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How To Draw Fairy Tales

My husband is the resident artist. I can barely render a simply doodled daisy or similar images. So this post is for him because he adored books like these as a kid and still has fun thumbing through them in bookstores. And on Thanksgiving, I'm thankful he learned to draw so well since his skills help keep me housed and fed as well as provide me with a fascinating man with whom to share my life.


How to Draw Princesses and Other Fairy Tale Pictures by Barbara Soloff Levy: In just three or four steps, fairy tale fans can learn to illustrate a bevy of beautiful princesses as well as other related characters and details, such as princes, kings, queens, a Fairy Godmother, a royal coach, horses, jewelry, a dragon, a unicorn, tiaras, a hand mirror, and more. Includes helpful blank practice pages.


How to Draw Storybook Characters by Barbara Soloff Levy: Easy-to-follow directions show how to combine circles, ovals, squares, and other shapes to create such fairy tale favorites as Cinderella, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, Pinocchio, the Little Mermaid, and 23 other familiar figures.

And surprise, surprise, not all of these come from Dover Publications. Here are some from Usborne...


How to Draw Fairies and Mermaids: This innovative guide is packed with easy ideas for drawing fairies and mermaids. Simple, step-by-step instructions show how to create fantastical fairylands and undersea worlds.


How to Draw Princesses and Ballerinas: I haven't seen this one so I'm not sure if any are specifically fairy tale characters, but I'm sure they adapt quite easily to an artist's imagination.

Fairy Tale Paper Dolls

More activity books, this time specifically paper dolls, some are full size, some mini, some paper only and some sticker paper dolls. I understand the stickers to be reusable.


Cinderella Paper Dolls and 17th Century Costumes by Brenda Sneathen Mattox: Expert vintage fashion illustrator, Brenda Sneathen Mattox, brings her favorite storybook to life! She has given this Cinderella paper doll book a lovely classic look with late 17th century clothes for Cinderella and her Prince Charming. There are ten lavish costumes for Cinderella and the Prince as well as a Fairy godmother doll to cut out. Brenda also includes the story of Cinderella's transformation from soot-covered servant to the belle of the ball.


Cinderella, the Little Mermaid and Other Fairy Tale Paper Dolls: Paper doll fans of all ages can dress two adorable youngsters, Drew and Ida, as their favorite fairy tale characters. For Drew, there are several "princely" outfits as well as costumes for the Pied Piper, Aladdin, Sinbad, Ali Baba, and others; while Ida can be dressed as Snow White, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, and other heroines. Hats and crowns add finishing touches to a collection that includes 50 costumes and a brief synopsis of each fairy tale represented.


Fairy Tale Weddings Paper Dolls: The most beloved fairy tales are those in which a wedding takes place . . . and the couple lives happily ever after. This enchanting paper doll collection features brides and grooms from favorite stories, dressed in exquisite apparel — Cinderella, Thumbelina, Rapunzel, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Beauty and the Beast, and others. Includes 21 dolls and 31 costumes.

Cinderella Sticker Paper Doll: Share the fantasy by dressing one charming, golden-haired doll in 6 different outfits, including patched but colorful skirts and blouses, an exquisite ballgown and an elegant white wedding dress. 27 stickers.


Storybook Princess Sticker Paper Doll: Dress Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Princess Aurora in captivating costumes out of the past. 1 doll, 23 costume stickers.


Glitter Cinderella Sticker Paper Doll: Will Cinderella wear the velvety hoop skirt adorned with bows to the ball, or perhaps the long tulle dress finished with shining jewels? Why not try both! Little girls can dress Cinderella again and again with 14 reusable costume stickers, each enhanced by a wash of glitter for a special touch of added magic.


Mermaid Sticker Paper Doll: Dress little sea nymph in four flowing gowns, a fur-trimmed cape, attractive headpieces and accessories. 28 stickers.


Fairy Tale Princess Sticker Paper Doll: Dress this little visitor from the land of make-believe in full-length skirts, sparkling tops, jewelry, tiaras, a fur-trimmed capelet and more.

Finally, this set does not come from Dover but has been specifically designed to accompany the fairy tale novels by Regina Doman.


Fairy Tale Novel Paper Dolls from the Shadow of the Bear by Regina Doman: Created especially for fans of Regina Doman's Fairy Tale Novels, these paper dolls of the four heroes, Rose, Blanche, Bear and Fish have all the memorable outfits worn in The Shadow of the Bear, including Blanche's thrift store jumper and Rose's peacock-patterned skirt, Bear's tuxedo -- and more!

Bad to the Pigs

Since today in the United States, most of us are thinking about feasting tomorrow, perhaps traveling today or sometime this weekend, I thought I'd share a short fun take on Three Little Pigs, something that requires no heavy lifting by your brain and only a minute of your time.

Warning: The pigs do not fare well in this one...

