Little Projectiles

imaginary landscapes - in watercolour

2012-02-26T19:48:00.001-05:00

Archival ink and watercolour on paper vellum illustration board. These are small: 2.5"x3.5, click on image to zoom in for more detail!

into the wild

2012-02-20T11:59:00.001-05:00

just for fun, some sketches of woodland creatures, can't get enough of staedtler fineliner pens...

Antlers and a Squirrel

2012-02-18T13:00:00.002-05:00

New antler pendant designs and a little squirrel to add to the collection.

and another one

2012-02-17T17:25:00.001-05:00

imaginary map sketches

2012-02-14T13:58:00.003-05:00

crystal landscapes...

imaginary cities

2012-02-13T17:26:00.003-05:00

In love with staedtler fineliner pens...

New Friends

2012-02-08T17:54:00.000-05:00

Jack rabbit, gazelle, red fox and an ocelot.

Animal Collection

2012-02-07T12:53:00.000-05:00

my animal collection is growing...

A Wolf + a Stag

2012-02-06T17:10:00.000-05:00

I have added some more animals to the collection.

Woodland Creatures

2012-02-03T16:17:00.003-05:00

I bought my first package of polymer clay over two years ago because I wanted to make little clay animals. But when I tried sculpting these complex forms I found it hard to get any sort of detail and nearly impossible to mold them into figures that would hold their shape and support their own weight. So I gave up on animals and stuck to making beads and other simple shapes. Two years later I have become so used to working with the medium that it almost feels second nature, my fingers are very familiar with the way it moves, and I am able to get quite a lot of subtle detailed expression out of the forms I work with. That is why when I came across the work of The Handy Maiden, I was struck by the beauty of her woodland creatures and reminded of how much I love miniature animal figures, and I absolutely needed to make a series of animals inspired by hers!
I made these four animals out of polymer clay, painted them with acrylics and coated them in a high gloss varnish. I want to continue making more of my own designs and I'm imagining a giant collection like this. Now I'm going to have to find just the right shelf to display them on.

Teardrop Necklace

2012-01-27T18:00:00.001-05:00

I made this gold-dipped teardrop pendant our of polymer clay and painted it with metallic gold acrylic. It is available in my etsy shop, and there is a copper one too!

Leather+Felt Bag

2012-01-09T13:04:00.000-05:00

I've been seeing the use of industrial felt for accessories trend popping up in shops and on blogs, and fell a little bit in love with the pairing of grey felt with brown leather. I've been coveting one of these bags for a while, but since every one I came across was out of my price range, I decided to make one for myself.

Never having made a purse before, and not having much experience working with leather, it was a bit of an adventure. From learning how to install rivets to figuring out how to create the lining - which is made out of a beautiful cotton canvas - the entire bag was sewn by hand, without a pattern.

And I must say I am very pleased with how it turned out!

Metallic Antler Pendants

2012-01-07T17:42:00.002-05:00

helping my littlest sister with a figure of Hamlet for a diorama she is making for school using some scraps of felt from another project...

...and new copper and gold antler pendants!

Handmade Tea

2011-12-23T12:38:00.001-05:00

I just finished making some handmade tea as christmas presents for a whole bunch of people. I bought a whole bunch of loose leaf tea from the health food store and found some heat-sealable tea bags. I mixed up a bunch of different combinations of tea and sealed the bags with a hair straightener. The great thing is you can make any possible combination of herbs and spices you can think of - you could even try adding cinnamon, cloves or cocoa powder to make the perfect holiday treat!

Christmas Presents!

2011-12-22T12:25:00.000-05:00

I'm almost finished wrapping christmas presents. This year, I designed my own wrapping paper by drawing simple white patterns onto kraft paper. This little guy is going into one of those packages too - I'm definitely going to have to make more baby penguins and put them up for sale in the new year - he's way too cute!

Alleyway Find

2011-12-20T13:47:00.001-05:00

I found this wooden crate in an alleyway. It was in pretty rough shape, filthy and mostly come apart. But I picked it up anyway, washed it, pulled out the rusty nails, hammered it back together and sanded it down to reveal some beautiful wood only micrometres below the surface. From now on, I'm traveling the city exclusively through alleyways!

