Mini Menagerie

From Mini Animals to Big Animals

2012-01-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

Wow, nearly six months since I posted anything or made any miniature critters! I hate to admit it, but I think the end has come, at least for a while if not forever. For those wondering, I meant to take a short break (maybe through the summer), but I can't seem to get motivated. I just don't enjoy it like I did when I first got into it.

My new buddy, McDreamy, may be a major contributor to my waning interest in minis. He's the horse I've been leasing, and I just love him to death. I love being out at the barn with all the horses even if it is a bit of a drive to get there. I've never been able to have a horse of my own though it's something I've always dreamed of. I don't own McDreamy, but leasing him is good enough for me (at least for now). Here's a short video of me just goofing around a bit in the arena. Oh, and just mute the sound unless you want to hear me sounding like a chipmunk, lol. I don't know why the audio is so much faster than the video.

Anyway, I miss you guys!

A Woodland Witch (with black cat doll)

2011-07-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a little Witch Raccoon I just finished. I decided to give this Witch a black cat, a bit of a change from the usual teddy bear.
Have a HAPPY WEEKEND!!!!

A Thimble Full of Bubbly Brew

2011-06-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

As some of you already know, I have a disdain for sewing (er...I can't do it). But that doesn't mean my sewing supplies can't come in handy, right? :D
Here's a little witch (or warlock....hmmm, or wizard???) making something rather toxic looking in his thimble pot.

Circus Clown Mouse

2011-06-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

Yeah I know, I said I'd be trying something entirely different and yet here's another mouse. I said try, and I did. It just ended up in the trash, LOL. In case you're curious, I tried to make a horse. :(
Anyway, this here little clown mouse helps clean up at the circus - so many messy eaters. Thanks to his pointy hat, he's a bit taller than my usual (1.5 inches).

The last little Runaway

2011-05-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

Don't worry, I won't bore you with any more of these because he's the last one for a while. :-D
I was working on the mouse and bunny at the same time, so I was able to finish up the mouse today.

Another Runaway

2011-05-29T22:51:00.000-07:00

Yep, this one's a bunny and I've got one more in the works (a mouse), then no more runaways, at least for a while. For those of you in the states, hope you are all enjoying your Memorial Day weekend. Hopefully you get Monday off of work-yippee!!

Finally a new mini!!

2011-05-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Another runaway! I rarely make cats and dogs, but occassionally I get the urge to try. So here's my one dog for the year (LOL). Don't ask me what breed, just a mutt of some kind. He's only 7/8 inch tall, and I gave him leather ears and a little handmade leather collar.
See, I told you I'd have some new minis soon. :-D

Not a mini, but oh so cute!

2011-05-17T01:20:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything in a while so I thought I'd show you my latest obsession. This here is "McDreamy". I don't own him, but I'm leasing him for a while. My excuse is that he's my little reward to myself for quitting smoking. :D

Don't worry, I will be getting back to making more mini critters asap. I have to or it's bye-bye McDreamy.

Another Little Mouse

2011-04-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

Here's another little mouse I just finished. She's carrying a little raspberry. And again, I made a hat. I don't know why I'm into hats lately. :-/

Just Wishing You a...

2011-04-24T10:35:00.001-07:00

A teddy without a critter, LOL

2011-04-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

I've always struggled with trying to make the fur on my critters' teddy bears look more "teddy bear-ish", LOL. So I've spent the last several days working on this little guy, and I hope it's a bit of an improvement though I know I still have a long way to go. Same with the litte hat - definitely need to experiment more with this, LOL!
I was going to make a little critter to go with him, but after the time spent on him, I think he's on his own. :-S

Little Runaway

2011-04-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

I just finished this little one inch mouse who's running away from home. He's got his little hobo stick and a companion to keep him company (tied to a rope for safe keeping, lol ). So how many of you ran away from home when you were a child? I did, but never made it more than a couple blocks and a few hours. :-p

An Itty Bitty Teeny Tiny Duck

2011-04-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

Why do I do this to myself? My "comfort zone" is between 3/4 inch to 1& 1/4 inch. But I personally LOVE the really tiny little miniatures, so I guess that's why I torture myself trying to make them. I almost gave up on this little one several times, but he kept quacking at me to please finish him, LOL. And being the Easter season, I had to make him a little Easter treat, a chocolate egg (well half of one, lol), filled with jelly beans.
Taking a decent picture is even harder, which I did finally give up on. So here are the crappy pictures of my finally finished PITA duckling.

The finished "Mousketeer"

2011-04-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

Being he's a mouse, I decided his "sword" would be an ordinary household straight pin. And guess what the hat was? Oh YESS, major PITA with a capital "P" !! I even sustained a minor finger injury, but I guess that's not too surprising being the klutz that I am.

Work in Progress...Can you Guess?

2011-04-05T22:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, not as bad as the last post of the turtle but still not the most flattering, here is a mouse I'm working on. Of course he needs to be furred which will hopefully be a big improvement. Can anyone guess what I'm attempting to have this little guy doing?

For a Good Laugh....My Very First Sculpt Ever

2011-04-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

I thought you might get a kick out of seeing the results of my very first attempt at sculpting. It's been almost 3 years now (WOW, time flies!!) since I bought my first polymer clay ("Super Sculpey") and attempted to make something with it. The only paints in the house were some enamel paints my husband had for model cars, planes, etc., so I used that. My husband wouldn't let me throw this horribly ugly green blob of a turtle away, but I'm kind of glad I didn't because he's my little reminder that there is hope that I can improve with practice and experimentation. And if anybody else ever feels frustrated with their creations, maybe looking at your first attempt will make you feel better too. Or you could just look at mine, LOL.

Notice the bizarre shape of it's shell and head.

Here's the bottom, LMAO! Look at how huge he is!

Why does he have one bulging eyeball??? Looks like a frickin' tumor or something.

Easter Bonnet Bunny

2011-04-01T23:27:00.000-07:00

Experimenting is what keeps making minis interesting and fun, don't you agree? It can also be frustrating as hell and expensive, LOL. Anyway, I tried some different techniques with this one. And yes...the bonnet was a PITA!! But I think it turned out okay. And best of all, no fabric of any kind was necessary.

Ready for Some Puddle Stompin'

2011-03-26T20:34:00.000-07:00

I just finished this little one. Remember when I said it's hard to make clothes from clay without it looking like plastic? Well, I figured that slickers and galoshes are close enough to plastic that it might actually look okay, LOL.
Actually I came up with this one when I saw a little toddler in the rain all dressed up in his raincoat, hat and boots....talk about CUTE!!!

