Luchador to Order

I thought this was pretty cool.  A very nice person bought one of my Luchador mask necklaces and asked if I could do a purple one.

I came across quite nice one, white with purple edging, belonging to Mil Mascara during the 1960s (he wore quite a variety of masks) and made the necklace as a a custom item.  

I think it turned out pretty well J

Custom Pie Flavors

I’ve been doing a bit of custom pie work lately. I set out the challenge for any kind of pie and here was one of my first challenges: Banana Cream!

As you can see, it’s filled with rich banana custard, topped with slices of banana and a big dollop of cream. It’s also made of polymer cake and nestled in a beer cap.

It’s always a lot of fun working out new flavors.

Single Lucha Libre Mask Necklaces

Loyal fans of this blog may remember these cute little luchador masks from my Shrinky Dink Ruler tutorial. I made them waaaay too big to have five on a necklace.

I originally toyed with the idea of making them into magnets but I thought a single layer probably wasn’t strong enough to deal with the day to day realities of being on a fridge. I didn’t want to just get rid of them because they’re quite nicely done. What to do.

I can’t think why it took me so long to remember Lauren’s suggestion that I make necklaces with one single mask. Here they are! A single mask on a ball chain necklace. They’re very attractive and tough at the same time. Apparently I’m not the only one who thinks so because I sold Blue Demon last night! I’m sort of hoping Aztec Skull doesn’t sell because I want to keep that one, but etsy is all about clearing your toy collection so you can make more toys!

Since all of them besides Blue Demon and Santo are original designs, I had to make up names for them (hence “Aztec Skull”). I decided not to go Spanish with the names for two excellent reasons: I know roughly 10 words in Spanish (half of them involve counting to 5) and I figure the majority of the etsy audience is in the same boat. Maybe 20 years from now my little Aztec Skull will be repeatedly bootlegged and I’ll see a real one in the ring. Heck, they did it with UltraMan.

Up for Sale! $4 per Necklace!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12740317

Summer Cream Beer Bottle Pie Magnets!

The latest creation from Chez Anthrid: Summer Cream Pies!

Summer Cream Pies include:

Strawberry Glaze: Tiny polymer canes slices form miniature strawberry slices carefully laid in concentric circles leading towards a bright ripe whole strawberry centerpiece. Layers of red tinted glaze make this just as glossy and juicy looking as the original.

French Silk: Thick polymer clay whipped cream tops a rich glossy chocolate base. All of this mousse-y goodness is topped with curls of dark chocolate. A slice is cut out to show both decadent layers.

Key Lime: Real key lime pies have a pale yellow, ever so slightly green tint from the fresh tiny limes. This miniature pie follows in their footsteps. Since key lime is so tart, a swirl of whipped cream topped with a minute slice of lime (less that 1/4 of a inch long) is a welcome addition.

Grasshopper: Rich chocolate pudding flavored with crème de menthe was a classic 1950s concoction, inspired by the cocktail and this polymer clay pie matches up with a glossy chocolate filling topped with a dollop of whipped cream and bright green mini mint leaves.

Coconut Cream: This tropical treat consists of rich custard combined with pulverized coconut and coconut extract. This mini pie features a glossy luscious pale yellow filling topped with dollops of whipped cream sprinkled with toasted coconut.

Should you feel compelled, they're for sale at

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12503097

THANKSGIVING Beer Bottle Cap Pies

I’m a big fan of Thanksgiving.

I like the whole concept of a day where you bring your family around and cook all day and then you eat when it’s all ready.

When I was a kid, we spent every Thanksgiving in Minneapolis, where a big dinner was followed closely by the pre Christmas trip to Daytons! Minnesota didn’t have sales tax, so a good little bunny could hope for a few presents. In fact, I got my very first gingerbread house kit on one of these excursions.

Obviously, it was a good move to judge by my turn to built gingerbread staburs and igloos. Maybe next Christmas I should do a gingerbread pig sty to house the darling marzipan pigs… Hmmm…

In any case, the highlight of Thanksgiving was always the pies! Mom and I are good pie bakers and there was a Trinity of Autumn flavors: Pumpkin, Pecan, and Apple. I’ve faithfully recreated them in a medium more likely to last past the holidays.

Behold!

Pumpkin pie is the classic staple. I’ll admit we always used canned pumpkin, but the results were creamy and rich. This miniature pie is filled with glossy reddish brown polymer clay custard and topped with a decadent swirl of whipped cream.
Pecan pie was preferable made with pecans straight from my aunt’s family home in Alabama. This bottle cap pie does have a layer of polymer clay caramel topped with individually made and detailed pecan halves. The glossy sweet look comes courtesy of syrupy glaze.

Apple Pie was our branch’s specialty. We made the real ones with Jonathans or Macintoshes we picked each year in Wisconsin. These little beauties are polymer clay segments held in with tinted glaze. The effect is completely that of a warm oozy apple pie.

Like the other ones, these are made in beer bottle caps, so they’re very small and have a little magnet affixed to the back. They’re now up on Etsy

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12476951

To Do List

Gosh, I am all over the place today.

I was knocked out yesterday with a sinus headache (I think I was only awake for half hour intervals) but am now feeling cheerful again.

My agenda:

Take photos of the new beer bottle cap pies. Exciting new flavors! Coming SOON!

Pot flowers for Mom and Dad (Mom and I shopped for plants in a a downpour. Nothing will keep me from buying pentunias! NOTHING!! When I still lived at home I would always get a few interesting plants like chenille or candy corn plants, but now that I only go to look after things, we buy low maitenence plants. Mom has a charming lady of the manor style. She loves flowers and gardens, but hates being in the sun or digging in the dirt. I also cleared and mulched around the roses. Right now the phlox and bluebells are threatening to overrun the place. It’s very nice now because we have those big light resin pots. I just pot ‘em up and put them around the perimeter. Add some hanging plants on garden hooks and the phlox is free to run wild. Looks very pretty.)

Post pies to etsy.

How much of this will I get done? That’s always the mystery!

Dinner Pies

You caught me. I am a pie fiend.

Some people find them difficult, but I adore them. Actually, my chief criticism of the movie Waitress was that the pies she made weren’t that original to quality her as a “pie genius.” Brie and ham quiche? Easy peasy. Strawberry chocolate? Yummy, but not so original. I was watching Bizarre Foods set in Minnesota and a true pie genius created Sauerkraut pie. Now that’s bold!

In Norway, I developed a longing for Swanson’s Frozen Chicken Pot Pies. They don’t have those in Norway so I was forced to make my own from scratch. It worked out beautifully, but now every Norwegian who tasted it has developed an addiction. In Knut it took on a near Gollum-like quantity. A dinner of roast chicken was very carefully monitered to ensure there would be enough left over for pie.

On a similar bent, we had tons of ham left over from Easter so I baked some into a quiche with broccoli and Gruyere. Norwegians are not big quiche eaters and Knut was a tad dubious. I paired it with a vinegary mixed green salad and a certain ulv had asked for it ever since. Usually for me, I used a premade pie crust (I usually make my own) and they’re much better than they used to be!

This little pie set is all Dinner pies. You see a Chicken Pot Pie, a Quiche Lorraine, and a Vegetable Tart all baked in bottle cap pie tins. I’m quite pleased. There’s lots of detail and the Chicken Pot Pie really looks edible.

These are up on Etsy!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12260498

Present! I swear!

Sorry, I haven’t been around much!

There was the 17^th of May weekend fun, then a glorious trip to Seattle, and yesterday a Cubs game. Plus, my pies are selling like hot cakes (or pies possibly)! Today I got an order from Germany! I figure that means I ought to use only domestic beer brands J

I’m also working on a series of dinner pies. Chicken Pot Pie is a speciality of mine in edible form (that and quiche are frequently requested by my hungrey husband), so I should be able to come up with a decent polymer clay version. Watch for pie news updates! Try to hold your excitement!

I’m also working on a custom doggy onesie. I made one with my brother’s dog with “Food Rival” written underneath, although I suspect “Pack Member” may work better for more benevolent doggies.

But today’s giant news is that I’VE BEEN ACCEPTED TO GRAD SCHOOL!!

This text is written by a future MLIS owner!! Yeah!!

Featured Artist: COZY!

This month’s featured Estyblogger Street Team member is Cozy!

Cozy specializes in beautiful crochet and knit work.

I really am envious because I am far too brainless for crotchet or knitting. I just can’t remember what stitch I’m on or what on earth I’m supposed to be doing from stitch to stitch. Knitting is the worst because I genuinely can’t tell if I’m knitting or purling. That’s what I stick to sewing. You just sew forwards. In and out. Easy peasy. Probably as a result I’m hugely attracted to knitted or crocheted stuffed animals!

One of Cozy’s signature items are these beautiful headbands. I figured I’d just choose one large image so you can see the fine detail. Please do check out her etsy shop!

Bottle Cap Pies cont'd

I have the bottle cap pies in my purse right now. During my lunch break, I usually go to a pretty little secluded area and relax. There are lovely goldfinches, cardinals, deer, butterflies, and the occasional raccoons there and you’d hardly believe it was in an industrial area. Generally, I have the place pretty much to myself.

I thought I could snap a few nice photos for Etsy while I was there and as soon as my bunny themed bento box was emptied, wouldn’t you know it? 4 cars pulled in and essentially turned it into a parking lot.

CURSES!!

I am a shy retiring thoughtful rabbit! I do not want sweaty men in polo shirts asking “Whatcha doing?” while I pose miniature pies on a fence post!

I did it anyway. They turned out pretty nice, I think, but I won’t know for certain until I take them home and upload them to the computer.

I really am please with the pies themselves. I really did a lot of fine detail work on them. The blueberry and raspberry pies are filled with tiny glass balls and then layered with glaze. The rhubarb is filled with tiny red plastic logs that are held with red tinted glaze. It really looked like a juicy pie that spills over when you cut a slice. The lemon meringue is nicely browned on top with brown glaze and the lemon filling is glossy with just a tiny bit of juice leaking onto the pan. The galette is tiny peach slices, each with whirls of subtle colors, coated in yellow glaze that looks like apricot jam.
And they look very cute on the refrigerator.

I tried out my professional grade Sculpey on these and I am really pleased with the quality. I think they could take a tumble and not chip

UPDATE!!

It's up:   http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11633787

Beer Bottle Cap Pie

Jeez, that sounds like one of those horrid novelty red neck items, doesn't it?  I'll have to pick a different name when I put these up on Etsy.   

I love pies.  Baking them, eating them, and now fabricating them!

These little pies look good enough to eat, but you'd probably break a tooth.  The pie pans are literally bottle caps (MGD and Goose Island.  

Knut's choice as he's the beer drinker).  The pies themselves are polymer clay, glass beads, and tinted glazes.   They're affixed to little magnets to make sweet little fridge decorations.  Don't worry, they're good magnets.  I tested them on a heavy postcard from Istanbul.  

Our flavors are raspberry, blueberry, lemon meringue, rhubarb, and a dainty little peach galette.   Yum!

Up on Etsy as soon as I can take photos in daylight.  

I'll take pie over cake any day, so these were definitely a labor of love.

Monday list

Ahhh… Mondays. I have quite a number of things I’d rather do today:

Make a new charm bracelet for Etsy. I’m thinking of skulls and ice cream cones. Tough but sweet!

Feed ducks. I can’t explain this but I’ve have this inexplicable urge to feed ducks lately. Maybe not inexplicable. I love ducks.

Wash the dog. He’s getting distinctly gray.

Work on onesies. Must do!

Make Knut a couple of amusing new polo shirts. I take weirdo things like 1960s Norwegian sardine wrapper designs and put them as a logo on polo shirts so he can wear them to work.

Try out that professional grade sculpey.

Test out my shiny new watercolor kit. I could paint the ducks I’m not feeding.

Put out more bird seed. A cute little red headed finch comes to the window sill. I saw a funny little raptor on the window sill a few months ago too!

Watch creepy Channel 4 documentaries about the sex lives of less than averagely attractive English couples. It’s amazing how many of those there are (on both counts!).

Get around to wikipedia-ing Metalocalypse or however it’s spelled. I can’t figure out what’s going on. Is the brown haired guy Scandinavian or Canadian?

Do some hot (350 degrees) Shrinky Dink action.

Make polymer clay pie magnets. I love pie. Pi is okay too. Check out Dev’s fractal pecan pie!

Wear a nightie.

Walk the doggie. I live in a cute neighborhood. I’d like to see it in the daylight a little more.

Work on a top secret project for a person who shall remain nameless who frequently reads this blog. Keep out, person of unconfirmed gender!

Daydream about what my brother may send me from Japan (Fabric? Keychains? A whimsical adventure with adorable fuzzy woodland spirits?)

Go to the library and get a book on Seattle. I am soo excited to see my cousin Gretchen! And see plenty of Seattle fun like orca whales and Archie Mcphee!

Force my lazy self to the hardware store to buy those dog tag chains for single luchador mask necklaces. May try this with hex signs too.

Find out when Kjelli and his girlfriend will be coming up to visit. Yay!

Take my time and enjoy cooking dinner. Tonight: faux-jitas!

Remove the pockets from those pants that would be very flattering—if they didn’t have pockets!

Plan a weekend excursion to Starved Rock.

Sew the buttons on my red coat (got awesome magenta sliced nut buttons) and on Knut’s bunad. Norwegian Independence Day is right around the corner!

Help Miss Eloina Montesinos celebrate her 2^nd birthday! While I’m daydreaming, let’s go to Disneyland! Yeah!

Blog Carnival: Bulls!

I am a Taurus and from Chicago and I have been known to talk crap; but I’m going to focus on those noble beasts of Spain.

In August 2005, we spent a week in Spain; which was one of the best vacations I’ve ever taken. Spain wasn’t a spot I had ever particularly planned to visit, but our friend’s parents had a bungalow there where we could stay just minutes from the beach.

We went to bullfights. It’s such an odd experience. There we were: Knut, Simen, Tor Bjorn, and I sitting in the Marbella arena. I was looking fab in a green paisley dress and awesome lavender Panama hat (Buy one!! They are amazing! And if they lose shape, you can iron them!), and a bull was led into the ring. I had this awful realization that that bull was not going to walk out like it walked in. I whispered to Knut “I don’t think I can watch this!”

Then the atmosphere sort of changed.

When the matador is good, he puts the sword directly through the animal’s heart. It dies on its feet. It dies before it hits the ground. It dies fighting. Maybe that’s a better way to go than shoved up a conveyer belt and into a bolt gun. And we saw several bull fighters get gored. It’s really not a one sided fight.

Not a popular view certainly, since most of us prefer to remember Ferdinand the Bull and his love of sitting in the shade. I also won't say it's not barbaric, but there is sort of a primal reaction to it.

In any case, the bull has become a cult figure in Spain, strongly reminiscent of the ancient Mediterranean cultures. You can appreciate what a powerful character the Minotaur would have been, when you see their foaming rampages and the huge gorges slashed in the wood of their pens.

The bull ring in the southern town of Ronda was especially beautiful. This charming stone head graces the entry way to the ring and the steps to the upper level are decorated entirely with bull themes, like the excellent fellow above. Clearly whoever made these items knew all there is to know about bulls! I love the Moorish tile traditions in Spain and was even more delighted to see these Delft like tiles.

The ring also has a nice collection of antique matador costumes, equipment, and beautiful posters. There were even a few taxidermy heads of particularly fine bulls, some of whom were so grand they were given reprieve and spent out their lives grazing and siring more bulls.

They are beautiful and romantic and fearsome. And when they go for the matadors, they go straight for the cojones.

Cheerful Vegetables!

I was looking around at all the desert themed items available on Etsy and then on the dieting threads on the forum.

Could there be a correlation? Just in case, I decided to make the Happy Vegetable Charm Bracelet.

A good reminder to try to eat healthily. And they’re smiley!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11000879

Daddy's Girl

I have a brother. He used to be 6 feet 7 inches of Rompin’ Stompin’ Rugby Playin’ Law Professing Power.

These days he’s 6 feet 7 inches of Rompin’ Stompin’ Rugby Playin’ Law Professing Daddy Power.

Fortunately, he and his wife are generous enough to share lots of pictures of their beautiful daughter and the adventures their little family takes. I just love the photos of teeny girlish Rosemary nestling snuggly against his giganto chest in her carrier. She looks so thoroughly delighted with the world and her place in it. It’s good to have a daddy. Very good.

Looking at these photos, I started thinking of other daddys. A certain one sprang to mind.

Voila!

If you’re not marine biologically inclined, there are certain species of seahorses where the male carries the female’s eggs in a special pouch. When the young hatch he contracts his pouch and the babies swim out into the open sea. As a result of this excellent daddy-ship, seahorse babies have a higher rate of survival compared to fish, where many eggs are eaten before the young hatch.

This design was sketched by me and then colored in Photoshop. The original was put onto a baby t-shirt for Rosemary, but I’m considering adding it to my etsy shop.

Here’s to you, James! And to Excellent Daddys Everywhere!

EtsyBloggers Street Team Featured Artist

As a member of the EtsyBloggers Street Team, I am proud to announce April’s featured artist: Stormy Designs.

shop: http://StormyDesigns.etsy.com
site: http://StormyDesigns.biz
blog: http://StormyDesigns.biz/blog

She works frequently with polymer clay to product some very beautiful designs. Even if you’ve never worked with it, you can appreciate the skill involved to make these items.

Amusing Photos! Me Being a Slug!

I’ll admit I haven’t been too crafty the past couple of weeks. I seem to keep doing stuff like hanging out with friends or snuggling with my husband. I am a bad bad etsy shop owner.

Bad bad bad.

I want to start doing some sewing and I have grand plans for a cuddlefish plush and a top secret aquatic mammal, as well as some light summer skirts, but I can’t quite bring myself to start cutting the material (after making the pattern, of course!). That’s the hardest part. Well, aside from cleaning up all the bits. I hate cleaning.

