I wanted to sculpt a simpler style fairy, one without as much realism as I try to put into my usual fairies. I came up with Nella. I used black onyx beads for her eyes rather than handpainted eyes and I like the look. I think they give her a "impish" look. I have really been enjoying tearing up old books and using the pages and covers for my sculptures. For this little girl, I pleated wings from paper from a vintage dictionary, one of those old kind with the real thin pages. For the bodice of her dress, I used some canvas from the cover of another old book. I cut out part of the definition of "fairy" from the old dictionary and used it to accent the bodice of her dress. Her wings are secured with a snippet of thick antique lace that I cut out of a doily.
I certainly think twice before throwing out any little piece of ribbon, lace, jewelry finding, or any other odds and ends because I love repurposing and using unexpected items for accents in my work! Even the tiniest little left over piece of antique doily gets put to use, eventually.
I received a question about how I keep my thread tight when I am thread jointing. So, here's a tip. After I pull the two threads together the first time, I put a bit of Fabritac on the thread before I finish the knot. I use double strength thread so there is no chance of breakage over the years.
Here is the link to Nella's auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170799514319
