Little Hedgehog Ornaments and a Mole In Progress

Tomorrow will be the last day of my preceptorship.  The thank-you cards are written, I've had a nice few days of break, and it's time to work one last very busy day.  I didn't really know what to do with myself, so I did a little painting.  

I used white Sculpey to make a number of little hedgehogs and other things a while back (maybe two years ago?).  It seemed like a good time to paint them.

 Watercolour paint doesn't seem to adhere well to the Sculpey surface, but mixing it with white acrylic paint for the first coat seemed to help. 

 They have a dark brown coat first all over, then I use a moist brush to remove most of the paint from the face, legs, and underside.  It leaves a pale brown area.  Then I added a thicker reddish brown layer to the quills.

For the face, I gave it a lighter yellowish brown layer, then added a wide small brown nose and dot eyes.  Then I gave them a light pink blush to the cheeks, top of the nose, and feet.

Oh, and I made a mole too.

All of them are very small.  That little cup of water is a bottle cap.  I'll post more pictures when they are done.  I might put a glossy outdoor coating on when they are dry.

Have a great week!

Origami Wreath Tutorial

Our Christmas tree looked a little barren so I decided to make some ornaments - one for each one of my family members!

They turned out so lovely, and I wanted to share this tutorial with you so you can make some too. They make great presents to send to a loved one, or to tuck into a card. I sent a lot out with my Christmas cards :)
Here's what you'll need:

1. Scrapbook paper cut into 3 x 5 inch sheets
2. Liquid glue with a narrow tip
3. String, ribbon, yarn, or embroidery floss
First, take your paper and fold it in half so that the paper is long and narrow.
Then fold this long paper into half so that it is shorter.
Open up this last fold. It formed a crease in the middle. Now fold down one side using the center crease as a guideline.
Fold down the other side too. Try to match the bottoms so that they are the same length.
Flip your paper over.
Take one bottom corner and fold it up to the bottom of the triangle.
Fold up the other side too in the same way.
Then take both of the bottom pieces and fold them upwards so that you have a big triangle.
Fold this big triangle into half with your bottom pieces in the middle. Now you have a little triangle.
Notice that there are two pointy ends on one side, and pockets on the other side. These pockets are for inserting other pieces of origami.
Fold more origami pieces. Put the loose pointy ends into the pockets of another origami piece to join them together.
Keep adding more to form the wreath shape. Different numbers of origami pieces will make different looking wreaths.
This wreath has 8 separate pieces.
This wreath as 10 separate pieces.
This wreath has 12 separate pieces.

Choose your favourite look and fold the required number of origami pieces. Once you are done joining the pieces together, you need to tighten the wreath and space the parts out evenly. This is a tricky process. It helps to hold down the other pieces while you adjust the exposed part so that the wreath doesn't push apart.

When you're happy with the layout, add a dab of glue between each of the separate pieces to secure the shape.

Tip: Hold one piece at a time with thumb and forefinger and gently slide a finger from your other hand between the pieces to create an open gap. Push gently with your thumb and forefinger to hold the piece propped open while you grab your glue and put a small dot inside. Since the gap is small, this is why I asked for liquid glue with a narrow tip.

If your dot of glue is too big, it will squish out when you press down. Just wipe off excess with some tissue. If your dot of glue is too tiny, it won't hold the wreath. Loop a string through your wreath and tie a knot. Now your origami wreath is ready to enjoy!

Don't forget to post photos of your finished work on the Flickr page here.

A few are available in my shop. Custom colours are also available. If you need supplies to complete this project, just email me.

Happy Crafting!

Advertise on this blog!

*************************************************************

Have the tutorials and information on this blog helped you? Then please consider supporting this blog with a generous donation!

Felt Owl Ornament Tags

I wanted to show you something I've been working on lately! These are Felt Owl Ornament Tags. You can use them as snazzy tags for your presents, or use them to decorate and accessorize your home. I discovered that they make pretty adornments on a bouquet of flowers, and I know they would make great Christmas tree ornaments.
Here they are without raffia tags yet. They're really fun when grouped together.
I am looking forward to using them on my gift packages, and I think you will like them too. You can find them as singles or sets of 3 in my shop.
Have a happy owly day!