can do this too. You just need a pretty background. Maybe a sunset or something full of light and color would work. And then you need a photo of a girl; you will have to crop her out of the photo. Next, if you, like me, are not very skilled at drawing butterfly wings, find a photo of a butterfly and crop it's wings out. Paste the wings onto the fairy at a realistic angle. Then use the "fill" tool in your photo editing program, using the color black, to turn them into a silhouette. Then paste both onto the background photo and you're done!

Wednesday, 30 June 2010

Fairy Party Ideas

Design Dazzle posted about how to create this beautiful Woodland Fairy Birthday Party via Kate Landers Events.

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The post includes tips on making or buying some of the decorations and party favors and also includes some woodland-fairy-themed games to play.

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My four year old daughter Isabella would absolutely love a party like this! Her birthday is coming up soon in August. I do not have the money or space to create a party for her that is quite this elaborate. However, this has given me some great ideas for stuff that I can make and do to create a simple but fun fairy-themed party for her this year!

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