the "eyes" have it?

The giraffe eyes are looking good!

After the first painting I decided to use some Micron markers to do the black pupil, the ring around the outside of the iris and some of the other detail because I handle a marker better than I do a paint brush

These are all ready for the clear glaze, which I plan to put on today --- then tomorrow I can get back to assembling this critter.
and talk about great timing

this picture was in our paper yesterday ---- one of the new babies at the Denver Zoo

so cute!

and gives me the kind of detail of the face that I need to work on the project I'm doing!

Guess I'll be figuring out a way to do eyelashes to go with those eyeballs!

This is the first object to be made out of the "complex cloth"

I've already made the lining/batting/top sandwich here and done the quilting both around the stamped leaves and some that is just quilted shapes in the open areas

Serious consideration is now being given to the addition of glitter puff paint use in some areas

Oh yes, this is intended to be a case for my sunglasses (the kind that go entirely over the regular glasses) -- lookin' good



Having finished up all of the numbered ladybug suit, it's on to the mushrooms

These went a bit faster --- guess I'm developing a system for creating each one in the graphics program

Having these done means I'm now over half finished with the number cards --- the face cards will definately take a bit longer --- those will all have to be hand done since each one will be different --- but I'm looking forward to those

time to get movin'

Here's looking at you -- continued

Seems we have a theme running here

Tuesday it was the Eye of Horus glass cab eyes

Today it is these little lovelies

These are for the giraffe

they are wood beads that I strung onto a bamboo skewer to work on (I hate having to paint my fingers every time I work on something like this, so I'm always devising some kind of "handle")

they have had 2 coats of white paint and a circle of warm brown painted on

today the pupils and the "spokes"

this giraffe is definately turning into a learning experience -- I've had the instructions for making eyes this way for a while, but I've never tried it (and even this first time out, I've "tweeked" the instructions as they call for using paper clay to form the "marbles" to paint on --- but these wood beads were just the right size, so there ya go)

I actually cut into the "complex cloth" and started making the object I had in mind when I created it. (and did I remember to take a picture to show ya'll --- of course not, but I will, I promise)

The piece of gold glass was another "I can't figure this out" deal, so after 3 attempts to build some sort of frame around it, I'm moving on to something else and will go back to that one. Meantime, we have a show the weekend after Mother's Day, and I still haven't figured out the whole display thing. I really hate the idea of just plopping these out on PVC t-bar stands, but right now that appears to be the only choice I have ---- I think I better work on this a little more the next few days --- browse around my accessories tub, see what I can come up with.

time to get to it!

Another piece of glass

One more piece of Rocky Mountain Beach Glass jewelry complete!

I really like the way the deep impressions in the glass look even after a month of rolling around in the tumbler.

This one was such a big piece of glass (1.25" tall, 1.5" wide) that it needed some embellishing, but I didn't want to cover the patterning in the glass itself. Fringing was my answer, although I was not going for that over long dangle look.

I do like the way this one came out.

Next up in the beach glass is a piece of the gold textured stuff.

Sunday I will be washing out the batch of glass that has been rumbling around for a month now, so there should be some interesting pieces there too.

Meantime I'm working on some ideas for two pieces of distinctly Egyptian looking jewelry.

These two extremely similar, but not exactly alike, glass cabs look like eyes to me. I picked these up in an exchange with another artist in Springfield, MO, a couple of years ago at a show. There have been several fleeting ideas about how to use these, but nothing that really stuck until now.

The Eye of Horus is a frequently seen Egyptian symbol, and I'm thinking I might be able to create two pieces on that theme, using these two pieces of glass.

(Here's looking at you, kid!)

Look at the Birdie

Yup, the last of the birdhouses is now complete!!

This one actually ended up having only needle felted embellishments

The robin is pretty cool, and all of the flowers are needle felted from my hand dyed Jacob's sheep wool

YEAH!!

So, now it's on to other projects --- afghans and flower pots and jewelry (Oh MY!)

flowers, pots and giraffe snakes(?)

It was a busy day in the studio!

these needle felted flowers and leaves are for the birdhouse (to go with the robin)

I'll probably use some pressed glass beads too

should be able to get this project all finished soon!



