A Kobold Thief

My Christmas ornaments have varied a lot over the years.  This guy may not be in the holiday spirit, but he's a handsome devil.

I recently found out my nephew plays D&D.  Cool!  I asked him about his character:  a kobold thief.  Kobolds are small reptilian humanoids.  I decided his character would be a fun ornament to make.  It was!

I had ideas for weeks before I started.  It took me a few false starts to get the right colors and re-hydrate my old clay.  (Every year I wonder if I'm going to have to get a whole new set of Sculpey.)  He was simply legs and body for a while, until I figured out what his proportions should be.

I Like Thursday: Getting Started

First Thursday of 2022.  How did that happen?  It's time for the weekly good stuff with Lee Anna at I Like Thursday.

 

In an attempt to clean out my sewing room, I got Shady Lanes sandwiched and basted.  My wall looks so bare without it hanging there.  I need to hurry up and finish these to get more on that wall!

I'm still playing with the neutrals baby quilt.  I'm sidetracked this week with the first challenge of Project Quilting.  I've got it sandwiched - I need to figure out how to quilt it.  It's due on Sunday!

Chinese Dragon

 

I've had good years and okay years with ornaments.  This year was a very good year.  Be prepared for a lot of photos.

When I made the Chinese man last year I was inspired to make a dragon, too.  I had a picture of what I wanted to make; creating it was a bit more complicated. 

I love how Chinese dragons are so long and sinewy, all twisty.  I wanted to capture that.  I've seen some holding a ball, so I wanted to do that, too. 

Chinese Man With Abacus

I've veered away storybook characters for this year's ornament.  Instead, my inspiration comes from the classes my nephew is taking at the Chinese Immersion school.  

I had made a Chinese man many years ago for my godson and initially thought to do something similar.  Both ornaments are Chinese characters, but went in different directions.  I'm quite happy with the end results, even with the struggle to get there!

I had a terrible time with body proportions.  Feet are too big.  He ended up with a short torso and is kind of fat.  Plus his hands are huge!  The big floppy sleeves were an unexpected challenge.  Plus, as I stated in the prior post, this is head number three.  I had all my technical issues with the basic body - after that, the rest came together.

I really liked his hair bun - I wanted to do something more elaborate, but was afraid it would break off.  I put a twist in the hook so it wouldn't interfere with the guy's hair stick (it seemed a shame if I made that detail, then hid it behind the ornament hook).

Heads Will Roll

Well, two of them did.

I fought with this year's ornament for days.  Body parts all over the place.  I beheaded the poor dude twice (although the second time was by accident).  I nearly had to disassemble the one good arm to make the second one because I couldn't make them even.

I Like Thursday: Boxing Day

Happy Boxing Day. 

I finished my sister's quilt!  Just in time to bring it to our family's Christmas celebration on Monday.  So I was under pressure to get good photos on Sunday before giving it away.  The photos of it took some creativity and work (thanks, Rob!).  I should be posting more about it in the next few days.  (There's always a flurry of blog posts at the end of the year.)

Needless to say, my sister is thrilled!

Christmas finally guaranteed me a few days off from work.  Huzzah!  I certainly like that.

Will Treaty - Ranger's Apprentice

It's Christmas!  Time to show off this year's ornament, based on the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan.  I read The Ruins of Gorlan to get a feel for what to make.  Not a bad book.  Definitely up my alley - knights, rangers, castles.  It's a big series (plus there's a spin-off set of books with Vikings, too).

This is Will, the apprentice.  He's a classic ranger.  I haven't created a D&D/fantasy ornament in many years.  Ah, this was a lovely project and so much fun to make.  Originally I had planned to do Will's horse, Tug, as well.  But as I worked the clothing and wondered how to assemble a cloak, I decided Will would be enough.

I enjoy the research.  I wanted to add the details of his saxe and throwing knives, but the blades turned out to be difficult to shape (and who would wear a bare blade on their belt?).  Instead I focused on his oak leaf pendant (I made it as a cloak pin) and his arm brace.  I needed something to put in his right hand, so decided he could carry his quiver.  The arrows were a fun addition: toothpicks and tissue paper.  I stuffed as many as I could into the quiver once it was baked.  The bow was also baked separately (it's actually burnt, which added more color and shine), then strung before I glued it in place.

I Like Thursday: A New Year

Happy New Year!

I had so much going on last week, I skipped I Like Thursday.  This week things are a little calmer.  I guess that's my first like!  Ha!

