painting

I hate wasting paint, and one of the ways I try to cut down on possible waste is to do a bunch of projects all at once.



Since this item is now ready for the final sealer coats (clear polymer paint), I thought I would get the other items that will need sealer ready and do them all at once.






ok, to the "untrained" eye, these may look like random chunks of wire, but actually this is three pair of feet for some birds that I'm working on

The 2 pair at the left (one black, one white) are for the 2 new toucans I've been stitching together (off and on) for a while now

The taller pair with web feet are for the new flamingo

all three pair of these need another coat of "color" before I'll be ready to do the clear coat




then there is this project

This is actually a 7 inch wood box that I have painted side a different color, then used crackle medium (which didn't do what I wanted it to), then its been rubbed with a warm oak stain, and then finally yesterday I used some rough sandpaper all over it to get it to where I'm actually happy with it

So now the box is actually ready for the clear coat

Then there is the bear -- a "stump" critter (has no legs) that I intend to fully dress as a sort of "sorcerer's apprentice" type character -- the fur is a piece that I hand dyed (the original was a cream with lavendar tips), and the head pattern is the first one I cut from the new design that I'm also using for the pink bear I'm working on.

(This is a sort of departure in approach for me as I usually make the animals entirely out of the mohair, but I figured if its going to be glued into the box and totally dressed in a costume that is stitched on, why waste the expensive material?)

The idea is to use this face as the experiment for the shaving/lower jaw building/etc. before I start on the pink one -- I have more of this fabric, but not more of the pink, so that one needs to be right the first time.

I spent time yesterday knitting up some of the yarn that came in the "gift box" (and after talking to my sister, who sent the box, found out that ALL of them are feltable, so I'll be knitting up little swatches of all of them to felt and use as accents on projects!!)

I also returned to working on the shirt/jacket -- having added about 18 more leaves all over it, I need to do the beaded veining on each of those -- then it will be on to the "glitter paint"

Yup, just like normal, a dozen "irons in the fire" and not much to show for it yet!