Bearded Gal Take 2... make that 3

I wasn't overly pleased with my last bearded lady attempt (or the one before that). I'm convinced that some canvas' just don't want to be painted upon no matter how much I try to force the paint where I want it to go *sigh* So I unwrapped a new canvas and started over. Third time's a charm right? Much better results I think :)

Acrylic 16" x 20"

Fear and Loathing

Have I ever told you I hate the dentist?

I do.

Wholeheartedly.

I hate everything about the dentist; the smells, the sounds, the pain, the anxiety, the spit, the pressure, the pulling, the prodding, the chair, the magazines, the light, the xrays, the gleam of those horrible little instruments, and those disapproving little noises the dentist makes.

Hate. Every. Last. Bit.

My history with dentists is not a good one. I've had a number of experiences with them that I would classify as traumatic. Add the costs of dental care and Ta Da! You've got a gal who gets worked up over the mere thought of the dental chair.

It's been embarrassingly long since I've let one of those evil bastards near me but I'm finally going to get a load of work done this Friday. My kidlet has an appointment the same day and will brave those masochists simply with a smile. I, on the other hand, will be heavily sedated in another room to prevent my running out of the building in fear or biting the dentists finger clean off.

So, if it's quiet around here over the next wee while it's because I'm either busy working myself up into a anxious frenzy, in a fuzzy state from the drugs, or feeling sorry for myself as I recover from wisdom tooth removal.

Wish me luck! (I think I'll need it.)

Star gazing

I've been working on the wee house I shouldn't be working on. How can I help myself?!? If I have a grand idea that's itching to get out I have to act, least I forget.

Specifically I've been working on one room in particular. An observatory!

It's not quite there but it's on the way and I'm really pleased so far.

To give you an idea of scale... that pencil is the end of a toothpick and those fancy gears are from a wrist watch.

I really should be working on swap and Christmas stuff. *sigh*

Christmas Baby Wishes

So my very good friend whom I have known forever and ever is expecting his first baby. His gal pal is due on Christmas day and I'm terribly excited for them. The very last elf is for them.

Unfortunately I can't make it down for the baby shower so this gal will be going and bestowing wishes in my place. She has a lot of grand things in store for the wee thing so she'll keep them safe until the time comes.

Our dear little elf is holding on to a heart of gold, pearls of wisdom, a green thumb, a head full of wonder and even a little cow bell (more cow bell!).

(Striped socks, pointed toes and bells are all part of the elfin uniform.)

Thimbletack

A long time ago, when my 7 year old monster was just a wee sprite,  my husband and I would say "You'd better behave, Thimbletack is watching! He'll tell Santa you're being a naughty boy!" It really didn't matter if it was a month till Christmas or the middle of summer, Thimbletack was always watching.

And so this year my elf making was inspired by our own house elf and I've been working away on the wee thing, changing this, adding that, and finally he's just about complete.

As you can see, he's got some proud Scottish blood running through him. (My kidlet loves kilts)

His little jacket is very fancy indeed with some fine polished buttons on the back.

The North Pole is rather chilly so he has some striped knickers to keep his junk warm.

A wristwatch belt and a felted wool sweater arm for a cozy vest.

And just like my husband he likes to keep his eyebrows longs and sculpted. lol

Yay for tiny things.

I finally put the finishing touches on the wee room I was making for MissingWillow  (You should check out her awesome farm blog. I'm totally in love with her dogs.) and my "Ode to a Farm House" is complete.

You can see more pics of the finished product HERE on craftster.

Now, although I've got about a million other things I should be doing, I turned a few minutes attention to another wee house... one that is far down my 'to do list' and I really shouldn't be playing with but I couldn't help myself!

The makings of a wee Altoid Tin bed...

A sitting room.  

At the moment I'm just sort of sticking stuff in to see where it might fit and what the different rooms may be. I have a few ideas but what's in my head isn't what actually happens most of the time. I'd love to get a fireplace/wood stove in here somehow. I think I'll be doing loads of rugs for this house... maybe some wood floors for the next one.

*sigh* I REALLY aught to be doing the other wee houses that actually have owners waiting for them.

Captain Johan Julegilde ... A bossy Christmas elf if there ever was one

I was attempting to make a fairy godmother doll but this fella would not let up. He demanded to be made.

"You must make me. I will not wait! And for goodness sake make me better than the last fellow."

And so I raided my stash for more buttons, more trim, more wool and more fabric... and even then he demanded more.

"No, no, no. This simply won't do! The last elf had two bells, I will need much more than that." It took eight bells to satisfy him.

"My dear woman, you must also make me an eye patch so that when someone asks about it I can regale them with stories of working on Santa's front lines. My deeds are quite legendary you know."