I like the annual Cookie Party.  At one point we were all packed in the kitchen, cousins all decorating gingerbread houses and the aunts all laughing.

It was mayhem.  Happy, loud mayhem.  A good way to spend the afternoon.

Cold Cereal

My nephew's ornament for this year is based on the Cold Cereal saga by Adam Rex.  I was unfamiliar with the series, so I pulled the first and third book from the library.  It's a mashup of classic brand cereal, King Arthur's legend, Freemasons, corporate greed, alternate universes and magic-gone-wrong.  I was amused that the rabbit pooka is named Harvey (and can only be seen by certain other characters).

There were a ton of characters I could pick for the ornament.  I wanted to jam them all in.  Originally I planned to put them all in a big cereal bowl (with a spoon and sickle symbol on the bottom of the bowl), but making the bowl itself was too unwieldy.  Having them standing changed the whole design.

I Like Thursday: Working on Stuff

I've been a bad girl and skipped going to the gym the last couple of weeks.  Days off, distractions, the weather (and a great excuse that the Y has been fixing the pool... which I have conveniently failed to check if it's reopened).  I'm going to regret all this my first day back lifting weights or swimming... but I probably won't face that until the new year.

So let's share likes, instead of regrets.

I like my new table.  It's made from old cranberry crates - an upcycled little piece of New England history.  Plus, they're made locally.  I had seen the table at a craft fair last month.  When I couldn't get it out of my mind, I decided I needed to purchase it.  I'm very happy with it!  A place to keep my mittens and scarves right by the door.

I like cooking.  I made Mexican Stew this week.  It's a lot of work (which is why I only make it once every couple of years) but worth the effort.  I had roasted some pumpkin last week and felt the urge to make my favorite Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars.

I Like Thursday: Some Time Off

Time to share some likes with Not Afraid of Color's I Like Thursday.  I always take some time off in December to enjoy myself and get things done.  Sometimes we travel - this year we did day trips.

I like that we spent a gray, rainy afternoon enjoying lunch while catching up with some friends.  It has probably been a year since the last time we got together.

I like White's Bakery.  We swung by on our way home Tuesday afternoon to pick up a slice of German chocolate cake and slice of peanut butter chocolate mouse cake (which didn't last long enough to photograph).  Yum!

I like fixed stuff.  Rob has been busy with his time off:  he wrapped the AC as well as fixed two light fixtures.  Let there be light!

I like that the holiday cards are all done and in the mail.  Always an accomplishment.  I have to admit I cheated this year - we didn't have a holiday pig shoot.  I used the lovely single shots of Wedgwood from last year as this year's card photos.  I'm happy to use them! although I'm sad for the reason.

Warriors

This year's ornament is based on the Warriors series of books.  These are the stories of several clans of feral cats.  Many of my past ornaments have been based on humans or anthropomorphic animals.  The Warriors cats certainly have some behaviors and traits that have been humanized, but they don't use tools, don't wear clothes (not even collars) and mostly act like cats. 

The clans are large and the series takes place over multiple generations.  So I picked the first two cats I read about:  Fireheart and Graystripe.  Fireheart is featured throughout series, and is the ginger tabby with green eyes.  Graystripe is Fireheart's friend is a fluffy gray cat with a dark strip down it's back.

The Magic Thief

Merry Christmas!

Meet Connwaer from The Magic Thief.  He's this year's ornament for my nephew.  I read the series over the summer to get an idea of what to make.  I wanted Conn to wear his black sweater, green keyhole scarf and to be holding one of the crows featured in the books.  I started making the ornament and was overwhelmed with the black.  I picked a different color for his sweater and hated it.  I tucked the whole problematic mess in the corner for weeks and ignored it.  Thanksgiving came and went and I could procrastinate no longer.  This needed to get done!

He had to have the black sweater, so I toned it down by throwing a grey student's robe over it.  What a difference!  Then I reworked his pants.  All the pictures in the book show him with tattered pants that were too short for him.  I added that detail, too.  It took more work than how I normally do feet and the detail barely shows, but it looked and felt a lot better than my first attempt.  Progress.  After I added his scarf, he looked a little like Doctor Who.

More Than Just Parts

Look!  Progress on the ornament!  The feet look like they belong on Frankenstein's monster.  The overall look makes me think of Doctor Who.  Trust me, it's neither.  Regardless, it's a lot better than just body parts!  A good start - I need lots of details.  

