A new Elfin design

I have been working on a new Elfin. Shown is a freshly poured and assembled Elfin King. His crown will be smaller (This one came from an unfinished Goblin King) and he will be holding a scepter rather than an old paintbrush. But, this gives a basic idea of what he will look like. I'm hoping everything will be dry enough that I can fire tomorrow or Friday before the killer (3 days with Labor day) weekend coming up for Festival. Thanks to my generous and non complaining husband I have 12 of these fabulous bases that I can papier-mache and collage to compliment the figures as well. I'm kinda figuring that he is hoping that these figures don't go over too well. I have the idea he isn't too keen on making a lot more of these pedestals for them .... but I could be wrong.

It's always a surprise

Today we made one final trip out to the Renaissance Festival to take care of a few last minute details before opening weekend. Things usually go smoothly, but there is always a surprise or bit of a problem that we have to deal with. Usually it's dealing with creatures that have decided to make our shop a home for the off season and unexpected repairs. We had the standard Hornets nest to contend with and a few minor repairs, but it all went well. What we did not expect was to find a small addition to our building. Upon closer inspection of this, it appears to be a door.... A locked door. We are wondering if this could possibly be one of those fairy doors we have heard about. They seem to be quite prevalent in the Ann Arbor area from what I hear. I have never actually seen one, I have only heard about them. Grant it, we have always been known as the Fairy shop and people have claimed to have seen them flitting about, but I never thought of our place being a home for fairies.


For more Ren Fest Photos http://ingriddijkers.com/RenFestPhotos.html

New Directions in Altered Books

Received my complimentary copy of "New Directions in Altered Books" by Gabe Cyr (published by Lark Books) yesterday. I have been waiting with baited breath for almost a year and a half to see this book! And what a wonderful book it is! Two photos of my book "Flight" have been included in this book and can be found on the Table of Contents page. The book "Flight" is VERY difficult to photograph, but I think they did a great job. "New Directions in Altered Books" is an incredible book. Not your typical "How to" book, there are plenty of those on the market. Gabe Cyr has adopted a "what if ?" approach to writing this book and it is truly refreshing. I am so happy to have been considered for publication in this wonderful book. I highly recommend it .... even if my work wasn't in it.