I Love Thrift Stores

2 dollar fabric grab bags  :)

While I Blog

Noodle likes to sit next to me . If you look close enough you can see the bite marks on the corner of the laptop    : 0  Brat ..

Send In The Clowns

Just getting ready for Halloweeeeeeeeen !

      What You Need For this Nifty Clown Hat...

 1.   Kewl scrap booking paper of your choice
 2.   Matte Medium , I use this for glue . I suppose Elmers would do just fine.
 3.   Hot Glue Gun
 4.   Scissors
 5.   Tulle ( a long piece ) color of your choice
 6.   Flowers , Feathers , Ribbon optional   :)
 7.   I didn't really need the clothspins as much as I thought.
 8.  also need a little piece of elastic  ( I forgot)

     I personally like the papers that look  "circusy"  ( makin up words again )  for this project. I went with the  Polka Dots because Polka Dots are the Bee's Knees. I really like this kind of paper , it's called lost and found at Hobby Lobby and it's thick like card stock.

Now Rolly Polly and pretend like you are making a Waffle Cone..

    Nom Nom Nom Waffle Cone.....

        Secure with a dab of  Hot Glue here... and then go like this

                more Hot Glue .....

                and then I was all like ..

    put some Hot Glue on the inside crease to secure it more  :)  Let it dry for about as long as it takes you to make Guacamole ... and then eat some Guacamole .

 

 Cut off the excess and keep trimming it until it is as small as you like. I made mine kind of angled because it sits on my head better..

 

 get it to stay on with elastic , thanks to Granny Cloud who gives me crafty stuff all the time , I had an elastic stash ! Grannies are so awesome..

          I used the smallest so I don't have a huge ugly strap on my chin.
 

         Not unlike a child's Birthday Party Hat.

make sure you use a nice long piece of tulle to go all the way around , prolly about 3-4 times the circumference of the hat .

            Glue , Twist Half  Way , Fluff , Glue ... etc. etc.

 

 

Wallah ! 

    Now add whatever you want to it   :)  Maybe a Feather .....

                Or Two , whatever tickles your Clown Hat fancy.. 

I think a cute variation of this would be a tall Princess Hat with Ribbons Streaming out of the top . That would be a super cute and fun thing to do for a little girls Birthday Party  :) and I like to make them for dolls

                  YaY !!!

I Love It Here !

In the South that is...

We Roasted weenies, marshmallows and had hot cider by the fire while enjoying the company of good  friends on their family's beautiful land . It was a little chili so baby kash borrowed my shirt.

                                   Awesome weekend Pt # 2

 

It really is so beautiful out here !

 

 

I don't think there was a wish left in this field by the time they were done with it :)

Cool Stuff I Saw This Weekend..

First and foremost  Ballerina T -REX !

 
These were at the Creative Discovery Museum , we love to go hang out there with the kiddos.. Working on my photography skills :) not to shabby for a phone picture.                  

             
                    
         Fiber Art Yay !

          Peppy   ~ Artist unknown

                    

    If you haven't figured it out yet , I am sort of a space cadet

       Browsing the gift shop..

Puppets ...Yayaeah  

                                                                Ahhh Love  :)
 

Change is Good :)

So I'm thinking about changing my blog name from "maybe sparrow" to something else , yes it is the name of my favorite song but it is just not really connecting with what my blog is actually about .Maybe if I was like bird watching or something it woulda made more sense. Hmm.... I will be brain storming ideas for what I want to call it. I think the whole thing needs a facelift , when I get a spare moment to work on it .


Oh yeah while I'm here , PAPER !  FABRIC ! Yeah !!!!! I saw all these pretty scrap booking papers at HL and got a little carried away.

 I really shouldn't go to Hobby Lobby when I'm hungry . Oh wait , that's grocery shopping. I really shouldn't go to Hobby Lobby ever!  It's dangerous ..

