'Tis the Season...

Dear Teedles,

You might have been thinking that its been awfully quiet on the Pixie front. Well, you wouldn't have been wrong. Its been terribly hectic both at Pixie School and the Circus, and then there's the sideline I have to take care of at this time of year, if you know what I mean (big fat man, white beard, seriously in need of a new outfit, needs to stop drinkinng all that fizzy brown stuff).

So here are some of the stocking fillers he's had me making this year.

First off is this lovely red and silver pair. The fuse caps came off these ones, so it was really easy to stuff 'em full of beads. I really like these ones; very festive.

And then I real problems getting the fuse caps off any of the other ones, so I had to think outside the fuse. Quite literally, actually. Hmmm, lovely purple swirly beady things. That's two seperate pieces of wire there, one going up through the middle, the other twirling round the outside.

So, thinks me, what am I to do now? Each pair has to be different and I can't get the caps off. Trying to twist them off with pliers makes them go tinkle-crack-smash and heating them in Snorty's firebox just makes the glue go brown (you can't get them out of the oven quick enough to get the caps off while the glue is still molten).

I had some very pretty turquoise wire and I thought, let's do a variation of the beady one, just with wire. And instead of a loop on the bottom, lets have a pretty swirl ('cos its a bugger getting those loops to sit right underneath).

Right, one more pair to go. I got my lovely drill out again, only this time I got one of the bigger bits and drilled a stonking great hole in one end of the fuse.

The advantage of that is that I can cram the little beads up through the hole. The disadvantage of that is that there's this big hole in the bottom. I did think about sticking a big bead over the hole, but trying to handle that with very quickly drying glue would be sure to end up with Pixie fingers stuck in there as well. So I thought the swirl would make a very agreeable alternative. The beads are iridescent, so it sparkles very nicely in the light.

There have been other things I've been working on, but they're super-special secret still (until after the big man has been out on his rounds. And I don't mean the Prof; he's currently helping the Elves. He looks really cute in green, especially with that hat and the stripy stockings).

Ah, my new crystals have arrived. Best get back to the other two pairs of earrings.

Have an excellent festive season

Lots of love, Fuschia

Coppers and Computers

Dearest Emilly,

I do hope your polar trip is progressing well. The post-butterflies have complained a bit about the cold up there, but they think that the coloured lights are very pretty, like the shimmer in their wings in fact.

We had a bit of a party in your absence and while the Prof was pootling about preparing the moonshine and the nibbles, I thought I'd better make some more things for the little gift-shop.

First up is this little item, or "Green Machine" as we've decided to call it. I know you know a bit about the future and these strange things called computers. I believe that some of our current compatriots call them Difference Engines. I haven't had the heart to tell them that the ones I've seen in the future aren't steam-powered. Still, if you take a nice big hammer to them, there are some very pretty things inside. It would be fun even if there weren't pretty things inside; you know me and hammers!

The Prof says this piece is called a hard disc reader head. I know it doesn't look like a head or like it can read, but I thought the ribbons and the little beads made it much more presentable to the library types, particularly Sir JJ and Miss Homewood (and I don't think it would be interested in Sir JJ's secret stash of very nice whisky, unlike some of his other readers. Hic!)

Anyway, its available here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33224817

And then there's this one: Time Flies. Not all of the bits of clock we got from the Rummage Man were in tip-top condition; even though I felt a bit sorry for this watch-face as its seen better days, I still think its very pretty. Its such a lovely colour under that enamel; maybe true beauty does lie within?

The shiny circular piece the Prof assures me is a hard disc spindle thing. No idea what one of them does, but its got some very useful holes in it for putting ribbons through. And the little dragonfly liked it so much when he came to see what I was doing, he asked if he could stay.

Its available here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33225023

Some of the other reader heads that we recovered from more old computers the Prof found in a wonderful yellow boaty called, I believe, in the local parlance a "skip", weren't as pretty as the one above. In fact, the only pretty thing in them was the copper coily; not only is it a very pleasing shape, there's a class of butterflies called Coppers, or Lycaenae.

Well, if there's butterflies involved (however tenuously) you know I'm your Pixie! So I snapped them out of their ugly surrounds, polished them up and added some pretty Chinesey beads and a few cogs for good measure.