So here's 'Bad to the Pigs' by mwileczka:

The three little pigs, with a twist... This was done as a 3D animation class project in 2002. We had to use Lego people to tell a fairy tale. Although this time, the B.B. Wolf gets his revenge.

CafePress One Day Free Shipping

CafePress is offering free shipping today only when you buy two or more ornaments on their site, including the SurLaLune Fairy Tale ornaments.

Here's a link to the SurLaLune Fairy Tale Ornaments. Not all of the fairy tale ornaments are in this section, so check out the illustrators pages, too.

I've already given away several of these in the giveaway and will post pics of my tree with my own collection once I have put up this year's tree. Just a few more weeks for the giveaway, too. See left sidebar for link to the giveaway information.

COUPON CODE: SHIP2U

Offer details from CafePress:

Today only! Free shipping on ornaments*

* Free Economy or Standard shipping with the purchase of two or more ornaments. Delivery address must be within the United States and cannot be a PO Box. All orders will be Economy shipping unless the order is not eligible for Economy shipping (e.g., order exceeds Economy weight restrictions). Coupon code must be entered at check out. Promotion starts on November 24, 2009 at 12:00 a.m. (PST) and ends on November 24, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. (PST). Cannot be combined with any other CafePress coupons or promotions and this offer may change, be modified or cancelled at anytime without notice.

PS: You can't find the SurLaLune ornaments through the CafePress main page anymore, so you must link directly to the SurLaLune store to view them. CafePress changed its pricing policies earlier this year so I removed myself from their marketplace although I still maintain the SurLaLune shop, a service I pay for but which also lets me sell the items for a minimal markup on my part and a fairer price for you.

More Fairy Tale Origami

This is a follow-up post to the Fairy Tale Origami from this past Saturday.

I vaguely remembered some other fairy tale origami books from a few years ago and after some quick research, I found them again. They are out of print, but still available used and perhaps through your favorite library. The books are available individually or in a gift pack of all four with origami paper. I admit I ordered a gift pack for myself before they disappeared forever. I had wanted these and then forgot about them and am thrilled I was able to find a set. So perhaps I will have an origami themed week in the future after I've had fun folding.

Here are the individual titles:


Fairy Tale Origami #1-Goldilocks (Heian's Fairy Tale Series) by Ken Kuroi


Fairy Tale Origami #2-Hansel And Gretel (Heian's Fairy Tale Series) by Mitsuo Shinozaki


Fairy Tale Origami #3-Little Red Riding Hood (Heian's Fairy Tale Series) by Kuniro Fukazawa


Fairy Tale Origami #4-Snow White (Heian's Fairy Tale Series) by Hiroaki Ikeda


Origami Fairy Tales Gift Pack

Heian's origami fairy tale series is now in a beautifully designed gift pack, including four books and 60 sheets of colorful, non-toxic origami paper. Each book tells a story and demonstrates how to create six origami figures from the featured fairy tale: * Goldilocks & the Three Bears * Hansel & Gretel * Little Red Riding Hood * Snow White. This is a classic book collection and origami craft kit all in one, for hours of creative storytime play, and making reading fun even for the youngest readers.

Is anyone else surprised that Cinderella was neglected in this series? I know tales with animals are easier, but we did get Snow White and Hansel and Gretel. A pumpkin carriage would be quite a challenge though.

Fairy Tale Activity Books

Okay, so I found many more fairy tale themed mini-books during my searches and wanted to share these too since they don't usually appear in the common searches. All are by Dover and make great stocking stuffers or just envelope stuffers being cheaper than most greeting cards, especially with Amazon's buy three, get fourth free offers available for most of them. I like to have them on hand as gifts to the children in my life. Some of these appear in Cracker Barrels and bookstores across the country, but many of the fairy tale themed ones are harder to find.


Storybook Mazes: 23 stories and mazes on two-page spreads: Includes fairy tales such as Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Little Tom Thumb as well as other classic literature like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, Treasure Island, Robin Hood, etc. This one is not a mini-book, but full sized and better suited to older kids.


Fairy Tale Search-a-Word: Simple puzzles ask young players to find hidden words from "Rumpelstiltskin," "Sleeping Beauty," "The Three Little Pigs," and 23 other popular fairy tales. Solutions included.


Fairy Tales Activity Book: Mazes, crosswords, and other fun-filled activities feature such fairy tale favorites as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and The Three Little Pigs. 48 puzzles.


Invisible Fairy Tales Magic Picture Book: Elves, wolves, and other creatures magically appear when you rub each "invisible" picture with a pencil tip. 16 puzzles.


Glitter Fairy Tale Stickers: Sparkling images of a knight in shining armor, lovely ladies, a friendly dragon, a wizard in a pointy hat, and more add storybook appeal to lunch boxes, notebooks, and other flat surfaces. 12 full-color illustrations.


Twelve Fairy Tale Bookmarks: Characters from Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, 8 more.


Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales Bookmarks: Charming scenes from 12 classics including The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, and The Red Shoes.