Feels like lately I am spinning my wheels but getting no where.
With my projects and to do lists.  I have had paint
for my garage door now sitting by the door for over a month.
When I'm off it's either too hot or raining.  But it's on the list!

 

Here is one of my latest projects...progress.

but to understand the end vision, you need to see 

my Santa I made about 4 yrs. ago.

 



 

He sits about 20" tall,  I molded his face, hands and feet

out of polymer clay.  I am not a seamstress so

I kind of made my own

pattern for his clothes

and stitched it by hand because

I didn't feel comfortable with my sewing machine

sewing so small and in detail.

 

 

I am always teased by my Mom and sister...

"So how come you never make us one??"

 

 

So I decided this year would be the year.

This will be their Christmas gift and since they

never read my blog- I figure it's safe putting it on.

I have over the last couple of months off and on been

sculpting the body parts. 

 

 

 So this is the beginning.  I use Polymer clay which
you can bake in your oven.

I mold the doll skull out of tinfoil
 and on to a wire.  Then mold the clay over the  tinfoil.

You can see the first  head  I'm
 holding while the second skull is behind it on the table.

This part takes a while.  Molding and
getting the wrinkles.  I know he looks a bit creepy
at this point but you have to mentally visualize
rosy cheeks and lips plus hair and eyelashes.

 

The eyes I ordered online and

are actually flat glass eyes

that can be baked in with the heads.

I also sculpted hands on wires.  Below they

are getting ready to be baked.

If you are interested you can find
all kinds of info and supplies

on-line.  That's how I started.  I saw one
in am Christmas magazine and I

googled info on it. 

look for "polymer art dolls"

 

  

 

10- 15 min in a 275 degree oven and they

are all done and hard.

 

Next I tried to find boots on-line but I couldn't

find anything that I envisioned in my

head so I got some brown polymer clay and molded

my own.

 

 

All baked!

 

 

All these wires will be put together

and a body will be built.  I will show how it comes together

 as I go along.

 

Plus over the years I've been collecting props at garage sales.

A sled here, toys to go in his sack, doll chairs.

I have a ton of Santa props piled in my art closet.

 

fingers crossed I'll be done by Christmas....

 

Farewell My Gwennie Bee

21 August 2010 I brought Guenevere
 home from the rabbit shelter. 
Someone tossed her outside
 thinking oh she looks like the
rabbits outside she'll be fine.  

When the director of the shelter
 told me that she had been found outside,

 pregnant and had been
 at the shelter for 4 years

 I decided she was due for a home. 

I changed her name to Gwennie
 and later Gwennie Bee.

 

 

This is her on the day I brought her home.

 

and this became our nightly routine...

 

 

Gwennie went to the vet last

 Wed. for GI stasis.  She got

3 different meds and I thought

no biggie she'll snap out of it.

  When she didn't I ran her back to the

vet on Sunday.  I had a feeling

 it might be cancer.

After an x-ray I discovered I was right.

She had a tumor over her heart

 and so I had to put her down so she

would not suffer.  The heart problem

 triggered the stasis. 

 

 

She never was my first female rabbit

 and she never liked

any other animals.  She really

 only warmed up to me.

 

So here are some pics of

 her life with me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

somewhat blurry pic of her

 in the herb garden this spring

 

 

I created a new flower bed in her honor.

She is buried beneath the red hibbicus by

the bunny statue.

 

Someone once tossed her aside, I found her,

and loved her and am so glad I chose her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A years progress

Not sure if other people like to do this,

but I like to compare photo's of

how my plants have grown and evolved.

 

Last July we had a 30+ yr apple tree

completely split in two from the

weight of all the apples.

So I wanted to compare how

well our replacement trees did in a year.

 

 

New plantings then....

 

\

and now

 

 

 

I'm really happy how everything

came back bigger and better

after such a hard winter.

  I only lost one butterfly bush.

 

 

I'd like to introduce you to

our ponds new addition,

 courtesy of Amazon. 

 

 

His job is to scare off the real heron's

 that would love to munch on

our lovely goldfish babies that

hatched in the pond last summer.

He did scare Murphy and she

took off flying to get away from

him.  So hopefully he

will keep heron's away.

 

 

I'm really happy with how

big my hostas are getting

Most of these ferns and

hostas were dug up

at a military housing area

 that was being torn down.

 

I would dig up a few little ones

a day and became known to

the Military Police

on base as the

flower lady.   Hee Hee but they

let me do it discretely.

 

 

 

 

The plant stand under the trees

is a great garage sale find.

I'm in the process of refurbishing my Premo

Garage Sale find of the year....maybe even ever

soon to come in a future post when it's done. 

I so love a deal!

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing

how things have grown!

 

Happy Summer To You!

 

My niece finishes kindergarten.

I took off work to go see her classes

Graduation presentation. So cute! I love her to death!!!

Now its on to first grade!!!

Happy Birthday Benny!

 

Benny  turns 3 today!  So happy

he's doing well as I lost my last

giant at 2 1/2 from a sudden heart

problem.  So I thought  I'd show a few

pictures of him over the past 3 years.

This is him at approximately 10 weeks old. 

Such a little guy

 

 

 

 

Ben, before he was neutered as he

was becoming mature and trying

to figure out how to get to Gwenie

 

 

Awe.... I miss that little guy

 



  

 Seem's no matter what I name my animals,

they end up with nick names.

His are, Benny, Boo Boo or

just Boo!

 

 

He truly is a gentle giant.

The only time I've ever seen

him mad and he grunted at me

was when I didn't open the

cage door fast enough

so he could go in and

 eat his fruit treats.

 

 

Acting like a real bun digging in the garden... 

 

Yes he is a portly fellow,
I am trying to get him to drop a few
pounds, but it is easier said than
done.  I think one of the reasons
this 18+ lbs big guy is not a chewer
is that he's obviously not starving
Ha, ha, ha! - no jokes aside we will keep cutting
back and trying to loose some!
 

 

Hoping for many more years with this

big sweet squishy bun!

 

 

 

 

 

How will my garden grow...

I took a week off work to do things that I enjoy, that I never seem to have time for with the everyday grind.

 

 

For most of my life I lived in an apartment. My Dad was in the military so we traveled and moved a lot. I lived the majority of my childhood in Germany in government quarters.  The plus side is our family got to travel all over Europe.  Later I moved out to an apartment, then condo.  So I never had my own yard until now.  My quest is to grow everything I ever wanted to grow and make it look pretty...

So there's not a square to spare! LOL

 

 

So that may explain why I enjoy this so much.

Here of pictures of what I did this week.

 

 

I planted 10 flats of flowers, veggies and herbs.

 

I moved my easle out on the deck.

I will finish this painting this summer!!!

 

In the upper left panel of the lattice this girl built her nest.

 

 

 

 

 

The tree's we planted last year after

the big apple tree falling

over are doing great, and so are all the plants

underneath I had to move around and replant

 

 

 

There are vegetables & herbs in the

fenced in area, they just are

little and gotta grow!

 

 

 

This little family is living on the

house on top of my garden

 arbor.  I want to stain it again and am

patiently waiting for them to move out!

 

 

"Wait me to me too!"

 

 

 

We have lots of gold fish in the pond...

 they had babies, but I love the fat body

gold fish.  I got a few little guys to

 sit in a bowl on the deck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went to the barn a lot on my vacation.

Hottie got her first bath of the year.  I installed

a new stall guard for her. ~ the plaid thing...

So the door can stay open and

miss nosey can look around.

I got my horse tack box and her brushes

all clean and sanitized.

 

I also worked on pottery

It was a wonderful week for me!