In the spirit of fall and the upcoming Halloween festivities, I will be slipping a free poster into every mailing tube that’s sent from Wee Folk Studio. From now until October 31st, customers will receive a free 18″ x 24″ On Halloween poster with the purchase of any poster from my Etsy Shop.
Autographed books are now in my Etsy shop. Over the years, I’ve heard from people who’d like autographed copies or people from other parts of the world who have trouble finding my books. So now, autographed copies of Pocketful of Posies and Felt Wee Folk are listed in my shop. I would love to offer all of my out-of-print books (see BOOKS Page), but in most cases they sold out before I was able to buy extra copies from the publisher. For In the Heart, HarperCollins did send a letter with an option to buy remainder books, so those are available for a good price on Etsy.
Here are a group of details from In the Heart. The children’s clothes are made from cotton socks and I made the baskets by coiling wire and wrapping with embroidery floss. I used lots of found objects in this book and constructed furniture and windows out of wood. The hearts in the window are cut out of some of my kid’s Waldorf School watercolor paintings. And yes, that is a chess pawn on the window sill.
Of course, price wise, I can’t compete with Amazon, but I can offer autographed books and free extras, such as posters. Pocketful of Posies comes with a free 18″x 18″ poster (folded flat) of the jacket cover and Felt Wee Folk comes with a free 18″ x 24″ Fairies poster (folded flat). As well, I will be happy to personally inscribe your books- just write a request when you place an order with Etsy.
Last week, I saw this picture in the fashion section of the Wall Street Journal. The article pointed out a change in women’s business attire, from dark suits, to bright colors and even florals. The peplum jacket reminded me of my wee folk fairies. Not that today’s business women are wearing folksy petal petticoats and fitted, leafy tops. I’m just glad to see that women in the corporate world are showing more confidence in their own individuality. Those pink shoes have got to go, though!
I designed a felt peplum style jacket for my 3 1/2″ Blossom fairies about a dozen years ago. It is the basic pattern used for the fairy’s clothing in my how-to book Felt Wee Folk. This jacket is the usual giveaway that someone has used my patterns in dolls they sell on Etsy. I don’t mind that they make the dolls and use my patterns for their clothing, but I try to keep up with shop owners and ask that they credit me and my book as the inspiration for their creations. Most everyone honors my request and are usually apologetic, when they realize that they didn’t think to credit me in their product descriptions. One woman said that she assumed it was OK to use my designs because my book is so well-known. Well, the book is still being discovered and I hope it will stay in print for years to come. That means that the publisher needs to see a consistent demand for the book.
I’m not making dolls to sell myself and am happy that people are having such fun making them. The Bayberry Fairy below is included in my new Blossom Fairy Poster, which is available in my Etsy Shop. Want your poster autographed? Just mention it on your order.
A whole swarm of Blossom Fairies are gathered together in my newest 18″ x 24″ poster, which is listed in my Etsy Shop. I’ll be glad to autograph any of the posters–just mention it on your order. There’s Blueberry, Black-Eyed-Susan, Aster, and Porcelain Berry, along with 12 other fairies dressed in petal petticoats. About a dozen years ago, I went on a fairy-making binge, designing all kinds of wee characters to go with different flowers and berries in season. I carried them in a basket, searching around the neighborhood for the best natural spots to take their pictures. Hazy days were best for photography, because there were less harsh shadows on their delicate fairy faces.
It was fun to go through the slides (they were taken before digital) and pick out which fairies to include in the poster. Many of the photographs are printed in my how-to book, Felt Wee Folk and some are still available as note cards in my Etsy Shop. My sister, Anne Mavor designed this poster in her clean, classic style. Even though I don’t make kits and Ltd. edition dolls any more, it’s fun to have the photos to work with. I’m happy to find a way to bring back the Blossom Fairies!
SALLEY MAVOR 