PLAYTIME AGAIN!

I've discovered a new medium called Apoxy sculpt and once I saw what could be done with it, I had to try it. It took me a while to locate a supplier in our area, but I found one and I was thrilled. These pendants are the first things I have made with it, and I was pleased. It incorporates rubber stamping into the Apoxy sculpt and painting the images, when they have dried. The best thing about this new medium is it's air dry, none toxic and extremely durable once it's cured! I have a zillion ideas running through my head, but for the moment I'm in seventh heaven. I love to get feedback, so please don't be shy - leave me a comment. I'd be delighted to hear from you.

RELAXATION TIME!

The new deck wasn't supposed to be finished until Monday, but the weather was so perfect and the guys worked really hard so we would be able to use it this weekend. Our grandson, Corson, has been watching patiently from the screen door, dying to get outside and "help"! You wouldn't think a 5 year old would get excited about a deck, but he helped us move the furniture onto it and was playing "little Mr. Designer Guy", directing us where to put everything and telling me that we needed "something beautiful" to put on top of the railings. LOL!

We already have a "mini war" in progress - Corson has laid claim to the big lounge bed (which is incredibly comfy) but you can see by the last two pictures that Papa loves it too! Can't wait to see who wins when he comes to visit next time. Anyway, we are very happy with our new outdoor space and really enjoyed eating outside tonight. We need some hanging baskets and have a few wall decorations to put up, but now it's time to kick back and relax for the summer!

p.s. Note the incredibly disgusted looking kitty at the screen door. He really thought he was going to come outside and enjoy it too - oops!

BACKYARD UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

We re-located three years so we could spend more time with our daughter and 5 year old grandson. I'm not much of an outdoor person. I really like our house, but the yard is quite small, which was perfect as far as I'm concerned. I'm past spending hours on end, gardening.

Hubby and I have been discussing what to do with our yard - he wanted a deck and I wanted a stone patio with a pergola. Hubby hates bugs and ants and likes to step outside barefoot. He enticed me into a deck by tempting me with a sunroom down the road, which we thought could be built on top of an existing deck. Well, turns out we might not be able to do it, but now that the deck is almost finished, I'm REALLY happy with it. All that needs to be done is to add the privacy latice around it and the top capping. I think we will be spending a lot of time out there!

LOVELY SHOP!

I found a lovely shop on Etsy this morning. The owner is the mother of Vivianne Galli, a wonderful bear artist. I hope you have time to take a peek!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6283921

LUKAS & COLLECTOR BOX ON EBAY!

I've been playing with a few new techniques and I found one that turned out just the way I wanted it to, which is always exciting LOL! I am enjoying making collector boxes for my bears, but I wanted a really special one, so I made a thin layer of Fimo, to fit the box lid, and then sketched a young girl and her teddy into it, and after it was cooked, I painted it with indelible inks. It was attached to the wooden box with solder, which I antiqued.

Lukas, the teddy that accompanies the box, is 4 inches tall, and made from aged and over-dyed, German shulte mohair. He is fully jointed and filled with excelsior and stainless steel shot and granulate, for an old fashioned feel. He has german glass eyes, a waxed nose and shaded features, to give him a vintage appeal. He is adorned with a simple vintage silk ribbon and bell.

If you want to check out his auction, just click on my "Ebay Lisings", under "My links" on my blog, and I'd love to hear feedback!

SPRING HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!

I love the springtime and all the early flowers it brings, like daffodils and narcissus. I especially love the wake-robins or trilliums. We have both the burgundy and white ones in our back yard and I am always delighted to see them bloom. Soon the Jack-in-the-Pulpits will be open and spring will have officially arrived -enjoy the pictures!

NEW TINY TEDDY FOR EBAY!

I am having a lot of fun, re-discovering my love for tiny teddies. There really is nothing like a miniature teddy, that has all the proper proportion and features of a large bear, so that it's difficult to tell what size it is from a picture.

This is Rosey - she is a mere 3 inches tall and made from cream, German Shulte Mohair. She is fully disc-jointed, like the big teds and is stuffed with traditional excelsior and gently weighted with stainless steel shot and granulate. Her mohair and ultra-suede paw pads have been aged and distressed, for a lovely antique look. There are tiny bald patches in her mohair and wee holes in her paw pads, for the excelsior to poke through. A simple vintage pink, silk ribbon was all she needed around her nece, with a tiny antique bell for decoration.

Rosey comes with a tiny reproduction vintage purse. I stumbled across these in a gift shop, on our recent trip to Lancaster, PA and I knew exactly what I could use it for. The purse is decorated with embroidered organza roses and it is the perfect compliment for Rosey. You can view her auction by clicking on my "Ebay Listings" under My Links, at the top right of my blog. I hope you enjoy her as much as I enjoyed creating her.