Occasionally Amanda will hold competitions. Follow her website for more opportunities to win!!

 

Here is the winner of the August / September 09 competition

Win a Miniature Fairy Baby by Twinessence

Contestants had to write a short story about starting sculpting or collecting sculptures. There were a lot of very creative and funny pieces. However, I feel this entry touches the heart, is very creative, in depth and deserves recognition. Well done Tammy! Your wonderful effort shows in this wonderful tale.

 

 

 

 

Imagine

By Tammy Saulnier

From: B.C. Canada

With her hands under her chin, Samantha leaned her elbows down on counter top and let out a sigh. She knew that she had an hour left before she had to close the store and was deciding how she would set up tomorrow's shipment of polymer clay fairy dolls. They were to be the last one-of-a-kind dolls made from an artist who had dedicated her life to making these whimsical little creations. The well-known artist had made one last series before passing away in her sleep. Samantha's Grandmother, Rose, had been one of her dedicated collectors for years and was devastated to hear the news. Once she found out that one more series of 9 dolls were up for auction, she made a special trip to
Australia and bid on the dolls until she won.

They would finally be arriving tomorrow and Samantha looked forward to making a very special display with them for her grandmother as well as the customers.
Her grandmother's store was called “Wind of Change” which specialized in unique and whimsical hand made crafts. Samantha had been running it for 3 months now while her grandmother was recovering from a fall in which she had broken her left ankle.

* * * * *

Samantha's mother had left her with her grandmother when she was only 4 years old and never came back. Samantha's grandmother “Rose” took care of her ever since. Rose had struggled to raise Samantha, but raised her as if she was her own. Rose doted on Samantha and in return she worked hard in school until she graduated. That's when she started working full time at her grandmothers' store.
Rose was getting frail and Samantha took it upon her self to start taking care of her for a change.

Samantha knew how much her grandmother loved the store and all that it stood for. She loved the little crafts and always cherished them as much as her grandmother did. She was always excited when a new craft was discovered and brought to their store. Rose always made sure that every little craft was well made and original. She sold the crafts at fair prices and was always glad to see a customer's eyes light up when they discovered a new treasure.

* * * * *

 

An hour had passed and Samantha locked the door to the shop and cashed out. She carefully added up the money and wrote out the deposit slip for the bank. Her grandmother was very diligent with the funds due to so many years of struggling. Samantha learnt from her well. She put on her coat and headed out to the bank making sure to check that the door was locked.

The following day Samantha arrived at the store and started to clear the display window of last month's theme. She had decided to make a whimsical forest scene with large mushrooms and lots of pretty flowers. She wanted the little fairies to have their own little world, as well as capture the customer's imagination. The box finally arrived by priority courier and Samantha clamored excitedly to sign the postal slip. Thanking the courier she placed the box on the counter top. Eagerly she called her grandmother to let her know that the one-of-a-kind dolls had arrived.

Rose answered on the 3 rd ring and Samantha excitedly told her that her special box had arrived and was sitting right there in front of her. Rose squealed with glee and told her to open the box and describe each piece to her over the phone. Telling her grandmother to hold for a moment, she put the phone down. Taking a deep breath she began to remove the first layer of padding.
Suddenly her finger struck the sharp edge of broken polymer clay. Samantha quickly pulled her hand back and was surprised to see a tiny drop of blood on the end of her ring finger. Her heart began to sink as she realized that the dolls hadn't all made it in one piece. Being careful to watch for broken pieces she finished removing the packing. Then she began to pull out the dolls. After removing the final doll she realized that all but one of the fairies had been broken.
Samantha knew her grandmother was insured against breakages but she also knew how special the little fairies were to her. Rose had gone through a lot of trouble to obtain the last dolls made by her favorite artist and would be so heart broken. Slowly she picked up the phone to break the news.
Just as she had expected, her grandmother broke into tears. Samantha made soothing noises and once Roses' sobs had subsided to hick ups Samantha promised to be home right after closing time with the box. After her grandmother sees the dolls they would try to see if anything could be done.

After hanging up Samantha held up the one doll that had been left intact. The detail of the little figure was amazing. Its face had big blue eyes and a perfect pouty mouth. The wings of the little fairy had delicate little veins in a clear, paper thin, iridescent background. Each tiny finger and toe was made with amazing care all the way down to the creases at the knuckles. Even the finger nails had perfect little manicures. Samantha was amazed at the detail and began to truly see the magic created by the artist.

 

* * * * *

At the end of the day Samantha locked the front door and cashed out. She gathered up the box of dolls that she had gently repacked and headed out. Stopping at a little craft shop on the way Samantha was hoping something could be done to repair the dolls.
After discussing the dolls with the owner of the craft store Samantha new it wasn't going to be as simple as she had thought. The owner, a young lady, explained that each doll would have to be cleaned and prepared for new polymer clay to be added. She said the repairs weren't always perfect and sometimes you could still tell that they had been repaired. Looking at the beautiful dolls, the owner added that the work of the artist was exquisite and would be hard to match.
Samantha asked if the lady knew anyone who might be good enough to do the job. The owner explained that she new a few people who made polymer clay figurines but no one who made fairies. Although she herself new the procedures of repairing polymer clay and had done it a few times she wasn't confident enough to do it herself but would be willing to show Samantha how to do it.
Samantha thanked the lady and told her that she would like to think about it, and let her know in a few days. Wishing her luck the lady bid her farewell.