Necklaces

2011-12-18T16:44:00.004-05:00

Preparing for a handmade christmas is A LOT of work. But fun, sparkly work. These are a bunch of necklaces and bracelets I made as gifts for my sisters and friends. Mostly out of polymer clay painted with gold and silver metallics (or left white, like the rose). The added elements are bits and pieces of some of old found jewelry which I took apart; a few wooden beads, some fake pearls and little pieces of metal.

(This post is top secret, I made my family swear not to check my blog before christmas, not that I think they check it very often)

Branch Hooks

2011-11-29T16:46:00.000-05:00

I made these branch hooks out of a scrap piece of wood and a bunch of collected twigs. I carved off the bark and flattened the backs of each twig with a knife and glued the bare branches to the board. They can't support a whole ton of weight, but they are perfect for hanging jewelry and other light things.

Markings

2011-11-22T23:09:00.001-05:00

taking pleasure in simple black and white - pen and ink markings.

Geometric Pendants

2011-11-22T15:42:00.001-05:00

I am thrilled to post about this new collection of geometric beads I have been working on. They are carved out of polymer clay. The colours are all hand-mixed acrylic paint, so each colour combination is completely unique and one-of-a-kind.

It's been a while since I worked with so much colour, so I am really excited with how these turned out. They are for sale in my shop.

Clay Bird Mobile

2011-11-18T19:58:00.000-05:00

Peas in a Pod + Notebook

2011-11-17T17:15:00.001-05:00

A pair of sugar snap peas in pods - for sale in my shop.

And a new notebook I bound - this time just for myself! Made out of over 20 different kinds of paper using a coptic binding stitch so that the spine lays nice and flat when open.

silver geometric beads

2011-11-15T17:00:00.001-05:00

experiments with polymer clay and silver acrylic paint...

Pomegranate

2011-11-13T13:13:00.001-05:00

It's pomegranate season and I can't get enough of the delicious fruit! The pendant is for sale in my shop.

Avocado

2011-11-12T12:13:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty excited about this avocado pendant. Doesn't it look edible?

are there jackalope around here?

2011-11-10T13:09:00.001-05:00

A custom order jackalope...

A new rabbit design - available in my shop!

and another custom order - some silver berries.

Scorpion Pendant + a Giveaway!

2011-11-02T13:25:00.002-04:00

I made this scorpion pendant as a birthday present for a Scorpio. Molded out of polymer clay, painted with silver acrylic, and finished with a protective coat of glossy varnish.

Also, the awesome blog Bloesem is hosting a giveaway of one of my fox pendants. All you have to do to enter to win is leave a comment on their blog!

Notebook

2011-11-01T13:02:00.001-04:00

I made this notebook as a birthday present for a friend. It is filled with over 15 different types of paper - blank paper, lined paper, grid paper, tracing paper, card stock, and sprinkled with pages from magazines and art gallery pamphlets. I hand-cut and bound the pages together and made the cover out of cardboard and an old paper bag. I am totally in love with the textures of all the different papers, and I like the idea of using a notebook like this where inspiration is allowed to flow from the paper itself.

Clay Berries + an Interview

2011-10-26T12:58:00.000-04:00

I made these raspberry and blackberry pendants out of polymer clay and painted them with acrylics.

I also did a little interview with Discover Paper (a blog all about paper, featuring the work of many different paper artists and crafters). Check it out if you'd like to learn more about my work!

rainy tuesday

2011-10-25T17:05:00.004-04:00

some things I have been working on... a hand-painted cup, and some little woodland creature pendants.

Animal Pendants

2011-10-18T14:45:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I sculpted a series of animal pendants. They are made out of polymer clay, painted with acrylics and coated with a clear gloss varnish. If you would like to own one, they are for sale in my etsy shop.

New Ships

2011-10-17T16:06:00.003-04:00

I just dropped off a new fleet of ships at Freedom. They are approximately 11" tall.

Twig Pendant

2011-09-22T12:42:00.002-04:00

I made this twig pendant out of polymer clay and wire. For sale in my etsy shop!

Embroidery

2011-09-21T11:54:00.001-04:00

I made this simple grass embroidery. It's hard to tell from the picture, but there are two layers - the fabric is semi-opaque, so it has a sort of three dimensional quality to it.

