Shabby Chic altered lampshade DIY

I embellished a plain lampshade for a friend. I used ribbon trim around the bottom of the shade and flowers and beaded sprays, all from Hobby Lobby.  A hot glue gun, wire cutters, and scissors are all you need for tools. The lighting for these photos was not the best. The colors are actually off white and pale aqua.   Don't spend money on the pre-made ones. Do it yourself!

Repurposed vintage keys, "Believe" and "Trust"

I have altered two old keys that I found at estate sales.  I love to use vintage dictionary pages in my work, so I have wrapped the stems of these keys with the definitions of "believe" and "trust."  They are gentle reminders to keep your thoughts positive. I sealed the papers and sparkled them for a magical look. I further embellished them with some bead dangles.
I collect old dictionaries wherever I can find them.  Keys too!

Oh! The third necklace is one of my layerd pieces. I use a brass bib for the base. I blacken it for an aged look.  The coin focal point has a rhinestone chain around it.

All of my work is one of a kind. I may use similar or the same elements but they are always designed in a unique way.

You can find these necklaces on my Ebay sister site under the Ebay name "Oldstorybooks," where I list other vintage and antique finds.  Here are the links:

Believe

Trust

Coin necklace

"Poppy," a shabby sweet baby orangutan

Finally, after a few months, I have a new sculpture finished!  This baby orangutan's name is Poppy.  I haven't finished embellishing her box, yet, but as most of you know, my work always comes in a custom box. 

I work a lot slower than I used to because I have a tremor in my left hand caused by Parkinson's disease.  I'm too stubborn and determined to give up sculpting until my work all begins to look like little aliens.  I think it's still pretty good and pretty cute! I hope you do too!

Here is the link to Poppy's auction:

Poppy

I will be announcing a new goth doll listing this evening, but for now, I have these altered keys to show you.  I just listed them this afternoon.  As you can see, I am still repurposing things and loving every minute of it!  At least these keys won't be in a land fill for a while! 
Someone wrote and asked me if I solder or glue the embellishments on these pieces. I use glue! E6000 to be exact. It is the recommended glue on several jewelry sites.  I have used other glues, like Aleene's jewelry glue, but it's not as good as E6000. One time I accidently left a brooch on a top and it went through the washer and dryer. The pin that I had glued on with E6000 was still firmly attached when I found the brooch. 

I am starting them at a very low opening price of only $5.00. I think they are so neat and such great conversation pieces. I'm not repeating any of the designs, although some may be similar.

Thanks for popping in to look at them!
http://www.ebay.com/sch/toodlesocks/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

Primitive Hand Sculpted nativity Holy Family

For the past few holiday seasons, I have sculpted my own version of the nativity, or The Holy Family.
I used to use Sculpey in ivory, but it seems that the company has discontinued that color. So, since I love all things white, right now, I decided to sculpt them in all white, including their faces.  I like my version because they are not cutesy or cartoon-ish like many hand made nativities....just my preference.  My intention is to make them look like a relics that have been found on an archeological dig.  Baby Jesus is simply wrapped in a clay swaddling blanket. Each is faceless.  I stained them to make them look very very old and primitive.  They would work well in a shabby chic setting.

I sculpted Mary and Joseph over an aluminum foil armature.  Each piece is very sturdy. This set would make a wonderful heirloom to pass down to children and grandchildren.

Here is the link to their auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170955048079

We Three Gnomes

Aren't these just too silly?  I love them!  These are my new "stocking stuffer" sculpts.  I have them sitting on an old window that is hanging in my hallway.  It makes a great prop for my shabby chic, cottage sculptures.  I sculpted them with white Fimo and sprinkled some fairy dust on their hats. 
Their noses are the only thing that shows on their faces!

Here is their auction link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170954384397?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Here's something different from me, a pumpkin head altered bottle (sort of doll) that I named Vincent after Vincent Price. I am a long time aficionado of spooky movies, so I named him after Vincent Price. As a teen, I spent many Friday nights, staying up late with my best friend, Bonnie, watching those wonderful old black and white horror movies. I hand sculpted Vincent's head from Fimo and premanently affixed it to the bottle cork. I used various ephemera to embellish the bottle where you will find one of my hand pleated medallions with an antique bone button in its center, a reprint of an old post card, a "key," and part of an old necklace around the neck. I wrapped some coffee dyed torn silk around the neck for more of a shabby look. Oh, I stained the pumpkin head to keep with the antique or vintage look. I like him a lot! I hope you do too! Here is his link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/170913225571?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

OOAK donkey

I think I've outdone myself on pitiful and obliging with this little donkey! Isn't he just the cutest? He is thread jointed. Someone on my facebook page commented "who wouldn't love a jointed donkey?" Ha! I hope someone finds a spot in their heart for him. He comes in an altered box like all of my recent sculpts do. I alter a box specifially for each piece.

No one else will have one of these. Only you, the lucky winner! If you haven't noticed, I don't repeat any sculpture. Even if I tried, no two can be just alike because I don't use molds, even molds of my own work.

Here's Seth's auction link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170847975767?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Altered matchbox fairy baby

I won't be able to list her for a couple of days, but I was excited to show you a preview of my matchbox baby fairy! I had so much fun altering the matchbox and making it look magical. I used an antique shoe button for the pull (you can't see it in these photos, but it was perfect!), some French ribbon, a metal corner with a tiny lock and key hanging from it, various French and fairy ephemera, and, of course, one of my pinwheels made from a page from a vintage dictionary. I named this baby Dorian. She slumbers in her very feminine and shabby chic bed. Her wings are made from transparency film so they gently bend to fit in her box. I made this baby girl anatomically correct.

Please watch for her auction to begin, most likely on Friday.

Altering tip:
Don't use liquid glue to adhere paper or card stock. Use only glue sticks so you don't end up with a lot of lumps and bumps!

A shabby chic dictionary bird, Harmony

Birds are really popular right now and I have so much fun sculpting them! If you are new to sculpting, a simple bird might be a great place for you to start since they have no joints and are a fairly simple sculpt. Alter them or add your own embellishments to make them OOAK. Altering and dressing are often the most fun stages of creating or sculpting for me. Start keeping bits of lace, ribbon, extra buttons that come on clothing, and even books you don't want to read or have already read. Use the pages to make medallions or to cover a box.

Spring has sprung, indeed, and Harmony would be such a perfect and one of a kind gift for anyone who loves gardening or the outdoors. Or, you just might want to keep her for yourself!

Here is her auction link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170840086495?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

I finished a cottage style bunny girl today! After much thought, I decided not to sell her. She will go to my grandbabies. I just can't let go of some pieces.

I sculpted her face before Christmas and had no idea she would become a bunny! We are having some spring days here in southern California so I guess I have been hit by spring fever!

I will be working on another shabby sweet animal,and maybe another bunny child. I am thinking "flying pig!"

An OOAK shabby white cottage baby owl!

I just listed a 2 inch baby owl! I think he's pretty cute and very "baby." I guess "innocent" would be a perfect word to describe him! The ruffle around his neck looks like little bird feathers, don't you think?

I altered a box with the owl theme for him. On the box is a medallion made from the print of an antique school book, vintage lace, owl ephemera, and an antique shoe button (in the middle of the medallion).

Here is the link to his Ebay auction:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170784359548?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

string jointed cottage teddy bear

I haven't sculpted a teddy bear for a long time, but I was inspired to make this string jointed bear because I love the white cottage look so much! I am going to list him/her on Ebay a little later today. I used tiny onyx beads for eyes, and I made a little bauble to hang under the ruffle around the neck. This is a miniature bear. It sits at only 2¼ inches tall and stands at 3 inches.

My next piece might be a cottage bunny!

Free polymer clay bunny tutorial!

Are you ready? I have finished my bunny tutorial. It's rather long, but I tried to show you each step. And, don't forget to enter the contest! It's all free and you could win! Here are a few additional things that I would like to tell you about making the bunny. If you want to keep the bunny white, and not antique it, wash your hands really well and make sure your working surface is very clean. Polymer clay picks up any debris or dust like a magnet. I like to work on a piece of white paper just to keep my area extra clean. If you don't want to antique your bunny,just stop skip that part and continue on to the painting. I used a filed down toothpick to show you how to dot the eyes if you don't have a stylus. I missed showing the photos where I applied Future Floor wax to the egg, and sprinkled Glamour Dust on it. I can't seem to be able to insert them where they should be, so just do it like you were in kindergarten playing with glitter!