Inspiration: Arthur Rackhan's Faery World

I used to have a big poster of this painting on my wall when I was 16. All I knew about it then, was the caption said, "Queen Mab". Many years later, when I found it on the web it was entitled "Feeling Very Undancey Indeed," and when I researched it a bit more I discovered it was actually from Arthur Rackham's illustrations for J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.

Ah, so that explains why I loved the painting so much! I love J. M. Barrie. The world has lost way too much of its innocence these days, consequently I work very diligently to hang on to as much of mine as I can. Reading Peter Pan every few years is one of my favorite ways to accomplish this.

According to our beloved Mr. Barrie, dancey is how the faeries say they are happy... so undancey is faerie-folk language for a wee bit dispirited or some such thing. It is Queen Mab, and the reason she is feeling undancey is too long to go into here, but Dover Publications is issuing a new edition of the book with Arthur Rackham's original illustrations next month, so you can go and read the story for yourself if you are curious.

One of the things I love most about Arthur Rackham's illustrations of Queen Mab are the beautiful tones of ivory and burgandy that he used... it seemed only natural when I was asked to create a wedding set in these colours that they should be named after the undancey faery Queen.

When I finished the tiara, I went to find the Undancey picture again and was delighted to see how much tiara looks like it belonged to her! I have also made a hair clip, earrings, two necklaces and a bracelet in this series. They are my new personal favorites, and are available in my etsy shop, look for "Queen Mab's Wedding"


*Written by Thyme2dream.

Take Time to Smell the ...

1. Knit Flower Pin (Stir Designs)
2. English Garden Lampwork Pair (angelfireartglass)
3. Funky Flower Hair Pin (thefunkyfelter)
4. Happy and Orange 4x6 matted print (Sylvia C.)
5. CHERISH Me Collage Magnetic Frame (collagecontessa)
6. Flower Pop Headband (StirExcess)
7. Cosmos II fine art print (LitteBirdPhoto)
8. Spring Garden Locket (JewlLi)

Find more "flower inspired" work by KCEtsy Artists here.

* Written by TinyStitches.

KCEtsy Art Helps Support Charities

Etsy artists and crafters are an extremely giving lot. The following KCEtsy artists donate either a portion of their sales or are matching the donations of their clients to local and national charities.



lbloter - Pink Ribbon Soldered Pendant Charm
A portion of the sale of each Pink Ribbon pendant will be sent to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in support of breast cancer research.

threeredtrees - Hilde
10% of every Original Sock Dog purchase from three red trees is donated to the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City, a wonderful, caring, no-kill animal shelter where I have been volunteering since January 2005.

nicherndesigns - Small pouch, Ginger Blossom
10% of all proceeds are donated to Prevent Cancer Foundation (preventcancer.org)!

bbesigns - Handmade Cards and Gift Tags
bbesigns is participating in, Mission Soldier Support organized by EtsyGreetings Street Team. Each participant is sending blank cards for our soldiers overseas to use. You're welcome to join in and purchase one or more cards to donate. The cards will be sent to capturedtimebooks.etsy.com who is shipping them to the soldiers. bbesigns will DOUBLE the amount of cards purchased for this cause. If you buy one card, I will send two. If you buy six cards, I will send twelve and so on. More information is available here.

The Sweet Smell of KCEtsy

Who doesn't love a great smelling candle, or a fantastic bar of luxury soap or stepping into a soothing, hot bubble bath and then, covering your skin a light, sweet smelling lotion. Handmade bath and body products are the ultimate in self pampering. And these KCEtsy artists pride themselves in providing a top quality product - better than anything you can purchase in the stores - that is affordable AND organic - meaning is great for your skin and body as well as the enviornment. Can you get better than that?

thegaudygoddess' ophelias Apoth.e.cary bath and body products •
therusticowl's Vegan Soy Candles •
ajscountrycottage's Luxury Artisan Soaps •
lafngirl's fragrance bead sachet

Personalize It with KCEtsy

Handmade art is always a one-of-a-kind expression of the artist and the individual who purchases it. Likewise a handmade card or accessory – given as a gift or kept for yourself – designed and crafted by a talented artist can become a personalized a piece of art when you have them customize the item to your specific tastes.

Here are a few of the KCEtsy artists offering personalization:

semiprecious1: Unique, personalized, wearable art jewelry

bbsigns: Handmade cards and gift tags, personalized note and greeting cards.

karenkayartworks: Original art and prints, personalized sketchbooks.

RetrospectiveDesign: Custom wedding invitation packages, stationary and photo montages.

MondeDesign: Custom monogrammed wedding & children's accessories.

Come out and enjoy a day in beautiful Briarcliff Village where Katherine and Laura Morris, of ExcessoriesKC, will be exhibiting their original designed purses, jewelry, scarves, clothing, and more. The show will be held inside Urban Arts + Crafts, a truly unique and fun craft supply store, Saturday, July 5th, from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm at 4157 North Mulberry Drive, KC MO 64116. Briarcliff Village also has many beautiful boutiques as well as several wonderful restaurants. Come on down and make a day of it!

* Written by ExcessoriesKC.

River Market Show Highlights

A big thank you to everyone who came out and supported our artists Friday night for our first showing in the River Market for Third Fridays! Eljay's is a beautiful cafe. Joy and Leah have created a chic, comfortable space perfect for enjoying a cup of coffee and sandwich with friends. We hope you'll stop by and say hello to them whenever you are in the River Market Area.

Congratulations to Marion, of Lawrence, our show basket winner! Marion will be taking home a basket of special goodies handmade by each of the artists who showed Friday night.

Here are some highlights from each of our artists booths, if you see something you love, please contact the artist for more information.



Looking for a great local Jazz band to play at your next function, you will not be sorry with Kinetic Trio. Check out their MySpace page for a sampling of their music!

It's Show Time!

Come see us tonight, as we host a Third Fridays Trunk Show of unique and handmade art and craft items at Eljay's River Market Coffeehouse, from 7 to 10:30 p.m.

The trunk show will feature a creative array of art, treasures, and gifts, including handmade cards, whimsical watercolor paintings, glass, jewelry, fiber, photography, collage art, plush collectible animals, and accessories for toddlers and babies.

Music for the event will be provided by a fantastic local jazz group, Kinetic Trio. And Eljay's will have a variety of house specialties this evening to satisfy your palette, everything from great espresso and coffees, too specialty teas, wine and spirits, as well as a variety of savory appetizers.

As a special thank you for attending our show, participating artists have contributed a sample of their handmade wares for a gift basket that one lucky show attendee will go home with. Rules for the drawing will be posted at the show. The basket will include a wide selection of original art stationary and jewelry (many pictured in this post), and a few added surprises, we're confident you'll enjoy! Thanks to the following shops for their contributions: bbesigns, The Gaudy Goddess, tinystitches, SylviaC, Excessories KC, Allison Stein, and three red trees.