Antler Pendant

2011-09-20T22:23:00.003-04:00

Today I made a collection of antler pendants out of polymer clay. They are now for sale at Freedom Clothing Collective and in my etsy shop!

Drawer Shelf

2011-09-17T12:38:00.004-04:00

I made this shelf out of a discarded drawer. I glued in some small wooden boxes and painted the whole thing white. I'm glad to have finally found a home for my light bulbs and other miniature objects. (Click on the photo for a larger, more detailed image)

Terracotta Houses

2011-09-13T13:45:00.004-04:00

I molded these little houses out of terracotta, painted them with white acrylic and carved out the doors with a knife. They are about 2 cm tall.

Paper Flowers

2011-09-06T12:38:00.000-04:00

Inspired by fibre artist Lizz Aston, I decided I wanted to make some paper flowers of my own. So I crocheted these ones out of my hand-spun shifu (paper thread).

Shifu

2011-09-04T16:37:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I taught myself how to spin paper into thread (shifu). These two samples are made from 8"x10" sheets of washi. The grey one is a Kozo paper, and the beige one is a Tengu-jo tissue. I think I like the Kozo better because it's a little bit sturdier. I've been doing research on shifu, but haven't found much information, I'd be curious to know if anyone else has experience spinning their own thread out of paper, and if so, what is your method for attaching the ends to each other? I find that these are weak points, but glue doesn't really work very well because it makes them stiff.

tiny white houses + an interview

2011-09-03T13:53:00.002-04:00

This is sort of a work in progress. I want to make these into a series, but I am not sure yet what form it will take. The houses are made out of cardboard and split bamboo skewers whitewashed with acrylic paint. They are really small - less than 1 inch high.

Also, I recently did a live online radio interview with Yvette-Michelle Cottle Darby of Crafted Spaces. You can listen to it if you are interested in hearing more about my work with paper. The first 15 minutes of the program are with Lizz Aston, a very talented Toronto-based fibre artist, and the second half is with me.

my workspace

2011-08-28T17:18:00.000-04:00

Some things that I find beautiful.

August: a short series of photos

2011-08-14T14:18:00.000-04:00

These are some of the things I've been up to this summer.

I painted this espresso set as a wedding present for a friend.

Another series of houses, made from bamboo skewers (split into thin pieces), cardboard, japanese paper.

More shrink plastic necklaces

And an embroidery hoop.

Series of Houses

2011-08-07T12:55:00.000-04:00

A little while ago, I discovered the work of Mara Skujeniece and her "Barns" series. I decided I wanted to make a series of houses of my own, but on a smaller scale, and using a sort of New England colour palette.

Bike Parts and Sketches Necklaces

2011-08-06T14:12:00.000-04:00

I made these necklaces using white shrink plastic and sharpies. The first two are a collection of bike parts: wheels, gears and pedals. And the third necklace is a series of pendants inspired by the sort of sketches I used to do in the margins of my notes when I was in school or while chatting on the phone.

Organization Case

2011-07-19T16:02:00.001-04:00

I found this thing by the side of the road. It was really dirty, and I wasn't sure about it at first, but I decided to take it home and try cleaning it. I'm not even sure what to call it. An organization case?
After cleaning and painting it white I thought it looked kind of pretty, so I filled it with all my little bits of thread, buttons, glue sticks, nails, needles, pins, jump rings, ribbons and a whole bunch of other things that have just been lying around and driving me crazy. I typed out little labels so that I know what is inside each drawer.

work in progress

2011-07-06T13:35:00.000-04:00

I'm not really sure what this is yet - or what it might become - but I thought I'd share this photo of some (wasp nests?) that I created out of Japanese paper.

A Local Summer Romance

2011-07-04T21:54:00.001-04:00

FREEDOM CLOTHING - Summer 2011 from Freedom Clothing Collective on Vimeo.

Check out this video lookbook that I created for Freedom Clothing, featuring some of their summer garments and accessories!

Video Lookbook, Interview + Giveaway!

2011-06-30T14:05:00.002-04:00

I recently shot a little fashion short with Freedom Clothing, featuring some of their pretty summer dresses and jewelry. Here are some stills from the video featuring the beautiful Patricia Zimecki.

