Miniature Gazing Balls

I have been playing. Not sure what I will do with these yet. The four gazing balls in the back are dollhouse scale. The three in the front are half inch scale.



I did learn one thing, I need to make a removable patio for my display box because the moss flooring is too uneven to get tiny things to stand upright. If I do decide to make these to sell it will be with an option to have a brass rod inserted in the bottom in case someone wants to place it in landscaping or a terrarium, etc instead of on a shelf or other flat surface.

Blue eyed snail and a new tool

This is the latest snail creature to slime his way off of my work table.



He seems so sweet and like his feelings would easily be hurt by mentioning slime. Guess I should not do that. Do these guys need names? Have any name suggestions?

Recently one of the blogs I follow It's All About Creating posted about handmade sculpting tools made by her friend Shirley of SkulpTools .
Anyone who knows about my addiction to tools and supplies knows that I opened that shop in another tab and immediately bought one before even composing my reply on Marlene's blog.
=)

I got this one...



It is fabulous! Smooth, easy to use... but what makes it extra special is the handle. It is comfortable and a joy to use. Of course I went back and ordered a few more.
If you sculpt go to her shop at SkulpTools.etsy.com and check out her line of tools.

half inch scale hummingbird feeder

I hand sculpted this hummingbird feeder from polymer clay. It is 1:24 scale, half the size of dollhouse scale. The part I am most proud of is the shepherd's hook.



I wanted it to look like wrought iron so I hammered out some aluminum wire. Then after shaping it into the correct shape I painted it in flat black. It took a couple of tries of hammering and shaping before it looked the proper scale. I am happy with the results.

On my list of things I want to make is a diorama box to photograph my garden miniatures. I am going to start on that today along with sculpting another snail.

work in progress

In this photo I am not quite finished sculpting on this piece.



It is the prototype for a series of snail sculptures I will be making. Each having its own character and personality. They have been sliming their way around my mind for a few weeks now demanding to be brought to life.
Yes I know how crazy that sounds. =)

Really close up photos

I need to play with it some more but I really love the lens I got from littlebigshot. If this shot is not perfect it is not because of the lens, it is me without a tripod and needing more practice.



You can click the image to see a larger photo on flickr.
I took this shot of my mini owl yesterday just before I packaged him up for his trip to a new home in Sweden.
This afternoon (after I get a few new things made) I will get my camera back out and practice some more. The lens is incredible and can give amazing results.

changes

I do not like to discuss anything too private on my blog. However, I have been getting a lot of questions from people wanting to know why after close to 3 years I would give up running one of the most successful guilds on artfire, Polymer Clay Smooshers.

When I am responsible for something I feel the need to give it everything I have. I posted to their blog and kept up promotions on various websites every single day.
The past year there has been a lot going on in my personal life.
I had to have 2 surgeries including one to reattach the tendons in my shoulder.
My mother in law had to have brain surgery.
Several months later she had a stroke and almost died.
My sister passed away unexpectedly.
My mother received a really bad diagnosis and is possibly about to have to go through surgery.
While going through everything life could toss at me I kept up my responsibilities to the Smooshers. I barely slowed down. It felt good to have something else to focus my attention on.

Then a few weeks ago something bad happened and I don't know why, I forgot my sister died. I picked up the phone to call her. Once I realized what I was doing it was like the bottom fell out of the world and I fell into a deep dark hole.
I did ask for help with the Smooshers but when after a couple of weeks it did not happen I knew it was time to let it go. I could not keep up the responsibility as I had been. For the good of the members it was better that I resign instead of letting it slowly disappear into oblivion. They deserve better than to let that happen.

For my own sanity I am trying to make something every day even if I just smoosh the clay back up. It is my way of digging myself up out of this dark pit I have fallen into.
Sorry about the long post. If you have made it this far down (((hugs))) to you.

Make something challenge

I am challenging myself to make something every day. For those things that require more than one day to complete because of time or medium constraints, accomplishing something on a work in progress does count.

This will help me in several ways. It will keep me busy even when my muse decides to take a vacation without me. It will help me build up stock for my shops and also gifts for family and friends. It will give me something to blog about.

Would you like to join me? If you do please make sure to leave your blog link in a comment so I can follow you if I am not already.
You can give yourself a deadline if you wish. I am not going to do that because I want to see how long I can keep it up as part of the challenge.

Miniature Basket of Grapes

I am getting back to what I love, miniatures. This basket of grapes is in 1:24 scale.



It is 1/2" x 7/16". It feels good to be making tiny things again. Here it is finished.



You can click the images to see larger ones on Flickr. I reopened my shop on Artfire today and this little basket sold as soon as I listed it. I am working on a couple more minis now and will show you you what they are soon.

Following my muse

I find it necessary to take a step back from my online life for a little bit. My shop on Artfire has been put on vacation. You can still reach me through the contact form on the shop or through email. I have decided to take my own advice and make some changes. I will be concentrating on spending more time with family and friends.

I will also be focusing more on making miniatures because I have had a passion for tiny things since childhood. Hopefully, when I return I will have lots of new things to show you.