Dollar Store Sprites

I bought these fairies at Dollar Tree in 2006 or 2007.  As might be expected with dollar store dolls, their legs don’t move, their bodies are already leaching plasticizer, and the hair fiber is deteriorating.  Still, despite their disproportionately large heads and garish eye make-up, black fairies are so rare that I chased around different stores until I found them in all six colors:

After almost five years of moldering in the bin that holds my “enchanted forest,” I was finally able to put my dollar store sprites to work in the "Conical Conifer" tutorial below.  Realistic 1:6 scale conifers are not hard to find (unlike deciduous species such as maples and oaks).  You can scoop up miniature evergreens discounted by as much as 75% if you shop the after-Christmas sales.  These days, however, my resources for buying doll trees are limited so I have designed a series of 1:6 scale trees using recycled paper towel rolls for the trunks.  Watch the “Paper Towel Roll Tree Base” tutorial to learn how to make a versatile base for different types of trees: 

 (I've been having some trouble getting the videos to show up on this page.  If the video above doesn't work, try this link:  "Paper Towel Roll Tree Base")

Then use your tree base to make the “Conical Conifer”:

(If the above video doesn't work, try this link:  "Conical Conifer")

À Bientôt