Also, I recently did a short interview about my work with Kacie McMackin of A Collection of Passions. If you are interested in learning a little bit more about my creative process, you should check it out. She is also hosting a giveaway of one of my dandelion pendants. You just have to leave a comment on her post to be eligible to win!

Hand-painted Bowls

2011-06-25T12:11:00.000-04:00

Set of four hand-painted porcelain bowls.

Hand-painted Mugs

2011-06-15T21:43:00.001-04:00

Set of four painted mugs.

Chairs in Pastel

2011-06-14T12:06:00.000-04:00

Using my chair photos as inspiration I drew some simple pastel sketches. I haven't drawn in colour in a very long time (I usually only draw in B&W or blue ballpoint pen), so it was kind of fun to get messy with colour - it made me feel like a kid again.

Chairs on Canvas

2011-06-14T12:00:00.001-04:00

There is an upholstery shop just down the street from my house, and I've become fascinated with the configuration of different chairs sitting outside the shop everyday. I snap a picture every time there is something new when I walk past. I decided to print some of these photos onto transfer paper and stick them onto mini 4x4" canvasses.

Owl Mugs

2011-06-13T21:03:00.001-04:00

I recently got my hands on some porcelain paint. I painted these little owls onto a pair of mugs. (All you have to do is bake the mugs at 300°F for 35 minutes, and the paint becomes permanent and dishwasher safe!)

Little Clay Houses

2011-06-13T20:54:00.003-04:00

I made these little houses out of polymer clay and painted them with acrylics

Not Just Paper Planes

2011-06-07T15:48:00.000-04:00

I just dropped off my sculptural paper pieces at Freedom Clothing, which will be exhibiting my work as part of Living with Washi: Japanese Paper Inspiring Daily Life by the Japanese Paper Place. Come check out my work if you would like to see it in person - the opening reception is Friday, June 10 at 8pm!

Sesame Polenta Crackers

2011-06-02T11:44:00.002-04:00

Sesame Polenta Crackers from SIX NINE THREE on Vimeo.
These crackers are so simple to make, and so tasty!
Note: you don't have to use the ready-made polenta, you can also just use cornmeal. This recipe makes about 35 crackers.

Strawberry Frangipane Tart

2011-05-30T21:31:00.002-04:00

Strawberry Frangipane Tart from SIX NINE THREE on Vimeo.

Sunday morning baking. Strawberries and almonds together in a delicious tart.

Medical Drawings

2011-05-16T12:42:00.003-04:00

A little while ago, I found some medical books from the 1930s at a second hand book shop (Cunningham's Manual of Practical Anatomy, Vol II + III) with these beautiful anatomical drawings of human body parts. I've been using the images for little projects here and there, but I wanted to find a non-destructive way of using some of my favourite drawings. So I scanned them, printed them onto transfer paper and applied them to a canvas.

Lungs

2011-05-07T12:13:00.001-04:00

Lungs and partial ribcage made out of Japanese paper

Vertebrae

2011-05-06T19:19:00.002-04:00

Spinal column and pelvic skeleton made out of Japanese paper.

Shadowbox Anatomy

2011-05-06T11:54:00.001-04:00

Heart in a Ribcage

Bird on a String

These shadowbox objects are made out of Japanese paper and thread.

Blue Shirt

2011-05-02T17:20:00.000-04:00

A blue shirt made out of Japanese paper, inside a lightbulb.

little things inside a lightbulb

2011-04-30T11:08:00.002-04:00

What better place for these miniature clothes than inside a lightbulb? They are made out of Japanese paper treated with konnyaku, hand-sewn with thread. The hangers are made of wire.

Paper Doll

2011-04-29T13:43:00.001-04:00

As a companion project to my little things made out of paper, I made this little doll, putting a spin on the idea of the traditional paper doll. Everything is paper except her hair, which is made out of wool.

little things made out of paper

2011-04-29T13:38:00.003-04:00

Here is a project that I am very excited about and I have been working on for quite some time. After attending a washi workshop a little while ago, I was struck by the different textures of paper - how it can resemble fabric - and different papers can appear like leather, suede, or even fine silk. Those who know me, know that I am obsessed with all things miniature, and have been making miniatures out of all sorts of materials (for example: these little polymer clay magnets), so it seemed a natural extension to start making miniatures out of paper.

