Animal sculpture

If I can't have a pig for a pet or catch a hedgehog, I can make these 'cutesies' out of clay instead. These figurines are made from air-dry clay which I find very convenient because there is no baking involved and the figurines created retain their own shapes after drying. There are no special tools required for this, only fingers. Air-dry clay is sold in most art and craft/stationery shops in small slabs. Just pull out the amount you need and stretch it so it becomes pliable before making figurines.

                                              This is Wilbur the pig that escaped the butcher's knife

                                                        The characteristic swirl at the rear end'

Wilbur can double up as a Christmas ornament

                              And this is Prickles the hedgehog which can also be a tooth pick holder

Bear Cards

It has been a BEARY good day and with paper and glue and lots of embellishments, I decided to put four bear cards together. Just can't wait to send them out to bear fans!

Christmas Ornaments

Sounds crazy but I'm making Christmas ornaments in July. I had leftovers of terracotta coloured air-dry clay so with some cookie cutters, a rolling pin and gold trimmings out came these 3 ornaments.

Roman Empire Look?

Using two round cookie cutters, one big and one small, I cut out a circle to form the base. Then I glued the leaves onto the circle with liquid model glue.The ornament is left to dry in its original terracotta colour and then given a clear coat of varnish.  I used an old heart pendant for the centre and wrap the chain around the wreath. The gold beads were then glued to the wreath with silicone glue.

A triple layered christmas tree

Using a christmas tree cookie cutter I cut two pieces of the same tree. The first piece is used as the base while the second is cut into 3 parts. Once all the parts are dried I glued the 3 parts with liquid modelling glue onto the base giving it a layered effect. Then I used acrylics to paint them. Finally I sprinkled some left-over beads (from my nail-varnish embellishments) onto the painted parts while they are still wet. The ornament is then varnished with a clear varnish.

And one for the dog!

Using a dog-bone cookie cutter I cut out the shape of the bone, left it to dry. Then I distressed the edges with Tim Holtz distress paint. (vintage colour) After that, I tied a bow around the bone, embellished it with flowers and gauze and then drew a paw print in one corner with a marker pen. 

Ode to Autumn - Mixed Media Collage

Autumn will be here soon and that is my favourite season. I have always loved textures and mediums. A collage on canvas allows me to put together all sorts of stuff to create an autumn scene of brown and orange hues. Acrylics form the background. The terracotta air-dry clay is perfect for the soil part, crushed egg shells form the gravel and mung beans represent life that has fallen from the tree. Some mung beans (life) still remain on the tree while leaves turn brown. The copper coloured sequins give the illusion of sunlight.

                       Ode to Autumn                   

                                          John Keats

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness!

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;

To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

For Summer has o'erbrimmed their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?

Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find

Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,

Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;

Or on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep,

Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook

Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers;

And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep

Steady thy laden head across a brook;

Or by a cider-press, with patient look,

Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?

Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, - 

While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day

And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;

Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn

Among the river sallows, borne aloft

Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;

And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;

Hedge-crickets sing, and now with treble soft

The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft;

And gathering swallows twitter in the skies. 

A spectrum of cards

It has been drizzling today after days of glorious sunshine. I actually welcome the rain as it is good for the flowers and vegetables. So decided to spend the day making cards as my stock is getting low and there are so many special events coming up. Tried my hand at making some flip cards and pocket cards. I learnt that from Christina Griffith's you-tube post.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAP3J8RU8NQ&list=TLOSUhjfr-q6w

Christmas in July

It's never too early to start preparing for Christmas. This is a tin that I've altered using the decoupage technique. Sometimes I think I buy the cookies because of the shape of the tin!

Top View

An angel painted in acrylics

The original tin after it has been stripped off its label

Homemade Christmas cards are fun to make and a joy to receive

I made this from leftover ribbons

A little bit of sewing with gold and blue threads

There are lots of lovely stitching patterns which you can download for free.

http://www.stitchingcards.com/section.php/5/1/free-e-patterns

Nothing like a touch of paper-tole

I like cutting out several layers of the same image and then mounting them one on top of the other to give a 3 - Dimensional effect.

Painted Milk Churn

I love vintage stuff and the milk churn is one of them. I bought two - a big one and a smaller one from a car-boot sale (flea market), so I decided to paint the smaller one first. I treated the original milk churn with a primer and a base coat. Then I painted a farmyard scene on it. I then gave it a coat of clear varnish.

Painted milk churns can double up as umbrella holders. You can also put a lovely pot of flowers on top. Or they can be left as they are in a corner. Great conversation piece!

Breadbox with a difference

Went to a car boot sale (flea market) in Galway and picked up this old and sturdy breadbox. I love wooden stuff and this roll-top bread box looks very vintage.

I decided to paint a new coat of mature green colour in acrylics. Then I cut out an assortment of pictures to embellish the top and the sides of the box. I distressed the edges of the pictures with Tim Holtz distress paint (vintage) to give them a softer look.

Using Tim Holtz swirl die, I added gold swirls to the box.

So now it is a breadbox with a difference! A nifty place to house my bread, buns and pastries!

A tin of strawberries

My Iranian friend Zohre  has invited me over for coffee and since I'm up and early tomorrow I thought I would make her a little gift. So I found this smallish cookie tin and transformed it.

With paper and imagination something beautiful emerged.

Top View

I made use of the paper tole technique for the little girl. 

Finally I decided to fill it with fresh strawberries from my garden

Graduation Fun

My son Samuel graduated recently and I decided to make this fun layout for him. I think he must have been inspired by Patch Adams to do something hilarious on this occasion. Well, kudos to his creative spirit. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Miniature wall photo frame and money jar

Miniature wall photo frame

I just adore framing memories and there's nothing like remembering grown up children in their childhood days.

Money Jar

There's always loose change about the house so I created this money jar out of an empty peanut butter jar. I like to experiment with colours and decided to put blue and brown together and love the effect! The money that builds up will go towards more crafting stash.