A FLOWERY POST, GARDENS NEW TO US

We have been here for about 6 months now and it has been a joy watching the seasons unfold, watching to see which flowers appears next. A very bare magnolia began to bud, no inkling of its colour. I cut a promising bud and brought it inside, hoping the warmth would bring the flower on early...which it did! 

                       

                            

                             And now today the flowers are opening up at the rate of knots!

       

The hellebores here are so happy, lots of different colours with thousands of babies popping up underneath the foliage, I didn't know that this occurred so I'm delighted at having lots to replant and give away.

       

                                          

                                  

        

        

Yesterday we went to see StoneFruit's new garden and came home with a wee bunch of violets and some beautiful camellias so now have lovely glimpses of her garden with me. The violets are beautiful, delicious whiffs of scent when ever I pass by! I'm really looking forward to more 'garden reveal' from her new home. 

        

       

TIME FLIES! AND SOME HINTS FOR PLASTER MODELLING!

I can't believe it is two months since I last blogged, and just over two months since I came home from NZ with my 'new direction'. All the best intentions to blog more regularly, make more  'creations' as I call my weird women and weird birds! Best intentions gone astray!

                          

This is one I made for an artist friend, with a pallette and a paint brush, the bristles made from dog hair!  

Not too many squirrels around here!

                               

I've been using Gypsona and Modroc plaster of Paris bandages on top of some sort of structure such as armature wire, light cardboard, foil, whatever works, held in shape with masking tape. Sometimes I've found it difficult to get the smooth effect ii wanted and this is where a very handy husband is worth his weight in gold, even more than normal! He suggested I used  a joint compound that plasterers use such as the No More Gaps ( the one he happened to have in his workshop) to smooth over lumps and bumps or to shape small features and also the plaster 'powder'to pat, stroke on where I needed more plaster cover. They work so well and helped me a lot, especially as I'm learning this new craft.

Here half the owl has had the compound smoothed over the bandage plaster, much easier then to paint.

Something else I worked out with plasticine! I modelled a (rather scary) head with plasticine, sliced the head in half...through the ears, then glad wrap over each half,  then use the plaster of Paris bandage to cover each half. Then when the plaster is dry, carefully lift the model off the plasticine , trim off the edges and plaster over the join. With this particular woman I used small pieces of the bandage but now I have the plaster compound I would us it instead, easier to make  a good join.

I do hope these hints might help other newbies!

I'm needing to be more organised with my day to day routine. It is so easy to find other things that 'have' to be done and the fun things are left for a 'better'time. So ....good intentions to do more, such as actually scheduling on my calendar my creative appointments...I'll let you know!