forest magic, tents, a bit of HP and a sneak peek

It's been three years since the last time we went camping and I have been dreaming about pitching a tent among the redwoods again.

These pictures of our tent are from my favorite camping trip to Big Sur four years ago. We went in November and it was just beautiful. I love camping in Fall when the weather is cooler and the leaves have already turned colors. Big Sur is the quintessential California coastal town. Quirky, artsy, down to earth and curiously magical. It's one of my favorite places.

We had the best campsite on this trip. Tucked away in a quite spot between giant redwood trees. Our family tent is HUGE. 'Too big to be allowed', lol, which is why my son and I named our 10x16 Coleman tent 'Hagrid'. But I love this tent...well I love all tents. It has a hinged door that swings open, these huge wings that make a cozy front porch and 2 dividers inside that create 3 separate areas.

When you camp here in Fall the entire forest floor is covered with dried leaves instead of dirt, creating a soft carpet that is magical against the lush evergreens. I remember sneaking out of our tent early in the morning...probably to go to the restroom, and taking this picture of our campsite. And I think my most favorite part of camping is waking up as the sun comes up and watching the sunlight slowly filter through the walls of our tent and then stepping outside and breathing in the crisp forest air. Pure bliss.

But I also love to stay up at night, curled up in a blanket just outside of our tent with my candle lantern and watching the little village of campers nearby. Tents of all sizes and shapes softly lit by fading campfires fascinate me. I imagine all sorts of fanciful things...like finding a circus tent deep in the woods!

Anyway I have been crazy busy. Making lots of out of town trips, painting a little and most of all being immersed in all things Harry Potter as Sebastian and I gear up for next week's opening day for DH2. We have our tickets to the movie marathon. Yes...we will be watching 8 films back to back! Movies 1 to 4 on Wednesday, then 5 to 7 on Thursday and finishing with DH2 at midnight. It's going to be insane but we had to do it of course.

Oh and here's a little sneak peek at the fairy shoe I made for Wendy's Fairy Shoe Swap. I wanted to have it done early because of all the stuff I have going on this month. I'll post more once all the swapping is done.

Here it is all wrapped up and ready to send out.

Wait...one more thing. Yesterday was the London premiere for DH2. We watched a 4 hour live stream and this is a video of the very end when the cast, filmakers and JK Rowling gave their final speeches. It was amazing, touching and it made me cry. I don't know how I'm going to make it through the movie next week!

I hope you're all having a great Summer so far!

happy 4th

Happy 4th of July!

I thought I would share my Teddy Bears Picnic
pics again from last year.

Have a great weekend!

july artful bag challenge

It's round two of our Embellish It theme. That is to take an old bag you have in your collection and embellish it however you like. You can add trim, flowers, jewels, art. Make it practical and usable or turn it into a work of art.

Buried deep in my closet I unearthed this crochet style bag I got around 12 years ago. Remember when bags like The Sak where all the rage? This one is 7x9 with a really long strap so you can wear it across your body. I have no idea how I ever managed to use anything this small.

I have always loved Magnolia Pearl bags. I love the layers of texture, vintage air and bohemian gypsy style found in their entire line. I've seen several people create their own version of MP's pricey purses so for this challenge I used them for inspiration.

I went through my stash of vintage lace and thrift store doilies and attached a few to the front. Over the flap I added a tattered fabric cuff I made a few months ago after drooling over Thespa's amazing cuff over at Vintiquities Workshop. I followed her tutorial and tea dyed strips of muslin and rolled them into rosettes. Then I took apart one of my old bracelets and added a little bit of sparkle.

I also used the same blue trim to add a vintage key to the strap.

Finally I recycled the vintage floral brooch and a few ribbon rosettes I used on the first Embellish It bag I made back in March. And there you have it. My mini Magnolia Pearl inspired purse. I would really like to add long fringe around the edges to make it look even more Magnolia Pear-ish so I'll have to see what I can find at the thrift or fabric store next time.

Again I'd like to say thank you to everyone that played along in June. I love all of your wonderful altered art bags. I can't wait to see what you come up with this month. Remember anyone can still join up even if you haven't done any of the past ones. You can always catch up if you like.