Poinsettias--another flower you can make using my dough

At this time of the year when we are full of enthusiasm to decorate our homes for the holidays, I would like to share this poinsettia arrangement that I made using my dough. I'm not showing how to make the poinsettias in this post , but I wanted to share with you the many things you can do using this ceramic russian technique.

Use your creativity and you can accomplish any project you want using this dough. I will show how to make these poinsettias and the grapes on a future post--they are easy to make.

"Poinsettias have their roots in Mexico. According to legend, a poor Mexican boy sheepishly approached the creche in his village church on chrismas eve. It was customary to leave gifts for the Christ child, but the boy had none to give. As the lad knelt in the snow to pray, a scarlet plant emerged from the frozen grown, and the boy presented it to the babe in the manger. It became known in Mexico as Flor de la noche buena. In 1928, an American named Joel Roberts Poinsett was visiting Mexico and came across the plant. He brought it back to America where it was renamed for him. Today, Poinsetias are as closely identified with Christmas as Holly and Mistletoe." Taken from: Christmas with Southern Living 1989 book, pg.138

~Have a Wonderful day and come back soon~

And the winner of the little bird is:

I would like to thank you all for reading, leaving comments and following my blog. This motivates me to create new projects and improve my self. I enjoyed reading your comments and visiting your beautiful blogs. There are a lot of talented ladys! I admire all of you . ~ The winner of the two birds with nests is: Happy @ home  Congratulations!

~Have a wonderful day and come back soon~

My casual chaise longue

I always wanted one of those long chairs or day beds where you can put your legs up and relax or read a juicy book. So I went to a thrift store and I found a couple of chairs. I removed the cushions and I cut off the arms of one  chair for the end support. I bought a piece of plywood and made a round cut at both ends following the shape of the chairs. Then, I upholstered the long piece of wood, and painted the chairs.

I nailed tacks around the cushion edge for a finished look.

I really love how it turned out. I think it looks chic painted in white.

I painted this little side table. I love it.

Chair before

Imagination

  ~ There are two worlds: The world that we can measure with line and rule, and the world that we feel with our hearts and imagination.~ Leigh Hunt.

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"Please don't forget to enter in my crocheted little bird Give-away. The last day to enter is November 11th."

Birds on a foggy morning + Give-Away

This morning getting out of my bed, I looked through my window and I saw this beautiful Woodpecker eating his breakfast on the light post. I ran to get my camera hoping that the bird wouldn't fly away. So I took my chance, and there the bird was still on the post. I think that bird is stunning, especially those red marks on his cheeks. That bird made my day.

Then I walked to my kitchen window and there was this Robin eating too. I've never taken photos of birds before, it is really hard to take these photos because they move so quickly. I held my breath trying not to move the camera so the photos wouldn't be out of focus.

Overtones

I heard a bird at break of day

Sing from the autumn trees

A song so mystical and calm,

So full of certainties,

No man, I think, could listen long

Except upon his knees.

Yet this was but a simple bird,

Alone, among dead trees.

William Alexander Percy.

A Give-Away!

Don't these little birds on the dry branches say Autumn?

Another year has past, and the beginning of the cold days has arrived. Looking up at the sky I can see that the migration of ducks has started. The trees are preparing for winter making a yellow carpet of leaves. Foggy mornings, windy days, and wrestling with children because they don't want to get out of bed. This is the time when I begin to take refuge in my little shell and start working on my chochet creations. I made those little birds that I really adore. I was looking through my window and I saw a bunch of little birds on my apple tree and I thought about crocheting them. I think they are adorable. So that is why I wanted to share some with you. I am going to have a drawing and the winner will receive 2 little birds with their nests.  What you have to do is join me as a follower and leave a comment. This Give-Away is available for USA only due to shipping expenses.  This Give- Away ends November 11. The winner will be announce the following day. Good luck!

~This Give-Away is Closed.~

You can choose between the white nest and the tan nest or one of each.

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~Have a wonderful day and come back soon~

How to make your own appliques for your furniture

These appliques were made with a technique known as "Russian Ceramic". This is a technique that I learned when I was living in Venezuela. With this dough you can make any kind of flowers, birds, jewellery, dolls, fruits, etc.

If you have any questions about how to make the dough, contact me at: kattyscosycove@yahoo.com

Rusian Ceramic Dough Recipe:


To make the dough:

5 cups of cornstarch

4 cups of white glue

2 cups of water

3 tablespoons of lemon juice

3 tablespoons of baby oil

1 tablespoon of hand lotion, for kneading the dough.



Combine glue, water, lemon juice, and baby oil in top of a double boiler, and mix with a wooden spoon until disolved. Add 4 cups of cornstarch little by little stirring constantly until it is dissolved and without lumps. Bring the water to a boil. Stir once and awhile. Cook until the dough starts to separate from the pot. Remove from heat. Put the dough on a working surface, add a little of the cornstarch if the dough is sticky. Put lotion in your hands and keep working until the dough is soft. You don't need to use the whole cup of cornstarch-use as needed. Wrap the dough in a plastic bag. Keep covered while using.

 The roses: Take a small portion of dough, form a string about 2" long to form the center of the rose.

 Form the petals by shaping small portions of dough into little pears and flatten them with your  finger. Make about 4 or 5 petals for each rose.

Work on a waxpaper surface. Mark or draw the desired shape of the applique on the waxpaper so you can follow it while you glue and join the roses together.

Form the leaf by shaping small portions of dough into little pears and flatten them with a real rose leaf on top of the dough to print the leaf vain.

Let dry on a flat surface. It will take about 2 weeks to dry fully, and will appear yellowish. If in the drying process the roses separate, just glue them back with hot glue.

Glue appliques to surface with hot glue, and paint or paint before attaching it to the surface.

I love these appliques because they "pop out" from the surface and I really enjoy them on my buffet.

Imagine the infinite number of projects that you could make with this dough. What about making the roses actual size, and gluing them on a mirror frame! I'm thinking of making that.

"Dahlias that never fade"

I made these beautiful flowers with the same dough explained above. After making the dough, I dyed it with Artisan water mixable oil colour by Winsor & Newton. This particular color is Alizarin Crimson.

Have a wonderful day and come back soon!

Trompe-l'oeil an illusion of reality

Years ago I found a book about trompe-l'oeil in the library. I fell in love with the illusion of an open sky. I photocopyed some pages and kept them in my folder of decorations, thinking that some day when I had a house, I would paint those murals. 5 years later we bought a little house and as soon as we moved in I started painting all the walls of the house in Amber wave, with the exception of my future baby's room. (In that time I was not pregnant but I was preparing his or her room.) I chose the Peter Rabbit and his friends theme from the " Great big treasury of Beatrix Potter Book". The baby's  room is really small so it did not take me too much time to finish it.

The photo above is my bathroom ceiling.

My dining room ceiling. I would like a chandelier in this room.

My baby's room. " The tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck"

"The tale of Mr. Jeremy fisher"

"The tale of the Flopsy Bunnies"

"The tale of Squirrel Nutkin"

My bedroom Ceiling.

My kitchen. I would love a Chandelier instead of that ceiling fan.

People say that I am an artist but I don't think that about myself. I just paint for a hobby. For me an artist is a person who goes to school and studies art. I have not done that, but I really find joy creating and painting things that I really like. I take the time to smell the roses, enjoy life and love my little family, listening to reggae, latin music, and music from the 40s and 50s. I really love shopping at vintage shops, flea markets and thrift stores. My heart jumps when I find a good deal.

I hope that you have a wonderful day and come back soon.