My husband and son protested. They begged me not to give in to the pushy elf. *sigh* But what is a maker to do? The Captain has been given his patch... which can be removed should he cause any trouble.

Bossy little bugger.

Old Stuff

I came across an old portfolio the other day and pulled out these old goddess paintings I did about 5 years ago. Looking at old work is humbling. Suddenly your flaws are clear as day *sigh*.

 

There was a time I thought that I would keep all of my work but what good is it doing stuffed in some old folder? Time to let these gals go.

My favourite part

You know, as much as I love making things, it's not the making that gets me most excited... it's the embellishing and decorating.

The mini piece I showed of yesterday is coming along nicely today. There's still a few bits and bobs to add but I'm rather chuffed with this wee place.

Next to a wine bottle for size reference. The whole thing is about 6.5" wide by 8.5" tall.

Pretty things for your ears

I'll admit I don't know my Bach from my Vivaldi, but there are certain pieces of music that induce a sort of glorious euphoria in me. There are some works that are so beautiful that they force me to sit agog, smiling stupidly, until their conclusion.

Bach - Cello Suite No.1 i-Prelude
Bach - Sleepers wake
Puccini - O mio babbino caro
Puccini - Nessun Dorma (Paul Pott's singing this makes me ridiculously happy)
Johann Pachelbel - Canon in D
Debussy - Clair de lune
Vivaldi - Winter
Carl Orff  - Carmina Burana... Give this part a listen
Gershwin  - Rhapsody in Blue
Mozart - Alleluia

Some music simply makes the world a better place to live in.

WIP's WIP's Everywhere

I've got a LOAD of crafty things on the go at the moment. My work load this week has been pretty skinny so I've been enjoying the extra crafting time. A number of those things I'm working on are tiny, wee things. I figure I can share this particular work in progress because no one will know if it's for them or not since at least a few people are expecting a tiny something ;)

That's a penny in the foreground for size reference.

I am not a big fan of poly clay but I do like how these wee things have turned out. They still need a bit of tweaking and this is actually a small part of a larger project... but I'm fairly pleased how things are progressing. I'm getting excited about where things are headed with this and I hope and pray and have all my digits crossed that it turns out as lovely as it all is in my head :)

I'm telling ya', all of those miniature poly clay artists out there have truly earned my heartfelt admiration. You folks are amazing and must have some damned nimble fingers!

The Baron Von Kringlemas

I've been busy working on four different dolls over the past week or so. The Baron Von Kringlemas is the first to be completed. He's an eccentric high ranking Christmas elf who loves camels and hot toddy's :)

I'm pleased as punch with his hoity, twisty moustache.

He's got some pretty spiffy buttons too!

And who doesn't love stripey legs with jingle bells and pointy toes?

The best thing about the Baron is that he is a surprise! He'll be leaving for his new post shortly... I sure hope his new family doesn't mind uninvited guests for the holidays :)

Ottawa Adventure

My husband worked the big Wine and Food show in Ottawa this past weekend. My auntie lives there so the kiddo and I tagged along too and did some visiting and sightseeing.

One of our very favourite places to go in Ottawa is the Museum of Natural History. It's such a great old building and the dino displays are fantastic. It's truly an inspiring place to be and I highly recommend it if you love all that old stuff :)

Here's the kidlet on the stair case. If you visit the museum look around carefully and you'll find animals hidden all over the place.

A magnificent old specimen shadow box of strange deep sea creatures. Just look at those labels!

How fantastic is this old deep sea diving boot? The whole suit was wonderful but the boots are what really got me.

This aquarium was mindblowingly colourful. I like to imagine that some dinosaurs were colourful pinks and purples... I mean we really don't know that they weren't. Who knows, perhaps some of those big buggers were polka dotted.

Perhaps my favourite exhibit was a gallery of giant moth photos. There were so very lovely and it was tempting to reach out and stroke the photos to see if they were really that furry and fuzzy (I just barely managed to contain myself) The photographers name is Jim de Rivières and he managed to turn those lowly moths into something quite spectacular and magical.

The other exhibit which the kiddo and I loved was a collection of frogs. The colours, sizes and shapes of those things is fascinating. There was a very neat zoetrope there which showed a frog jumping and a computer where the kiddo virtually dissected a frog. I took a load of photos of the frogs but I'll just share this one for now... I wish I had written down what type it was *sigh* ... anyway it was the most fantastic shade of minty green and looked as though it was made of marshmallow. Simply awesome.

We had a grand time at the museum then had lunch in the market. We got lost on the way back to aunties house and had to call her to come and pick us up. LOL Now we're safe and sound back home from our big adventure.