Egg Sucking Coonie

2011-03-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

Well that title almost sounds like I'm name calling or cursing, LOL. But raccoons just LOVE eggs, and somehow they're able to suck the insides of them out leaving the shells still whole with just a small hole. I found this out one time while camping. We woke to find the eggs we planned to have for breakfast were scattered about the campsite. At first I thought the little thieves left some undamaged, until I picked them up to discover they had been sucked dry, lol. So this is why I made this little egg bandit using a drinking straw. :D

Turtle Riding....Weeeee!

2011-03-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

I suppose if you weren't in a hurry to be somewhere, this would be kind of fun. :-D

A little early for Easter but....

2011-03-02T20:46:00.000-08:00

...I had bunnies on the brain. The chick is just 5/8 inch tall and the bunny is 7/8 inch tall. Again I used Vicky Guile's tutorial for the little basket. :)

Mouse in a Jam

2011-02-23T20:42:00.000-08:00

This guy is already spoken for - a little 7/8" tall mouse who has found his way into his mom's homemade jam. Messy but yummy. I wonder if a taste of that jam is worth the trouble and bath he'll be in soon.

And the Winner of the Chinchilla is.......

2011-02-23T19:21:00.000-08:00

I added a number generator widget to the right of my blog because I didn't want to cut out all the names and take photos of the drawing (in other words, I'm lazy). ----------------------------------------------------------->
Anyway, the number it came up with is 53 which is Patty (MINI BABIES). Patty was one of the ones whose names I entered twice (i.e. she was actually number 52 and 53) because she's one of my regular followers and always has such sweet things to say. So congratulations Patty, I know he'll be going to a wonderful home. :)
You can visit Patty's blog here .

300 FOLLOWERS Chinchilla Give-Away! :)

2011-02-17T18:36:00.000-08:00

A tiny gift and a huge thank you to all of you. I really mean that! And I'm not going to make you work to win it this time. Just leave a comment and you'll be included in the drawing. And because I'm especially appreciative of those who comment regularly or often (you know who you are ;)), I think it only fair that your names will be included in the drawing twice. I saw these little chinchillas at a pet store the other day and I couldn't believe how adorable they are. Apparently they love dried fruit, so I made mine eating a dried apricot. Anyway, this little guy will be going home to the person's whose name is drawn. The drawing will be held the evening of Wednesday, February 23rd, so if you're interested in winning this mini chinchilla, just leave a comment before then.
THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE!!!!

Another Pajama Baby

2011-02-11T18:02:00.000-08:00

Getting back to the smaller minis, I decided to make another little pajama baby. I still have mice on the brain though, which is why this time it's a mouse. I made a little teddy bear for him too. The bear is 5/8 inch and the mouse is around 1 & 1/8". Yep, I had to pull out those lovely reading glasses for these guys. :(

Polymer Clay Walnut Shell Tutorial (as promised)

2011-02-07T21:36:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is a very simple project and my first tutorial so no laughing please. Now why on earth would I want to make a walnut shell, you ask? Er, good question. But off the top of my head I can think of a few ideas:
If you make or collect mice, there are a million uses for walnut shells. For example, a bath tub, a bed, a sled, a crib (as shown below).

And for you Fairy lovers out there, same thing. In addition to accessories for your wee ones, you could make Christmas ornaments or even a little box by making two halves.
Anyway, since people have asked, here is the tutorial I've promised.

Okay, here goes:
STEP 1: MAKE A FORMER

You'll need some kind of "former" - something to form the shell around. If you have something around the house that is the exact size and shape you are looking for, lucky you. If not, it's easy to make your own former. Just get some polymer clay. Doesn't matter what it looks like so if you have a stash of scrap clay like me, now's a good time to use some of it.

To the left is a wooden piece from a craft store, and a hand-made former from scrap clay as an example. If you use clay, you just need to form with your hands a sort of roundish egg shape, and bake it per the manufacturer's instructions.

Once cured in the oven, wrap some parchment paper, wax paper or aluminum foil around it. To keep the paper from coming unwrapped, you can use a little tacky glue to keep it in place. This picture shows the smaller clay former wrapped in parchment and the larger wooden former wrapped in aluminum foil.

STEP 2: PREPARE THE CLAY FOR THE SHELL

Okay, there are no real rules here. The type of clay and colors you choose are up to you. In fact, I have no idea what colors I've used before so I'm just winging it. This time I chose the following colors: Fimo Desert Sand, Premo Ecru, and Fimo Translucent. Just find some images of walnut shells on the internet as a reference and I'm sure you can come up with the perfect color!

Take whatever colors you choose and condition each separately by warming and softening them up with your hands (mush between your fingers, massage, roll into a ball, etc.), then roll each color into a log shape. Press the logs together and roll this big log between your hands to make one long log.

Fold this log in half and again roll between your hands. Fold in half again and roll, and repeat this process until the log has fine streaks of color.

Like this! (Sorry these pictures are SOOOOOO bad - you can click on each one to enlarge them which may help).

Now squash your log into a roundish ball or blob. If you have a pasta machine for your clay, run it through the machine at the highest setting. If you don't have a pasta machine, you can use a roller or glass bottle to roll it out flat. You want a flat even sheet around 1/8 of an inch thick.

STEP 3: FORMING THE SHELL

Carefully lay your clay sheet over your former, and with your fingers gently press it against the former.

Using a knitting needle, draw an outline of the shell around the former. If you look at a real walnut shell, it sort of looks like an elongated heart shape.

Then take a craft knife and trim off the excess clay.

Use your knitting needle to smooth and shape the edges. Again, give it a bit of a heart shape like this.

Now let's make this sucker look like a walnut shell. Take your knitting needle (you can vary the size of the needle), and make indentations into the clay. Again, it's helpful to refer to images of a real walnut.

You want it to end up looking something like this.

Now it's time to cure it in the oven (again according to the manufacturer's instructions).

If you need to make sure your shell will stand okay on it's own and not "wobble" or fall over on its side, simply flip the shell over and gently press down to give it a slightly flattened bottom before curing it in the oven.

Once cured, let it cool down for a little bit and then remove the former from the shell. It should pop off easily, but if necessary you can use a craft knife to gently slip around the edges to loosen it.

If your shell is a bit lopsided looking like mine, lol, just trim and sand around the edges until you acheive the shape you want.

STEP 4: COLORING YOUR SHELL

Now that your clay shell is cured and cooled, it's time to give it some color. You can use acrylic paint and / or alcohol inks. I use both just for the heck of it.

What I do, is mix up a lighter beige-gray-brown color. I'm going to do a "dry brush" first. You don't want to wet your brush or water down the paint at all. Dip your dry brush in the paint and wipe off the excess onto a paper towel or cloth so that there is very little paint left on the brush.

Brush the paint lightly onto your shell and let dry.

