Easy Fairy Doors

Another request I often get is "Do or will you make fairy doors?" and again, the answer is no :) Why? Because there are too many out there and I tend to take the road less traveled with my creations. But what I can do however is tell you a few ways to make them wither for your own personal use or for your business.

Method 1~ The popsicle stick door

supplies: 8 or 9 popsicle sticks, tacky glue, wood stain, an 8mm gold bead, black paint, various 6 to 8 mm pebbles, piece of paper toweling, wire snips or heavy duty shears, clear coat paint or clear spray paint.
(hot glue gun optional)
Ok.

Take your wood stain and lightly stain your popsicle sticks before you do anything else (do not dip or drench them in stain, just lightly brush it on enough to cover the sticks but not to saturate them). Allow them a few hours to soak in the stain and also press them with a paper toweling to ensure that there is no extra stain on the surface.
Now, take 5 or 6 of your popsicle sticks and lay them side by sideso that they touch eachother. Take a paintbrush with some glue and coat the backside of this little "raft" like layout. It can be messy, but just have fun! :) After the glue is dry, flip it over and take 2 more popsicle sticks and coat the back of each one with glue. Lay them horizontally across the fairy door one near the top and one near the bottom. Let them dry. This will be the front of the door.
Now you have this raft looking thing with two sticks across the front. Now is when you will cut it to shape. Some may find it easier to cut the pieces before gluing, but I like to do it after gluing because I find it easier for me. So anyways, take your "raft" and cut the top into a rounded, half circle type of shape using your wire snips or heavy duty shears. This is the time when you will need to put some muscle into it. If any of it breaks, just glue it back on, no need to get upset :) Basically, what you are trying to achieve by cutting it is an upside down U shape for the whole door. You will also have to trim off the excess wood from the two sticks you laid horizontally. Your raft should now look more like a door! Paint the whole door with clear paint or spray clear coat onto it. Let it dry.
Now to embellish. Take your pebbles and glue them along the whole perimeter of the door for added beauty. You may want to use hot glue for this.
Now decide where you would like to place the gold bead for the door handle. When you decide, use a little black paint to paint a keyhole right under where you will glue the handle. You can also paint two black hinges on the left side of the door. After the paint dries, add a little dot of glue above your keyhole and place your gold bead in the glue. Now you have a fairy door!
You can glue a sawtooth picture frame hanger on the back for easy hanging or a magnet to attach to a fridge or ant other metal surface~

Another option is to buy a concrete mold for a fairy door for unlimited use! Here is a good place to start right on Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/15501732/fairy-door-mold-set-of-2-reusable

Terrarium Necklace Tutorial

Ok, I recieve many convo's through my Etsy shop asking me if I will ever carry terrarium necklaces. I always have to very politley say no. The reason why is because first of all, I never copy others and second, I think the market is too flooded with them due to people copying others!

What I will do is tell you how to make them and what you will need.

First, gather these supplies:

Small corked glass bottles
http://www.etsy.com/listing/48561973/

Dried moss ( I can never talk about my secret moss, but you can use sheet moss, it is ok for this type of use)
http://www.etsy.com/listing/39480775/fresh-oregon-green-sheet-moss-gallon?ref=sr_list_7&ga_search_query=sheet+moss&ga_search_type=supplies&ga_page=&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

Or live moss for those who want a living necklace
http://www.etsy.com/listing/38607294/pillow-moss-small-bag-assorted-sizes


As well as soil
http://www.etsy.com/listing/39347205/organic-soil-for-moss?ref=sr_list_1&ga_search_query=soil&ga_search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_6702988

Some silver chain
http://www.etsy.com/listing/48547512/18-inch-sterling-silver-italian-box?ref=sr_list_31&ga_search_query=18%22+silver+chain&ga_search_type=supplies&ga_page=&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title


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Now that you have your supplies, all you need to do is very simple!

Open your glass bottle, pinch a little moss off of your dried moss (be sure to choose the greenest parts) and stuff it in your bottle.
* For a living moss necklace, first put in a little soil with a couple drops of water. Then add a small amount of moss on top, root side down into the bottle.

You can press it down in using a Q-Tip with one end cut off. Press it firmly into the bottle until it is full to your liking. Put the cork top back in, make sure to press it in really good. String it on your chain and that's it! For merely a few dollars, you have a moss terrarium necklace that was made by you :)