Little fishing village - not a fairy garden

I have been following a lot of boards on Pinterest that feature fairy gardens.   I like the concept, but I'm not a fairy sort of person.   But I do like the little gardens.    I had his basket that had been in a closet for about 4 years and was beginning to attract little bugs.   I decided it had to go.   But I still liked it.   I decided I would gather up my little buildings that I made in a local ceramics course from a few years ago and see if I could make little village.  

Basket with dirt being added. 

 

Here's the finished basket.   It has 4 little houses, a lake made of a plate as base and blue half-marbles.   The mushrooms are working as trees.   You can't see it here, but there are 4 air plants in the village.  

 

 

 

I added a fence and on the right side, there is a bicycle on the fence.   Look close!

 

 

 

This is the view coming up my sidewalk.   I hid the little brace that sticks out from the corner of the basket.   There are tiles under each corner now so it won't be sitting on wet ground.   I know the basket won't last forever, but it will last several years.   By then I will probably have another container that can step up to the job..   

Talk to the Hand

I love assemblage art, but don't do too much of it.   I purchased this hand years ago at a yard sale and it has always spoken to me, but it never would tell me what I was to do with it.   My son recently hurt his hand really badly while he was in Korea.   So I call this piece Gaudy, Painful  & Scary.   I am glad the hand finally told me what it wanted to be. 

 

My son is back in the USA; his hand is fine and I'm more creative.  

A log transforms into a watermelon

I love watermelons and have made and/or bought a bunch of them over the years.   This little watermelon was a slice of palm tree that sat in my outdoor shed for at least 20 years.   I have moved it time and time again and thought each time I should paint it.   Last week I cleaned out this shed and threw away a bunch of stuff and decided the time is now.

 

Now I know it has taken me a really - REALLY - long time to get this project done!   It sure looks cute with the rest of my watermelons.

 



Cigar Box Guitars - Let's make music!

 

I am incredibly blessed to live in Key West.   One of the things that make it so good is The Studios of Key West.   They have lots of classes in lots of different art media methods.   Well, when I was signing up for classes, I saw one that really caught my fancy.   It was making a guitar from the cigar box.   For my closest friends, they know I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket so it wasn't for the music I hope to create; but for the art form.   LOVE THEM!

 

This past Saturday, I signed up for a class and fortunately my dear friend Michele also signed up.   We had great fun!!!!  

 

 

 

KatFish Karash ready to instruct us in the methods!.

 

 

 This was all ready for me when I got there.   16 of us were going to create a masterpiece. 

 

 

Lots of containers - and you can see they don't have to be cigar boxes. 

 

 

 How about a film canister?

 

Making progress - getting ready to string the guitar.

All strung and ready to play (but not by me). 

Never one to leave well enough alone, I added gears and some wood burning.  I added my initials to keep someone else from claiming credit.  

 

 

Now here I am alongside Michele.   If you see me out playing music in public - give money - LOTS OF MONEY because I obviously will need help.   

 

 

 

It was great fun!!!! 



Oh my - what a mess!!! But I can fix it.

I have a lot of storage for such a small house.   I have worked almost constantly to improve the quality and quantity of my storage.   Well, one spot was such a disaster,.   I expect you will agree.

It had everything stacked on top of everything else.   Couldn't get to most of it without taking everyghing off of the shelf.   Hence, I didn't use most of it.

 

 

A couple hours and some scrap lumber - I have two shelves and I can get to the items on the shelves.   I don't know why I put it off for so long.  

Oh when does a golf ball display case turn into a jewelry display?

A couple (or several) years ago I found this great case to display golf balls on a really spectacular discount at Michael's.   Was going to do a lot of things with it.   Display elephants, display quarter scale minis or figure out a way to get the shelves out and put in cup hooks and display jewelry.    That last idea won.    Well it was really a job getting the shelves out.   I thought they were just glued in but they were notched and fit into the sides.   Well, a little heating to loosen the glue, a little prying with a screw drive and I finally got one shelf out.    About an hour later I had all but one out and was ready to put in cup hooks.   

 

 

 

I am really pleased with the way it turned out.   The little round dipping areas that held the gold balls make a great place for ear rings.  

 

Now this doesn't handle all my jewelry so stay tuned for another idea for more storage.     

 

 

Fascinator Hats

 What is a fascinator Hat?  

A fascinator is a head piece, or style of millinery, commonly made with feathers, flowers, jewels or beads that attaches to the hair by a comb, headband or clip. The word originally referred to a head covering similar to a shawl made from wool or lace. The term had become virtually obsolete by the 1970s.   In the early part of the 21st century, “fascinators” started to make a comeback but the meaning had slightly changed.  The new definition refers to a head decoration that often accompanies mainly formal or party attire but is frequently seen these days paired with casual-wear as well.  A fascinator may be worn instead of a hat to occasions where hats were once traditionally worn, such as weddings; brides increasingly choose to wear them as an alternative to a conventional bridal veil, particularly if their gowns or outfits are less fussy or non-traditional.  As  an evening accessory it is sometimes referred to as a “cocktail hat”, even when it doesn’t fit the standard definition of a “hat”. Stylish and fun, a fascinator can be worn on the front, side or, to showcase an updo or chignon, the back of the head.

I had an opportunity to take Judi Bradford's class at The Studios of Key West yesterday and had a great fun making my own fascinator hat.  

My hat, I absolutely love the colors. 

The following is my friend, Michelle's, hat.   

 Michelle

 

 I'm so sorry I don't know this woman's name, but what a hat she created.  

Watch out Key West, Michelle and I will be dining out soon in our new finery!!!!