Dragon Sculpting

Here is an update on what I have been doing. At the "show and sell" in Guntersville, a customer asked about the polymer clay. "Can you make other things out of this?" he said. I , boldly and perhaps foolishly, replied, "Sure, anything that will fit in the oven." He the asked me to make a dragon figurine for his wife, who collects dragons. My carefully weighted answer was " I will try, but I won't be able to get it done before Christmas." Yeah, I was thinking that I didn't know if I could make a DRAGON. I make jewelry, I paint, I sew, but I am not a sculptor -- or am I?
I looked on line and never found the tutorial on making a dragon that I am SURE I saw one day.
SO, I did what I typically do anyway. I took what I found and "gene-ified" it. Here is the dragon for better or worse.

I confess that after I painted the final layers and all the irridescent paints dried, I think it is pretty cool.




Added information
I am sure many people are curious about the dimensions. Several co-workers saw the picture and asked about dimensions. So I am adding this to the post:
From the tip of his nose to the farthest back part of his tail is approximately 8 inches. The highest point (scale on top of his head) is just under 3.5 inches. Wingspan is approximately 6 inches.and the widest side-to-side measurement is approximately 8 inches.

And for those of you that got stuck on "farthest" - it is the correct superlative. I had to look it up.

Holiday Goodness

I got a picture in email from a friend. Now I confess that I love chocolate, and I love cinnamon (and other) sweet rolls. But How about this? Dark Chocolate rolls with dark chocolate chips on top! Sounds sinful doesn't it? Have an eyefull.



Ah the delights of the holidays. I hope at least one of the three pans of them is for ME. Ha ha.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Wanna see a "Card Trick" ?

Card Trick
Originally uploaded by GeneBlack

A darling friend rought me a present from her travels. She had gone "home" to visit family. Of course, as all good quilters do, she went to the quilt store in the area. She brought me back this lovely kit. It is made by Quilt Magic http://www.quilt-magic.com/

The basic idea is this: a foamboard square has laser cut lines into which you tuck fabric. They come in quilt square designs as well as other designs. It was a fun afternoon "goof off" project.

These would be great for any youngster from 8 to 98. There is no sewing and you use a dull knife to tuck in the fabric. But the result is a great wall hanging.

Giveaway - LINK -Polymer Clay book

A friend of mine, Chris, is hosting a giveaway. She has a book, "Polymer Clay for the Fun of It" that she is giving away. You can find it on her blog . Go and enter, this will be a great prize for anyone who just loves the creative process.

Party Doll

Party Doll
Originally uploaded by GeneBlack

Shopping for toys is difficult during the Christmas season - I certainly don't want to go there. People will run over you. So, on the occasion of my great-niece's first birthday, I made this fun, silly, cute, simple little rag doll for her. I found the basic design online. I changed it. (come on now, are you really surprised?) Best of all I had help. Her other "uncle", Dave, stuffed the arms, and legs, then stuffed the body and head. I did the sewing and painted the face.

I used a black corded velveteen for the back of her head - Ha! no hair to sew on with that. Then I just painted the seam and around her face with some black "hair" with curls on the ends.

I hope she makes a little girl very happy. I know that little girl makes me very happy.

Win an art book

Hey, I had to let you know that Susan Tuttle is giving away a copy of her book, Exhibition 36: Mixed-Media Demonstrations + Explorations. You can find it on Amazon right here

You can read about the contest HERE But please don't enter! I want to win this one.

Oh okay, fine go on and enter. Just remember, I really want to win this!

A Week has Passed

Goodness me! A week has passed since I posted here. My show, Saturday the 6th, was a success. I had good sales. All the fabric birds went to new homes. That's right, every last one of them is gone. I will have to make a few more for my work Christmas tree.
I sold some jewelry, some purses, some quilted journals and some notecards. I did not sell a single painting though. With the strain on the economy, I was pleased to sell as much as I did. I have profit. Profit is good, I can continue my fabric obsession! Ha ha.

Just because I had such a great time, I must tell you about this afternoon. I was gifted with a pair of tickets to see the musical "Annie" at The Whole Backstage Theatre in Guntersville, Alabama. The show was wonderful. I had my doubts about anyone playing Miss Hannigan. Carol Burnett defined Miss Hannigan in the movie, so I was sure anyone else would be a disappointment. WRONG! The actress that portrayed Miss Hannigan was excellent. The part of Molly, the youngest girl in the orphanage, was played by a six year old. She is small in stature for her age. She is HUGE in acting skill, not to mention being a seemingly fearless performer.

I could go on and on about every cast member. I know that much hard work and preparation went into this performance. The group claims to be "amateur" but I saw a professional polished show. Did I mention that I had a great time? If any member of the cast happens to read this let me say "Thank you for a wonderful afternoon and a memory that I will carry for some time."