Igloo and Creepy Zombie Clay snow people...

Sometimes I get a bit carried away with things. I touched up the igloo for my table with the little mini snow men [they are 1/2" tall] and Santa. I thought, hey why not make a tiny 'snow scene'? You know, that diorama thingy?

As kids, we didn't use big words like diorama. We just made 'set ups'. 
Setups included our plastic soldiers having an epic battle on the ping pong table in the basement.

We spent hours doing those activities.

I used cotton balls that were packed in a medication bottle to make white snow boulders. The tiny gift boxes are something I picked up so many years ago and have reused year after year. 

I should have left well enough alone. I went out in the yard and picked up some fallen branches and broke off tiny trees. I thought I'd make a couple of snow men/people. Why not? I had the tips of the branches to make arms. I found itty bitty seeds to make the eyes in the first snow man zombie. Well, the rest is history.

They look like zombies! Terrifying indeed! 

Yet, somehow I like them.
They look less scary in the daylight. I still used black and white for them and gave the little snowperson without the mouth an acorn hat.

The igloo is behind them. 

Do not fear. I am not all creepy and scary. I like cute also. 

Behold the arrival of the Polar Bears!

They are adorable!

Finishing touches Fairy house...

This was the gnarly tree I was working on...

I think I may leave it just about like this. I used Spanish Moss to 'embellish'.

I wanted a rock walk way and those tiny pebbles are settled into a bed of Elmer's Glue. It worked! The little stepping 'stones' are some Crayola Air Dry 'clay' material that is really easy to work with.

So here we are... done. I even made a little bed out of felt for LIL Bear to sleep in. For fun, I added a tiny light string.

Here is the tiny table near the back door. The little pinecone house was a purchase from the dollar store along with a the tiny bench. Those items will surely go outside when the spring/summer finally comes around for a short visit.

The original house was an experiment. I'm going to try again to make another one. After all, practice makes perfect.

In the mean time? The weather is dreary. We haven't seen the sun in what feels like ages. I will have my sunglasses near for when it does make an appearance.

Sorting must be something that is on everyone's mind lately. I got some items in the mail from my brother. He found an old windbreaker jacket of mine! Now normally one would not get excited about that.
However this was my Northbrook Softball League Championship jacket from 1977! Eek gads! I was 21 when our team won!
I was looking for a jacket just that weight and size...

And there it appeared in the mail.
My brother was cleaning up things and sorting. I imagine it was in my father's things.

Keeping busy

Not the best of photos, but here is the peanut butter jar house after I painted it. The tree came from Amazon and I'll use that in a summer project. I'm considering trying my hand at making a 'fairy garden'.
I'm not sure about the little house, I will most likely have to spray it with a fixative to see if it can withstand the weather.

The little 'hut' is perfect for the toy dachshund that Allison gave me!
And there is Mr. Morris too.

I have this over my kitchen sink at the moment. Just to make me smile while I do dishes.

So I watched a few more videos and decided to try some more projects.

I put a bottom on a 'mushroom' I'd made with a toothpick in it...

Then I thought I'd try using foil to make a gnarly tree.

I know the clay I was using would crack but I didn't mind as I'd use Elmer's Glue and repair it with a bit of more clay. I think the little cracks make it more interesting.

This is after I patched it in places. Now I have to let it dry and do some magic with moss and paint!

These were experimental mushrooms. When the material is not put over cardboard or foil, it doesn't seem to crack!

Those same little mushrooms now with the bottoms and the tops attached with some glue and clay. I set them upside down in a 'possum skull to dry for the day.

I decided to try another form of Fairy House...made out of things I could find in the woods.

Allison and I gathered some branches and cardboard. Then we had a bit of fun spreading everything over the floor first and then picking out pieces to 'do' something with.

Since I didn't know what I was really doing ... I just winged it. Allison said she kept having new ideas and I let her flow with it.

I was aiming for some sort of little wooden house/hut.
It certainly wasn't as cute as what I'd seen on line.

But.

It is sort of fun and cute!

I have a bit more work to do with some moss and final touches.

On these dreary days, I love to try new things.

Snow Day, Snow Play

Justine came down with his tractor and cleared the driveway and the little turn around. He said his wife and kids were going skiing.
I thanked him and ran inside to change my clothes and grab my dad's old skies.

I did a very quick change and re-dressed from doing chores into a face hoody thingy, goggles, knit gloves, and snow pants!

I got up to the ridge and put on my father's old skies and took off across the crop field. I caught up to Lauren and the kids out in the wide open.
By the way, Dad's skies were awesome. I literally felt like I was flying. I guess I can't help but smile knowing that I am using his skies. Feels like he is with me in a way.

I suggested we go up towards the woods where we could get out of the wicked winds that had Sno-nadoes whipping up all around us.
Lauren agreed and then stopped for a moment.

"I have an Up-day Gift for you!" she said reaching down inside of her coat.
I smiled at that. Up-Day was giving someone a gift for reason other than making them feel 'Up'.
She handed me a package of extra long socks that had little wiener dogs on them! The package had three sets of socks. The socks will go up to my knees and are thin enough to wear under a pair of my wooly socks.

We played for a while and then headed back to our places.

I can say that my neighbor's kids are no strangers to outdoor activities. They take cross country ski lessons in the winter and do indoor soccer.

I did some indoor crafts yesterday. I experimented with polymer clay. I've never worked with the stuff before, but decided to have some fun. I watched some tutorials on making a fairy house and little mini mushrooms and thought I'd try it with the air dry stuff before actually making the home made material I'd seen being used in the videos.

These can be painted after they dry.
I tried making a fairy house which used things I had around the house.

Don't laugh:
Peanut butter jar
Foil
craft sticks

So. Overnight the tiny 'mushrooms' I made have dried out nicely. The lady in the video I watched had said that air dry clay would crack as it dried if used on the project she was doing.

Um. Yep, she was right. This morning I have a cracked up gnome looking house.

I don't see it as a failure as I can let it dry and then fill in the cracks....or I can leave the cracks and paint it so it looks cracked and gnarly!

The materials for making a air dry paper mache clay with household items is pretty neat. It involves toilet paper, oil, glue, and patching plaster. Who knew?
I can see making that and trying it on one of these wicked awful cold and blustery days.

Then again.  I would probably have to take a walk to the creek to see what has frozen over also.

Oh. One last thing. I was feeling so crafty the other day I bought some felt pieces. When we were kids we made clothes for our trolls out of felt.

I made LIL Bear a jacket, hat, and scarf. After all, LIL Bear needs to be protected in this cold weather too!

One must bundle up properly while walking your dog!