My Whimcees

My Whimcees

Friday, February 27, 2015

Even Winter Looks Better With A Little Snow!

Hello!

It has been SO cold in this part of WI this winter - this morning it was 4 degrees. The only saving grace is that it is almost March - and although we have had blizzards in April, the frigid weather with -24 windchill temperatures will be over! My friend Anna lives in Grand Marais, MN so she has also been struggling with the same kind of weather - I made this card for her.

This little guy is one of Sassy Cheryl's sweet snowmen. The name of this digital image is "Snowman Winter Fun" and you can find it at http://www.sassycherylsstamps.com/. I love her snowmen - they are my favorite of her many wonderful images! I have added Stickles "snow" to the letters and the snowman to give it a bit of happy glitter. I love glitter - a good friend used to call me the "Glitter Queen" because of my mind set that there was never a time not good for glitter! 




Thank you for visiting my blog today! I have been busy all morning trying to catch up with my return visits and the list is much smaller. So now, some lunch and then back to the computer to finish this today before I get even more behinder! :<) Wishing you a happy day!

Hugs,

Barbara Diane

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

WOYW? Wednesday and a New Project



Hello!

Today is Wednesday, and that means it's time for What's On Your Workdesk? If this is not something you are familiar with, go to http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/ and read all about it. You can visit so many bloggers to see what they are working on and share photos of your own! This is a great way to meet new people and get inspired to create today!

I had started a new project this week - making birthday cards for the monthly birthday party held at the apartment complex where I live. I volunteered to make the cards for the tenants celebrating their birthdays each month and this month there are eight needed so far for the March party. The theme is of course a St. Patrick's Day party. I am making them all the same and have added three extra just in case, so I am making eleven of them! I am using all paper punches, so first I had to get all the prep work out of the way.


I cut and folded the green cardstock for the cards and cut the white cardstock for the fronts and ran each one through the Big Shot in a texture folder.


Then I edged each one all around with a green marker matching the green cardstock.


Attached the white textured cardstock to the green cards using a paper tape to give it stability.


And all ready to go. Check back to see the finished cards. I think this is going to be a very labor intensive card to make. Maybe next time I will just color an image! :<)


Thank you for visiting my blog today! I hope that you have a good one! Thanking you in advance to all of you wonderful people who visit and take the time to leave me your kind comments! I love hearing from you and it means so much to me and to read them is what keeps me going. I know how rude it is to not respond the same day and I apologize! I am so far behind in visiting you all that I promise to catch up this week! 

Hugs,

Barbara Diane

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Another Version of Valerie

Hello!

Another digital image of this sweet little girl - this one called "Valerie With Pup" - and with all the snow in so many parts of the country this winter, the sight of her small dog hidden in the snow with only his ears and the tip of his tail showing fits perfectly! I made this card with a green St/ Patrick's Day theme - as the first one I posted recently was in red for Valentine's Day and one more to go that will be in the pastel Easter colors. All three images are from Mo Manning and you can find them at http://www.digitalpenciltoo.blogspot.com/.



Thank you for visiting my blog today! I am so behind on visiting you all that I will try to catch up today! It continues to be very cold in this part of WI - I am so longing for the green of Spring. Wishing you a happy day! This has been a long winter for me, so the sunshine and warm weather will be so welcome and healing!

Hugs,

Barbara Diane

Friday, February 20, 2015

Prudence Has Her Arms

Hello!

Finally, my Prudence doll has arms, hands - a new face - and is holding her apple! :<)

Prudence is a private doll class with artist Mo Manning, to make a doll designed from one of her wonderful digital images. We started the class in September and worked right along at a pretty good pace until November, when priorities became an issue for Mo and the lessons have been on a necessary hold since then.

We received our lesson for the arms last week and I was so happy to be able to continue creating my Prudence doll. It seems pretty weird to be working on a Pilgrim doll after we just celebrated Valentines Day, but better late than never. :<) It has been so exciting to be part of this doll class and I am looking forward to the next lessons for her hair and clothes.

This was a photo I posted on the doll club Facebook page as a tease to Mo that Prudence was patiently waiting. :<) The covered wire is in place for the arms.


So here is Prudence with no arms - after patiently waiting for so many weeks. I am getting ready to sculpt the arms. (You can see how she got to this stage in previous posts.) If you click on the photos you can see more detail of the sculpting. The legs are wooden but the rest of the doll is made using PaperClay - which is an air dry clay. I had not sculpted with this for a long time as I had switched to polymer clay for my sculpted dolls and then to wool felt - so I had forgotten how difficult this medium could be to work with.


In this photo the arms have been sculpted over the wire and are drying. In the background you can see the apple on a toothpick stuck in a styrofoam base to dry.


The arm wires are just sitting in the arm holes to check for placement - the finished doll is to hold an apple behind her back - and they are taped to the body so they can dry completely.





While waiting for the arms to dry overnight I painted the surface of the base with brown paint and the a layer of green over that - it will be sanded when dry. Poor Prudence looks very uncomfortable lying there with the taped arms, but she said she was just fine as her head was turned to the side and she took a nap.


The base is sanded and thumbs have been added to the hands and left to dry overnight.


The arms are sanded until smooth and then painted black with the hands painted a flesh color. You may notice that Prudence no longer has a face. I tried to change the eyes and ended up ruining the face features so had to repaint over the face 3 coats to cover. Poor Prudence. Now she had to wait for a new face too!


She has a new face, the cuffs have been added to the painted arms and they have been painted white and we are both SO happy that this lesson is completed! This all took a number of days, which surprised me - but I forgot about the necessity of long drying periods and the sanding, painting, etc. in addition to the sculpting.


