fantasy art and tree chatter of aquariann

My Peridot dragon magnet is featured in a magnificent treasury by Iris of Secret Garden Crafts . I can easily imagine all of these handmade items shining in a dragon's cave of treasure. Or better yet, in my home!

Last Sunday my knight nobly saddled up the Mustang and drove me almost three hours to the Maryland Faerie Festival in Upper Marlboro. For once, the weather behaved for me. The first time we made the journey, back in 2008 , there was such a heat wave that several of the vendors got sick and went home early. Then last year it was pouring when we awoke, so I reluctantly stayed home and danced around the house in my fairy splendor instead. This year it was sprinkling in the morning, but the sun was bright and shining by the time we arrived. We stopped for lunch at La Fontana and devoured a sinfully delicious Sicilian-style pizza. That took a little longer than expected, but we flew in just in time to see most of the Faerie Fashion Show on the Honeysuckle Stage, which is where most of the photos in my collage are from. Unfortunately, being fashionably late meant I missed the Faerie Lore in Other Cultures talk by Featured Guest Artist Giovanna Adams . I did get to say hi to her at her bo...

Blimey! Me pirate bookmark be featured in an Etsy Twitter crew treasury by Cap'n TraceyKnits of the Worsted Weight Seas.

I've taken many a scrolling stroll through the pages of the PhenomeGNOME Enchanted Garden Shop . Mary Ferguson (aka MissGnomer, as her husband has so cleverly nicknamed her) is a Fantasy Artist of Etsy that crafts each gorgeous handmade concrete statue, using molds made from her own sculptures or vintage pieces. Although she harbors a special love for the Wee Folk, she also adores and creates many other fantastical beings, including fairies, dragons and mermaids. Her garden decorations are all so wonderful; it took me quite awhile to decide which one to buy as a birthday gift for my mom. I finally chose the sweetly smiling mermaid below. The cute title, "Mermaids Are Real - In My Concrete Garden Statue World," may have given her brownie points. When she arrived, I couldn't believe how heavy she was for only being 6.5" tall! And the amount of detail is even more amazing in person. My mom was just as impressed as I, and placed her in the living room so she could s...

I had such a busy weekend frolicking about (first a wedding in Westminster, Maryland and then a comic book convention in Fairfax, Virginia) that I nearly missed this absolutely gorgeous treasury by Karen of Mystic Wynd . Flutter to Treasury West quickly - her collection of brilliant purples, blues and teals whirls away on Monday, May 3rd at 3:00pm. PS: If the treasury expires before you're able to view it and you want to see a featured item, add ".etsy.com" after the username (they're on the second line under the picture, left of the price - and if they're hard to read, right click on the image so you can view it full size) and you'll be magically whisked away to their shop. For example, you'd type my username, "aquariann," then ".etsy.com" and abra ca dabra: aquariann.etsy.com