The Burtonesque Dolls Challenge #4

4The whole reason I started this blog was so that I could enter some challenges and so far I have entered zero challenges.  For some strange reason I thought I would have some free time with my three year old being at nursery a few hours a couple of days a week but my one year old has taken over on the needing your every last ounce of attention or the tantrums start tehe aren't they so funny!  Anyway I love the burtonesque blog and was determined to enter at least one of the challenges so I MADE the time, holding a baby in one arm and my mod podge in the other hehe. 

Not the best picture you will ever see but I have lost my wire for my proper camera and had to use the webcam.  This is an old box of chocolates that I painted with blue/silver paint then stippled some green and blue (in the spirit of the corpse bride).  I then cut out a circle from glitter paper for the moon and added some cosmic shimmer to rub around it.  I also coloured the flowers with the same blue cosmic shimmer.  The sentiment says "You may kiss the bride"  the idea is to put maybe a sexy nightie with some lip gloss for the bride (from the groom). 

 The image I drew and coloured with copics and promarkers but the paper I used wasn't the good stuff (I can't find the proper card in amongst my craft stuff at mo).  The ink bled a little but hopefully not too much to have ruined it.  The sentiment I printed out then used distress inks to age it and blur the writing then scraped some scissors around the edges, the card backing (was from a cardstack), I did the same for this.  You can't see it but at the bottom of the bouquet there is a snake charm.

Anywho a bit long winded for what it actually is, hope it is in spirit of the corpse bride.

Andrea x

Shed Mural

My husband decided that the sunniest part of our garden was taken up by the shed. So we moved the shed to the other side which was always shaded and made a little area with a table and chairs (which my husband made all by his talented little self). He made a raised bed behind the table using railway sleepers and for the table and benches he used decking, sleepers and fence posts (just whatever came to hand he stated hehe). He also made the planter that is midway up willow screening. I am reallychuffed with it.

I felt a little bad as we were taking up some of the (much in need of returfing as we seem to suffer from flooding when it rains and it rains a lot) grass, so I have decided to paint a little brightness on the shed for the kids, where we took up some of their grass space. Don't worry though they still have their little picnic bench area and playhouse and slide and sand table etc hehe.

So this is the start of the mural. My 5 year old loves dragons, my three year old loves princess and pink and I will add in various flowers and I don't think you can make it out on this pic but there is a little pixie hiding with a toadstool hat among the fly agarics. There is also a fairy door and stained glass window on one of the trees. I have so much to do to it and so little time. I have a castle to paint in the background on some hills and flowers to put beside the trees, some wildlife, leaves etc etc etc. You probably all know as most of you guys will have kids but time is very limited especially when my youngest is only 15 months and needs or wants a lot of attention.

Anyway just thought I haven't posted for ages so would put up my progress on this mural and then put another one up when it is completed, probably just as my kids graduate haha.

x

First attempt at sculpting

Finally I am back online after practically a whole month. Well yet again another first attempt, this time sculpting with newclay. I always wanted to try sculpting and my hubby thought that I should give it a go so bought me some sculpting tools and clay.


My hubby said the chest is well let's just say wasn't very realistic looking. You would think I could get that right. I know it's not great but I am not disheartened as the more I practice I think I should improve.

Andrea x

Robin

My hubby bought me some watercolour pencils to try. So I decided to start with something quite simple and painted my favourite little bird the robin red breast (although it looks more orange to me!).



It's not great but okay for a first attempt. Personally I really want to try oil painting and have some oil paints but not sure how to start. I love acrylics, watercolours are so unforgiving with mistakes you make. With acrylics you can rectify any mistakes.

Anyway seems I haven't made a card for ages as my craft storage space is a total mess and I have no time to clean it, whereas I can paint on the coffee table when the little ones are about but if I brought craft stash out they would go nuts haha.

x

Papier Mache Dragon Head

My son got a letter home on the Wed after school saying they were having a party on the Monday at school with a Fairyland theme. My son stated that he was going as a dragon, eeek. Could we get a dragon costume, could we... So my only solution was to make him one. I got an old knight's helmet that he no longer used and papier mached over it, added some ping pong balls for the eyes. I used Anita's 3d gloss to make the eyes look shiny. I really only had about 5 or six hours to do the costume. I also made a tail and sewed it on to a green top, painted some cardboard wings and added a big fat dragon tummy to the top. I will add pics of that later, it didn't turn out too great but.



I told my son I was finished, he is 5 years old, don't you just love their honesty. He looked at me with some disdain hehe and said Mummy I asked for a dragon not a frog hahaha. I nearly had a fit laughing. I had made teeth spikes etc but didn't have time to do it as you probably know drying papier mache is a nightmare especially in this country hmm.

Valentine Basket

I made this and filled it with mini bounty bars for my hubby, but needless to say the kids all pinched them before I could take a pic hehe. I did this from the tutorial from the fantastic magnolia baskets that were going around a few weeks ago. As usual I am like three weeks/months behind everyone else. The kids have all been taking turns being ill then all having another turn (poor little things).


Anyway this is card I have had for years I just stamped it and embossed it. The heart was from a cardstock mini pack and I stupidly coloured it red on the other side and it seeped through but she who has little time has to make do. The flower is from wild orchid crafts and I tied ribbon round the handle. Not the best basket you will ever see but I was quite chuffed as I thought it looked very hard and I was juggling a one year old and three year old at the time (impressive I know). hehe anyways the stamp I got about three years ago. Thought it suited a valentine theme. You should have seen my hubby's face when I gave him it haha it was a picture he said oh that's nice if I was a girl hehe.

TGF Geisha Birthday Card

This is a card I have done for my SIL's birthday. I have had to move from pillar to post to try to make this. I had the stuff on the kitchen table then my 3 year old decided she wanted to play, so I moved it to the top of the bookcase and my one year old started to try and bash the bookcase down hehe (my kids are all crazy). Anyway I quite like this, even if I did have to act like a nomad in the house to make it hehe. My craft stuff is all in the garage and it is way too cold and dark and creepy hehe (not the bravest) to craft in there, so I pull stash out and it is everywhere.


I tried to make this seem like a dragonfly. It is a pearl head pin with coloured wire wrapped around and a bead and part of an old bracelet from Tunisia that was broken.



Below the base part of the flower is from poundland and I dabbed it with a silver inkpad and scraped the edges with no other than a potato peeler I bought and couldn't peel potatoes with it so... craft tool. The silver flower in the middle is one that I found in my stash and the leaves are punched out using a woodware punch. I put a couple of stems that I got with some Prima flowers.

The sentiment was from a magazine or something and I used the potato peeler again and scraped it. I got some scraps and did the same to them and brushed them with a lilac ink pad and used the MS doily punch again.

The rest I don't actually have any but the antique linen distress pad yet but have ordered some. I just used a lilac inkpad I had so....

Anyway hope you like it.

Andrea x