FairyFlowerDreams, Shop of the Week no.10

I can't believe we have covered 10 shops already, and there is just so much amazing talent out there I can't wait to cover more as time goes by. This week I chose the winning treasury, made by Elizabeth Reed from FairyFlowerDreams. This is the winning treasury.

I feel like I'm wondering into some secret magical place when I look at this shop. The flowers, the colours, all make me feel a bit like Alice in Wonderland. You can tell right away Elizabeth's work comes from the heart, and oodles of love is poured into every flower, every wing. Let's find out more...

Tell us a little about yourself and your work

Although I am technically a forty-year-old stay-at-home mother of two amazing children, I still feel like a kid inside myself. I express that inner child through art, and I have progressed through various mediums. I used to paint and sculpt with clay in my spare time. Then my kids came along and spare time became a thing of the past. Now, as the kids are getting a little older, I have a little time to create and express the child in me again, although usually at the expense of the housework!

My shop FairyFlowerDreams started as an effort to save money. My sweet daughter and I would see

beautiful dress-up items in the stores, but they were out of our price range. Then it occurred to me that I could make her flower crowns myself. I had never used a hot glue gun before, but I gave it a try. The results delighted my little girl, and I was soon making them for her friends as well.  I was having so much fun making the crowns that I took a table at a local winter fair to sell them. I priced them low so that children could but them themselves…I always hate seeing my kids disappointed by being unable to afford the things they want. Anyway, the show was a huge success and a friend suggested I open an Etsy shop, and here I am!

What inspires your work?

My work is inspired by what my daughter likes, what cloth flowers are on sale at the local craft store and the magic of fairies.

What are your favourite colours?

My favourite colours are purple and green, but pink is the colour I use most because so many little girls like it best.

What is your favourite medium/material?

My favourite material is milk jug. When I was little my mother used to make me fairy

wings out of construction paper. I loved them, but they never lasted long at all. I wanted to make my daughter wings that would last. I occurred to me to try cutting them out of milk jugs, and it worked! I like how the resulting wings are transparent and durable, and the materials are virtually free since we drink the milk either way…I only have to buy the elastic for straps. You can do a lot with milk jugs. I have worked pieces of them into many of my headbands. They also strengthen my hair ties, and they make excellent containers for blackberry picking!

What is your favourite holiday destination?

The summer before last my husband and two children and I flew to Thailand to visit my father who had moved there for retirement. We had never travelled beyond our own country before. The experience was amazing! We stayed almost a month on a small island in the Andaman Sea. The Thai people were so friendly, the water was so warm, and even the stars were different. There were so many new plants and animals to discover. Sadly, my father passed away a few months after our return but I feel so blessed that we got to spend that magical time with him.

What other artists work to you admire and aspire to?

I really admire Brian Froud. I have enjoyed his fairy art since I was a child.

What are you most proud of?

What I am most proud of in my life is my children. As far as my art, I feel the most proud when I see a child wearing one of my headbands or wings. It is a really good feeling. 

Thank you Elizabeth for taking part. I recommend you take a wander through this delightful shop and release your own inner child. Just click here.