Unicorns!

At least, that is always what I hear when I am working with one of my favorite mythical creatures.  I am a huge fan of Peter Beagle's The Last Unicorn and had the honor to meet him last summer.  It also doesn't help that a dear friend of mine cries out "UNICORN!" in King Haggard's voice every time a unicorn makes an appearance. 

So, with all of those awesome memories of past and present, I have to bring unicorns into my craft at some point or another.  Enter, the unicorn pendants!

At least these will hopefully not release a harpy onto you.  (If you do not get that reference, please do me a favor and either pick up a copy of The Last Unicorn, book or animation.  I promise you won't be disappointed).

The brilliant purple unicorn pendant is available now at The Gamer's Armory, located in Cary, North Carolina!  You can also find my Itty Bitty Cthulhu, Cthulhu pendants, earrings and more in the store!

Give Gamer's Armory a "Like" on Facebook to see all of the awesome items they carry and the amazing events they host!

Work Table Wednesday

Remember the miniature koi pond that I made last fall for the state fair?

With the tiny koi, all three of which fit on a single dime?

Well, I couldn't stop just there...I had to expand...or...well, miniaturize!

Three little koi, swimming on a dime...

Three little koi, swimming in their pendant pond...

 

Three little koi, having such a fun time!

This is only the first of a few koi pond pendants that I plan to make...I am testing out some techniques and finding what looks just right.  I also have a few other ideas, but one project at a time! ;)

Super Bowl/Work Table Sunday!

(insert standard NFL football music here)

Makes you just want to grab a plate of wings, some very unhealthy dip and plop down to laugh at the ridiculous commericals and watch two teams fight it out for a chance to be Super Bowl Champions!

It doesn't? Oh.  Well, that's okay too!

For us, we are rooting for one team, but really we sit to watch the commercials and have an excuse to eat really unhealthy food. :P

Tonight, the plan is buffalo wings, chili dip, buffalo chicken dip and hash brown casserole.  Wait...I think we are missing something...oh yes, probably a defibrillator.  Maybe I'll throw in a vegetable to make ourselves feel better.  It will probably be breaded too.

But, besides watching two groups of men beating each other bloody, I will also be working on more clay!  I did want to show you a couple of finished or nearly finished projects :)

That's right...more Cthulhus!  The top one is a birthday gift for a friend...I just need to make him a base tonight and finish him up, then he'll be ready to go. :)  I'm only a couple of weeks late at this point.

This little guy is part of my Valentine's Day gift to my boyfriend. Shhh...don't tell.  ;)

I also have several WIPs (Works in Progress) that I have been doing...I started five more sculptures at a meetup on Friday night, while sitting in a coffee shop, surrounded by friends.  It was really fun and helped me not focus so much on the little details, but the overall design. I'm hoping I'll get those further along too, so I can show you on Wednesday.

Have a great night!
(end typical NFL football music with crash of helmets)

Pirate Crab!

So, my dad requested a special sculpture from me for Christmas. He wanted a pirate blue crab that had taken up residence on Blackbeard's sunken ship.

After baking, before painting:

We brainstormed for quite awhile on all the different options before settling on a crab with an eyepatch and missing claw that was replaced by a fishing hook, of course!

After baking, painting and giving:

Argh...I'll guard yer parents' kitchen table with me broadsword!

Seriously, I forgot to take his picture before wrapping him up and traveling home for Christmas.  So, enter beautiful green tablecloth backdrop :p

Oh, and did I mention my Dad also wanted an oyster..."with attitude"..this one turned out more like a muppet...

But, he had such a hilariously cute expression, I couldn't bear to smoosh him back up into a lump of clay.  That happens sometimes..what you start out creating, might not turn out like you envisioned him...but maybe something better.  He even got a pearl!

A belated holiday gift

So, after promising to finish a piece for a couple of months, I finally did and got it mailed...just in time to arrive the day after Christmas.

At least it arrived before the new year... ;)

Here is the little hermit crab...

