Bird Bathed

On one of my many trips to my local Goodwill, while scouring the shelves for something interesting I found a bird bath. Okay, so technically it was a plate drilled to what might be a table leg, but I'm good at looking past those hindrances and into the potential of something. If someone took the time to drill a plate to a table leg than why shouldn't I take the time to spruce it up.

Here's what it looked like before:

Awkward photo, but you get the idea. 

I cleaned it up, painted and had intended to add a bird made from Sculpey. But, because that seemed boring I replaced it with an elephant because it's my  bird bath and I can do anything want to it damn it! Here's the redeux:

If only I could get water to shoot from it's nose

A lovely addition to the mod-podge of things that is my back yard.  Hopefully the little elephant doesn't scare away any actual birds, I would really like this it be a functional piece rather than a statue of a bird bath.  

My Very Own Brain slug

My most recently finished Plush started as most of my plushes do; a blob of a shape. I then decide whether or not I'm inspired by what I've begun to make or if I need to rip it apart and mutter swear words under my breath. After finishing this lil' one I stood back, tilted my head and thought "It looks like a brain slug." Like those pictured here:

As seen on Futrama

But I thought I'd add some details and make it my own also I'm not confident enough on how copyright laws  work.

"Gauurrhh I'm kind of adorable!" 

He's teething

I spend a lot of my time with my plushes. Because I hand stitch them it takes me a couple of afternoons before I finish them. I also have a hard time ending the project. I'll be done, look at them and think "Holy crap! He needs horns, HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO BLIND!" This way, every plush I make looks how I want it to, a little something extra added to them. For not this little guy's gonna be sitting up here, 

That is until I start an Etsy account where I will be selling this lil' dude along with some of his friends! So sit down with your partner and start thinking about adopting a Plush. 

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Though technically not a craft, gardening is something that can give you the same sense of satisfaction that you get when you make something. I like the feeling of tending to something and watching it thrive. Unless they start dying in which case I get really bummed out. But! so far so good this year. I'm growing tomato plants, basil, beets and string beans this year and pretending to be Thoreau at Walden Pond every chance I get.

 I

Growing basil from seeds is some slow going.

And perhaps it's because I grew up around Roman Catholics but I don't think a back yard is complete without a religious statue. Mine is a Statue of Mary. I found her in the Goodwill around the corner from my house. Before I re-did her paint job she has the creepiest eyes painted right below where they should have been. I would hope you find her new look an improvement.

Holy Mary Mother of Basil.

SNAIL PIG!

I briefly mentioned in my last post that from time to time I like to make plush monsters. I've made three now and today I started on my fourth. Like the other's this one's imagining was helped in part by illustrator Anthony Briglia, who is also my boyfriend but whatever.

Here is the shape I made today:

It looks like ...nothing really other than a big blob. But! After tossing it back and forth and saying things like "it looks like a pig" or " which end is supposed to be the front?" Monsieur Briglia has the great idea of combining my two favorite animals; pigs and snails. Pigsnail. Snailpig. Pnail. Snig....? Yeah, okay, I'm done sorry. Here's the sketches he did for me: 

I use Anthony's sketches as a jumping off point so that I make things as they come. I know the snail pig looks like nothing, and a not very impressive nothing but that's how they all start and then they turn into something cool. I'll keep you posted on snail pig as well as show you some more finished projects. Ta ta for now! 

Little Hands, Big Projects

About two years ago I was under the impression that my hands were my least attractive trait. They're small, and chubby and always getting nicked, pricked and scraped up. It's strange to think that there was a time I didn't see their value. Small and chubby as they may be, they're power houses of crafts. They're great at stitching, painting and honestly any small detail work there is. All this creative power in these tiny squishy hands, who would have thought?

Over time I've tried any and all crafts I could think of to test myself and keep my wee digits busy. These crafts include Origami:

Embroidery:

Plush Animal Making:

And whatever the hell you would call putting claws on a ballerina music box:

Most of the time I will become obsessed with one form of creating and then never do it ever again. This blog is to work as a inspiration to keep going and keep making and finish the things I start as well as keep me writing.  So stick with me babies, cause these little hands have got some big projects in mind!