Shop Update Photo Dump :)

I've been busy creating new items for the shop, including a new design with bird's nests on linen with moss and fabric-wrapped branches. THOSE are fun to make! Sweet and tiny in 3-inch painted wooden hoops.

I also made another tree stump that's a bit smaller than usual, with sculpted mushrooms instead of wool. When I was done with the new tree, it kinda reminded me of the movie Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind...when Richard Dreyfuss is sculpting that shape out of mashed potatoes.. :)

So I'm doing a photo dump here and then I have to get back to making more stuff to prepare for cold-calling on local gift and art shops. Hope you're having a wonderful week.

Sculpted Bird Egg Necklaces Are Finally Here!

Everything finally came together to get these babies in my shop. It took me a while to find the right supplier for the chains (I tested out this style of chain from three different sources; seems I'm kinda picky). These are silver-plated petite ball chains, they are more slender and feminine than the type you would find with dog tags...and they are so smooth and bright and pretty.

The eggs are sculpted from clay, then painted with washes and layers of flecks and splotches to look like the real thing. It's a bit time-consuming, letting each layer dry before adding another with my tiny brushes. But you know me...if I'm going for realism, I'll take the long way and enjoy the ride =)

I did a lot of research on bird species and their eggs while coming up with prototypes for these (which was fun in itself); the cream-colored ones are modeled after the Meadow Starling and the Red-tailed Hawk. The blue ones are inspired by the Chipping Sparrow.

Nature is just so full of gorgeous things.

♥

Customer photos - LOVE!!

I was thrilled to get a message today from the lovely customer who ordered the tree stump with mushrooms to display in a library. She included photos! It's the first time that I've seen one of my creations in its new environment...so neat! This is the tree stump that was created in this post.
She put it under a glass dome and attached it to a vintage book (she said the glue was still wet here, but will dry clear)...so creative and I think it looks wonderful.

Simply awesome.

I am currently waiting for some little clay mushrooms to cool off so I can paint them, and of course I took pics of the process :)

Have a wonderful weekend and a Happy Easter to those who celebrate :)
♥

Sneak Peek - new clay goodies

Hi there!

I've got some new goodies planned for next month's shop update, and I thought I'd share a couple sneaky-peeky photos :)

Stay tuned :)

♥

Aggghh look what I found

So I was just going through some of my old crafty stuff when I happened upon my very first ever clay creations...this was about 17 years ago, back when Dan Marino was with the Dolphins and I actually gave a rat's butt about football. Now? I couldn't even tell you who was in the last Superbowl. Anyway...this is pretty horrid and embarrassing but it's also funny as hell. I remember putting that thing on top of the TV during the game and being so proud of it...orange toothpick and all! =)

(heyyy lookie...the leaves on that pitiful flower aren't too bad!)

I also found my first finished needle felted creation from 2008, Melina the bear. I'm actually still pretty proud of her; she was the first thing I ever felted to completion and she took sooo long for me to finish. I had big dreams of people bidding ridiculous amounts for her on Ebay...I even made her a little laminated certificate of authenticity -- but no one bid on her. I was heartbroken then, but now I'm so glad I still have her!
I'm not sure what was up with my logo back then...clearly it needed a re-work =)

♥

Mushrooms are ready after an all-nighter :)

Hi there! I know in my last post I said I was going to bed, but...yeah...that didn't happen. I couldn't sleep knowing that these little guys were just waiting to be out in the world :)

I took some photos and started editing them, and I was having so much fun that I didn't notice the time...I got to bed around 9 this morning! Anyway, I got a few mushroom sets listed in the shop before I conked out, and I just finished putting another one up (after a nice nap and some coffee).

Here are some photos; these are listed in the PinTops/Terrarium Decor section of the shop:

I want to say a special thank you to Kinga Nichols of Crimson Frog Designs (she does breathtaking beadwork, please check out her work when you have a minute...your eyes and your creative spirit will thank you)! She encouraged me to keep going with this product line when I was (unbeknownst to her) second-guessing the whole idea, and she also turned a light bulb on for me and said that these little mushroom caps would go great in terrariums. Thank you Kinga, my kindred 'sprite'! ;)

I still have more to photograph and play around with, but you all are probably sick of hearing about mushrooms so I'll leave you alone for a while! =)

Wishing you a wonderful day ♥

Almost ready, sneak peek!

Hello and Happy Saturday!

I think I'm finally happy with the painting techniques I'm using on the mushroom cap pin toppers. Here are a couple shots of the ones I particularly like:

The ones in the top photo have a matte finish and seem more realistic to me, which is what I prefer. However, I know that not everyone loves the same styles that I do, so I also did some that are glossy with lots of spots (bottom photo)...they seem to belong in more of a fairy tale setting somehow. :)

You may notice that a little green leaf found its way in the group as well...I sculpted a couple of those and they were so much fun that I'm sure I will make more.

Some of these will be available in the shop by Sunday night once I get some proper photos taken (for those kind souls who are patiently waiting) ♥

Also, I'm excited that it's Daylight Saving Time here this weekend...I LOVE it when the days are longer and it's still light out at 8 p.m.! Makes the day's possibilities seem endless.

Have a wonderful evening!

How I spent my morning

Seems I'm a bit mushroom-happy lately. I spent most of the morning sculpting these caps, and I used a sewing pin for the details. These are waiting to be painted, photographed and listed as accessories for the pincushions in my shop.

A fun way to spend my first day of self-employment =)

♥

Mushroom Land

Hi there! Just a quick post to show what I worked on this weekend--tiny clay mushroom caps! I sculpted 25 of these babies, most of them measure only 1 cm. I can't wait to start painting them all kinds of woodland colors and putting them in my pincushions ♥

Quick photo of orders in progress

I've been so fortunate to have several orders for my pincushions the last few weeks! Here's a shot I took while I was in the middle of a pine-tree-making-frenzy...these little guys are waiting to be added to pincushions and then they will be shipped to their new homes.

Oh, and after I made the texture tools I talked about in my last post, I couldn't seem to stop sculpting little cottages...these are in various stages, some need paint or other finishing touches, but I like how they look all together like a little village :)

Time to get back to it so everyone can have their goodies by Christmas =) Bye for now!

♥

Returning to Clay - making texture tools

It's been so long since I've really dug into my clay, aside from making tiny eggs for my bird's nests. This week I had a dream about adding some clay elements to my wool pincushions (don't you get the best ideas from dreams??)...so I broke out the stash of clay in my studio and have been having lots of fun the past few days :)

I wanted to make some tiny little cottages, and I wanted them to have a nice rocky or sandstone-type texture. Time to make some tools! I looked around the house and found several odd things to help me: