Just another brick in the wall

Well, a while ago on Twitter, @irgxana was asking if anybody had images of a wall made out of PEZ sweeties. Now, you'd think that this was something that plenty of people would have done before...but my search for such a wall was fruitless.

So, when I spotted these packets of sweeties recently, I knew what needed to be done!

With the addition of some icing...

Time to play! Pile up those PEZ-a-likes..

I built, and built, and built...

And eventually, I made this:

 So, there we go: a PEZ wall :D

Filling the UK

 So, following from my previous post, I asked people on Etsy what animals worked as representations of British wildlife.

Here (in contrasting colours for ease of seeing the main shape), are some of the suggestions, they're all about an inch across, or less.

Badger

Hare

Squirrel

Hedgehog

Robin

Fox

Snail

Deer

Highland cow

New Zealand, on tour

So, I finally managed to get myself organised, and now I have prints of my New Zealand map for sale in my Etsy shop, yay!

Here's one in its natural habitat....my living room.

I'm working on a UK map at the moment too - what should be hidden in that? So far, I'm thinking, hedgehogs and snails, as they can be quite stylised, while still being recognisable. Any other suggestions?

What's the collective noun for a group of snowmen?

A melt?
A shiver?
A frostbite?

Either way...I've got one!

Goodbye Steggie

After a quick checking out of the local scenery (AKA the fishtank on my desk at work, that also has a Triceratops skull in it), Steggie went on his merry way to his new owner today.

Bye Steggie!

Every gal needs a tote!

Tubs, and a pen/pencil bag

I accidentally bought myself a mini tote today. All my most-used equipment lives in a few tubs and bags, but as they ARE just tubs or bags, with no way of keeping stuff in order in them, that means I'm always rummaging in them to find what I want, and forgetting what I have.

So, I've now transferred all my tools into my new tote, and I'm pretty chuffed, I think it looks rather snazzy, and quite professional! It's got SO MANY pockets/pouch areas, and there are lots of things (including the pen pouch) tucked away neatly in the middle...which ALSO has even more sections in it.

I'm also slightly surprised by the amount of tweezers and scissors I have. Yeek!

One side...

...and t'other!

Finished stegosaurus

In progress

Yeah, he worked out ok - it's always a bit of an unknown when you do a new design, making it up as you go along. Luckily, this one worked out fine: full length strips, halves, and ones in 1cm shorter increments. All good fun! :D

Dinosaur making

I've been asked for a stegosaurus. Specifically, a green stegosaurus, with pale yellow plates. I've got the paper, I've done a sketch, so let's see how this goes, shall we?

Snowman, all dressed up

He looks pretty creepy without his nose!

Slightly better with the rest of his face, and his scarf added.

Tootsies

I've been asked to do a new baby card, for an imminent boy. This is the pair of feet before they're attached to the card: they're about 1.5cm long, and 1cm wide. Dinky!

The fluffiness you can see on them at some points is actually the paper fibre fluffing out when the paper strip's rolled up. Also, this shade of blue is a slightly stiffer paper, so it tends to fold rather than roll up easily, so some of the curves are stiffer. I have the same problem with black paper, I think it might be to do with the dye used on certain colours.

Snowmen painting

Christmas is always a bit of a frantic time if you're a crafter, so if I'm being smart, I plan ahead and try and get a few things made in advance.I do not often make much in advance - I'm not THAT organised!

Now, the way I end up working, you wouldn't think I had a whole bliddy Craft Room to go and work in! No: somehow, I end up cramming everything I'm doing onto the top of a plastic box lid on my living room table.Yeesh.

Anyway: this is the first stage of peg snowmen making - I made some a couple of years ago, but they're all packed away in the Christmas decorations box, so I'm trying to remember what I did to make them....means I'll probably make the same mistakes as I did the first time around too!

Next stage: hat painting, nose making, and face/button painting :D

Filigree stone

A lazy afternoon, some time spent doodling, and I've decorated a little stone.

They can be quite tricky: making smooth curves is difficult, as the pen nib hits the granules of stone on the surface and get deflected.You end up going where the stone directs you, rather than where you planned to go with a shape! Here's a closeup with the doodles and the surface texture.

New Zealand - both islands

And here's the finished piece:

18 birds, 8 lizards, and half my mind are buried in there! I'm thinking of taking this along to a print shop before I send it off, maybe see if I can make some high quality copies of it. Whaddya think?

New Zealand - North Island

And here's North Island - 9 birds and 4 lizards are hidden within the outline of the island :)

And a closeup of the middle:

New Zealand - South Island doodles

I'm making a gift for my brother and his girlfriend, who've just bought their first home in New Zealand. I thought a doodle-filled version of the islands of New Zealand would be fun, then @laurajwilkinson suggested  that I should sneak in a Kiwi into the doodles, and it snowballed from there! I've completed South Island, and I've hidden 7 stylised birds (kiwi and pukeko being the two most recognisable) and 4 lizards in this. Can you spot them?

Next up: North Island!