kokeshi doll charms

i made quite a few of these wooden kokeshi doll charms, using pyrography, watercolor dyes, and varnishes. right now I have two sitting on my etsy shop, will add more in the coming days. i figure one can use them on their cellphones, purse straps, rearview mirrors, whatever and wherever.

fall vase

here's a papermache vase I did a while back and just getting around to posting it. using silhouettes of real leaves from the backyard and 4 colors from spray can paint (including primer), it took shape and a feel of a more 'ceramic' piece. finished it off with 2 coats of gloss varnish. I love papermache stuff like these - if it accidently gets knocked off the table, it doesn't break. good for homes with little kids.

faceless

I started back to painting on canvas inbetween doing the clocks and other crafts. This is first of the collection of 'unrealistically-shaped' women, which was fun to do, but when it came to their facial expression - I had nothing so I left it blank. I didn't feel it was up to me to determine how they were feeling. Maybe they're annoyed. Maybe they're happy. Those who look upon them can decide.

no button dilemna

well since everything vintage is in, so are the buttons i found in the sewing box at my parents place. i like to believe i put them into good use - into my crafts (common among DIYers). first i did it as pins, but then decided on magnets. well, it's vintage buttons on the trendy pink and brown colors of felt. pretty mainstream, i think. but they ended up looking pretty cute. i am definitely not a sewer, and haven't a clue how to use a sewing machine, but I can stitch here and there. i made a total of nine button-felt magnets.

tick tock part three

this one was actually the first clock i did, and the wood was premade - you know, one of those already shaped and sanded for clock-making. The hearts are handmade paper with pieces of twisted strings in them, and the numbers in 3-D paint - better known as puffy paint.

tick tock part two

now I just finished another clock - this time done with a premade little wooden suitcase. It's about 5.25" long and 3 .5" in height. The movement used in this one is the same size as the one previous (see below) so I didn't have to change the drill bit or anything. The hands, of course, is a bit shorter. I used a leaf stamp in gold but it was smeared while applying the varnish with a foam brush but I think it gives it a unique look. Which is why I didn't add any numbers or dots markers.

tick tock part one

Well, here's something I didn't have in my sketch book of ideas, but it worked out very well. Originally it was a mirror stand. Now it's a clock stand - prototype - and the paint job isn't the best but it works fine and has an interesting look to it. The "head" portion can be adjusted up and down. I have three more and so off I go into the workshop!

meow!

Are you one of the people who received a "cat's meow" postcard and know the answer to the question? The first 20 people with the right answer will receive a free little gift! So hurry, send the answer to xangetsu AT mail2Studio DOT com!

2006 fall show calendar

ok, here's my schedule:

sept 30 - oct 1 bowc fall bazaar
oct 28 edison hs craft show
nov 11 vienna show
nov 19 fall extravaganza

hope i can create bigger items, as of now i have lots and lots of little items. which is good because people are always looking for holiday stocking stuffers - like on the left, a purse charm made of wood, beads, and an image of a woman, using a woodburner.

living for art

As I start this off, I've got too much things to think about and they're all going into a wrinkled, scribbled, coffee-stained notebook, sitting along with the sketches of designs that may or may not come about in the near future. I love flat pieces of wood that I can paint on, or burn into, and there's this one piece sitting in the workshop with a funky shape that's perfect for clock-making. Whatcha think! I'm going to get it.