Next, you want to make a darker brown color but this time you want to make the paint very very thin and watery. Brush this darker color over your shell. The thin darker color will run into the groves of the shell. If you need to, you can wipe or lightly dab the excess darker paint off of the shell with a paper towel or cloth and let dry.

I think the alcohol inks work best with this sort thing. So here I'm brushing on some "Latte" colored alcohol ink for its last layer of color.

The ink dries very fast so you need to work quickly. (of course if you screw up, it's easy to remove with some regular rubbing alcohol -not too much though because alcohol will corrode the polymer clay).

Color the inside of the shell basically the same way, but give it a contrasting color to the outer shell (either darker or lighter).

After the paint (and / or ink) has dried thoroughly, apply a light coat of matte varnish as the final step.

Of course the shape, size and color is all up to you.

NOTE: Another option is to go to the store, buy a walnut, eat the walnut, keep the shell. But that's not as much fun in my opinion. :-P

BIG DADDY Mouse and Tutorial is Next....PROMISE!

2011-02-06T17:29:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been such a flake lately you guys!!! I've been reminded about the walnut shell tutorial I promised, and I'm going to work on that next to post here for those who wanted it.
I've finished the daddy mouse for the half scale house (I know, I know...it's about time). He's busy designing plans for a "cat beller".

Here's the happy couple together...

BIG MAMA Mouse and Puzzle Crap Furniture

2011-01-23T20:13:00.000-08:00

Hubby put some kind of parental control code on my PlayStation which I hate, BUT because of this I was able to work on the mother mouse for a half scale "mouse house". She's huge compared to what I'm used to, measuring nearly two whole inches to the tip of her ears. I thought since she was larger, an apron would be simple to make. HA! NOPE! I was so grouchy and irritated while trying to make the apron that I literally scared my husband out of the apartment, LOL!

Puzzle Crap Furniture:
It makes it kind of difficult to make critters to a certain scale if you don't really have anything to use as reference. I can find miscellaneous objects around the house that may be close to the right height or width, but it's a pain in the butt. So when I found this "34 piece half scale furniture set" online for really cheap, and saw "Assembly required: NO", I was so excited I bought it right away. Well, I should have read the description a little more closely because it's actually just wooden puzzle pieces that fit together (or are supposed to fit together). I suppose they have potential. With a little glue, sanding, staining, upholstery, metal fixtures, ...... they may not be so bad. But I don't mind because I mainly just wanted them as a guide, and they are all in the proper half scale size. They were kind of fun to put together, but I have no idea where I'm going to keep all this crappy furniture.

So here's mama in the kitchen....

and in the dining room.....

and in the living room....

and in the master bedroom.....

and in the kid's bedroom.....

and the best of all, the bathroom with it's wooden toilet, LOL!

Her real home will be super cool. The house will be custom built as well as most of the furniture and accessories. Here's a link to Elly's blog which I am sure she'll update with photos of her mouse house in progress once it gets started. :D

DOLLAR STORE DOLL FURNITURE

2011-01-09T12:42:00.000-08:00

Seems like ages since I posted something new. This is my husband's fault - he bought me a PlayStation for Christmas, and I'm completely addicted to this Red Dead Redemption game. It's getting to be ridiculous!! I told Craig he needs to put some kind of "parental control" on it so I'm limited to how much time I waste on it per day.
Anyway, I am starting to get back into the miniature frame of mind again, and thought I'd post pictures of these dollhouse furniture pieces I found yesterday at the dollar store (only $1.00 a piece). It seems the scale is all wacky though. The bed could be half scale, the table may be a bit too tall for half scale, and that chair is closer to 1:12 scale. The vanity and hutch seem to be somewhere in-between, LOL. But since they were so inexpensive, I thought if nothing else I could always use parts from them (like the trim work or the chair legs, etc.), and since they are wood they can be re-painted.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

2010-12-24T23:15:00.000-08:00

Wishing all of you the happiest of Holidays and the best New Year!!

Splish Splash, a Walnut Shell Bath

2010-12-21T10:49:00.001-08:00

Another walnut shell and mouse - didn't I tell you there were endless possibilities for a walnut shell, LOL. Well, it's not a real walnut of course, but they're pretty simple to make in clay.
I decided to make a little mushroom stand for this one since I know that the owner won't be displaying it inside a dollhouse. :-)

Peace on Earth, Goodwill Towards All Living Creatures

2010-12-16T23:46:00.001-08:00

It's late, I'm tired, and I think I'm PMSing, LOL. I'm no poet, but when I saw a kid kick a little dog in the parking lot of a department store while at the same time hearing the song "Silent Night" coming from the store inside, ah well....

Silent Night, Holy Night

All is Wrong, Nothing's Right

Shivering Alone in the Cold Winter Snow

Left at a Shelter Awaiting Death Row

Beaten, Neglected, Abused

Lonely and Sad and Confused

Silent Night, Holy Night
Why the Cage? I Don't Bite

The People Walk Past Me, My Heart Fills With Pain
Nobody Wants Me, I'm Old and I'm Plain

Please, I am so Terrified
Come Dawn I'll be Euthanized

Silent Night, Holy Night
Little Beast, in Gun's Sight

Food on Their Table, Though Room They Have None

That Doesn't Matter 'cause Shooting is Fun

God's Little Creature so Free
But Man Controls Your Destiny

Silent Night, Holy Night
When will Man Make Things Right?
They Think They are Special, They Think They are Blessed
They Think They're the Masters and They are the Best
When will They See These are Lies?
When will They Hear all Our Cries?

And here's the last of 'em! Now I HAVE to get some Christmas shopping done!

2010-12-15T22:41:00.001-08:00

And I'm really dreading it. But only 10 days left, so got to get my butt in gear!

Little hopper's done! One little mouse left to go!

2010-12-14T20:27:00.001-08:00

It pretty much takes me a full day to fur, and that's for the tiny ones. Now I remember why I really like doing one animal at a time - it's not as tedious. Tomorrow is the little mouse's turn. You thought he looked skinny before? Check out how skinny he looks next to his two furred pals. And his eyes look huge too, LOL.

Tiny Raccoon Furred and My New Ugly Glasses

2010-12-13T23:43:00.000-08:00

One down, two to go! I think this guy is the smallest of the three (3/4 inch to the tip of his ears). For the photos, I included my ugly reading glasses I bought at the drugstore recently. I could tell my eyes seemed to be getting worse since I've been making these little guys, and I finally broke down and bought a pair of cheapo glasses. WOW though! What a difference! Crap, I'm getting old! LOL

More Nudes (3 new pre-furred teeny tinies)

2010-12-12T19:11:00.001-08:00

I normally make just one at a time because I'm impatient to see the final outcome. But I've got three in the works to try to save a little time so I can get some Christmas shopping done (and gifts made). The raccoon and mouse are 3/4 inch tall and the bunny is about 3/16 inch tall. This will be the smallest raccoon I've tried to fur, so he might end up in the trash, lol. By the way, is anybody else starting to feel the stress of Christmas? :-(

Little Girl Bunny

2010-12-08T20:49:00.000-08:00

And yes again, I had to resort to making her dress from clay! :(
I TRIED to use real fabrics, and despite my frustration and rising blood pressure, I thought it was going to look okay until after a while the ends that I had treated with "Fray Check" began to fray (Arrrrrgh!!!). That's when I gave up, LOL!

