A Merry Little Christmas

So here's the conundrum-- my love of Christmas cheer plus my very small space did not add up to a livable/workable environment. Solution-- I made my own little tree! I designed it such that it can all be taken apart and stack flat for storage. I had so much fun rounding up my tiny treasures to decorate it with! And I already had the little house for the top (you can go here for directions to make your own), which perfectly covered the bolt that holds the whole tree together. I'm thinking I'll put together some instructions for the stacking tree after the whirlwind of holiday activities has blown past.  In the meantime, my list is long and I'm mighty grateful for that!

Hope you're all feeling the spirit!

(But if you're just not that's okay too. I'll still like you.)

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More Gift Tags for You to Print

Hello!

I made some little gifty tags for you.

Because giving a present is even more fun when you put a bird on it.

•♥•

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Angels and bunnies and more bunnies, oh my!

Just finished a little Wintery batch. I was in an icy-blue mood. Needed some wings and bunny ears to melt my cold cold heart. And so it is that this trio, guaranteed to thaw even the frostiest among us, is here.

I made some new stuff last week too, only I failed to share them here in Bloglandia. I think Facebook has sucked me into some sort of time vortex, leaving little time for other endeavors. If you miss me, you'll probably find me over there. But be warned. . . time vortex.

I'm forever trying to figure out how to better mange my time. Apparently, working ALL the time isn't good (even if that work is fun). Working ALONE all the time is apparently not conducive to having any sort of social life, and one might find oneself talking to one's creations a little bit TOO much. Not good. And if super-happy-creative-funtime always wins over time-to-pay-the-bills time, and numbers make me itch, and there's homework and paperwork and what-the-heck-does-this-even-mean work, and practice-the-guitar and learn-something-new-every-day, and make sure to exercise/take-your-vitamins/meditate/journal/bask-in-gratitude/get-out-there-and-meet-people because it's good for you, and you're not getting any younger, and today is the first day of the rest of your life, and , and, and. . .



So I'm doing my damnedest to find that balance that apparently exists. . . somewhere.

Doesn't it? 



In the meantime, Lulu and I will be in our blanket fort.

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Thankful

Wanna make a Thanksgiving tree?

Click, print, cut, write, glue. . .voila! 

Gratitude galore!

Of course I'm thankful for so many other things (peanut butter jumps to mind),

but this motley crew is at the top of my list.

How about you? 

What are you especially grateful for this year?

I think I'm the most grateful for the love and support shown to me by my family, friends, and even strangers, in this ridiculously challenging year. Every word of encouragement, every shared story, every act of comfort. 

Thank you.

♥

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Moons, Socks, and Things with Wings

In between bouts of pounding my head against this computer screen (learning stuff is proving to be more challenging than I imagined),  I managed to do the kind of thing I'm actually good at.

Aislynn here insisted upon a make-over. She wanted wings. (And really, who could blame her?) 

Here she is holding court. She's MUCH bigger than my usual fare, so the other goodies have no choice but to look up to her.

  

Emerald, the anthropomorphic pine tree, is generally unimpressed.

 Celeste and Harvey are just plain cute. . .

 . . . as is Honey Bee. She's a happy sort, but she promises to like you even if you're having a bad day/week/year.

Olivander, Oliver, and Olivia don't care one way or the other.

 However Percival, Oxford, and Princeton, are always cheering for your success. . .

. . .while Edgar and Allen have no qualms about laughing when you trip.

And this sweet oddity is Skellyfly. She's my favorite this week. I love her strange little buggy arm/legs.

And now I must return to things that are far less fun. Computery-numbery-mathy-type things. I bought myself some stripey socks though, as a reward for my perseverance. It's scientifically proven that striped socks make everything just a little more fun.

Hope you're all having a stripey-socks kind of day!

♥

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And speaking of learning something new. . .

I get to take a very cool class, and I got a scholarship! That's right, I'm officially a collage student once again. The class only meets once a month, but I get a student ID and stuff. Hey, discounted movies! And school supplies! Totally gotta get myself a cool backpack. . . Anyway, this is the class (the one on the left).

I'm gonna learn what the heck I'm doing here. At least that's the goal. And maybe I'll make some friends while I'm at it. Oh no, what if I'm the weird kid that eats her lunch alone behind the bleachers?? Shut up, brain. But I digress. As organized as I am when it comes to my creative goings-on, I'm equally as unorganized when it comes to business stuff. Numbers make me twitchy, paperwork causes hives. I gotta work on that. In the not-too-distant past I just handed all financial things over to my former partner, trusting that he knew what he was doing. Turns out, he really really really didn't. I'm learning that I can trust myself, and am more capable than I ever imagined. So yay for silver linings. Here I go, putting one foot in front of the other, trusting that the journey will lead to beautiful destinations.

In the meantime, you can find me behind the bleachers.

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The Stragglers

OK, now this pair are just too damn cute

(if I do say so myself),

Madeline

Radley

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Makin' a List, Checkin' it Twice

Well, I got to check bunches of stuff off my Finish-It list this weekend, but there are still lots and lots of things left to do. I love my lists, they're funny. You gotta love a job that has lists that include (and I quote) make bat wings, paint fangs, more spider arms, epoxy (ok, so that's just a funny word), and name the skellyheads.  Silliness, I tell you!

