Clara loves eggs! Boiled, fried, or scrambled, not a day goes by without a bite of her favorite protein. But when she heard that on Easter Sunday almost all eggs served are chocolate, she nearly lost her whiskers in excitement! If there is one thing Clara loves more than eggs, it is chocolate eggs!
"Clara" by Ulla Milbrath and vintage easter boxes available at Castle in the Air.
Little Ruby Rae has found the perfect cozy nook to rest her weary bones. Having just spent days upon days gathering nuts for her Mouseling friends - she may just sleep through the New Year - or until the Bluebirds sing!
(Ornament made for the annual Castle In The Air Christmas party - 2012)
Photo © Tue Nam Ton
Karima, our Castle Queen, will be posting one mouse a day on the Castle Facebook page with a little story for each written by me. If you don't already 'like' this page, please do now - HERE! We have so much magic to share with you... Photo © Tue Nam Ton
I've been thinking of making this one for weeks! Finally I got a chance to work on him today.
Pinocchi-mouse is of course very fond of cheese. But ask him if he finished the last bit in the cupboard and he will respond, "No, No, it wasn't me!" Is that a spoon you have Pinocchi-mouse? "No, No it's my stick-horse, who doesn't eat at all!"
Pinocchi-mouse will be at Castle In The Air, this Saturday!
As the Mouse Castle Christmas Celebrations continue at Castle In The Air, many little mice are quickly finding new homes. But no worry, new mice keep arriving. A cream clad St. Nick, with his little helper will be there to greet you on Saturday!
Tomorrow is my 'Mermaids Love Token' Class at the Castle. Summer is in the air!
Oh how time flies! I've just posted a few of my summer classes on the sidebar. I'm especially excited about my Sea Dragon Fabric Bracelet, (Class On July 1st) pictured above and below. Inspired by my 'Dragon Familiar that I posted about HERE, this one is a tiny dragon or serpent, easier to wear and oh so fun! I need to get a photo of it on, they are quite wonderful. I added a bit of elastic under their heads, so they perch on your hand as you wear them!
Spring was filled with wonderful classes including a Rabbit Theatre, Dressed Figures, and Waxed Flowers... My last class of this session will be 'Cake Toppers' (Class is full) to be held at the Castle!
More Soon!!!
Here are a couple more 'Sweetheart Pincushions' that I made, and now at the Castle, these with a definite Pirate theme! And on another watery note, I forgot to post my Christmas Ornament Exchange Ornament, so here it is... A bright pink 'Lobster Gnome' - complete with sea-gifts on top! Not too many of these out there...
Enjoy!
'
This last weekend I taught a 'Sweetheart Pincushion' class at the Castle. Inspired by pincushions created by soldiers during WW1 these were a joy to make and the results were stunning! It's believed that soldiers were given kits by the nurses to make these lovely keepsakes, while on a short leave from the front or recuperating in hospitals. Almost all of the remaining vintage examples come from either the United Kingdom or France and were covered with Infantry colors and names, flags, ships, words of love and of course pins, beads and sequins. Ours are made of felt, and entirely decorated with bead studded pins. (apologies for the lighting, I seem to have misplaced my good camera...)
Here are the class samples for next Wednesdays (October 19, 2011) "Haunted Skeleton Nicho" class. I was inspired by my own antique Mexican Nicho (see last photo). These are constructed from old cigar boxes, layered with wonderful papers that the Castle is known for. The inside will feature a dressed skeleton and waxed flowers. There are still a few spots left, if you are interested, please call (510) 204-9801 for more information or to reserve a spot.
Who knew a phone could be so addictive??? I've been playing with 'Hipstamatic' and 'Instagram' on my Iphone. But the best $1.99 I've spent in a long long time has been on '8mm' a video app that lets you film in a look reminiscent of the 1920's... Now to figure out how to load it onto a computer...
