Snowman in the Nut Chopper ?

 

Hello Friends!

Last week was the last Flea Market for the year for us.

Time to get busy with other things....

This NUT CHOPPER was left over from our sale and I just decide

to give it another chance and repurpose it.

Now it's a Christmas item !

I had some 1/4''packing foam to use at the base of the jar.

It was easy to cut with scissors.

I had some bleached trees in my stash.

They just needed a dab of white paint

and some glitter.

When the lid was on tight, I put a piece of 

tape on the jar to mark the front.

I glued my homemade clay snowman in place.

Then added the trees.

Covered the foam base with loose glitter.

I cut a piece of foam to cover the blade and to 

keep anything from falling inside.

Then my Husband said- Too bad you can't put lights inside!

Well, I took out the foam and looked around for a tea light.

I was surprised it fit perfect!

I turned the tea light upside down

with the switch up.

I put the small piece of foam packing

back on to cover the top.

It can easily be pinched out to

 expose the on and off switch.

The small tea light puts off a lot of light.

And the handle can still turn- I liked that

Just for fun!

I have one last Craft Show this weekend,

I will be taking the nut chopper with me.

Update: This little cutie SOLD

Have a blessed day! 

xo Lisa S

Faux Mini Pumpkin Pie

Hi Friends,

I love all things PUMPKIN- 

Sorry but these pies are just for your eyes.

Let's do some baking together!

I used some vintage tin children's toys I had.

You can use mini aluminum tart pans from the baking area of your store.

The recipe for the crust is simple.

FLOUR and SALT CLAY

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup Salt

1/4 cup water

Mix together, Roll into a ball- if your clay is sticky add more flour.

If your clay is crumbly add water 1 tsp. at a time.

The consistency should be the same as pie crust dough.

This recipe will make 3 small pies or 1 standard size pie.

*Cheaper than paper clay

Divide into thirds, an roll out on flat surface.

Sit on top of pan edge.

I originally started with plastic but it's not necessary.

You can use your favorite pinch-style to create a fluted edge.

Pull a tiny bit down inside the pan.

Bake at  250 degrees 25 min.

You can let these air dry, like I did. It will take 48 hours or so depending

on how thick the crust is-

I looked through my acrylic paints to find a color for my crust.

I just used a combination of tan and flesh-

Started with a coat of the lighter color, than painted 

the darker color on the peaks of the crust.

For the filling I used

Plaster of Paris

I was given this box years ago from a retired teacher.

I am been saving it for some reason- well I found a reason.

It has been sealed and dry, so I'm sure it's still good.

I'm not sure about a recipe. I just followed the directions on the box.

I measured out the plaster in a disposable cup and stirred with a plastic fork.

I know that you know this, but I need to remind you anyway-

Do not let any plaster get down the drain !

Mixture should be pourable, like milk.

It thickens fast. Pour immediately  into pan.

Pour right to where you want it, the plaster does not shrink or expand.

Throw away the cup- easy clean up!

It dried quickly!

I mixed 'pumpkin orange' and a little brown with a teaspoon

of Pumpkin Spice seasoning.

Cinnamon will work just fine too !

The messy truth !

I added some brown paint to the ridges.

Paint up to the crust.

When dry, I brushed Matte Mod Podge over the entire pie

to seal and to give the pie a little sheen.

The cinnamon mixed with the paint gives a realistic look 

to the pumpkin filling!

Looks good enough to eat !

This sweet little pie even smells delicious.

Note: My first batch of pies were painted as I did each step.

The next batch I painted after the whole pie was dry and finished.

I don't think it made any difference.

My mom always tops our pumpkin pie with a little baked cookie

made from pastry scraps.

 I had to make my mom a special pie. She loves hearts.

xo Lisa S

If you like working with this clay recipe,

I have another project-

How to make a starfish / sea star

Using My IOD Stamps

......for the first time!

Hi my friend-

I was at one of my local Antique store and found these

IOD Stamps [ Iron Orchid Designs ]

Crock  Labels

There are 13 different stamps in the set and that seemed like

a pretty good value to me.

These stamps are big!

 The best part is they are flexible

for stamping on curved surfaces and clear for easy placement.

According to ironorchiddesigns.com 

there is a little prep work needed before you get started.

They suggest using a fine grit sand paper on the stamping

side area.

Sanding lightly one direction across all stamps

 then the opposite direction.

This will help with all mediums used.

It's up to you if you want to cut apart the stamps.

This works better for me-

I still have more yogurt jars and some pots to decorate.

I just painted the jars with chalk paint.

I wanted to try stamping on air dry clay and add

the label to the jars.

I love this MODEL MAGIC CLAY by Crayola !

It was about $5 at Joann's  Fabrics- less if you use a coupon.

It is so soft and no crumbling mess!

It didn't shrink or crack.

I highly recommend it!

I just rolled a small piece to 1/4'' thick

Just pressed stamp into clay

This method made the best impression in my opinion.

The stamp did not stick to the clay :)

I used a bit of Tacky Glue and attached the clay to the jar.

I used a knife to cut away some excess.

The jars and pots dried overnight.

I used a small amount of Burnt Umber acrylic paint and water

to make a 'WASH'

I painted the recessed parts with the wash and wiped

off extra as I went-

This took some time and it seemed to look better 

with more and more layers.

When I was happy with color,

I went over the high parts with another dry brush

coat of chalk paint.

On the left I used a Burnt Umber wash

on the right I used a black wash.

 I love how these Marmalade crocks look :)

These sunflowers dried this way and I'm going

to keep them !

Early fall mantle- with a reminder to my dear husband-

don't be sad about your brown lawn !

This one is my favorite!

Which do you like better-

the brown or the black ?

Let me know in the comments-

xo Lisa S