another interpretation

i got a sweet tin in my last swap. it's always interesting to see how different people interpret the same theme. i'm slowly acquiring a little "day of the dead" collection to add to my craft room decor. i love the detail in this one. i'm always amazed at the different things you can do with polymer clay. always learning and feeding the mind's eye.

i also loved all the content she included. i'll have to figure out a way to incorporate all the cute little charms into a unique and different necklace. some nice eye candy. i'm still searching the net for some inspiration. i don't want to start a new hobby, but it's always nice to look.

i'm in a bit of a funk lately. hopefully our trip to florida this weekend will get me back in the groove. aaron is completely pumped. disney and cardinals baseball = his dream vacation. we got our spring training package in the mail a few weeks ago. they only promised tees, but they delivered so much more. it had cardinal t-shirts, hats, baseballs, messenger bags, pins...and so much more. i was quite surprised that they sent so much. i need to get a pic of aaron sporting all the gear. maybe i'll do that tomorrow.

bacon on the brain

a couple of weeks ago, jen had her appendix removed. as a 'get well gift' i sent her a few slices of bacon. yes, bacon. if you've checked out loopy rocket you'll know she has an undying love for the pork product. all i can say is that i made her a very happy gal. you're so welcome, jen!!

lady and wood

on our way to san antonio, i passed the time working on a few projects from the "doodle stitching" book i got a few weeks ago. here is my first project done in completion. too cute. i've been on a ladybug/wood grain kick lately. right now i'm working on another altoid tin. next week i'll start brian and irina's throw pillows along with setting up shop. goal for the month of february is to get something up and going. i'm about 75% there.

we decided not to do anything for valentines day. at least that's what we told each other. no gifts, no nothing. aaron came home with a big bouquet of flowers and i had made some valentine brownies. originally i made a batch of sugar cookies that turned out horribly wrong. i followed the recipe for cookie-cutter cookies, but something went awry. they were heart-shaped and they weren't burnt but they were rock hard. so into the trash they went.

when desert time came around, i used the heart cookie cutter to cut out a brownie, put a scoop of vanilla ice cream, added a few raspberries, powdered sugar and chocolate syrup. it looked divine. i almost ran upstairs to take a pic of my creation. aaron was impressed. all in all, we had a good day!

givin a hoot

my partner received today so i can post all the "owlie" goodness i made. i tend to go on a rampage when i have a specific goal in mind. what i made: a reversible tote with a wood grain pocket. i'm pretty proud that i managed to do it on my machine. matching owl stuffie to hang out in said pocket. an owl pin. also matches the fabric i used on the tote. a hand-painted tee. found a nearly new tee at goodwill and went to town. i planned on doing a more elaborate design but decided simple was better. i used a stencil i found here. a hand-painted i.d. wallet/coin purse. another thrift store find revamped. first time i've painted leather or pseudo leather. hopefully it lasts. i sprayed some clearcoat on it, but i'm not sure if that's gonna help. i'll have to research that one a bit more.

a fabric-covered journal. i had a real hard time parting with this one. i was soooooooo happy with how it turned out. i'm not a big writer, at least not with paper and pen, but i almost changed my mind when i completed this one. i attempted a scrabble tile pendant but learned i needed to decoupage/seal the top of the image before i pour resin over it. the resin leaked under the white making it look almost transparent. so instead i used it as a button on the journal. it's not a functioning button but it does give it that extra kick. i'm gonna have to wait til it gets warmer to work with resin again. it's more of an outdoor activity. it definitely needs plenty of ventilation. someone's gonna get the other projects i made when i worked on this one, but i'm not naming names.

a polymer owl pendant. still working with the stuff. this is one of the first non-food subjects i've made. not sure if i'm ready to branch out yet. it's just another thing to add to my never-ending list of projects to do. and finally the last items: stamped polymer clay thumbtacks. it's the first time i've tried stamping in clay. i used an owl button i have and made impressions in the clay. pretty easy. the only thing i didn't like: i used a circular cutter to punch them out and they lost their shape when i pushed them through. i had to mold them back into little circles. i might have to cool them in the fridge before trying to push them out of the cutter. another learning experience.

all in all, i was quite satisfied with everything i made. and my partner was happy with everything and that's all that really matters. to see more photos check out my flickr set. and all of these photos were taken before my lighting setup. so they have the yellow tinge to them.

i did finish my t-shirt dress. but i'll save that for tomorrow.

i swap a lot

angela received her tin today so i can post photos of what i made. above is the top of the tin. i went with her asian/orient theme. i love the theme myself so i absolutely enjoyed making everything. i practiced a little more using polymer, both inside and out.

unfortunately the blossom pin didn't make it. one of the petals broke. boo! :( everything else arrived intact. also included: a large marble magnet, blossom bookmark, origami crane earrings, fortune cookie cell phone charm and 6 marble thumbtacks. it was a great swap, especially it being her first!! you go girl!

brother brian asked me to make steak and potatoes. i told him steak is "so not cute" but he insisted. here's my version...i even made the little plate it's sitting on. i may redo the steak, it's a little too rare for his taste. he wants grill marks, the works. everyone's a critic! i should have put a dime in there for scale. it's pretty small, it can fit in the palm of my hand (to give you reference).

life...on a smaller scale

along with sewing i've started working with polymer clay. a little here, a little there. creating charms of little food items. here's the spoils from the past few evenings.

it's funny, in college i took a 3D design class and i absolutely hated it. i had a hard time visualizing things in the next dimension. look at me now, things have certainly changed. an evolution of the mind has taken place sometime between now and then. i'm amazed at how life-like they appear, good enough to eat. the picture doesn't do them justice. my favorites: the hostess cupcake, the moonpie and the blueberry slice.

i'm still learning techniques, perfecting the craft. i'll be selling them online soon. yes, the shop is still in the works. it's gonna be hard to part with them. they're like tiny works of art.

here's another picture with a dime to demonstrate the scale of the charms. suggestions on what'd you like to see?