I've been invited to participate in a group textile show at the Healdsburg Center for the Arts, June 29th thru August 1st, 2011. Along with my textile masks and jewelry, I will also be showing this 'Dragon Familiar Wrap' at the show. I've always loved the idea of having a pet dragon that one keeps wraps around ones neck. This one has scales of flame bubbled polyester, and bright pink silk wings. His face is created from a multitude of textiles, fur, felt balls and sequins. Although ferocious looking, he is actually quite friendly!
I'm afraid I have not been a very reliable blogger lately. My apologies... Life has been filled with a variety of obligations, and blogging has had to take a backseat. Despite, or perhaps due to the full schedule, my creative juices have been flowing like crazy! Recently I had the pleasure of taking John McRae's 'Santos' class, at the Castle. Using wonderful composition German creche figures, cotton batting, and delicate wood pieces we constructed our own personal Santos figures. I decided to make mine with a kitchen theme. First I designed a center reliquary with tiny clay vegetables and cutlery. Then I added my collection of mexican kitchenware onto her wooden brackets. Bronze numbers, representing times of the day that we eat, are on her waistline. She holds 2 delightful vintage 'cakes' made of wax, offering her bounty to all who enter our little kitchen. I've wrapped her head in vintage velvet, but hope to someday find a small demitasse teacup to top her head. She sits quietly on a ornate shelf, welcoming all who enter...
I have added a few more Summer Class offerings to my sidebar on the right. Press on each for more details. Above is my 'Sacred Heart Reliquary' offered on June 4th. Below is my 'Costume in Miniature' sample for July 17th. I'm thrilled to be teaching at both Castle In The Air and Chateau Sonoma this year. Hope to see you there!
I've just added a few Waxed Flowers to my Etsy Shop, and hope to add more very soon! Enjoy!!!
I've had a number of requests for my 'Woven Heart And Hand Valentine' so I've decided to create a mini tutorial on how you can make your own. My Mother taught me this technique when I was a little girl, and its always been a favorite of mine.
Step1:
With a pencil, trace your hand (from wrist to wrist) onto the back of a decorative paper . I've used old sheet music. Refine the lines, by straightening them - making elegant fingers.
Step2:
Flair out your tracing at wrists on both sides - creating cuffs.
Step3:
With scissors, cut out hand and cuff.
Step4:
Using decorative scissors (I used a small scallop) cut a curved end where cuff will be.
Step5:
Now cut out a heart from a pretty red decorative paper. I've used a handmade Italian Marbled paper from the Castle. Make sure your heart fits into the palm of your papercut hand.
Step6:
Gently fold hand in half lenghwise, without creating too hard of a crease.
Step7:
Fold heart in half as well, matching lobes.
Step8:
Now place folded heart over folded hand, so that the heart lies upside down in the center of your hand palm as shown. Make sure folds are tight together.
Step9:
Holding your heart and hand together, cut 5 slits into both layers, making slits equal distant apart and equal distant in length, and slanted up towards heart curves. Be careful not to cut slits beyond hand papercut. I like to start with the center slit and then cut slits above and below.
Step10:
Pull heart from hand and turn so that the hand and heart are facing upwards together. Place heart on top of hand, and gently slip each cut notch of heart into cut notches of hand.
Step11:
Now gently push down on each tip (starting from top) so that another heart layer shows through.
Weaving will vary depending on length and width of your cuts. Try a heart with more than 5 cuts for extra complexity! Hint: odd number of cuts will always give a pretty end result.
Step12:
Finish off your hand by adding a crepe-paper or doily cuff on the end.
Sign the back and send to your Valentine!
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!
Over the weekend I made these tiny little 'waxed' white violets, following a pattern from a vintage crepe paper flower book. (they are stuffed into a vintage salt shaker) I was mighty proud of myself, and thought they looked lovely. Later that day, while walking the dog, I found some real white violets growing in our neighborhood and picked a small bouquet to bring home. To my dismay, my crepe paper bouquet suddenly looked clumsy, thick stemed and awkward next to the real thing.
So today I decided to try again. I trimmed my patterns, twisted in spots where I hadn't previously, and used thinner wires. I know I will never achieve perfection, but I do think I'm closer to the real thing now. Lesson learned - patterns are good, but real flowers are better!