And here he is with his little friend...

The tiny betta was a bit of a challenge to make...he is the second one that I have done, the first is currently a prisoner in resin and shattered glass.

And, I also sent my friend a surprise necklace, in honor of her gorgeous and whimsical snails.

Day after Christmas Shopping!

Even though I am writing this post ahead of time, I am going to hazard a guess that we will be partaking in the day after Christmas shopping.  Last year, my mom and I raided Michaels for leftover Christmas trees...I ended up with two great small ones.

This year, I really don't have anything on my list for after Christmas shopping, but I'm sure I'll find some clay or paint that I "cannot live without." :P

Here is a summary of all the necklaces I made for holiday gifts.  I still have a few holiday gifts to show you, but those will be next time.

Holiday Gifts, Part 3

Ok, technically Christmas is not for two more days, but, I am going to take a gamble and guess that my Mom will be so busy entertaining us, that she will not be reading my blog, LOL!

Obviously, this necklace is for her.  I actually used the same pattern when I created my pendant back in the summer time.  I thought it would be nice to both have the same flower, even when we are so far apart.

Holiday Gifts, Part 2

I am so excited for this evening!  A friend and I are going to see the Nutcracker Ballet!  I have always wanted to see a live production of it and have watched it for years on the public broadcasting stations while usually wrapping gifts.

I am giving her this as a surprise for her holiday gift.  She has made me three beautiful mugs in her pottery studio and she loves cats, having two of her own, so I thought she would like this design.

Surprisingly, it was very hard to get a good picture of this piece.  There are so many colors incorporated, but pictures definitely do not do it justice.  I used multiple watercolors and mica powders to add color to the scene of this cat looking out over the sunrise (or perhaps sunset)? 

Holiday Gifts

Ah, the holiday season is fast approaching and everyone is scrambling to finish their last minute shopping, baking, wrapping and gift making!  I took Friday off from work in order to finish up my holiday shopping and to finish up some holiday projects.

Since we are celebrating the season with one family today, I will go ahead and share their gifts with you.  As the upcoming holiday approaches and the gifts are given out, I will reveal each one to you.

Some of you might remember the pendant I made earlier this year, using image transfer, clay and Magic-Glos?  Well, I decided to incorporate that into my gift making this year.

This heart pendant featuring primroses will be going to my boyfriend's mom for Christmas.  It uses a combination of clay, watercolor, mica powders and resin to create an eye-catching piece.

 

While his sister will also receive a pendant, featuring a more artistic style flower.  I hope they enjoy them.  Stay tuned for more projects!  What are you making this holiday season?

Work Table Weekend

Now that I have given some of our holiday gifts out, I feel like I can share the final pictures with you all.  :)

First, the Santa Cthulhu's on their snowy drifts....though, I have to admit, this isn't the final picture.  I added snowballs to each Cthulhu and they were hilarious!  They actually looked like they were having a snowball fight with each other and I regret not getting a picture of that! :) 

I bet you can guess where the snowballs went though ;)  So, just use your imagination.

The finished unicorn went to another friend, who absolutely loves and collects various unicorns.  I used roving wool for the mane, tail and feathering around the hooves.  It was a pretty white, but when I think of mythical creatures, I think of glitter, etc.  After some pondering, I tried out some beautiful violet mica powder that I had and was able to actually "paint" it onto the wool to create an iridescent and glittery appearance.

To commemorate the engagement of two friends, I thought of what better way than interwoven rings.  I used another color of mica powder to create an antique silver finish.

Finally, a friend of ours just recently bought a farm and has been raising beautiful fancy chickens for some time now.  I thought a bird's nest pendant with colorful green eggs (textured glass beads) would be something she could enjoy.

I have several more projects I am going to be working on in the coming weeks before Christmas, so check back to see what is meandering across my work table!

Work Table Wednesday

I have a lot of things on my work table right now!  The holidays are fast approaching and I find that I have a project every single evening for the next two and a half weeks, if I am going to stay ahead of the game and have everything done in time for the holiday parties.

