This is what I was working on in my last post - little paper swans with movable wings!  Oh, these were fun to make and very satisfying.

It has been years (literally) since I played with gouache paint and I was quickly reminded how tricky of a medium it can be.  It doesn’t seem like it would be but I had gotten so used to painting with watercolor that applying paint in this fashion felt a little uncomfortable.  But you know what they say about discomfort and growth!

Anyway, do they look familiar?  I based the design off of my Leda the Swan (sewing pattern).   I really love vintage-style soft things and characters and I tried to capture that  in this paper birds with their thick lashes, simple design and sparkly-ness.  (Isn’t glitter the best thing ever?)  After I took these photos I punched holes at the top and added some gold thread so that I may hang them up.

They like to hang out (ha!) with Peter Rabbit, for now.  I might need to make a flock of these, yes?  That’s a distinct possibility.  And once I got started making these swans,  I thought such things might find themselves quite at home in le shop.

Hee hee, can’t you tell I had fun taking pictures of these?

A lovely Tuesday to you!

Here it is again, my Paperclay Mushroom Tutorial.  I do advocate the making of mushrooms as there’s something very meditative about it.  The shaping is fairly easy and mindless.

For this year’s holiday season I made some in pink with sugary tops. (I simply dusted hem with clear glitter right after I applied the clear acrylic varnish to the caps.)  Oh, and while you are waiting for them to dry, you could be making something in the crock-pot, perhaps a stew with mushrooms in it.  Or a mushroom salad.  OR a mushroom loaf!  Now THAT would be fun.

(If you don’t believe how fun this is, check out this crafty gal’s mushrooms for more inspiration!)

Forget the 3-Hour Sweater, how about the 2-HOUR SWEATER?! This lovely 1930s model (seriously, isn’t she adorable?) is wearing a little pullover that the pattern claims will only take you a mere two hours; visit hardrockzombie for the pattern (via Ravelry).  You know I’m going to have to try this out (and it looks like it’s going to cut in line in front of most of my knitting projects).

Also, via Ravelry, I found this wonderful doll shop: Little Black Crow Studio.

I’m truly inspired by all of her deliciously spooky, vintage-looking handmade dolls - they have so much personality.   You can see the love and attention Blackcrow has put into them and I really appreciate that.  They are seriously making me want to revisit my bag of forlorn patterned doll parts (a.k.a. “graveyard of souls”) and try my hand at doll-making again.   I mean, I’ve collected more than enough fabric for them!