Weeeeeee Mouse

2010-12-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

Wow, it feels like forever since I visited blogland but it hasn't even been two weeks (eeek, I think I may be a blog addict). Well one big Holiday down and one to go, and I don't know about you guys but I am sooooo not ready for Christmas this year! I can't believe another year has already passed.
I just finished this little squeaker. I made several walnut shells in different sizes because there really is an unlimited use for them when it comes to mice. They can be used for a bed, a sled, a boat, a motorcycle side car, lol...to name just a few.

Happy Thanksgiving - see you next week!

2010-11-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

I'm outta here until next week - going South to the warm sunshine for the Thanksgiving Holiday to be with family. I'm going to go bonkers not being able to play with my clay for so long, and I'm going to miss our two little fur babies. :(
For those of you in the states, I hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving Holiday. And don't forget to be thankful for your furry loved ones (and maybe even save them a little Turkey too).

Just a Sad Little Poem :((

2010-11-20T22:32:00.000-08:00

I wish someone would tell me
What it is that I've done wrong.
Why do I have to stay chained up
And left alone so long?

They seemed so glad to have me
When I came here as a pup.
There were so many things we'd do
While I was growing up.
But now the Master "hasn't time"
The Mistress says I shed.
She doesn't want me in the house,
Not even to be fed.
The children never walk me.
They always say, "Not now".
I wish that I could please them.
Won't someone tell me how?

All I had, you see, was love-
I wish they would explain
Why they said they wanted mine,
And then left it on a chain.

Poem by Edith Lassen Johnson
Photo and Poem found at www.UnchainYourDog.org

This poem made me pull out a bunch of cat toys and play with my poor neglected kitties, LOL. I hope it will make others want to hug their furry little babies or play with them or take them for a walk or just pay a little extra attention to them.

Little picnic mouse is now furred - Now Rated G

2010-11-19T21:10:00.000-08:00

Ok, the little fella is decent now with his nice new fur, and let me tell you something....I LOVE this bamboo viscose yarn! The alpaca I usually use is nice, but this is so silky and soft and not only that, it is so much easier to handle. It seems to lay nicer without all the fly-aways that I normally spend forever trimming away on the alpaca. It also seems to work nicer for the flocking. I'm just really bummed that I can't find any other colors of it besides bright pink, blue, green, etc.

Naked Picnic Mouse

2010-11-18T22:40:00.000-08:00

LOL, yes another naked critter for your viewing pleasure. He should be fully furred sometime this weekend if all goes well.
This time when I took the photos, I took Robin's advice about a "scenic background", and though I didn't have a picture of anything, I have this reptile terrarium decoration that you can kind of see in the background. But I also realized another thing. The colors don't quite get all crazy when I use the normal macro mode instead of the macro zoom mode - weird.
I'm kind of looking forward to furring this mouse because I'm trying a different material that I haven't used before. It looks like it might lay really nicely, but I never know for sure until I try it.

LOL, yes another naked critter for your viewing pleasure. He should be fully furred sometime this weekend if all goes well.
This time when I took the photos, I took Robin's advice about a "scenic background", and though I didn't have a picture of anything, I have this reptile terrarium decoration that you can kind of see in the background. But I also realized another thing. The colors don't quite get all crazy when I use the normal macro mode instead of the macro zoom mode - weird.
I'm kind of looking forward to furring this mouse because I'm trying a different material that I haven't used before. It looks like it might lay really nicely, but I never know for sure until I try it.

3/4 Inch Squirrel with Acorn

2010-11-15T21:22:00.001-08:00

AAAAAARRRRGGG!!! He is sooooo hard to photograph!! I'm not sure why, but I give UP!! :(
It's been one of those days where nothing seems to go right, LOL.

Little Baby Owl....

2010-11-09T20:03:00.001-08:00

...for anybody whoooo gives a hoot. Very bad pun, I'm so sorry about that!

Newborn Bundle of Joy in a Shell

2010-11-06T22:59:00.000-07:00

Just finished this little baby mouse sleeping in his shell... well not a real shell, a clay walnut shell crib / bassinet / cradle .... whatever you call a baby's bed thing.
And...........yep, that's about it. :-P
(I should be a writer, don't you think?)

Another pajama baby (with an enormous head, LOL)

2010-11-02T23:42:00.001-07:00

I wanted to make just one more pajama baby before getting back to work on some more mice. This guy ended up a bit smaller than the bunny (well, except for his frickin' big head), he's less than 3/4 inch to the tip of his ears.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!!

2010-10-31T10:48:00.000-07:00

I wanted to join in the fun at Kat the Hat Lady's Halloween Party. I hate missing a good party. So here are some "Halloweeny" pics.

First pic I snagged from the LOL cats site! One of my favorite sites ever!

And then I thought I would totally humiliate myself by posting one of my very first clay creatures I ever made - it's supposed to be a zombie, LOL!!

AAAACK!! Now THAT'S scary! I hope I've improved somewhat since then. :-/

Bedtime for Bunny

2010-10-28T17:12:00.001-07:00

I really love the little animals I see wearing clothes, but I'm so hopeless with sewing (or gluing for that matter) fabric. So I tried something new for me. This bunny's pajamas were made of clay, and I applied some flocking to them to try to make them look a bit fuzzy. Oh how I wish I could have made some real little pajamas for him. :(
Anyway, he is around 7/8 of an inch tall and is holding his blanket (or "Lovey B" which is what I called my little yellow blanket that I couldn't be without).

Nothing new except a furry indian

2010-10-25T22:40:00.000-07:00

Same old same old, just that the little Indian mouse is now furred :o)

What Baby Sisters Are For......