My grandmother's birthday is this Sunday, so I sent her a package today containing some cute jigsaw puzzles, which she loves, as well as these goodies...

She is receiving a wall plaque I made out of polymer clay with pearlized powder, a beaded bookmark and two sets of earrings, including some gorgeous blue lace agate from CrysallisGEMS that I made into simple drop earrings.

Santa Cthulhus' are finished and drying with their shiny metallic sheen.  Maybe they should get candy cane staffs ;)

Our dog, Kallie, has not been amused by all of the frantic creating or holiday shopping.  She would rather take a nap.  So would I....she is a very smart doggie.

Work Table Wednesday

Well, this cute little guy was on my worktable this past weekend...

Now, I am spending today, while trying to get rid of a really bad cold and migraine attack, how I am going to replace him.  See, I found out the hard way on Sunday evening that UV resin and glass do not necessarily mix.

So...my cute little betta...

is now encased in yellow resin in a cracked bowl.  I do not have a picture of this...it is too depressing :P 

But, that is how it goes sometimes...you never know until you try!  I will be making another betta very soon and hopefully, I can figure out how to make him properly shine!

Work Table Weekend

Today, I spent time working with clay for the first time in a couple of weeks.  It was really nice to relax with my favorite medium.  I ended up reworking a hermit crab, finishing another one, as well as start the beginning of a new project attempt. :)  Here are the pictures of the works in progress.  The hermit crabs will be getting a coat of paint next, before incorporating accessories.  I did have to place a Santa hat on for the photo...it made me giggle too much.

 A friend and I explored Jerry's Art-a-rama yesterday and I picked up another jar of Pearl-Ex, along with two bottles of Lumiere paint that I cannot wait to try out.

We had so much fun exploring the art store and meeting individuals that do gorgeous work, including Sharon Payne of Jazztangled.  She had her boots on display, which won a 1st place ribbon at the State Fair and was demonstrating her amazing ability of Zentangle to customers of the store.

Property of Sharon Payne, jazztangled.blogspot.com/

Sharon had beautiful patterns on display and we really enjoyed talking with her about her artwork.  She said it was a wonderful way to relax, even though the final piece appears to be very complicated.  I wish I was had brought my camera to take a couple of pictures, but here is an example of her work from her blog, which you should definitely check out!

Property of Sharon Payne, jazztangled.blogspot.com/

The Results are In!!

We made it to the Fair and had a blast!  I buy our tickets early so we get a discounted price, but it can still be expensive, so you want to make the most of your time there.  We paid a little extra for parking, but it was worth it since we were right across the street from the fairgrounds and everyone was SO nice!

Of course, you have to sample the fair food...in all of it's fried glory.  One of our favorite vendors does amazing cheese sticks/cubes/melty goodness.  Here is a jalapeno pepper jack with jalapeno ranch dressing.

So worth the calorie count!  Followed by Italian sausages and more fried foods.

After the food, we decided to walk off all of those calories by checking out some of the livestock exhibits.  Look at the adorable bunnies!

We finally made it to the Handicrafts and Hobbies exhibit.  To my shock and amazement, every single entry won a ribbon!

Here are the results!

My acorn egg won First Place AND Best of Show for the egg decorating competition.

My pumpkin egg won a Third Place ribbon among some beautiful entries!

My Gnome Sweet Gnome house also won Third Place in the decorations division.

As did my hermit crab :)

My miniature Koi Pond received a 2nd Place ribbon in the Miniatures category!

I am so thrilled that all of my entries earned a ribbon of some form.  We also had a great time and won some stuffed animals at the balloon dart toss, as well as the ping pong ball game for goldfish.  I refused to bring home any fish, so the lady let me have a stuffed one instead :)

We also did a turkey shoot for the first time!  My boyfriend did a much better job than I did (his two targets are on the right, mine are on the left and are less..holey) :)  We would have won, but one guy was just a smidge closer to the crosshairs. It was still an amazing time!