Week Forty-Six: 3D Koala

This week we've got one of my favourite Australian animals, the koala.

He's delightful, wouldn't you say?

This was fun to make and I'm already halfway through another, I want to keep one because they're just so cute.

This project was inspired by a spontaneous meeting I had with a koala a few weeks ago not far from my house. They're a precious animal and we all need to take care of them as they're a threatened species, so please go right now and Google your area's koala rescue service, and put the number in your phone just in case you find a koala in need of help!

I was going to glue his eucalyptus leaves in place, but I like having it so that he can hold it or go without or whatever looks most adorable.

Have I given you enough cuteness yet? Next week I'm going to have to postpone thanks to my uni studies, as my sanity is hanging in there by a threat, but I promise I'll be back with something fantastic.

xnata

Week Thirty-Six: Purple Ombre Mask

Sorry I'm late this week, I'm back at uni and it's been keeping me very busy!

This week I've made my second mask and it's a dramatic purple ombre this time! Trying to get a few of these for the next markets I'll be in, though none are officially scheduled, there is a possibility for Christmas time...

And look, they're on sticks now!

I decided that the stick option worked better than ribbon as what beautiful lady would want a mask that interferes with her hair? The result is very elegant and sophisticated, and looks so natural displayed in a vase don't you think? I just bought a long piece of dowel from Spotlight, measured, marked and had my hubby cut it up, then I got all sandy and painty.

So many ideas for these. And it was easier this time, so hopefully I'll get faster at it each time.

 

I'm glad I have a hobby that 1: produces pretty things 2: pays for itself through selling what I make and 3: gives me something artistic to do when I need to take a break from my studies.

 

Next week we've got another framed piece to enjoy!


xnata 

Week Thirty-Five: Butterfly Nursery Mobile

This week I have attempted something a bit different, and I gave a clue a week or two ago on the Facebook page, and I must say I'm quite chuffed with the end product, it is gloriously sweet.

A Rainbow of pretty husked flutterbies for little babies to watch as they fall asleep!

 

 

The fantastic thing about these husked butterflies for this purpose is that they are so light and seem to catch the teeniest tiniest breeze, so it's basically constantly moving, which is perfect for the little bubby watching, it's quite mesmerising and so happy and bright.

 

 

I've used the classic husking technique as displayed in Week 7, in various sizes and all the basic colours of the rainbow.

The frame is made of the inside ring of embroidery hoops of two sizes, and I've painted them with a pearlescent white paint, then it's all put together with white embroidery thread, nice and thick to hold up the rings but one strand thick for the pretty butterflies. I've sealed the knots with fabric glue to avoid it unravelling, and I've sprayed the butterflies with 'preserve it' to avoid colour fading and make them a little tougher. And it's all held up by a simple silver ring.

I've seen ways to make the structure to attach it to a crib, but as it's so delicate I would suggest hanging it from a hook in the ceiling would be much better, and you can add string to the ring to have it lower down without it ending up within reach of your little munchkin/s as even a baby would crush these within seconds.

Here's a shot of what the little ones will see...

It was hard to pick a photo of this nursery mobile, as the breeze changed it so often that each picture was different in a lovely way. Getting this to hang evenly was the hardest part of this project I must say, it took a few tries and lots of wasted thread, but now I've got the hang of it I am sure I won't have so much trouble in the future.

So, that was lovely wasn't it? Makes you wish there were more real live butterflies around. We should do something about that. Having said that I found one in my kitchen last week, perhaps she saw these others and knew we were butterfly-friendly. Anyway, next week we're going to see something really purple!


xnata

Week Thirty: Dolly Decor

Are you ready for some tiny and adorable things?

These could be great as a gift to a little girl (or boy, some boys like it too) who likes to play house with Barbies or one of those Sylvanian families or something. Though you'd have to make sure to tell her (or him) to be gentle and never let them get wet. Or maybe someone would like these for their miniatures collection, and put it in a cabinet with all their other tiny pretties.



We've got two tea sets and some flowering pot plants! With my quilling tool in the background to give you an idea of their tininess. Adorable right?