 I'm learning to take better pictures I think, and I made some pretty new backgrounds too. I just painted them on poster board then covered that with tracing paper to give it a blurry backgroundy look. 

I'm doing something new! Been playing with clay (the fire-it-in-a-kiln kind) lately. I sculpted a bunch of pieces and have been slowly but surely making molds of them. It was a steep learning curve with lots and lots of opportunities to learn from my mistakes. But I think I have it pretty much figured out. Now I can press clay into the molds, carve in the details, fire it up, and decorate however my little heart desires. These guys are painted. . .

. . .and these guys are a combination of glaze (raku-fired) and paint. Fun!

Most of these pieces have already been claimed, but in all my creative chaos I totally spaced out the fact that I have 3 more pieces done too. They sit here above me, whining about missing out on the photo shoot. Patience, my pesties! I'll get to you tomorrow.

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This Morning's Worktable(s)

Good morning all! Thought you might like a peek at what I'm up to over the next few days. . . First on the list:

Stitch, attach jump rings, attach arms and legs.

Then pack and ship these little ornaments.

Next:

Give these guys teeth, stain them, and attach their little hangy wires.

Then:

Make a pattern for something I really want to make right this minute, then make that to the point of needing paint. Then paint all these guys. 

 More paint. . .

 More paint. . .

Give Aislynn a make-over. (She insisted on having wings, and who can blame her?)

I finished this quirky trio yesterday. I love them. Yes, I delight in my finished goodies. If I didn't, what would be the point?

And last but not least, take everybody's pictures and list them in my shop. By Sunday evening. Am I fooling myself? Can I really get all this done??? Maybe. But I'm gonna have fun trying! Got my favorite podcasts all loaded up, Diet Dr. Pepper in my little fridge, peanutbutter-stuffed pretzels. . . Let the marathon commence!

Hopefully I'll be back on Sunday with a boatload of goodies! Cross your fingers for me.

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Punkinheads!

So, I totally keep meaning to blog more regularly, but alas...



Anyway, I finished a patch of punkinheads this past week. They're noisy little buggers, and I can't wait for them to leave! Please help take them off my hands, they've taken over The Cart. You wouldn't think they'd be able to get into too much trouble, being limbless and all, but you'd be wrong. They bounce all over the place, terrorizing poor Lulu, and generally wreaking havoc. I'm sure they'll be less of a handful once they're separated. . . But no promises.

They're here. If you dare.

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Yay! New stuff!

I finished a few new pieces this week.

I like working in threes. Can you tell?

Milo, Mortimer, and Millicent.

Sassy Max, Monty Bones, and Merlin.

And last but not least, Circus Skelly.

Everybody is in the shop now.

Hope you're all having a curious day.

♥

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Today's Table(s)

OK, I've been getting a little carried away, creatively speaking.

I just can't keep up with all my ideas! So the WIPs (works-in-progress) are taking over the Cart. "Today's Table" would more accurately be "Today's Every-Available-Surface". I just can't seem to stick with one thing, so I go back and forth amongst all my stations-- sewing, woodworking, sculpting, sketching. . . repeat. Repeat again. Wheee!!

This morning I've been mostly playing with wood, making armatures. They are deceptively simple-looking, but in actuality take a multitude of tools to finish. For each one I use a chop saw, an angle grinder, a dremel tool, a scroll saw, and a drill. And sandpaper, but that's not really a tool, is it? Anyway, now that I've got the armatures put together I can do the fun part-- playing with clay!

Speaking of playing with clay, I've been spending some time in the clay studio over at the Lincoln City Cultural Center. It's fun to play with fire again! Last night we did a raku firing and I made some itty bitty skelly masks. Love how this one turned out! I'll be adding in teeth and some eye details with paint. Now I have to make someone to wear it. . .

Hope you're all having a creative day.

(Maybe a little less creative than mine though, because sheesh! 

I've really gotta reign myself in sometimes.)

♥

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After-Pics and Bunnies

I promised some after-pictures in that last post, and here they are!

So here's the little mermaid, all ready for final details...

And here's Marina all done...

Itty bitty Kiki is already sold... Painting this tiny is hard!

This one is Fynn.

He/she is kinda odd, but my favorite this week. I like odd.

This one wanted to be a tiger. Rawr!

She's on her way to London.

 And these two little monster bugs are in Michigan now.

I made some little circus tents to share too.

They have wheels. Because wheels are cute.

Here, here, and here.

I took a bit of a mental health day this past Monday. Drove up the coast with College Boy to Pacific City. Sometime in the distant past, somebody let loose a bunch (or maybe just two) of domestic rabbits that have gone on to populate the area. They are very sweet, coming right up for treats. I'll spare you from the ridiculous amount of bunny pics I snapped. Oh well, maybe just a couple...

I was having a bit of a rough patch, but bunnies make everything better.

Yay for bunny days!

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