The pots for the flower cart are all ready now, each one having been painted and glazed and now the little bits of oasis has been installed in each one too

Now it will be on to making all the little beaded or felted flowers and foliage -- I've found several patterns for different flowers that call for size 11 seed beads, but I'm thinking I'll be using size 15s to get these somewhere near to being in the proper scale


The bezeling around the new piece of beach glass is complete, and I've started on the chain. This one looks like silver even though it's entirely glass beads --- I really like that whole idea.

The new issue of Bead and Button arrived on Friday, and there are some cool new ideas in it that I'm looking forward to trying out --- nothing better than learning a new technique and taking it out for a spin!!


Comments online and here in the studio by the DH not withstanding, I am NOT making a snake here (can't you hear Sir Hiss singing "trust in me, trust in me.....")

I can understand the confussion --- yesterday's picture does indeed look like a blind if very well fed snake (ok, even a blind snake finds a mouse sometimes!)

However, I'm plunging on with the transformation.

You may recall I said that some kind of weight would be required to keep the weight of the neck from pulling the whole thing over on it's nose.

The plastic baggie in the left hand picture is full of plastic doll pellets (used to give soft dolls that "feels like a real baby" heft), and that next to it is a container of steel shot --- big ones! The right hand picture is the little pouch I made and filled with a mix of those two weighty items. The bag weighs 1 pound 12 ounces -- an amount which I hoped would counterbalance the weight of the spine and the neck

and it does

Behold, we now sit upright, and the back legs are attached.

So now we're on to attaching the front legs then there will be the creation of tail, ears and horns and possibly eyelids ---

there will also be some needle sculpting to be done around the nose and mouth

he's coming along!!

Robin and giraffe

now he can see!

While I was afraid that the white spot would be too big, once I put the bead eyes on, he looks great!

Now I'll be working on some sort of flowers for the bird house





Under the catagory of "oddities in the studio" --

the picture on the left is a piece of PVC pipe, wrapped in quilt batting and tied with thread (to keep the batting from shifting while I'm working with it) which is intended to be the "spine" of the giraffe

the picture on the right is the body/neck/head of the giraffe after I stuffed the head and inserted the "spine"

some sort of weight in the rear end of this critter will be required to keep it from doing a nose dive, so I'll be devising a bag to be inserted in the back end with a hefty dose of plastic doll pellets in it. (Probably an over sized "yoyo" made out of unbleached muslin)

Got to love these engineering things that go on

time to get to work!

one blind bird

he's not dead --- just not finished yet!

I had been working on him a couple of days ago and hit my thumb with the felting needle (enough to draw blood), so there was a bit of a delay on returning to work on him

He still needs eyes and a bit more tweeking on the beak, then it's on to decorating the birdhouse
(nasturtiums perhaps?)

Back to the card tricks

Ha! I'll bet you thought I'd forgotten all about this project

Nope, just don't get to it every day

So here are a few more of the ladybug suit

closing in on half done with the number cards for the deck


I have now finished all of the blocks for the afghan (OPPS!, I forgot to take a picture of that very last, very skinny block) -- anyway, it is all stitched together now and I picked up the stitches along one narrow edge and knit two rows across it last night (no, I don't know how many stitches, counting wasn't required because I was just picking up the crocheted edges of the blocks --- I promise to count later)

Yesterday afternoon, the DH cut the piece of PVC pipe that I'll be using as the "spine" of the giraffe, and this morning I found the piece of batting I needed to wrap it, so today I'll be working on the finishing of the giraffe.

After several attempts to encircle one particular piece of brown beach glass, I have accepted defeat -- this piece is particularly difficult because it is roughly triangular as well as being curved -- so I'll probably break it in one more place and toss it back in the tumbler for the next batch of glass. Today, a new piece to try.

rollin' along

turning over a new leaf?

not exactly

just enjoying the delicous design possibilities of two new ones picked up in the garden area of the hardware store over the weekend

I have fiddled with maple leaves before, but this one seems much "sharper" (and therefore may be much more difficult to make into a rubber stamp)

The other leaf is a dogwood --- lovely ripply edges, interesting shape --- very cool

Meantime I'm reading up on the how to's of submitting something to be made into a yard of cloth, which is pretty exciting too

Other projects are being worked on --- needle felting of a robin, building a bezel for a piece of brown glass, getting dodos for a special order ready to go out the door and nearing completion of the afghan I've been working on for what seems like forever

time to get to it!

back to work after the weekend

Another piece of Rocky Mountain Beach Glass complete.