2010-10-24T20:38:00.000-07:00

I've been working on some rather naughty little mice. This threesome will be two little brothers playing Cowboys and Indians. However, they needed a prisoner and that's where baby sis comes in (I remember doing some pretty awful things to my baby sister when I was young).
The little Indian mouse will have a toy tomahawk and wear a headband with a feather. Of course he also needs to be furred, but I know how some of you get your jollies looking at the naked critters so here ya go! ;O)

200 Follower Giveaway aka Scary Story Contest RESULTS!!!

2010-10-18T11:54:00.000-07:00

It's our 7th year wedding anniversary so hubby took the day off today, which worked out perfectly since I wanted him to draw the names, LOL.
First of all I just want to thank you all for participating, and I hope you had fun and enjoyed all the terrific spooky stories. I know I sure did. I had such a difficult time trying to pick the top ten, and even trying to get it narrowed down to twenty. There were a total of 40 entries in all! But with some help from my husband (Craig), we finally decided on the top ten best stories (not all of them were the creepiest, but funny or interesting enough that we thought they were the best). So here's the top ten list in no particular order:

The top ten names were put in a bowl and shuffled by Craig........

he pulls out one, and the winner is..........

Glenda (Peppercorn minis). Glenda will have her choice between the mouse and the teddy bear. Please let me know which one you would like and e-mail me your address.

Now on to the second winner. All forty entries were put into a bowl and again shuffled by Craig.....

He pulls one out, and the winner is..........

Karin Caspar (KC Design). Karin will win whichever prize Glenda didn't choose.

Congratulations Karin and Glenda, and again thank you so much each and every one of you for the great stories!! Happy Halloween!!!

Baby Werewolf is Now Hairy

2010-10-14T22:36:00.000-07:00

Just finished furring this little monster. And I'm very tired so that's all I've got to say about it, lol. :-P

Deadline: October 18th
I've decided to add a second prize, and anybody who even attempts a scary story will be included in the drawing. The prize will be either the mouse or the teddy, whichever one isn't chosen by the winner. After all, every one of my followers are deserving of a chance no matter what their story. Thanks again to everyone who has participated in this little contest - and those that haven't, there's still time so let's see what you've got. :) Click here to post your story in the comments.

HEEEEEEEEEERE'S JOHNNY and Baby Werewolf Sneak Peek

2010-10-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

Actually his name is Jack, LOL. Another poor neglected Teddy Bear. Jack has been locked away in the toy box for much too long and he has a slight case of cabin fever. This as well as the fact that he is losing his stuffing mind makes poor Jack just a bit...."off".

Below is a sneak peek of what I'm currently working on, a baby werewolf with his little voodoo dolly. He's going to have some wild fur going on, so will probably look entirely different once furred.

BEWARE OF KNIFE WIELDING TEDDY BEARS!

2010-10-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

First of all, just a reminder that there is a week left to enter my give away contest. I'm not going to name names, but there are quite a few of you who have not yet posted a story! You know who you are! If you chicken out, I'll have to sick Mr. Beezlebub Bear here on you!

Thank you so much all of you that have shared a story so far! I'm just loving reading all your creepy stories! In fact, it was Janil's story about a teddy bear gone bad that inspired me to make this demonic little bear, LOL. He is 7/8 inch tall, and that knife might be small, but it's sharp! I actually cut myself making it. :-(

Gone Fishing

2010-10-07T22:05:00.000-07:00

I had started making some little fishing accessories for a commission which ended up having to be canceled, so I went ahead and made a little raccoon for the set. He'll be available for sale later tonight.
I'd like to thank a couple people who's tutorials helped me tremendously. The first person is Kiva Atkinson (I used her "rainbow trout dinner" tutorial at CDHM), and the second person is Vicky Guile (I used her basket tutorial in the August AIM magazine). Though mine are far from perfect, I'd hate to think what they would look like if I didn't have these tutorials to refer to.

Giveaway Contest Correction

2010-10-07T17:12:00.000-07:00

photo found here: http://www.zazzle.com

Er...DOH!!! I'm sorry, I messed up. I just now noticed that I had the wrong date for the deadline to enter my giveaway contest. It is still two weeks from my post, but the date is the 18th of October, NOT the 28th.
I'm loving all the creepy, spooky stories so far, I'm hoping there will be more!
200 followers give-away contest (click here)

200 Follower Giveaway Contest! Scare Me if You Dare!

2010-10-04T16:51:00.000-07:00

I have a feeling this may be a total flop (too much work for something too little), but I think I'll try it anyway. I want to do something a little different than just a random drawing of names, and I want it to be fun for everyone, so here goes.

CONTEST RULES:
Halloween is coming as most of you know, and I don't know about you but I'm really starting to get into the mood. I also love to be scared - I mean give me goosebumps and nightmares scared! So let's see who can freak me out, creep me out and scare the crap out of me. I want stories folks! But very, very short stories (please don't write a novel, lol). These can be true stories, or stories you've made up, or even stories you've heard before. But they have to be SUPER SCARY!!! Depending on how many people actually go to the trouble of participating in the contest, I will pick the top 5 or 10. The best 5 or 10 stories will go in a bowl for a, yes..boring drawing okay?
CONTEST DEADLINE:
The 18th of October
SPECIAL NOTE TO MY NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING FOLLOWERS:
Please participate if you'd like to, and I will translate your stories. I know Google translate is not very good, but I'm sure I could understand it well enough. I don't want to leave anybody out. WRITE THE STORY IN SPANISH OR GERMAN OR ITALIAN OR WHATEVER YOUR LANGUAGE AND I WILL BE ABLE TO TRANSLATE IT AND READ IT.
THE PRIZE:
A half inch furred mouse with a strawberry. (I really meant it when I said the prize may be too small, lol). Pretty bad photos of it too - sorry!!!!

GORGEOUS HOOKAHS and MORE!!

2010-10-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

YIPPEE!!! They arrived today! I saw Susan's (aka Tabitha Corsica, Tabs, Tabby...) Hookah's on her blog the other day and just had to have one. I've had a smoking possum and a drunk skunk so I figured an opium smoking critter is the next step, lol. Anyway, I just have to say that these little hookahs are absolutely beautiful - the pictures (mine and hers) do not do them justice. I was so pleasantly surprised when I opened the package. Now I don't want to make an opium smoking critter to sell because I want to keep both of these!!! WAIT...there's more........

She also sent these little books that really open and an adorable little ink well with a real little feather quill! Awesome little minis that I will treasure forever. All I wanted was one hookah and she sent me all this!!! And all she got was a bat with a bad hair cut, LOL. :-\

200 Followers...Means Giveaway Time!

2010-10-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

(Except I don't have anything made quite yet...but I will, PROMISE!)

I'd like to thank all of my followers and especially those of you who leave comments (which always brighten my day). And as a thank you, I plan on making a furry little something for a giveaway prize. Just as soon as I find the time!! Or maybe even sooner. ;-)
Of course, I will post about it when it's ready ( and I may make you work a little for it, we'll see, lol).

Black kitty done :)

2010-09-19T20:07:00.001-07:00

And again......I HATE photographing black furred critters. :(

HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!! LOOK WHAT I GOT!!!!!!

