Fairy Tales & Real Life

One of my favourite fairy tales is 'Alice in Wonderland'. A friend on Live Journal suggested I paint something Alice related, which gave rise to this painting. I've always been very proud of it, and it was eventually bought by someone other than the lady who suggested it. She had been lusting after it, so her mum bought it for her to put away for Christmas.



I think what I like about Alice in Wonderland is the sense of the comical, the surreal, and the idiotic. I've always been drawn to the ridiculous characters, but more importantly to the layout of the text, and the illustrations. Obviously, the classic ones by Sir John Tenniel in 1965 are the definitive ones, and far more macabre than Disney.

The most important thing for me is that I finally found out why my perception is screwed up, and it was due to Alice in Wonderland. Since I was a child, I have had strange feelings in my hands, as if they're melting into what I'm holding. I also feel like I'm very large, and then very small, or that things are too far away. I've never been any good at judging distance, using mirrors to do things, and worst of all I can't see 3D films at the Imax.

Anyway, a friend of mine found "Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS)" when searching randomly, and it turns out this is what is wrong with me! It's a condition often experienced by those who have migraines, and is named after the book because of the similarities. Indeed, Lewis Carroll was well known for suffering migraines, and possibly had AIWS himself, and it was these experiences he drew on when writing Alice in Wonderland.

For more information on AIWS see here.

Etsy Blogger of the Month

This month it's the turn of CREATEaTHOUGHT


"There are thousands of thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up the pen and writes. ~William Makepeace Thackeray"


The shop announcement includes this fantastic quote which I haven't come across before - it's perfect for what is being sold.


Whilst the shop has art cards and finger art (rings), the really interesting thing for me is the range of journals. I particularly like the miniature journals, and they'd make great little gifts for children, particularly as they'd be cheap to post

This art journal set is also good value, and would make a good gift for someone who you know is trying to be more creative, or just a treat for yourself.

The only thing that is slightly irksome for someone in the UK is that I need to convo for a shipping price. I'm sure this lovely lady will get back to me, but I really like to see a price when I'm browsing, or I usually forget all about it.

My Glamorous Crafty Girls Centre Spread

I've been planning this piece of art for weeks now, in which I paint my 3 favourite crafty girls. I can't decide whether to give them all a shop, or market stalls, or just have them sitting round a table laughing.

In the meantime, I've decided to use this blog as a sort of Etsy review place. I'm sick of never being able to get a treasury to share my favourite things, so instead, I'll be doing that here.

So in order to combine these two decisions, today we have a centre spread of the three most inspiring ladies I've come across, on flickr, live journal, etsy and blogspot.

1. Sickforcute

Lindsay, who you might know better as Kid Pirate, has been developing Sick For Cute for a while, and finally launched it earlier this year. She sells t-shirts, jewellery, totes and just about everything on here is something I want to own.

I have a few things, mainly through trading with my paintings as I'm lucky enough that she'll agree to do that :) - everything has been good quality, well made, and always gets attention, whether it's the Alice tote bag I used at the wholesalers, or the fantastic 'kokeshi doll' tee. At the minute I'm awaiting my cupcake bag and my next trade will definitely be for something with the Hi Robot on it.

website - http://sickforcute.com/ - for everything Lindsay sells, whether made by her, or other people - it's a treasure trove!

etsy - http://emandsprout.etsy.com/ for cute shoes and accessories

etsy - http://kidpirate.etsy.com/ - for cute tees and tote bags

2. Twinkiechan

I first heard of Twinkiechan on eBay, where her amazing crocheted food scarves often go for a fortune... as well they should! Each one is lovingly crafted with enthusiasm, and with pom poms, sprinkles and whimsy added.

However, there are affordable things from Twinkiechan's etsy shop if you like her scarves but just don't have the spare cash. She's currently having a sale, and this truffle shaped tissue box cover is still available, as well as a lot of cute-itility packs. If you fancy a small piece of goodness, her sugar cookie pin is less than $30. However, I'm still holding out for hope that one day I'll either have enough money, or a good enough trade-worthy object, to get a cupcake scarf

website - http://twinkiechan.com/ - information about the woman herself, her inspiration, and where she likes to shop

etsy - http://twinkiechan.etsy.com/ - regualrly updated with new treats

Argh! I forgot she currently has popcorn themed items on ebay! They're over here, and so cute - http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/twinkiechan

3. Lovelylildeer

Becky is slightly different from the other two ladies here. She's probably best known for her Dollyday jewellery. I still wear my Christmas pudding necklace every Christmas. Now she's more likely to be found blogging about what she's been making or buying on Blogspot.

I've been lucky enough that she's traded with me for some paintings of her cats and dogs. I have necklaces with a gingerbread man and a red/white sweet, as well as brooches which look likea chocolate chip cookie and an oreo with pink icing. My favourite will always be my Jammy dodger necklace (see below)

Blog - http://alovelylittledeer.blogspot.com/ - if you like sweet homely things, want to see what someone else is making and baking, and good clean fun, I'd highly recommend Becky's blog

You might notice these ladies pop up on each other's websites. Twinkiechan and Becky model for Lindsay, and all three of them can be found on each others websites wearing the things they've swapped. This is partly why I find it all so amazing. I wish the real life was more like the crafty circles online!