 

* * * * *

When Samantha arrived home she brought the box to her grandmother and they gently unpacked it. When they were done Rose gave a heavy sigh and began to tell Samantha a story about how she had began her collection.

As the youngest of nine children Rose had always had a tough time feeling special. Her mother had fallen pregnant unexpectedly and died while giving birth to Rose. Her father blamed her for her mothers' death and she was often left out of family outings. She spent a lot of time being looked after by her aunt Geneva and that was when she felt the most loved. Aunt Geneva loved little Rose and would tell her fairytale stories to keep her spirits up. She would make Rose believe that she was special and often included her in the stories she told. She would spin tales of happiness and told Rose that no one could ever take those stories away from her and that if things got to hard that Rose could close her eyes and imagine she was in those stories.

One day when Rose was only 8 years old her father announced that she would be going away to live with another family who needed extra help on their ranch. When it was time to go she was not allowed to say good by to her aunt, and from that point on she had never seen her loving aunt again.

Rose spent seven years with the other family and learned quickly that if she didn't work hard she would be punished. She spent her days cooking and cleaning for the ranch hands and when she was done she would crawl into her cot in the hot attic, close her eyes and think about her beloved aunt Geneva and the stories she had told her. In truth it was the only thing she had to keep her going.

While she was washing dishes one day, the post man arrived to deliver the mail. He knocked on the back door and asked her if her name was Rose. When she told him that it was he smiled at her and said that he had kept a letter for her that had come with the rest of the mail. He believed that Rose would have never received it if one of the owners had got it before she knew it was there. He gave her the letter and she quickly thanked him and put it in her apron.

At the end of the day when all her work was done she went up to her room and took out the letter. When she opened the letter and began to read she was shocked to find out that her aunt Geneva had passed away. Inside the letter was a train ticket and instructions to go to her aunts' home immediately.

Rose packed her few belongings with tears in her eyes and the next morning caught the train home. The house immediately brought back wonderful memories; it was the only place she though of as her true home. She went up the stairs and knocked on the door. The door was opened by a serious looking gentleman. “Yes?” he asked. Rose told him about the letter and who she was. The gentleman smiled warmly and said “So you are the sweet little Rose I have heard so much about”.
Rose was then invited in and soon after discovered her aunt had left the house to her as well as a little money. She also had left her a small collection of seven polymer clay fairy dolls- one for each year that Rose was away. They were displayed neatly in a beautiful cabinet. Inside the cabinet drawer there was a letter telling her that she was always loved and to remember when things got hard to close her eyes and think of the fairies. Her aunt wrote that when she was missing Rose, she would close her eyes and imagine that they were together in a magic world where whatever they wanted was theirs for a little while.

From that day on Rose began collecting fairy's and anytime she was having a hard time she would close her eyes and think of a world where fairies lived.

 

* * * * *

Rose looked at Samantha and smiled. “It is a shame that the beautiful little dolls have been broken, but I have you and I can always close my eyes and imagine”. She then did just that.

Samantha decided then and there that she would learn to fix the little dolls and surprise her grandmother. She knew that once they were repaired she would not be able to sell them at the store, but her grandmother would still love them and add them to her collection.

Over the following few months Samantha spent time at the little craft shop where she was taught to do the repairs. As she worked her imagination started to spin its own tales of the fairy world. She began to imagine a special little fairy representing her grandmothers' aunt. She could imagine all the little details of it and what a perfect fairy she would be. She could see her sitting on a little mushroom telling stories to a bunch of little child fairies. It warmed her heart to know how her grandmother must have felt.

Once Samantha finished she showed her work to the shop owner for inspection. The lady was shocked at how well the repairs looked. She told Samantha that she was a natural and should try and make her own doll. Samantha was doubtful at first but the owner told her to imagine what a little fairy made by her own granddaughter would mean to her grandmother. Even if the doll wasn't perfect it would mean so much because it was made with love. At that Samantha decided she would try to make a fairy for her dear grandmother.

Samantha spent weeks making the little fairy. She often had to redo pieces but would close her eyes and go back in time remembering her grandmothers' story. She was able to picture the fairy she wanted to make and go back to work. After 4 weeks her little fairy was finished.

Samantha wrapped up all the little fairies she had repaired and placed them carefully into a box. After wrapping up the fairy she had made into its own little box, she headed home.

 

* * * * *

When Samantha arrived at her home, Rose was sitting on her chair reading a book. Rose looked up and smiled at Samantha. Smiling back at her Grandmother, Samantha brought the box with all the repaired fairies over and knelt in front of her. “I have something for you” she said sweetly. Rose opened the box, and upon peering inside she scooped Samantha up in a hug.
“Now the dolls are priceless; they will be the pride of my collection”, her grandmother said proudly. Samantha looked into her grandmothers eyes and told her that she loved her.

“Grandmother, do you realize how special you are to me?” Samantha asked with a smile. “I want you to know that you are my fairy world. For that I will always be able to close my eyes when things are rough and imagine a magical world”
With that she walked out of the room, grabbed the special little box she had wrapped and brought it back to her Grandmother, passing it to her gently and saying “Please open this”. Roses' hands trembled as she removed the fairy that Samantha had made and her eyes filled with tears.

“Her name is Geneva , Grandma, and she will be my first addition to your collection”.