Snow Kids!

Now that my camera problems are fixed I can now show this piece I finished a while ago. Even though it's been such a mild winter with hardly any snow I still felt like making snow people.

 These little ones remind me of bundling my little ones up to play in the snow so long ago. It's funny how I can't get away from felt. I was going to do their details in paper clay but decided to try going mixed media and I really love how they came out!

Close up detail view

An Update Of What's Going On In Sassyland

Unfortunately the same old things are still sitting and waiting to be finished. I've only made very small progress on these 4 paper clay figures. Not sure why really. Maybe it's all the other projects I have coming up that are making me feel rushed and when I feel rushed I can't work. I also have the attention span of a flea so that doesn't really help things either.

Here's a peek at my Goth Santa. My Facebook friends and some blog friends gave me great ideas for something I was stuck on with this. I HAVE made a DECISION on what he will hold in his hands, so thank you all!

I also got a great response about getting this soft sculpture piece done too. Several people offered to kick me in the butt so I'd get going. ;0) I have 2 swap pieces to do first then I PROMISE I'll FINISH this!

We moved my step dad into his new senior apartment at the beginning of January. He finally seems to be settling in but he's not really eating properly so I'll have to deal with that.

I've joined 3 challenges, 2 for the Spring and one that lasts the whole year. Nothing like a challenge to get the old brain pumping! The first challenge is an Steampunk Animal at Cloth Doll Artistry. Too fun! Can you guess which animal I'm going to do? The second is Patrick Gill's Vintage Easter Challenge at The Hive and it's a swap. The year long one is a Wonderland one at CDA also. I intend to do a fab showpiece that I can take to craft shows and have it be a portfolio piece. I can do that in a year....right? Well I hope so, there is that attention problem I have! Anyhoo there are lots more unfinished projects around but I'm pretending they don't exist. I'll deal with them later.

What going on in your little land?

My Vintage Halloween Piece is Finished!

This is the Vintage Halloween Card I picked for my inspiration. Aren't those pumpkin boys a hoot?! I wanted to do all 4 pumpkin boys but with all my family drama I had to scale it back to only 2.

A lot of you have seen bits and pieces as I worked along but I'll show a few WIP then the final cause it always amazes me how it looks when I first start a piece and then suddenly bam it all goes together.

Scary orange body. I have to admit

I was pretty worried at this point.

Moved on to the paper clay pumpkin heads.

Back to the bodies and spent hours on the clothes. 

But learned so much!

Did you know pants have to have waistbands or they fall off? Well now I know. I added vintage buttons on the back of their shirts. I remember my grandma telling me that baby and toddler clothes when she was young had buttons on the backs so the kids couldn't take off their clothes and run naked. So I added that detail.

I have to say the Pumpkin heads were the hardest part. I haven't really painted since college and I hate doing things I'm not good at. Those orange heads sat and stared at me for a long, long time before I got the courage to paint the faces and other details. I am happy with the results cause I know it was the best I can do and is hopefully good enough.

All done! 

That darn gate almost sent me into crazed hysterics! 

I made it 3 different times. So, so happy to be done.

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First Boy

Second Boy

I really hope you enjoyed seeing my piece. I had a great time making it and I hope whoever receives it is happy.

Zach in Sassyland.

This is my almost 3 year old nephew Zachary who runs rampant around my house on the weekends. He's so adorable. He always yells "Auntie where are you!" "What ya doing?" "Making dollies?" I just love him so much!

Here's the free falling doll from my other post with limbs attached. Zach says she needs clothes and I agree. So once I can make a decision she'll be dressed and get hair.

I finished my last custom Tardis order for a while.I plan to have in stock ones for the holidays instead of made to order. This one now resides in Singapore of all places.

My paper clay order has arrived and super fast. I'm itching to finish the little dolls I started so long ago it seems now. I have 4 felt dolls to finish first then it's a messy clay free for all! Whoo Hoo!
Oh and I might be making a felt Yeti for a friend of my son's. So it's busy, busy, busy here in Sassyland!

Freefalling!

This is me falling through time and space, a rabbit hole or being sucked into the black hole of my studio! Oh nooooo! Too much going on right now!

I'm a bit overwhelmed by all my projects and life stuff. Change is very difficult for me. My brother has moved in. He's going thru a divorce and a foreclosure. We haven't lived together since I was 21 and he was 12 so it's different to say the least. He has his boys every other weekend (although it's been every weekend so far) so the house is filled with noise and boys. I love my nephews and enjoy seeing them but it is putting a little crimp in my productivity. Just something I'm going to have to work around I guess. The best news is that my brother is an amazing cook. He'll come home after a full work day and whip up a fantastic meal! It's so nice not to have to worry about that!

I've ordered paper clay online cause hiking out to the Hobby Lobby in this 100 degree heat just wasn't an option. So hopefully I'll finally finish the paper clay dolls that are hanging around. Still working on witches but not happy with their clothes, of course! I should have something finished by next week.

My First Paper Clay Doll Is Finished.

I FINALLY finished my paper clay doll last night. It took a while as it does when I'm doing something new. I'm like a kid whose afraid of the water and sits on the edge of the pool watching everyone else splashing away and having fun. In case you forgot what I was doing I'll show WIP then the finished doll. Some of you may remember me not being happy with how this doll was coming out. Well no worries there, I'm totally in love with her now! Here we go!