2010-09-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know who Kiva Atkinson is, and I kind of get the feeling that would be...um...nobody, lol, her and I did a little swap. I was absolutely speechless when I opened Kiva's package today (well not completely speechless, but I'm not repeating what came out of my mouth, lol).
I can not get over how incredibly realistic her miniature food looks! I've always been in awe looking at the photos of them, and I seriously didn't think they could look much better in person but OMG they REALLY do!!!!! These pictures I took are just horrible, and don't do them justice. But unless you already own one of Kiva's miniatures, you're just going to have to take my word for it. This chick is an extremely gifted artist. She's also a sweetheart and a good friend! She made me way more than what I deserved. Thank you buddy!!!!!

ROAST BEEF

HIDEOUS FISHIES

I don't think they're hideous at all, I think they're adorable. I've even named them. Meet Seymour and Herman.

That's Seymour that I'm petting. :)

Half Inch Witch Mouse Finished-Now for the Kitty

2010-09-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, here's the tiny witch mouse with fur. Which one do you like better-the before (fur) or after? I like the furry little guys but on the other hand, I do lose a lot of the little detail when I fur something this small.

Black cat & Teeny Tiny Witch Mouse in the Works

2010-09-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a few work in progress pictures of a custom order - a black cat (scaredy cat) and witch mouse casting a spell upon him. I still have to fur them of course, and make the mouse a witch hat. I have no idea how I'm going to fur or make a hat for such a tiny mouse - yikes! The itty bitty magic wand was tough enough to do. He's measures just a tiny bit over 1/2 inch to the tip of his nose.

WHERE THE HELL IS IRA??

2010-09-10T11:20:00.000-07:00

LOL, that's all! That's my post. I'm used to Ira (Merry Jingle Crafts) posting at least once a day and it's now been like a month. Anybody know if she's okay?

Drunk Skunk and how to make mini liquor bottles

2010-09-06T00:36:00.000-07:00

I just finished this intoxicated little stinker. The only thing worse than working with black and white fur is trying to photograph it - sheesh! You can't even see his eyes in the pics. The last picture includes my own bottle of Cutty Sark Scotch, lol.

So I was all excited when I finally, and we are talking years here folks, found something in the house I could actually make into a glass bottle. I thought it was my own brilliant idea, but found out it's been done before. I wish I had known about it sooner. For those who don't already know a super easy way to make this little liquor bottle, well I'll tell you.
All it is is a small Christmas tree light bulb. The bottom is rounded so you can either use a glass cutter to cut the rounded end off, or you can just use coarse sand paper and sand it off so that you have a nice flat bottom (which is what I did). Then all you have to do is paint it the color you want with glass paint, find the labels online that you want and print them out at the right size, and then cut and glue the label(s) on the bottle. Now that I know how to do this, you can probably expect some more inebriated animals from me in the near future, LOL. :)

Swingin' Bunny

2010-08-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

I've been a blog neglector recently but I was busy with all those batty bat lovers out there who asked me to make more bats. And I've just finished this latest order for a bunny on a swing (in motion with ears trailing behind, lol). And because she's such a good customer, I made a little something extra for her. I know she wanted a little bluebird for her latest project, but as some of you may already know, I try to avoid the birds, lol. I guess I just don't like working with feathers. Big PITA!

Little Wizard with a Big Staff

2010-08-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

I just finished this little wizard. I'm hoping his staff makes him look more like a wizard than just another witch with a green hat, lol.

No longer a secret, sew here it is

2010-08-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

I couldn't show off this one until now, since it was a surprise gift from the very talented and generous Sans to the very talented and sweet Rosanna. Sans wanted to give Rosanna the little tailor mouse that's on Rosanna's name card, which I thought was such a good idea. I had to get it done quickly so that it would reach Singapore in time before Rosanna left for Italy, and I'm so relieved it made it there on time and safely. But most of all, I'm ecstatic that they liked it. I'm always nervous about that, lol.

Little Guy with a Big Bite, Vladimir

2010-08-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

Took a small break from commission orders to make this little vampire bat. I've been itching to make some wings using liquid clay and wire, so I made Vlad here to get it out of my system for a while. Now back to commissions for me.

Harley's Dressed and Ready to Goooooo!

2010-07-27T21:43:00.001-07:00

Get your motor runnin', Head out on the highway, Lookin' for adventure....oops! Guess he found some...my cat, Otis, LOL.

Easy Rider in the Works

2010-07-26T23:25:00.000-07:00

I made this mouse's Big Wheel with buttons for the wheels, one of those ideas I've had and been wanting to make for nearly a year now. If I could keep this one, I think I would name the little mouse Harley. Hopefully I'll be able to give Harley his fur coat tomorrow so he'll look more like a mouse.
I shouldn't of started another project - I have way too many other things I need to be doing these next few days. But I couldn't stop myself....HELP!! Is there some kind of AA group for people like me? LOL

They can't always help themselves - it's up to us!

2010-07-25T22:16:00.001-07:00

This is Pip. Her mommy was trapped and killed when she was less than 3 weeks old and was left helpless and starving. She is just one of the many animals that have been given a second chance at life thanks to Rascal Rescue. Check out "The Laughing Raccoon" Blog. You can read about the raccoon families and other critters and enjoy looking at photos of some of the cutest little animals ever, like Pip here. There is also a donation button where you can donate through paypal, if you'd like to help out.
Thank you everyone, and a big thanks to Deanna of Rascal Rescue for taking such good care of our furry friends.

An Idea! (Good, Bad, Illegal?)

2010-07-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I come up with crazy ideas without thinking them through properly. So though at the moment I'm thinking "Hey, why not!!!?", I thought I'd see what others opinions are. There must be some reason this isn't already being done that I don't know about.

The idea: Our own private auctions on our blogs or websites. I'm thinking I could put a critter up on a separate page of my blog called "auctions" or something like that. If people prefer to remain anonymous while bidding, they could simply e-mail me with their bid. I'd have to monitor my mail often and update the "current bid amount" as it went along. I'd probably also have to notify past customers that I'm doing this since most of my blog followers are also starving artists, lol.
Though I give a portion of my sales to animal charities each month, I'd like to be able to give an even bigger percentage (50%) of any animals sold via my auctions.
So..........stupid idea, good idea, I'll get in big trouble by the big, bad e-bay idea......??

Finished furring (phew!) Mini Guinea and BILBY!

2010-07-22T00:23:00.000-07:00

Here's the Guinea Pig..........

And here's the Bilby - YES, it's a Bilby (at least that's what I was shooting for, lol).

New Critters in the Works

2010-07-20T21:13:00.001-07:00

Another "sneak peek" at some new little guys that hopefully will be fully furred and available in the next couple days. They aren't completely "naked" - I did give them a light wash of color which is mainly to serve as a guideline for me when I apply their fur. Now, let's see who can guess what the heck kind of animal that little guy on the left is?