The pink one is tea for two, with two little cupcakes on a plate.

 


The purple one is a big tea set for six little people to have tea together.

 

 





Then we've got a pot of sunflowers...

...a potted rose bush...

...and gerberas in a little purple pot.

All very sweet don't you think? The flowers would look nice in a doll house, or maybe outside in the doll's garden. I'm surprised with how well the gerberas look. The leaves in this shot are still drying, I coated them in glue to make sure they don't become misshapen. I actually had to look up what they look like, I couldn't remember the leaf shape!

Next week we get all lovey-dovey because my 5th wedding anniversary is coming up!

xnata

Week Twenty-Five: 3D Quilled Mouse

This week I've tried to add to my 3D quilling collection, with a sweet little fellow that I hope no one would set a trap for.

I don't know why I decided he should be reading, but the idea grew into him reading The Lion and The Mouse of Aesop's Fables. The book actually does contain that story, though it is just that one over and over. I went to far (as I tend to do) and even made it an inside cover page, which no one will ever see without destroying it, as I've glued it so that his hands hold the pages open.

I imagine he's a mischievous chap, seeking wisdom and information from one of the great mice of history. Perhaps it's his favourite story.

Here's a look at the book before it became the permanent belonging of the mousey.

 

He has to lean up against something, because in my magical mind he would be leaning up against the trunk of a tree, reading in the sunshine one lazy afternoon. I don't have a small tree at my disposal though, so I've put him up against walls mostly.

It's nice to have a mouse about the place that makes me smile rather than scream and leap up onto a chair.  

 Would you welcome this little guy into your home?

 

 

This month is the month in which my son was born, so next week's project is baby themed (also partly because I'm all out of baby cards and I need to replenish my stock!).

 

xnata

Market Day Tales

Yesterday's market was a grand success, from the cards sold off to new owners, to those who've now tried quilling for the very first time, to the lovely people and the picturesque setting. We had a lovely day and it was really good to be back at a market.

 My goodies all set up on the stall, with the quilling lessons table up the back.

card I worked on while waiting for the doors to open and the eager learners to appear. It's a lot more finished now, but you'll have to wait to see the finished product.

Our whole market table, complete with the creations by Rosey So pretty. Thank you for all that you did Rosey! We make a good team.

The amazing church spire. What an inspiring spire it is. Though it was all fenced off, apparently the church is so old that bits of stone are falling off! An incredible sight nonetheless.

The door to the hall in which our market was held. This stained glass window cast a beautiful green-blue glow over our market stalls towards the end of the day. Very magical.

This was the card design that I taught for the day. I learned a lot from this market, including not assuming that you'll have the space to teach six people at a time, and therefore should have a quicker, simpler project to teach so that more students can have the opportunity. Some were naturals and created lovely pots of tulips, and to some it was best to describe their work as impressionist art... I had written instructions for it, so some stopped when they were about three quarters of the way and took their kits and instructions home to finish.

Now to dream up an easier card design...

Some of these goodies are gone now, and I hope that their new owners just love them. Mr Bunny is still with me, he looks a bit out of place here as the only 3D quilling. I have plans for some friends for him though! He won't be alone at the next market, whenever that is.

I'll be back in the next couple of days with this week's project.

xnata

 

Week Eighteen: 3D Bunny

Easter is nearly here! Can you believe it?

The next two weeks we will be preparing for Easter with some quilled projects themed as such, and to start we've got a little 3D quilled friend to meet!

Say hello to the runny babbit!

 

You can probably tell that I drew on the eyes, eyebrows and mouth.

 

I was going to have him holding a big egg or even a basket, but I don't want to make it all about the chocolate, so I thought a nice bunch of daisies would be a lovely gift to get from a bunny friend.

This was simple and fun, and if I had the time I would have made more in different designs. I really enjoy making 3D quilled figurines, but I'm yet to gauge what the pricing/popularity of such an item is. This is the first 3D figure I've made that isn't for anyone, it's going into the market stall stock box!

Next week we'll be going with a classic Easter card design of Easter Eggs!

xnata.