Work Table Weekend

After a day of helping a friend move into their new home, I decided to work on my small mushroom home for my little gnome.  

The mushroom home got it's final touches of paint tonight.  The stepping stones leading up to the cottage were also fixed into place.

Soon, the wishing well will be finished.

 

Work Table Wednesday

I have several projects going on my work table at the moment. I have made two bases, a small wishing well and a mushroom house.  The second base is drying from the paint, before being covered with "dirt." 

What are you working on currently?

Work Table Weekend

The second koi pond is finished! *happy dance*  Stones were darkened, lots of shrubbery and plants were added.

Detailed shot of the grass sticking up through the water:

Yay, lily flower!

I love having the koi peeking out from beneath the plants

The two ponds side-by-side

Work Table Wednesday

So, I actually have a lot on my work table this week!

First, on my day job work desk, I have a beautiful mug that a friend, Stephanie, gave to me this morning while we were riding the bus into work.

She did a wonderful job on the handle..it has such a unique and fun design to it.  It reminds me a lot of grapevines...the mug also has a gorgeous blue/green tint, though this picture really doesn't do it justice.  Thank you, Stephanie!

Guess what?  It's finished!  I deem it done and ready to to be presented to the fair committee.  I darkened the stones tonight, finished off the lily bloom and got some of the detailed pictures that I've been wanting to do for some time now.

So forgive me if I barrage you with some of the pictures :)

So, what's next?  Well, another shipment of button covers arrived today, so I'm super excited to work on that.  I sketched out a full scene for my next project, but I'm still working out the details.  In the meantime, here's a hint:

It's going to have something to do with mushrooms, and no, it's not a cooking recipe ;)  Until next time!

Work Table Weekend

Every once in awhile, you have to tackle a new project.  It gives one time to step back from a familiar medium, (for me, clay) and makes me think outside the box a bit.  This past weekend, that venture outside my comfort zone was playing with fabric.

I adore fabric. I love the different patterns, colors and designs that you can find.  They absolutely fascinate me.  But, I have a confession.  I cannot sew.  My boyfriend uses my sewing machine more than I do at this point.  I do plan to learn more than basic straight lines and sewing pillows...but for right now, my gatherings of fabric sit dejected...unused.

Imagine my delight when I discovered a cover button set.  You just select a pattern you like, cut it out...slide it over the cover button and pop the back on.  Poof! Instant adorable button that you can then fix to all sorts of thing...coats, backpacks, purses, keychains, etc!  Above is just a few of the buttons I've made so far...it's been a lot of fun and I have a ton of ideas for them.  I have some more made, but I won't picture them yet, since they are going to be holiday gifts this winter for friends. :)

Also, last weekend, I had a friend come home with me.  He brought along a small aquarium.  My new betta sits in my office/dining room and keeps me company as I write and work. 

Until next time!

Work Table Wednesday

So, the koi pond is progressing nicely!  I added some plants around the edges of the rock to add texture and depth to the piece.  Then, I sculpted some tiny lily pads, which I then painted, to adorn the surface of the water.  There is even a small lily blossom, but it is not a permanent fixture yet, so it might change once more.

Close up of koi playing peek-a-boo beneath the lily pads with his friends.

Yet, another angle.  I am hoping to get some really nice photos soon that can really show the detail, but I'm waiting for a good day with natural lighting.

And I finally started pouring the resin on my larger pond.  The koi are about halfway there on their swimming pool.  I even have some "plants" that will be sticking up out of the resin on this one to add a unique feature.  Both ponds will be getting a black-wash of paint to darken the stones before I deem them finished.

Work Table Weekend

I finally tackled my fear and began my resin pours tonight on my miniature koi pond.  I started around 7:30pm and finally finished at 1:00am this morning.  I took my time and let each layer cure a lot longer than is really necessary.

This was the pond on about it's third layer.  The koi are struggling to swim at this point in the shallow water.

Here, the pond is receiving it's final cure...I had lost count of the layers by this point, but I'm guessing close to a dozen or just shy.

The fish are completely submerged and happy in their new home, or at least, I like to think that they are.

The only part still partly above water is one of the plants from the bottom.  You might think that this project is finished, but nope!  I have more plans for this piece, which includes adding plants growing up among the rocks, as well as a little across the water to add to the three-dimensional effect.

Work Table Wednesday

Happy Hump Day to you all!  I am definitely glad for the shorter work week, mainly because it is allergy season and mine have decided to wreck havoc once more.  I've been sick for the past three days with fever, sneezing, sore throat and all of the other joys of sinuses.

That being said, I have not stopped working on my fair project, but I am determined to finish this up soon because I have another three entries I want to get started on and I'm running out of time!

Both miniature koi ponds received an extra layer of stonework tonight...which might be hard to tell from last week's post, but they are new! I promise ;)

The biggest challenge was that I had already finished the ground and beginning stages of landscaping, so I did not want to bake this new layer of stones directly onto the current piece.  So, I made all of the stones last night and baked them, before attaching them tonight with a clear glue.  Any holes and open areas will be filled later with more plants and moss after the resin is cured.

While the glue on the stones was drying, I decided to finish up my koi for the larger pond.  Once they are cool, they will receive their beautiful colors, like their smaller cousins.  These fish are not as tiny as the others in the small pond and were a bit easier to sculpt.

My beautiful cat, Arkham, likes to watch over everything I do and was a constant companion tonight.  It's also because he isn't feeling the best and will probably be having the pleasure of a second vet visit soon to deal with dermatitis issues, but for tonight, he is happily nomming on some wet food.