"Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself."
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Thursday, February 4, 2010

Show n Tell Friday

Hello & welcome to another Show n Tell Friday, hosted by the infamous Cindy @ My Romantic Home. I haven't posted in a few weeks cause I had a trojan & my puter has been in the shop but I have several completed projects that I am eager to share & this one is my favorite.


Would you believe that I created these snowmen heads "on a stick" w/ no tut, no instructions & w/ no experience....I am soo flippin' proud of myself! This picture doesn't do them justice!!!

My inspiration for the project came from these Halloween heads on a stick...remember them? I found them @ Tuesday Morning a couple of years ago & fell in love w/ the whimsy of them. I always knew I would attempt to paper mache one myself but was too intimidated by the project to actually start it. Until one day, when I came across this site w/ this wonderful paper mache clay recipe .


I rolled up a small piece of newspaper & taped it on a styrofoam ball for the "carrot" nose. Next time, I will just use balled & taped up newspaper for the head though as the "clay" didn't want to stick to the styrofoam but would w/ some encouragement. I didn't want a bright, attention-getting orange nose but I wanted it to look like a carrot so I tried out my new watercolor pencils on them. After giving them a wash w/ a wet paintbrush, the orange nose was just the right shade & the color seeped down into the cracks. POIFECT! I used pink chalk on the cheek bones for a subtle, rosy glow.




I first painted the heads cream & then swabbed on Tim Holtz's distress crackle paint in white (they call it swan)....only kissing it in areas. After a quick rub & wipe w/ shoe polish, the cracks look excellent....love them! For this one, I made a top hat out of sheet music, added rhinestone eyes, an embroidery floss smile & a dusting of glitter.


I didn't want them to look the same, so for this one, I added a little character to his face.... making him kinda goofy-looking but that only adds to his appeal, I think. For his hat, I rolled up a cone out of card stock & glued it on before covering the whole head w/clay. He got the same embroidery floss smile (I first carved a smile while the clay was still wet) but I used cream buttons (w/ silver metallic thread "pupils") instead of rhinestone buttons for his eyes. Isn't his expression sweet?

Since these were supposed to be snow heads, I didn't sand them smooth but this paper mache clay recipe can be sanded just like wood.



To add even more dimension to the cone hat, I covered it in MS's glass bead glitter.



I'm loving this paper mache clay recipe & my head is full of ideas to create w/ it. One lady on the site, made a life-size statue & painted it to resemble stone...how cool is that? Jonni is a wonderfully creative & talented artist & is generous in sharing her knowledge w/ us...for FREE! If you're interested in the clay recipe, stop in & thank her for her generosity.

Also, Cindy's apartment was featured in The Old Painted Cottage's cottage of the month for February (what an honor but I don't know of a more deserving cottage), if you haven't done so already, wish her "Congrats".


Hope everyone has a great week-end!

20 comments:

Kim @ Starshine Chic said...

I love your snowmen heads. They are darling!!!! I want to make some now. But I won't as I'm too lazy. So I will just ooh & ahh over yours.

Happy To Be/ Gl♥ria said...

Just darling girl...I really ♥ these...Hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

Debbiedoos said...

Now that was creative!!~

Diann said...

Don't ya just love when yo accomplish something like this and it turns out wonderful! Very cute.

Anonymous said...

Oh, you're so good! I love these cute little heads on a stick! So precious! You're just the smartest little one!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;P

Gee said...

hi cami,

you have done a great job. thats creative of you and thanks for sharing.

Charlene said...

What a fun project!!!! We have missed you & wondered what you had been up to. Can't wait tos ee everyone next week! Seems like forever since we were all together. Sorry to hear about your computer. Hate it when "things" happen like that! Glad you're back with us. Thanks for the sweet words comments on my post! Have a great weekend. HUGS! Charlene

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

Just discovered your blog and I love it! Your snowmen are absolutely adorable! Thanks for sharing the paper mache recipe link- looks like a fun project to try!

Debbie~ said...

Loooove your snow peoples, they're adorable, I fell in love with paper mache' when my son was a cub scout, isn't it the coolest medium ever?! If you have a minute, I'd love it if you stopped by my s&t. Debbie @ Hann~Me~Downs

The Lazy Peacock said...

those are really amazing! really creative. i think they would be big sellers on etsy if you ever decided to make and sell them!

Tia said...

Awwwwwww! Look at how cute those turned out!!! Paper clay is an awesome fun thing to create with for sure :) Thanks for sharing the recipe link with us! And I'm glad you're posting again, chicky!

Ms. Bake-it said...

How adorable! They turned out great. Very creative.

~ Tracy

Karen Valentine said...

Cami those are absolutely fabulous!!!
You SHOULD be very proud of yourself.They are every bit as wonderful as the cute things one might find in a high end boutique. I am very impressed. (okay, maybe a little bit jealous too.)

Have a great weekend
Karen
My Desert Cottage

Stephanie ~ Angelic Accents said...

Hi Cami!! Now how stinkin' cute are those?!?! I LOVE them! Thanks so much for telling how to make them. Someday.......

I also adore how you have displayed them in that beautiful crystal picther ~ Just perfect!!

Big TX Hugs,
Stephanie
Angelic Accents

karlascottage.typepad.com said...

Each and every little detail (and there are a lot of details!!) about this project is just wonderful!

Americana Lady said...

I love the hat you created, nice job! They are snow awesome! Joan @Americana By Candlelight

Katy ~ said...

Cami, what a truly lovely and fun post. I luv these snowmen, the glitter, lace, and blush LOL. Oh my gosh, these are so much fun.

Cindy said...

OH MY GOSH! I cannot believe you made those!!! Wow! I'm soooo impressed! I love them. I want to make some but I think I'm fooling myself, I think mine would look like a kindergarten project!

Thanks for sharing! I giggled when I read "the infamous Cindy" Thanks!

The Muse said...

Cami~gorgeous...i'd buy them in a second...hold on to them!!!

Wow oh WOW !

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

Those are soooo cute! Love the vintage look they have. How smart of you to figure out a way to make them. laurie