This one includes a little silver sea gull suspended in front of it, which I really like the look of.

I used the blue thread inside the clear beads again, so the whole piece looks like a sort of shimmery ice blue

The next one in line to work on is a piece of brown glass, so there will be some gold beads involved in it




In terms of keeping an accurate record of what we did over the weekend, I'm pathetic!

This is the only picture that got taken, and it was taken about noon on Saturday. By the time the guys had to quit working on Sunday (rain and power tools are NOT a good mix), about a third of the deck planks had been put down.

Because there are no stairs yet and the deck is about 30 inches off the ground at the far edge, we had a fun time getting three dogs in and out on Sunday evening in the rain.

It's looking great though, and by the time it's finished up with the rail on one side for hanging planters, etc., it will be a lovely addition for their back yard.

So today, it's back to working on projects --- time to get to it!

New Items in the shop and other finished objects

The yellow bird and his birdhouse are available for sale in my Etsy shop!

You can use this link to go take a look.


and the cardinal and his birdhouse are also out there on the Etsy shop.

You can use this link to see that listing



The bunny and the tulips are done!

I'm very pleased with the way this piece came out --- being the first time for using needle felting on the face and to create the floral accents, it's amazing that there has been so little ranting over this one.

This bunny does not yet have a name, however

We're thinking about it

(perhaps I should name it "resistance is futile" since that is what my sister told me about needle felting!)






There was merry stamping yesterday.

The nice thing about stamping with acrylics is that they dry really quickly, so I was able to to the "layered leaf" look that I wanted to try without waiting forever in between stamping sessions.

Notice how some of the leaves overlap one another

I was afraid using the acrylics would make the fabric too stiff to do much with it, but again I was pleasantly surprised.

The real trick to some of these projects, of course, is knowing when you are "done"

There is always the temptation to keep messing with it until you've done just one thing too many and ruined it

This piece is officially DONE. Now on to making it into the object I had in mind all along.


The giraffe now has four legs!

Finished up the last of the back legs last night

Now it's on to the body --- and solving the puzzle of the knitting that must have a back bone --- makes me wish I could figure out how to build things from the inside out like Lisa Lichtenfels does. (If you aren't familiar with her work, I highly recommend you go look at her work --- you can use this link --- it's amazing what can be made out of pantyhose and pvc pipe!)

Anyway, I'll be working on the "engineering" part of the giraffe next.

time to get rolling

stamping, stuffing, felting, breaking(?!)

After much fiddling with spraying of dye stuffs, etc., I decided we had reached the "point of no return" and it was time to stamp.

This is the first stamping, using the aspen leaf stamp that I cut and shading the paint from very pale yellow at one end to a sort of rusty brown at the other end.

The plan for today is to use the maple leaf, start at the dark end and stamp using a pale yellow green graduating to a sort of brick red. And to overstamp some of the aspen leafs -- at least to have some of the edges of leaves overlap.

It occured to me that if I really, really like the finished product, I can submit it to SpoonFlower and have yardage made up --- how cool is that!

No, this is not both back legs --- just one from two different angles.

The one on the left is the "side view", the one on the right is the "front view" of the first of the back legs to be stitched and stuffed.

So we now have the proverbial 3 legged stool arrangement --- I'll be working on the forth leg today










Work on the tulips for the bunny continues

The yellow one is now complete

It's a bit smaller than the first one was, and more tightly closed

And here we have the petals of the last one, all laid out on the foam felting "board" with the little white edging and the green in the center of each petal.

I'll be putting that one together today, so the bunny will be finished very, very soon!


This picture could be labeled "unintentional beach glass beginnings"

This was a bottle that got pushed to the back of the refridgerator.

It got cold enough that it froze

and broke the bottle

When everything defrosts I'll be able to pick through the glass, soak off the paper and put some of this in the tumbler in the next batch.

And the clean up wasn't too bad

I'll be packing stuff preparatory to traveling tomorrow to our daughter's house --- we hope to build a deck --- or at least get the foundation of it firmly in place --- this weekend (weather permitting!)