When I made Rosemary’s Christmas stocking:

There were bits of velvet and silk fluff everywhere. Under chairs, stuck to the sofa, on the kitchen table, on the coffee table, on the rugs. Basically all over. But it did turn out beautifully!

Part of it is that I tear fabric for the most part, especially silks and velvets, instead of cutting it and that’s the fast train to Fluff Central. (Ooo… Fluff Central sounds like a train station for bunnies!)

So since I have no crafty business to report, I’ll post some hilarious photos of my parents’ basset hound enjoying herself on the lakeshore.

No one is more expressive than a basset hound.

Pranks! An Etsy Blog Carnival

New at my etsy shop!

April Fools! Just Kidding!

I would never assault innocent lamps with puffy paint and flower decals. The honor goes to a friend’s step mother, who specializes in adorning glassware. The flower decals are also present on her washing machine, dishwasher, shower, and cabinets. They must have come by the yard.

I’ve never done a huge amount of pranking myself, although when I do, my 6 foot high stuffed werewolf from Six Flags Great America is usually my conspirator.

My husband won him for me in a shooting game and I did goofy things like sit him next to me in the little cars, poke kids in line, seat him next to us at the picnic tables, etc. People loved him.

He’s also incredibly scary if you happen upon him by accident. I had him sitting on a desk chair at my parent’s home and they made me remove him for fear of heart attacks. Little kids wouldn’t come up to the house on Halloween because he was sitting in a lawn chair by the front door. They thought he would jump up and come after them.

My favorite pranks (okay, I am juvenile) are when people rearrange the letters on signs. They’re usually pretty filthy, so I won’t show any here, but many fine examples can be found on http://www.ilovebacon.com/home/index.shtml

I also like amusing graffiti. I remember someone telling me about a Mormon temple that always was lit up at night with green lights. Someone wrote on the overpass, “Surrender Dorothy!”

How great is that?

Sepia Tattoo Necklace

I love tattoos.

Love them!

That said, I don’t have any. It’s not any kind of moral issue or anything. I’m just totally incapable of deciding what I would want for more than ten minutes at a time. In fact, I would love to be a tattooist, except that I would have no street cred.

It’s a shame because I usually make tattooists fingers itch. I am of the glow-in-the-dark complexion, so pretty much all shading and colors would show up well on me.

Others are far more brave. My lovely friend Katy Rabbit recently unveiled a gorgeous sepia tinted tattoo. It reminds me a bit of a Norwegian tattooist’s work. She specialized in sepia almost pointillist style images. Like having an exceptionally beautiful birthmark.

Sooo elegant…

So flushed with jealously, I sought to recreate and made a necklace inspired by it. Behold the Sepia Flower Necklace. I really wanted to recreate the look of Katy’s tattoo in a piece that is a little less permadent.

It’s up on etsy, if you’d like a closer look: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10370660

A Crafty Horror Story

Since I’ve got things coming along with the (surprisingly popular) Cthulhu necklace, I decided to have a little horror segment. This is a true story that will shiver the bones and curdle the blood of any crafty type.

When I was a lass in the 1980s, during the final era where kids went home for lunch, walked to school in big packs, and moms made 7 layer Jello for class Pizza Day; my mother made Raggedy Anne and Andy dolls for the church Christmas Bazaar.

They were beautiful dolls. The faces were all hand embroidered. The stripes matched up perfectly on the seams. A tiny wooden heart was inserted under the fabric of the chest so you could feel it when you hugged the dolls. The yarn hair was pieced in by hand and Anne’s dress and pantalets were edged in pretty lace. I never had one myself (something along the lines of “shoemaker’s children go barefoot”), but they were much admired.

Mom brought them to the bazaar and settled down to man the payment table. Before long, a disheveled woman came up carrying the dolls and set them down in front of her. Mom had a closer look and noticed that the price tags had been changed. She has set the price at $20 for the pair (a steal if you ask me, but she is a modest creature) and the price tag now read $3 for each.

She looked up at the woman and said “I’m sorry but the price isn’t right on these.”

The woman looked innocent and explained that she was going to buy them for her senile mother who liked to pick things apart!!

Needless to say Mom didn’t let that sale go through.

Ugh, that story makes me feel so icky even though I’m the one telling it. As frustrating as the thought of someone changing a price tag on your piece, there just isn’t anything worse than someone who doesn’t appreciate your hard work and dedication to making something. How lovingly you choose the fabric, how carefully you matched the seams, how many stitches you picked out because you wanted the face to be perfect.

That’s one of the nice things about etsy. You wouldn’t be there if you weren’t appreciative of the handmade.