They're next to the candyfloss at: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33225252

There is one other piece of jewellery that I've made, but this one has sort of already been commissioned (along with three more pairs). At a different point in the future I found these natty little glass tubes. They had a rather boring wire in them, but I managed to pull the caps off a few and soon remedied that. I've called them "Blown a Fuse", although the Prof looked at me really archly when I did and muttered something about "more like a gasket...". Do you think I should have words with him, Em? Or was he making another odd Circus-type joke, do you think? (For odd, please read not funny)

I await your answer as to whether or not Snorty and I should take him in hand. Give my love to Mr Worthers

Fuschia

Apologies on Flutterby Wings

Dear Lady E,

Um, sorry about the whole, er, Miss, thing. I'm sure you understand, being a bit Fae yourself, that these human appellations are very confusing, especially when they seem to change them at the drop of a hat. Or maybe that should be heart...

You're not going to be offended by me calling you a lady, are you? 'Cos I can be much more insulting if you like.

Any road up, I've been busy again, as the latest daguerrotype shows. This one is for me and was really a test piece to see if these interesting ground sections from the Clock Man's clock would work as pendant bases. I think you now know the answer to that.

It was also interesting in terms of technique and the order you should or shouldn't do things. I was gluing a whole load of bits and bobs together, so popped this one into the pile. However, trying to do the wiring after the gluing was a bit of a duff idea. No, it was a lot of a duff idea, 'specially when the holes are so small and all the bits are really close together.

Still, it didn't suffer that much from me having too many thumbs today. I blame Snorty; I had to assist the Prof giving him an oil change and my thumbs are still a bit sore from all the nuts and bolts I had to tweak and preen. Mustn't grumble, though - Snorty's humming away nicely and I have a very interesting necklace (even if I do say so myself)!

Now all I need to do is purchase some pretty ribbons and some crimps and I can finish the rest of the pendants for the gift shop.

And thank you for the special tea; most restorative!

Love
F

Spring has Sprung

Dear Miss Elytis,

You'll be pleased to know that I've been keeping out of mischief by making sparkly things. These ones are called "Spring has Sprung".

Um, they don't actually have springs in them though, but "Spring has Cogged" doesn't quite work.

Anyway, they're for sale from the little gift shop on the way out of the Big Top - here http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32365336

Yes, I know that's shameless self promotion, but shy bairns get nowt, as they say.

Time for a nice cup of tea!

Lots of love
Fuschia

Star Potential

Morning Teedles,

Its been a bit hectic over the last few weeks as we've had some work experience Pixies and Circus folk in the Big Top. Spot the Tiger wasn't very happy, but Fred the Lion took to most of them and not like last time. Not that we like to talk about that (I still say it was his own fault; we did mention about the whole mime thing, but you know young people, they always know best. Its the stripy tops that do it).

But, I have been busy, as you can see. I was playing about with the design I did for Miss Emilly and came up with these. They're called Star Potential, because Mr Merlin said that the slotty things could also be called potentiometers. The lady who trains Pixies (I think I told you about her) decided she liked these ones too, and she's bought them as a little present to cheer up her friend. I like the thought of that; after all, Pixies are supposed to spread a little magic as they go.

Be good,
Love
F.

Flutterby Blue

Dear Miss Jameson,

You know how partial Pixies are to butterflies, so I thought it was about time I incorporated them into some swishy earrings. And I like blues and golds almost as much as I like fuschia pinks and purples, so overall I'm rather pleased with the results.

I've put them in the gift shop by the back door of the Big Top, in amongst the souvenir giraffes and cannons - here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=32364653

They're probably better for your teeth than toffee apples. Er, actually, no, they're probably not. We do do some nice carrot sticks, just don't tell Snorty we've been sharing his tea time treats!

Love,
F

Clockwork Heart

Dear Emilly,

Just a short note to let you see what else I've been up to lately. I bet you thought it was too quiet over here at the circus...

These are the earrings I made for the lady who trains Pixies. She has excellent taste in colours, even if I do say so myself. You know I like to give everything its proper name, so these have been christened "Clockwork Heart" and I'm happy to say that the lady was very pleased with them.

Better go, more letters to write! I look forward to our imminent shopping trip for sparkly things

Lots of love,
F.