Well, I finished my two little elf ornaments and they are so happy that I finally got off me arse and gave them legs, arms, moonshine, and colorful clothes (to impress the ladies, no doubt.) Gary is a wise old sage who gives me advice on how to allocate my 401K and recipe advice in exchange for herbal tea and pipe tobacco. Martin just wants to party. He has a filthy mouth and a penchant for dirty jokes but we get along great (as long as he shares his moonshine!) I'm already excited... Read Full Story

Okay, I'm definitely on an Elf kick. I can't wait until they dry because all that is needed now is painting them (my favorite part!) One is quite the drunkard with his moonshine and two cups. I like to think he's offering servings to his friends (or me!) but I think he's nipping from the bottle. The other elf is drinking a cup of apple cider and puffing from his pipe. He still looks like Gary Sinise to me and frankly it creeps me out a little... I just can't get Lieutenant Dan out of my... Read Full Story

Okay, I love red wine. LOVE it. I try to have a glass every night before bed... thank goodness it is good for you! So I have quite the cork collection and I've just been pondering all the possibilities. My beautiful sister-in-law said she wanted to cork a wall in her house with HER collection. I'm not that bold so I think I'm going to make a series of little elf buddies. I have a story forming in my mind about who these little guys are and where they come from... So these are my first two... Read Full Story

Yeah! I finally finished my little mischievous Christmas elf! The hardest part of sculpting is knowing when you're done. Sometimes I will embellish or add finishing touches when an item sells because I realize it needs more "bling." I don't feel hip enough to use that word. The hardest part of this piece was deciding whether to add a satin finish or leave as-is. I decided not to add the finish and let him appear to be more antique looking. This little guy stands at approximately 10 inches... Read Full Story

First, I want to say thank you to Jannie (http://www.janniefunster.com/) for having my work on her blog. I'm not nearly cool enough to have landed there and she's way too cool to be hanging out here BUT she deserves a big shout-out so here it is.... hmmm... how do you do a shout out on the web? Here is my elf that she said bears a strong resemblance to her but I will deny it in case she ever wants to take out that restraining order that will prevent me from molding my elves in her... Read Full Story

Good Morning! I am putting off working on a HUGE paper I have due this week by blogging about my little elf. I have been studying different artists and their unique styles and I am drawn to those pieces that show life, movement, and personality. I really wanted this elf to have a playful, mischievous air and have a lot of life and movement and I'm happy so far! I spent a lot of time last night trying to paint the intricate details on the face. It isn't easy to paint teeth after they have... Read Full Story

I had the body started for this little mischievous elf a while back but I wanted to finish Mr. and Mrs. Gregory (my carolers) before I worked on anything else. Last night while watching the season finale of Top Design, I grabbed my clay and made this little face. I also am experimenting with ways to make more realistic looking eyes (after paying $15 for the German glass eyes for Mrs. Gregory! Yikes!) I think I've found a pretty good method, but I'm not going to really say until I try them... Read Full Story

Yeah! I am 99% finished with this pair of carolers. All I need to do is minor finishing touches and they are ready to go off to Florida to a PRECIOUS lady who collects Christmas Carolers. I hope she likes them (fingers crossed!) Grandma plays by the rules. She carries her song book so she doesn't miss a note. She is always looking a little worried about Grandpa, who drinks too much eggnog, refuses to wear his hearing aide, and sings terribly out of tune. And that d*&m tambourine that he... Read Full Story

First I will take care of my crafty work: here is a piece I sculpted a while back and I painted her a little art card portrait for a sweet lady (VIV!) who inspired me so much with beautiful art cards that she surprised me with. I can't even approach her talent and I'm a little embarrassed to send out my little painting but hopefully I can send her another next year when I improve my skills! Secondly, I want to thank Kat from http://candlesandcrafts.blogspot.com/ and Sha-Marie from http... Read Full Story

Tonight while watching the biography channel featuring all of our Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates (all very flattering...) I got a lot of work done on my Grandpa Christmas caroler. Grandpa really is getting his groove on. Grandma is a little uptight with her strict adherence to rules and regulations. That is why she carries her songbook so she doesn't miss a note. Grandpa likes to let lose and I suspect he might even have a flask of brandy hidden in his pocket. The little... Read Full Story