Paper Doll Fairies

    Sometimes life throws you for a loop.  This year my loop has been a weird virus.  It seems to have triggered some auto-immune responses, meaning that I got an infection in my lymph nodes, followed a week later by rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.  It has been awful.  I am however a glass half full type of a girl, and so I sought out the bright side.  The bright side was hours of crafts with and for the kids.  My favourite craft from that not so wonderful time was the paper doll fairies.

http://spoonful.com/crafts/disney-fairy-paper-pals

    I had spotted a Disney Fairies template on Disneyfun.go.com.  It is a great go to site for kids crafts.  It did not let me down this time.  I have posted the link to the doll templates.  I had so much fun with the different and varied ways of decorating these dolls.

    I made so many paper dolls that I began cutting out the doll template and putting them into a clear container.  I had dozens of naked pink silhouettes just waiting to be adorned.  My girls loved stealing the naked dolls to decorate.  They also loved stealing my finished dolls to play with.  Each doll became named and each had it's own personality.

    With each doll I varied my approach.  Most of them I would outline their dress with crayon.  I then made them either three dimensional dresses from folded card stock, or painstakingly cut out bits of tissue paper for their dresses and hair.  I have to admit that the tissue paper ones were my favourites.

    The pain my body was providing me with became dulled with the enjoyment I was having creating these paper dolls.  I took great delight in the delight that my girls took.  Even Rowan got into the fun asking me to make him a Peter Pan doll.  Peter Pan soon flew off for an adventure with the fairies.

    The house was filled with the animated chatter of the children playing with paper dolls.  There were no high tech gadgets, no video games, ipods, no t.v., just the old fashioned fun of play.  Who knew that my being laid up could bring so much pleasure for us all?  Christopher made a joke the one day that he was becoming afraid to come home because soon there would be more paper dolls than space.  

    That is the thing that I most treasure about being a glass half full girl, you see the beauty in the most unusual places.  A time that I was popping Tylenol 3's like they were going out of style should have been a time where I was miserable, and yet I wasn't (well not completely).  My glass was half full, and it allowed me the time to play with my kids, the time I don't usually have or rather take to spare.  I do not thank that mystery virus, nor do I wish it's return, but it made me realize how much I enjoy doing crafts.  It made me realize how very little it takes to entertain a child.  It reminded me of a fact that I am already keenly aware of, I am blessed.  I am blessed to have a husband who takes care of me, when I need taking care of.  I am blessed to have such beautiful and wonderful children.  My life is full of wonder and joy. 

Violet, Poppy and Daisy