Head on a stick!

Finally added the torso. Made limbs.

Painted and drying.

Really starting to like her now!

Attaching the limbs. Love stripes!

Gluing the hair on.

And she's done!

Craft Store Finds.

Whoo Hoo! Kunin has new patterned felt available at Joann's! 
I'm going to have a lot of fun with these! I've seen them online for a while but now I can walk into my store and get them! Also picked up some small pattered fabric and a lovely blue fabric for a swap I'm in. Buttons, embroidery thread, acrylic paint and polyfil too.

Here's a peek at the drying station I rigged for my

paper clay stuff.

My creative mojo has been absent lately but I hoping it'll return soon while I feel up to making things.

Only A Little Going On In The Studio Right Now.

Not much is happening in the studio lately. It's been a rough couple of weeks. I did cut out a new design that I'm not entirely sure will work yet and also cut out more elves or fairies. I just haven't been inspired much to work on them.

I did finally add a torso to the paper clay doll head I previously made. Fairly happy with how it turned out. Then I did the arms and legs which I think are a disaster but at this point I just want to finish the darn thing! She was supposed to have super long legs that have a knee joint but this morning I realized I forgot to put holes in the knees before they dried so I had to scrap that idea.

 My perfectionism went wacko overtime on this silly thing and I just hated her! It took me a while to calm down and realize that it's o.k. that she's not perfect and what I imagined she'd be. I think once she's painted and dressed I'll be o.k. with her. I haven't sculpted since high school and I wasn't great then so it's o.k. that I'm not great now. I'm always way too hard on myself! I admire greatly the pretty clay doll makers but perhaps that's just not what I was meant to be. I know this is my first try but pretty doesn't feel right. Maybe in clay I can be an odd or weird doll maker. That title certainly feels much more comfortable to me, so I plan to explore that side and see what happens. My secret side enjoys with great abandon zombies, creepy & crawlies and crazy freaks. I also admire certain odd doll makers too.

So along those lines I've started a new head that I like very much and am excited to see where it goes. Oh and I plan to have lots to add to my etsy shop by the end of the month. "Plan" being the operative word here. ;0)

Changed My Mind and Started Something New

O.k. so I know I said I'd was going to do a paper clay sculpture for my mom for Mother's Day. Well......I think I started off too large and it has a mean expression on it's face and I got freaked out! I really took on more than I could chew with that project. He/it still sits on my worktable glaring at me but I need time to think about what to do with that one.

I really hate when I get overconfident! Anyhoo, by the time I figured out I wasn't going to do this it was 6 days until Mother's Day. OMG!!!!! So I remembered that my mom wanted a little elf doll to represent her character when she plays Dungeons and Dragons. Yes, my 70 year old mom is a forest elf in D&D! We are a quirky bunch here.

I had an idea how the elf body should be but I don't have a pattern of my own for the legs to do want I wanted. I remembered I saw a free pattern in "Soft Dolls and Animals" September 2010 magazine by Roberta Schechter. Here's the original pattern.

I know what does a clown have to do with an elf? I wanted the doll to be able to cross it's legs Indian style. Of course I modified the pattern to my own style. I completely re drew the hands, shortened the neck, added one of my heads on the body and all the facial details are mine. I thank Roberta very much for offering this great pattern. It was a perfect jumping off point for me.

Here's where I left off last night. I need to attach her arms, give her clothes and do her hair but I know I'll have her done in time now. I think my mom is going to love her!

Jumping into Paper Clay

After making the fun little head from my last post I got excited and realizing that Mother's Day here in the US is May 8th and the fact that I'm flat broke right now I decided to make my mom a paper clay sculpture. I might have bitten off more than I could chew. I tend to turn the simplest thing into a huge deal. UGH! I also have way too big plans for that little head! I'm trying to rein myself in a bit but well we'll see.

Here's the start of the new piece. It's larger than I probably should be doing, but I'm working with what I have in stock. Not sure my idea will work. It's telling me it want to be something other than what's in my mind. See I'm just giving myself stress...sigh. 

I haven't given up on my plush or soft sculptures just moving slower on them, it's been a rough month. The female Rabbit has new legs and can stand now. Working on her bonnet then need to add arms then she's done.

I hope you'll come back and see what other crazy thing I'm doing.

Experiment in progress...

I've been playing around with the idea of using paper clay for some time. I finally got my hands on some on my once a year trip to the far off Hobby Lobby. I recently joined a great group Creating the hive and all of my most admired artists are there and guess what? They answer questions and share techniques! I am in creative heaven! You can check out my profile here. http://creatingthehive.com/sassypackrat

Anyhoo getting answers to my questions helped me gain enough confidence to try paper clay to make a face on a soft bodied doll. I had so much fun! I haven't sculpted since high school and did better than I thought I would. She needs more work and a lot of sanding and is more prim than I've ever done before but I'm going to finish her. My creative juices are flowing again! And yes I FINALLY used the sewing machine! It still hates me so I'll probably end up hand sewing the arms and legs but I did the body successfully!

I still have 2 bald and limbless witches to finish so will be blogging more WIPs than I have recently plus Christmas things are on the verge of exploding out of me so get ready! Have you tried something new and different recently? Tell me about it.