This will be a pudgy little guinea pig (which I like to refer to as a "Mini Guinea")

And who knows what this one is? I'll give you a hint: Though it looks sort of like a cross between a rabbit, a possum, and a kangaroo rat, it's not an imaginary animal. It truly does exist, but only found in one country. Do you know the name of this strange little animal?

My Prize Has Arrived!!! Wheeeeeeee!

2010-07-19T20:36:00.001-07:00

The postman brought me a little package of happiness this morning! My prize I won from Asuka Sakumo's blog give-away arrived - sooner than I was expecting. Everything is just wonderful, better in real life! I was blown away by how tiny and detailed and realistic the little tarts are, and the cocoa looks so real, I was seriously tempted to take a sip. Now that little black tatting - I'm lost! I mean how do you do that??? It's such a delicate, intricate little piece. And Asuka made the little panda charm herself as well. Isn't it cute?!! I believe she has quite a variety available for sale now. OH, and to top it off, she included some extras......a whole ton of tiny printies of little candy boxes (I think it's candy but the writing is in another language, lol).
So Asuka aka: Stephanie - THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!

Please ignore my disgusting fingers in these shots, but they are so tiny I had to really zoom in.
I love this one with the tiny kiwi.

And look at this one with the tiny slice of fruit and an itsy bitsy chocolate heart.

Hot, frothy, yummy.....I want to sip it!!

"It's clouding up", "pop" and "spendy"

2010-07-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have seen this little quiz going around in blog land. Just cut and paste a few paragraphs you wrote from your blog or e-mails or whatever you'd like, and it will "analyze" it and tell you who you supposedly write like. Here's the link if you'd like to find out: I Write Like
I expected it to tell me I write like a 12 year old, but instead it told me I write like Chuck Palahniuk, one of the very few well known authors from Portland, Oregon where I was born and raised and currently live. This made me wonder if us Portlanders talk funny, lol. My New york born and raised husband thinks so. When the sky is getting cloudy, we say "It's clouding up", soda pop is just "pop", and if something is expensive it's "spendy". My husband says he's only heard these things since he moved to Portland.
So I'm hoping to prove him wrong and find out how many of you out there also say "It's clouding up", "pop" or "spendy", LOL
I know, this is a silly post and has nothing to do with miniatures.......but I'm BORED, LOL.

Croquet Anyone?

2010-07-14T19:35:00.001-07:00

Hi guys! Thought I'd share a little hedgehog I finished. I'm proud to say he'll soon be part of an awesome Alice in Wonderland scene. I'm sure a lot of you already know Tabitha (aka: Tabs, Tabby, Susan....) :D I was honored to be asked to make this little guy for her after seeing her amazing Wonderland setting. If you haven't already seen it, you can find pictures of it (among other fantastic things) on her blog
here--------> Tabitha Corsica .

I'M NO LOSER!!! :D

2010-07-12T09:01:00.000-07:00

I'm a winner baby! That's right! I found out late last night that I am the lucky winner of Asuka Sakumo's blog give away , and I'm one happy little camper right now. Take a look at my fabulous prize!! An adorable panda charm, a miniature mug of hot cocoa, and some delicious sweets with a variety of fruit toppings (looks sooooo real, doesn't it?). And I'm not sure if that little black tatting is part of the gift as well but I love it! I can't wait until they arrive!!! Thank you so much Asuka, for this generous (and wonderfully sweet) gift!!

A rare photo of the elusive Voodukoocoo bird

2010-07-09T01:19:00.000-07:00

And here is the bird feathered and flocked. Took most of the day and there are tiny feather trimmings everywhere, LOL. I have no idea what kind of bird this is, just a fantasy bird of some kind.

I just had to take a picture of my work area with feathers everywhere. When I took this, I thought it can't get any worse. But it got a lot worse!! In fact looking at this picture now, it looks pretty damn tidy compared to later. I just didn't bother to take another picture of it, LOL.

Witchy Mouse and Bird in Progress

2010-07-07T22:40:00.000-07:00

A little witch mouse, some "eye of newt" (yuck!), and a little wand. The book of Shadows was one of two I received from Pat Carlson in a swap we did a while back - awesome little books, with real little spells inside. The bird's not done yet.

The wand has a little amethyst crystal (well, actually I think it's just purple plastic, lol) Anyway, I have to thank Glenda for the wand idea! :)

Look Ewa, see the lousy EasyCast resin, LOL. I'm sure it has more to do with me than it does with the product itself. Lots of bubbles and a big old indentation on top! UGH!!

I don't do birds normally, but it's always fun to try something new. He hasn't been flocked and feathered yet - he may look unrecognizable after I'm done.

Cheese Please!!

2010-07-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

I made a little mouse with a variety of cheeses, and since everyone seemed to like the little koala, I gave him a little koala teddy bear too. And just to make sure Ira is clear on the difference between a Panda and a Koala, I made him a little panda teddy bear as well. (I'm sure it was just a typo Ira, LOL ).

Bon Voyage America, Look Out Australia

2010-06-26T23:46:00.000-07:00

I've finally finished the little raccoon for you Margaret! He's all ready to go and eager to see his new home and mommy. Or maybe he is a she. Of course this is up to you, as well as giving him or her a name, lol.
Actually, even though he's ready to go, the post office isn't. They're closed until Monday. But he'll be on his way then.
And again, thanks so much all of you who participated in my little give-away. *hugs*

(sorry, the photo isn't the greatest. I'm tired, lol).

Raccoon still in the works, but at least he's packed his stuff

2010-06-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, Margaret of My Petit Parterre was the winner of my blog give-away. Her animal choice was a raccoon, partly because there aren't any raccoons in Australia where she lives. I promised Margaret I'd make a little koala teddy bear to keep him company on his long journey. I also told her I thought I'd be finished in about 3 days (oops). But your raccoon is getting there Margaret - he's in the furring stage!! In the meantime, I thought I'd post a sneak peek at his accessories. This was the first koala I've made, he's only about 1 centimeter tall. The next koala I make I'm sure will be quite a bit larger.

Drum roll please.........and the winner is......

2010-06-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

He stirs them all up.....

He pulls out one.....

He unfolds and the winner is.........damn my eyes, I can't see!!!

Zoomed in.......the winner is......

MARGARET!!! Congratulations! And you know the drill, just e-mail me your address. Oh, and looks like you voted for a raccoon, but if you've changed your mind just let me know.

Thank you all of you! I will try to do something like this again soon if I can, because in my opinion, you all deserve a little furry guy in your life!

They say patience is a virtue, I say....whatever!!!

