Monday Mugshots

My new project!! I miss my blog. I also don't feel like I have much new to share... so the result has been that I've been blogging less. HOWEVER. I love projects on other blogs like Wordless Wednessdays. The other day, I was ooogling some pictures on line with just a mug in them. Coffee in this case, but just the mugs. Sitting on the counter next to the thing the picture taker was doing at that moment... and I love that!
I also happen to be the wife of a cop.
I ALSO happen to love plays on words.
In that moment, Monday Mugshots was born.
Monday Mugshots is a Facebook Project, where every Monday, people can visit Monday Mugshots' facebook page, and share a shot of their tea, coffee or even beer mugs. Take the picture any day of the week, share on the Facebook Page on Monday! (if you don't have a FB account, and still want to share, see the bottom of this post)

Here's my mugshot for this week! I felt like it was appropriate with the quakes on the west coast, and hurricane Sandy on the east this week.
If you play along, be sure to tag your pictures with Monday Mugshots on Facebook! I'll do my best to keep pictures from everyone loaded onto my Monday Mugshots Pinterest board. :)

For those of you that might like to play, but don't have a facebook account:
Please DO play with us!! Share you link here!!

Last game ...

I can't believe this season is over... the last jr high game for some of these boys. Boys that I love with all my Momma heart. I'm thankful. Thankful for the friendships formed. Thankful for their kind hearts and thoughtfulness towards Macs as they included him as a member of the team. Thankful most of all to the man that coached them. Who taught them to play as one. Work as one. To be a team with integrity. Who showed them with his actions that winning NEVER comes before his players, or the team. I doubt he'll ever understand just how much that means to those kids.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!

I MADE IT!!

I am officially a member of the Creative Paperclay® modeling material Design TEAM!! I'm so excited!! I can't wait to play with all the clay that has come to my house already!! For the next six months, I'll be sharing projects and tips on the Creative Paperclay® blog! Let the FUN begin!! Check out the blog today, and see the group of gals I will get to work with this term!

Mine.

I love the friends that my sons have here... so much so, that I think of them all as mine.

Frida Inspired Art Doll

I don't know why I didn't blog about Frida when I made her... I created her for a challenge set out by Gritty Jane to make a doll or piece of artwork inspired by one of Frida's paintings. I chose 'The Wounded Deer' which depicts Frida (in a self portrait) as a deer with many arrows shot into her body. My deer Frida has been mounted like a trophy.

This was my first Frida doll. I loved creating and working out a totally unique piece of art work inspired by a famous artist. Have you ever tried creating like that? 

Favorites on The Pulse!

I still have to pinch myself every time Seth emails to let me know one of the answers I gave to his interview as part of The Pulse on The Altered Page will be featured. It's such a thrill to be included with the group of artists he has collected there. Please be sure to check it out!! The inspiration and work he shares, both of his own creation and that of others is so fun to look at!

Awww BATS!!

I'm trying again, for the The Creative Paperclay® design team!!
I have been using Creative Paperclay® for about four years now, since the moment I first learned about it, while taking an on line doll making class. Since that time, I've made many dolls, and had them published in several Stampington publications!!

My term as a member of the Amazing Mold Putty design team opened the doors to a totally new area of Creative Paperclay®. I have ideas about how to use paperclay along with MOLDS and I started with BATS.

Originally, I thought I would make a mold of some bat wings from some toy bats from the Dollar Tree, but when I bought the toys, they really didn't have the right look. They LOOKED like toys. I could see that even a good paint job wouldn't change that. So I started thinking...
And since I love sculpting, I decided to try sculpting a wing, and if THAT turned out, I decided to make my mold from there.
Here's what I made. Click on any of the images below to view them larger.

Wanna know HOW I made it!?
For starters, my supply list:

1. Creative Paperclay®
2. Freezer Paper
3. Amazing Mold Putty
4. Vintage table runner or doily
5. Dictionary pages
6. Bits and Baubles
7. Vintage wooden pant hanger
8. Acrylic Paints

I used tacks on an old cork board to hold down the edges of my freezer paper. This way, I was able to create my wing shape in a thin layer without the drying clay curling. I also printed out an image of a real bat wing for reference as I went. You'll be working in several stages of wet/drying/dry clay. Start with your base layer, and wing shape. 

Once your base is dry, peel your dry clay off of the freezer paper, and add your bone base. Once the base is dry, you can fine tune your bone structure. You don't have to worry about being exact with your sculpting, because you can make the bones lines thinner, and more defined by sanding with sandpaper. You can also clean up edges of your wing this way. Before moving onto the texture stage, make sure your clay is dry again. I use my toaster oven set at WARM to help speed these drying steps up.

Next, I added texture to the wing itself, which is surprisingly very textured. I added a thin layer of clay, and used water, my fingers and various paint brushes to create a rough texture.

Next, I layered paint onto the wing. I used brown as my base. I let that dry, and then I used black paint over that. Before the black paint had a chance to dry, I wiped some of it off, leaving the black cover the crevice areas of the wing, and the brown to show through as a highlight to the bones and other high areas of the wing.

 Once the wing was painted, I made a mold. Because Amazing Mold Putty is oven safe up to 400 degrees, I was able to use my toaster oven on warm to help speed up the drying time!

While I was testing my molding skills, I started on the base for my art piece. I used a table runner that I found at a garage sale. I glued dictionary pages to the center of the page. I used the "bat" section... because I'm kind of a geek about little details like that. lol

 I added stripes to the area around the outside. In the end, I took the last bit of material around the edges and ripped it off.

Lots of sanding, painty layers, bubble wrap stamping, paper tube stamping, some more distressing, inking, bauble assembling and a bit of paint dripping later, it's finished!!
I even used Amazing Mold Putty to make a mold of some bones I collected, and bound one to the vintage pant hanger I used to hang the piece... I also used some metal bits and a vintage key to add some interest at the top of the piece.

Here's a close up of the BAT WING!! It turned out so nicely!! In fact, I liked it so well, that I made the wing for the other side!! I'll be selling sets in my etsy shop soon!!

Like I said. Being on the Amazing Mold Putty design team got me thinking about all sorts of new ways I can use Creative Paperclay®!! I'm also excited to try my hand at some new sculpting now that I have BATS under my belt!!
I would LOVE to be able to share this logo in my sidebar saying I'm part of their design team!!

Being on a design team was just what my creativity needed to get jump started after our move. Now the juices are flowing, and I hope to be able to continue to work with new deadlines and challenges!! Wish me luck!!