Which witch??

Finished up one of my crescent witches so before I get started on some other projects, I thought I would post:

This is about as creepy as it gets with me.  I have bunches of things cut out so I need to get back at it.  Fall will be here sooner than we think!

Finished...at last

So this is my last of the unfinished projects, now done.  I know why I left this to last.....because it was kind of a pain to complete.  This is a pattern from Sweet Meadows Farms, and to be honest, I struggled with it.  The doll stands on a base, with leg supports from dowels.  It seemed that there was alot of hand work as well. But she really turned out cute!

Well, off I go to get some stuff done today.  I have laundry, DMV, post office, etc on today's list.  Oh, and don't forget my Christmas in July sale at my Etsy shop.  It is only active until the end of the month!

Christmas in July

Happy Tuesday, my bloggie friends.  I have been a busy little bee lately.  In my quest to finish up all of my unfinished projects, I have been working my hot glue blistered fingers to the bone. 

I finished up some more stars:

This is one of the simplest crafts around.  These stars are made from paint paddles.  I cut off the piece above the indention and then cut the sticks in half, lengthwise.  I painted the pieces flat black, but you could use any color.   It takes five pieces to make the star and I just laid them out in a star shape.  I glued the joints together with wood glue and used a binder clip at each point to hold them together. Let them dry overnite.  Wind some jute around the corners, putting in an extra loop for hanging on the top point.  Add floral and a bow of your choice.  Voila!  Done.  These are pretty good size but would look good on a very large tree, hanging in your window or on your door, or I am going to hang them on my kitchen cupboard doors.

I also printed some items from Sunflower Friends that I purchased back in May.  These are great sellers at my shows, are very reasonable, and oh, so easy:

Check out Sondra's graphics at sunflowerfriends.com and if you order, tell her I referred you.

Finally, I finished up these really sweet ornies from a pattern from Sew Primitive Shoppe.  I put my own spin on these but I think they turned out really cute!

Well, I am headed over to my Etsy shop, where I will be listing these little mice,  Stop by!  I am having a Christmas in July sale until the end of the month!~

 

Thursday Tutorial

I've been working on some snowball ornaments lately.  They are so easy so I thought you might like to know how to do them too!

You buy these little white buckets at the dollar store (Dollar Tree)  They are in the wedding department.  They are packaged three in a pack. 

I take mine outside and spray them with my favorite spray:  Rust-oleum Rusty Metal Primer. 

When I made these last year, I painted the buckets with red.  Do whatever color works best for you.  Next I made the snowballs.  Last year, I used styrofoam, but that gets pretty pricey so this year I decided to make my own.

 

I had some plaster of paris so I stirred some up and rolled them into little balls.

                          

Okay, so here are a few tips I learned from trial and error....alot of errors.  Mix the plaster in small batches.  It will become too dry to mold within about 20 minutes or so.  I stirred it up in an old cool whip container and used plastic utensils that I could toss when I was finished.

 

Mix the plaster on the dry side.  It is easier to handle, dries faster, and doesn't puddle while drying.  Roll the balls around in your hand as if you were making cookies.  Oh, yeah.  Put down wax paper or plastic wrap for them to dry on.  Let the balls dry overnight.

 

Next I took the balls outside and sprayed them with sealer and sprinkled with glitter.  Just a bit of glitter goes a long way.  I printed out "Snowballs 4 Sale  5c" and cut into little signs.  Last year I used my tag punch and though cute, packing them was difficult and several tags got bent. 

 

Use a paper towel (I use the Select a Size towel by Bounty, but a half of a normal towel will work just fine)  Wad it up, squirt a little hot glue in the bottom of each bucket and push down.  Grab a small amount of fiberfill and roll into a ball.  Add a bit of glue and push down on top of the towel.  Add your snowballs.  I glue each one on the bottom and then a bit to hold them together.  I glue three in a triangle on top of the fiberfill and then put one on top of those, pyramid style.   Glue on the label....just use a glue stick if you want and add a bow.......voila.....snowballs in a bucket!

 

 

What 'cha Workin' on Wednesday??

More spoons, of course.  But this time with a twist.  I decided to try something new on the spoon ornies, and now I wish I had done all of them this way:

If you want to make some spoon ornies like this, let me tell you how.  These spoons were some el cheapos that my friend Dawn picked up at Costco.  They are great because they bend easily and the handles are not ornate so you can easily paint over them.  Bending is the first thing you do.  I used a vice that is built in to my workbench and clamped the bowl of the spoon in to it.  I then used some heavy duty pliers and grabbed the handle and bent it toward the back of the bowl.  I did put a piece of scrap fabric over the area that I gripped with the pliers so as not to scratch it.  Then I took all of my spoons outside and sprayed some gray primer on it.  When you are painting the handles like this, you will need to spray both front and back.  You will also want to be sure to get up into the bent "neck" of the spoon.  Then paint!  I'm not goin' to lie to you.  It takes several coats of the white and the red (I use light buttermilk and barn red) to get a good coverage.  The blue was easier.  You will need to paint the front and back.  When completely dry, add the fur trim.  I use Snowtex.

You can get this stuff at any craft store.  I have had the one bottle for years.  If it starts to dry out, just add a little water and mix it up well.  It is very dimensional, so use a scruffy brush to apply it.  The key to using this, is to let it dry overnight.  And....note to self.....do not let the cat alone in the studio with partially dried spoons.

Put your finishing touches on the next morning....paint on the faces, add polka dots, and finish off with a clear sealer.  If you are going to make multiples, be sure to wrap them before packing to avoid scratching.

So there you have it!  Another spoon idea!  Happy crafting~!

Spoon ornies

Been working on completing some more spoon ornies.  I finished up about 20 of these and will be listing them today in my Etsy store.  Still working on more snowmen and some Santas.

I love the way these turned out.  Let me know what you think!  Finishing up some pillows and ornies as well, so I had better get back to work.  Have a great day!

Happy Firecracker Day!

Getting ready for a long weekend.  We really don't have any firm plans except that we are rabbit sitting for my son's two rabbits.  Right now, I am feeling really farm-like here with two dogs, a cat, two rabbits, and four chickens.  In addition to all that feeding and cleaning up poo, we also feed wild birds and hummingbirds. 

I got some work done this week in the studio.  I had an appt. yesterday that took me away from home almost all day, but on Monday, I finished up a few items.  My goal is to get all my half-done projects done before I start on any new ones.  I had a few repairs to do.  The craft show season is hard on inventory so I had a few paint touch ups, re-glueing, etc.  On Friday, I found some nesting boxes (paper mache) at Michaels in the clearance bin. I couldn't wait to paint them!


                         

I just love painting snowmen!  I am going to put these in my Etsy shop so check back later for details. 

Gotta get my grocery list together.  Shopping got moved up a day!