2010-06-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

The suspense is killing me, who will win, what animal will I have to make, how much postage will I have to pay, LOL. So instead of waiting for tonight to have my husband draw the name, I thought maybe I could give my cats a try.

This is Otis, Otis is a girl. To make a long story short, I found her in the street at the age of 1 year and weighing a whopping 3 pounds (1.36 kilograms) - she was literally skin and bones. Her name tag said "Otis" with a phone number that was no longer in service.

Otis LIVES for food!! So I put one of her little kitty treats in the bowl with the names:

So......I tried with our other cat, Scout. But she just gave me a funny look.

Guess we'll all just have to wait until tonight afterall.

THE WINNING ANIMAL (and why it doesn't matter)

2010-06-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

It was a close vote, but the mouse is the official winner, beating out the raccoon by just one vote. And yes, I fibbed to you all! But maybe you can forgive me when I tell you why. I will be having a drawing including ONLY you who voted (or at least commented on the vote without actually choosing), and the winner will get the animal that they voted for.
Below is my little spreadsheet of the votes (you may have to click on it to actually read it). Everybody on that list will be included in the drawing. So stay tuned to find out if you will be the lucky one.

Again, I have to say to all of you, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!

Last Day to Vote!

2010-06-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already voted for which animal you would prefer to win for my "give-away", now's your chance. Just leave a comment telling me which of the animals below you would prefer for me to make for my 100 follower give-away prize. And if you prefer an animal not shown, that's fine too. Just let me know what.
Tomorrow I will announce the final results of the vote and reveal just how this little contest will work. ;-)
Thanks to all of you for taking the time to vote!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! ......and 2 DAYS LEFT TO VOTE!!

2010-06-20T10:13:00.001-07:00

Some daddy animals are better fathers than others, LOL. I think the Emperor Penguin Dad has got to be one of the best fathers out there in the animal world.

And, on a different note, ONLY TWO DAYS LEFT TO VOTE FOR YOUR GIVE-AWAY ANIMAL!! I've tallied the votes and here are the results so far:

Raccoon: 9
Mouse: 8
Possum: 6
Hedgehog: 4
Rabbit: 3
Guinea Pig: 1
Other: 1 chincilla, 1 platypus, 1 squirrel, 1 big wild cat

So if you haven't voted and want me to make something other than a raccoon for the give-away prize you'd better vote now. And if you have voted, but your choice of animal isn't winning, you'd better get your buddies to help out with the votes, LOL.

To "fur" or not to "fur"? Think I already know the answer.

2010-06-19T10:58:00.001-07:00

Here's the little boy mouse's sister with her own stuffed toy (donkey, pig, hippo??) Ok, it was supposed to be a hippo, but looks more like a cross between a pig and donkey. Think it was too small and the clay was way to soft from what I'm used to, lol.
I'm really curious to know if anybody out there (other than my mom) actually likes these unfurred critters better than the furred ones. Which do you guys prefer?

Itty Bitty Mouse (no fur this time)

2010-06-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

I just finished this little guy-he's not even 3/4 inches tall. I decided to sculpt him some clothes and forget about the furring this time. He needed a friend, so I made a little stuffed dinosaur for him to play with too (with purple polk-a-dots ???, whatever, lol). When I was first playing around with polymer clay, I really enjoyed making the little critters like this with little clothes on, but seems most people prefer the furred guys. Some day I'll figure out how to make real little clothes for my furred animals (I hope).

P.S. Don't forget to tell me what animal you'd like me to make for my give-away!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

2010-06-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

I guess my Google poll gadget broke you guys! :( If you happen to see this, maybe you could just post a comment for which animal you voted for the prize. So sorry! #@*#!!@*# Blogger Gadget!! >:-(

WHICH ANIMAL WOULD YOU LIKE TO WIN?
mouse, raccoon, rabbit, guinea pig, hedgehog, possum, or other (please specify)

100 FOLLOWERS ALREADY????!!!!! Well How About a Vote!

2010-06-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

I so appreciate all of you that take the time to visit and especially those that take the time to comment (something I need to work on myself actually). So to all my loyal followers, I'd like to say THANK YOU!!
But actions speak louder than words, and I think you all would rather have a little critter, yes? On the right of my blog, I've set up a poll for you to cast your vote as to what animal you'd like me to make for my 100 FOLLOWERS GIVE-AWAY!! After 10 days, I'll have my answer and begin work on the winning animal. I wasn't sure how to make an "other" category, so if you would prefer an animal not listed in the poll, just post a comment here to tell me what you have in mind.
So have fun and go ahead and
CAST YOUR VOTE HERE---------------------------------------------------------->

Couple New Critters

2010-06-10T23:00:00.000-07:00

Finished up a couple little guys. A little beaver (the official animal of the state of Oregon - my home ), and a very tiny little possum.

Ever Wonder Why Rabbits Are So Good At Multiplying....?

2010-06-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

Okay people, get your mind out of the gutter. They go to school, of course!

I just finished this little bunny classroom set - it was a lot of work but a lot of fun. The photos were a pain though....I couldn't capture the whole set and show all the details in just one picture. For example, the little guy sitting in the corner with a dunce cap is there because he was misbehaving (on his desk is a little drawing he did of the teacher as well as a little paper airplane)

Polar Bear enjoying a cool, refreshing snow cone

2010-05-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

Here you go Carolyn, a baby polar bear! LOL I made him a blue snow cone, which used to be my favorite flavor as a kid (what the heck was that flavor anyway??) Unfortunately I couldn't get my camera to capture the sparkly look of the ice :(

Mutt or Purebred?

2010-05-23T10:22:00.000-07:00

BEFORE

AFTER

I don't make mini dogs normally and don't think I ever made one that was furred, so this was something new for me. Here's some before the fur and after the fur pics. I had a lot of fun, but this little girl was supposed to be a particular breed, and I think she came out looking more like a mutt of some kind. CAN YOU GUESS WHAT BREED SHE IS? (and for the few of you who already know what kind of dog she's supposed to be, NO HINTS, LOL)

Bath Time for Kitty

2010-05-19T13:22:00.001-07:00

This kitty needed a bath. He's not looking real happy about it however, even though I made him a little rubber ducky to play with. I wanted to play with my epoxy resin and always thought cats are so adorable when they are all wet and miserable. I had to do quite a bit of experimenting before finishing this one as far as figuring a way to make the cat's fur look wet and figuring out how to make the water look soapy. Such messes I made in the process (but such fun too) :) I do wish I had made the cat sculpt skinnier to begin with, but live and learn.

Last Raccoon...Hooorayyyyyy!!!

2010-05-12T20:33:00.001-07:00

FINALLY!!! I've finished the last commissioned raccoon (for now anyway). I've got so many other things I want to make, and I'm free at last to make what I want. It's a great feeling!!