The finished doll is holding an apple behind her back so here she is - back on the shelf with her apple and waiting again for the next lessons of hair and clothes. I could add her hair - it is attached up under her cap - but that would interfere with the construction of her collar. 


So back on the shelf and waiting. I am afraid my poor Prudence is woefully out of proportion with the tiny feet but she is special and I love her. She has been so understanding of the long wait, standing in one place on the shelf, being dusted from time to time. I put her in Valentine accessories in addition to the nap with the pillow for photos to tease Mo (I posted these previously) and she went along with my nonsense without a complaint. I have decided her true name is Patience. :<)


Thank you for visiting my blog today! It is so cold here in this part of WI. I am longing for Spring! I have been making some cards for a March birthday party to be held here at the apartment building where I live. There is a monthly birthday party held in the lounge each month and I have volunteered to make the cards each month for those celebrating their birthdays and so far have 8 to make for this party. It is a lot of green because they are having a St. Patrick's Day theme so it makes me think of Spring! Wishing you a happy Friday!

Hugs,

Barbara Diane

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

WOYW? Time and a Clean Workdesk

Hello!

It's Wednesday and time for What's On Your Workdesk? To visit everyone today and share what's going on at your house, go to http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/.

I usually keep my work area pretty neat while working but my Valentines mess became quite extensive and covered every area. This is what my workdesk looked like when I had finished with my cards.What a mess.


Because my sight is failing I have had trouble seeing the paper colors where I had them sitting so I decided to do a make over of my work area and put them on my actual work desk - which meant rearranging quite a few things including the area across where I had my sewing machine, drawers of fabric, etc. I switched the machine/drawers and the drawing table and this is the result.



And here is my nice clean workdesk. I have received the instructions for the arms so have started that sculpt. I will post more photos as I go along.


Thank you for visiting my blog today! We have sunshine but it is now 1 degree above zero here in this part of WI. Bitter cold means staying in and working on my doll. Wishing you a good one!

Hugs,

Barbara Diane

Sunday, February 15, 2015

A Post Valentine Thank You Card

Hello!

A Big Hug and a Thank You to all who sent such kind comments about my Valentines! I hope that you had a happy day and received lots of sweetness in cards and/or chocolate! 


Thank you for visiting my blog today! Last night when I went to bed it was 0 degrees and a -25 below windchill. Today is not much better! I think I will start making my Easter or Spring cards soon, just to see the pastel colors and green! Also, we finally have our next instruction for making the Prudence doll so am starting on the arms! I will post photos soon. Wishing you a fun Sunday!

Hugs,

Barbara Diane

Saturday, February 14, 2015

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Hello!

Well, the day is finally here - Happy Valentines Day! This wonderful little girl is one of Mo Manning's digital images "Valerie With Snowball". I added a little Stickles 'snow' for a bit of bling and made her a glitter Valentine to hold. (She is holding a snowball in the digital image.) There are two more images of Valerie in the snow and I love them all. I will be posting the other cards in this set of three that I made for a friend.



Thank you for visiting my blog today and a BIG HUG and THANK YOU to all who send me your kind comments and e-mails! I love them all and they are what keep me motivated! Wishing you a wonderful day today!

Hugs,

Barbara Diane


Friday, February 13, 2015

And Then Some More . . . Valentines

Hello!

More Valentines to share  today - getting to the end of the cards with Valentines Day tomorrow.

Today's cards are made using digital images from Sassy Cheryl. You can find these and more at http://www.sassycherylsstamps.com/. The first image is the sweet "Sassy Sally's Heart Balloon" and perfect for sending a Valentine greeting, so I made multiple cards. The border paper is hard to see on the photo but it has LOVE printed across it.



The second card is made using her digital image "Cup of Cocoa" and again is such a cute image to send to wish a happy day - so again, I made multiple cards. She gas a glitter heart added to her bow to celebrate the holiday. The border paper is one of my favorites that I can't remember where I purchased it to find more so I am saving even the little pieces. 


Thank you for visiting my blog today! We may have snow today in this part of WI - hopefully not too much. I am so happy that winter is winding down. We have not had a terrible winter so far but I am longing for the warm breezes and frilly looking trees of Spring.

Wishing you a great day!

Hugs,

Barbara Diane

Thursday, February 12, 2015

More Valentines

Hello!

More of this year's Valentines. I made many different ones this year instead of multiple of the same one or two as in past years. I have now mailed or hand delivered most all of them - here are a few more.

This card is made using Mo Manning's Tin Man from her Wizard of Oz series. You can find this fun digital image at Mo's website http://www.mosdigitalpencil.com/


Using Stampin' Up paper punches.


This is also one of  Mo's digital images called "Jojo".


This card is made using Sassy Cheryl's digital image called "Snowman Winter Fun". You can find him and other snowmen at http://www.sassycherylsstamps.com/.


A bit of Stickles to add some winter 'snow'. Love this happy little guy.


Thank you for visiting my blog today! More Valentines tomorrow. Wishing you a wonderful day!

Hugs,

Barbara Diane

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Another WOYW? Wednesday and I Am Late!

Hello!

More Valentines to share today. It is another Wednesday and time for What's On Your Workdesk? I am so late this time but posting anyway! These went out in the mail today - last ones to get out in time for them to get to the people by Valentines Day. The rest I can hand deliver and will post photos over the next two days.




Thank you for visiting my blog today! Wishing you all good things!

Hugs,

Barbara Diane