The Green Griffin @ Flickr

The Green Griffin has a Flickr! We have loads of pictures of our faerie houses and some nature photography taken around the country. Check it out!
www.flickr.com/photos/thegreengriffin/

Any be our friends on Flickr if you're on there!
<3
Aline

New Faerie House!

I'm blogging form the library! Be proud mom!
So I have some new pictures of another finished faerie house that I'm finally going to put up. It was inspired by sort of a Mongolian yurt mixed with Peruvian mountain houses, but its not exactly based on anything, just my strange imagination.
I liked the idea of these cultures using carpets on the walls as insulation, so I wanted the whole thing to be covered in carpets.
I bought a ton of carpets from ebay and used most of them, I had one left that I'm using in a faerie sewing room that's set in an embroidery hoop.
But more of that when that's finished...









I hope you like these and please comment and let me know favorite parts and such!
<3 Aline

Finally finished faerie bedroom

I finally finished this fairie bedroom. It's just been waiting for the bedclothes. Last week I discovered a stash of crocheted and antique lace trims for 25 to 50 cents each. Crocheted circles for faerie rugs, lacy linens for canopies, and pretty trims for blankets, like this one here (even though you can't see it in this pic).

Today I spent the afternoon traipsing through the woods in 100 degree heat, searching for wooden treasures that are decayed enough for interest but not so decayed that they're falling apart. One piece is a network of roots. I sawed them off so that they stand on a flat surface. The result is the framework for numerous faerie rooms, with branches to hang mini windchimes, faerie laundry, lanterns and prayer flags. I can't wait to get started (but, alas, the work week starts tomorrow - maybe next weekend.)

Anyway, here is my newest bedroom. I'll post it to etsy when I get take some better pictures. Thanks for looking.
----Lorena

Mushroom Tutorial

How to... make mushrooms out of drawer pulls

You will need,

Wooden drawer pulls, mushroom shaped

Paintbrushes

White paint

Red paint

Palette

You could also play around with different colors, but I’m using red and white.

First paint the ‘stems,’ the sides of the knob, white. I did two coats, but you can judge based on how thick you paint. Set aside until dry.

When dry, paint the tops red. I do this by painting a line along the edge right next to the white.

Fill inside the line with more red paint. Then wait for it to dry again…

Next paint the white dots on top. I usually do them in concentric circles with one dot in the middle. This works for all sizes and looks relatively natural.

And then...no more waiting. They’re done! Great for decoration in potted plants or faerie houses!

There are endless possibilities as far as color combinations, sizes, and uses. Have fun!!

New Faerie Houses on Etsy

Here are a few of the newest faerie houses. We have several more completed but haven't had time to photograph and post. Check back often.

Our etsy shop is at thegreengriffin.etsy.com

Etsy has gone to the faeries!

New faerie houses and scenes added to our etsy! You must check them out, and look for more soon!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/thegreengriffin

Kiva

I am adding a Kiva banner to the blog, but I thought i should make a post about what it is also. Kiva is a great microcredit loaning system, where people can lend as little as $25 to budding entrepreneurs to help them achieve their next business goal. Basically if someone in Africa needs a small loan to purchase stock at the beginning of a season, they will apply on kiva and if you choose to lend to them, your $25 (or more) will add together with other people's money to give them the funds they need. It is a loan however, and they will pay you back as they make their profit. It is a great way to help women and other underprivileged groups become self-sufficient. I encourage everyone to at least look at the site, if not loan (only $25...and you get it back!)

http://www.kiva.org/


Here are the profiles of two women I have lent money too currently. I put in $50 years ago and have just been recycling it as soon as it gets paid back.

http://www.kiva.org/lend/195670

http://www.kiva.org/lend/195661

So lets be honest with ourselves; this is a way to give charity, without losing anything yourself. Check it out!


-Aline