Gotta get it finished soon.  My other projects are piling up!

Lack of Motivation

I picked the subject for this year's ornament, did my research, pulled out the Sculpey... and then lost my inspiration.  I have promised myself no more sewing projects until this is done.  It hasn't helped.  (Oh, and there's so much I want to sew!) 

The bits and pieces of clay are there, the ideas are in my head, and yet nothing happens.  I may scrap what I've done and start again, in hopes of jump starting my creativity.  It's way too late in November to be sputtering like this!

Prisoner of Azkaban

My sister told me earlier this year that my nephew had started to read Harry Potter.  The most recent book he had completed was the Prisoner of Azkaban.  So she asked me to make a Harry Potter themed ornament for this Christmas.

Ooh.  So many things I could choose from!  But it was tough to pick something that would be instantly recognizable as Harry Potter, without picking something that was straight out of the movies.  I didn't want to make Harry himself; I didn't want the house emblems.  However, so much of the stuff from the books are classic fantasy characters.

I borrowed the book from the library.  I had forgotten so many of the nifty stuff introduced in this book!  I picked the few that could fit all together:  the Monster Book of Monsters (including Harry's belt to keep it closed), the Marauder's Map, a tea cup from divination class.  Then I added some of what shows up in all of the book:  Hedwig, a golden snitch and a wand.  I had to work a bit to combine all the pieces together.

Sneak Peek

I've pulled out the Sculpey again.  Time to start working on this year's ornament.  I'm still figuring out the arrangement.  Here's a sneak peek at how it looks at this point.  (This way, if my sister does happen to read my blog, she'll still not know what the whole thing looks like.)  I love to show my progress, but you'll have to wait until Christmas to see the final result.

Any guesses as to what I have so far?

I'm linking up with Linky Tuesday.

Three Little Pigs

This ornament has been stashed away for months, just awaiting the day I could show it off.  Originally, it was to include the Big Bad Wolf, but after I created the pigs (and even shrunk them a bit) I realized that it would be a massive ornament if it included the wolf.  Besides, if I had  him looming up behind the pigs, no one could admire their little curly tails.  And if I had made the pigs any smaller, it would have been impossible to create their tools.

I had a lot of fun making this.  Pigs are goofy and those big floppy ears are cute.  I had a rough idea what I wanted when I started, but after that, it all came together pretty quickly.  The wooden plank had started out as Sculpey, but I didn't like how it looked.  I whittled down a popsicle stick, which worked quite nicely.  I think I struggled with the trowel the longest - even straw-pig's hat was easier to make.

Salt Dough Ornaments

Moving to a home office has entailed not only lugging home my computer and desk supplies but also an eclectic mix of other items, including kitchen stuff and Christmas decorations.  One box included a set of old salt dough ornaments from my pre-Sculpey years.

Based on their condition and a few with dates on the back, they all were made in the late 1980s.  I can see my current style hasn't changed much, although my proportions and detailing have improved a lot over the years.  Teddy bears and pandas are always a fallback for me.  One of my very first batches of salt dough ornaments was a set of teddies like the one in the lower right corner.  The white horse is actually a unicorn - but the horn never survived long on any of the dozen or so I made.  The rocking sheep were popular at craft fairs; I think people were fascinated with the garlic-pressed fleece.  Sadly, the lion on the candy cane has snapped and is in the process of disintegrating.  That's the big drawback of salt-dough ornaments - if there is any crack in the varnish, they start absorbing moisture until they fall apart.  I think these all have survived as well as they have being stored in the low-humidity office.

I'm not sure what I'll do with these now that they're home.  I have a friend who I'm sure would be more than happy to give the penguins a home.  I may need to put up a tree next year, just to have an excuse to display them (and scads of other ornaments I own). 

This Little Piggy

This time the topic is oinking pigs, not wheeking pigs.  Although, I suspect this little pig neither wheeks nor oinks (nor even cries wee-wee-wee all the way home).

I never know when I'm going to get an idea for my next ornament.  This time I was inspired right around Christmas time.  I haven't had a chance to sit and work on it until now.  I know it's way early for next Christmas, but sometimes I gotta work when the spirit moves me.  Unfortunately for you, it means I won't publish the finished work for another ten months.  Well, maybe if you ask pretty please and bribe me with chocolate I could be convinced to show you some finished photos.

Isn't he cute?  He's got a curly little tail, too.  This is only part of the ornament.  I'll let you guess what the whole ornament will look like.