Cloth and Clay

Well I have been experimenting with every way I possibly can in making doll bodies and I find that there is no easy way .  Not that I am looking for an easy way, but a way that feels right to me. I keep running into humps that need to be smoothed out during the body construction. I have pretty much figured out how to make dolls from head to toe all on my own ( with a little help from the net ) I find it interesting that there are almost NO books on paperclay dollmaking , with the exception of a few including this one written by the late Robert Mckinley  http://www.amazon.com/Sculpting-Dolls-Paper-Robert-McKinley/dp/0916809781

and yes you are seeing right ,apparently he was the master , The O.G. and somewhat of a pioneer with paperclay  and it is around four hundred dollars for his book because it is out of print. If you happen to see this gem say, at a garage sale or used bookstore , snag it immediately ! I have looked for it at our local used bookstore , no luck ! I did manage to find this one and ordered it http://www.amazon.com/Make-Puppet-Using-Creative-Paperclay/dp/1412019699/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_cart_3 Looks pretty cool and has puppets!

I don't mind figuring out how to make them on my own , I think it makes for more unique creations and style and is part of the beauty and the struggle of being a self taught anything. Sometimes you need a little heads up though , especially when you hit those humps or get stuck in a rut. It is nice to be able to find information /tips on technique. Just for the technical part of things you know , might gain some new insight . I am really looking forward to the book coming in the mail  (especially because of the puppets ) I made a marionette once a few years ago....

 Now I look like a total doofus in this picture but the puppet is pretty cool . He is an Elf I made him out of papermache. I haven't made one since but it doesn't mean my love for puppets has gone away. I love dolls just as much. Why I love to make tiny non- people that look like people? I don't know .. Not quite sure where it comes from. I think it is a way to sort of tap into a different world and create things ( or people) the way I want them to be. I have always been fascinated by dolls and felt like they all tell a story and have a life of their own . They have such a strong life force about them even though they are not real . Somebody made each one with love and with care , somebody loved each one. Especially now that doll art is so very broad and interesting. It's not just about porcelain molds anymore. Art dolls have come a long way , they don't even have to have a body , just an awesome head or whatever. Sheesh , they really don't even need heads !  It's really become crazy creative and cool , anything goes and I love it . Papermache is one of the oldest doll art forms and I do think antique dolls and very old dolls are really neat , Imagine the stories they have to tell. The thought of creating something that will tell their stories for years to come makes me happy. Dolls are your friends and if you make them you have your  friends around you all the time.

So yesterday I made my own pattern and made a cloth body , I'm diggin the 100% cloth body paperclay head get up. The body turned out great and I didn't have the clay to cloth jointing challenges to deal with.

I like painting the eyes much more than using doll eyes or the black eyes .birthday girl hat ?

I also like the cloth body much better because it makes the doll a little less fragile. Of course her head is breakable but she isn't going to be completely confined to the shelf or curio. She can actually be held and played with , if carefully.

 I did a little dye experiment to get some different hair colors from my Alpaca locks, the orange was red food coloring  (LOVE IT )   :)  and the brown I dyed with coffee , well sorta brown , it didn't take as well as the "red".

anywho , she is almost done and I am just playing with outfit fabric and what not .. hat , no hat ?  I'll figure out who she is  :)

P.S.  I love this font , it's almost as crappy as my actual handwriting   :D

Monkey Moments

 because what kind of world would it be without sock monkeys ?

I Secretly wish I was a Carny...

Why yes , you need GIANT RASTA BANANA  !!  you really do.

      Nah , hubby won me a Domo Monster though !  Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto, Domo ...Domo

Kashi rode his first ride without us because they would not let us on with him ....

    and I quote  :  "I HATE BIG BEE'S "  (sorry bud , for the pic )     :(

               Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee    !                                                             

I think I need to have an alpaca farm one of these days.. In the far future , maybe. I love them .  I love their wool , I think they are adorable and I love how derpy they are !

 

These guys were at the fair

          They are completely hilarious and cute .