Unfortunately this piece is really hard to photograph, because a lot of the objects are white-on-white, but I hope you can get a sense of the detail in these close-ups.

Flying Ships at Freedom

2011-04-21T15:55:00.000-04:00

I just came home from putting up my ships at the Freedom Clothing Collective. They are flying high in the window display, along with a couple of papier maché birds. Be sure to peek in the window if you are in the area - they look much better in person!

Washi Workshop

2011-04-06T15:07:00.003-04:00

I was invited to a workshop at the Japanese Paper Place yesterday on working with washi (Japanese paper). I discovered konnyaku, which is a starch paste that can be applied to paper to strengthen it, and make it more malleable. The focus was on inspiring artists to use washi in non-traditional ways; for sculpture, jewelry, sewing and all sorts of other applications.
I've always loved paper, and it was so wonderful to be freshly inspired! The very top picture is some paper that I treated with konnyaku. The other photos show some of the beautiful paper samples we were given.

Birthday Cake

2011-03-29T00:20:00.002-04:00

This weekend was my father's birthday, so I made him a birthday cake. I used a recipe from Food & Drink Magazine for a Berlin air cake, so delicious! I made a few modifications - I added almond flour to the meringue, which makes it even tastier, and made white chocolate leaves to decorate the top.

To make the leaves, I brushed the undersides of real leaves with melted chocolate, hardened them in the fridge, and then carefully peeled away the leaf, leaving behind the white chocolate.

My sisters and I also made a delicious meal...

...some of the appetizers: guacamole, red pepper dip, pico de gallo, deviled eggs...

We stayed at my parents' place on Georgian Bay. The lake is still frozen, so still. It's eerily quiet without the sound of the waves.

The sun setting over lake Huron.

i saw five ships

2011-03-24T13:43:00.001-04:00

Many new ships made out of scraps of tea-stained fabric, bits of thread, and old Now Magazines.

Freedom Clothing Collective

2011-03-23T00:25:00.002-04:00

My pendants and postcards are now for sale at The Freedom Clothing Collective. Drop by and check them out in person if you are in the area (Bloor and Ossington)!

March: a short series of photos

2011-03-22T13:27:00.003-04:00

Starting this week, these pendants will be on sale at The Freedom Clothing Collective. Yesterday, I put on the finishing touches and made a whole bunch of little tags.

The following is a series of photos of things around my house and a little preview of things I have been working on. Please forgive these ipod photos, I didn't have access to my DSLR this week, but it would seem this Instagram app can make anything look pretty!

The typewriter I have been using to type onto silk and leather.

Detail of a new ship hull.

A bird made out of paper.

A paper bird mobile...

This is a crochet granny square blanket that I finished a little while ago, I've never been able to take a proper picture of it, but here I think it looks kind of cute.

...and a small collection of buttons

Flying Ship

2011-03-18T16:15:00.001-04:00

I made this little flying ship out of scraps of thread, cloth, cardboard, buttons and old newspaper.

Leather Wallet

2011-03-16T22:52:00.005-04:00

I made a proper leather wallet! Now my fingers are really sore from sewing. I need to get my hands on a stitching awl before I start developing calluses. I'm really happy with it, I think I will give it to my father for his birthday.

Leather Wallets and an iPod case

2011-03-15T18:21:00.004-04:00

Last night my insanely talented friend Olga came over with a bag full of leather scraps. We spent the next several hours figuring out how to sew through leather, type on leather, stamp on leather, and created a few little leather items. I made this ipod case, and created the designs with lino cut stamps.

And I made a little wallet, and added the tree also with a lino cut stamp. These are just the right size for credit cards, and you can fit a few bills in the front pocket.

Olga made this little key-chain wallet, and typed on it with a vintage typewriter.

Messy Monday

2011-03-07T15:20:00.001-05:00

I just finished two huge deadlines, working through the weekend, so I woke up this morning and decided that today was going to be a messy fun Monday. A friend gave me a huge hunk of beeswax a while ago, so I decided to melt it down and make candles using plastic egg cartons as molds.

The results are kind of messy - I've never worked with beeswax before, so they could definitely use some finessing, but they smell wonderful, and the imperfections make them look good enough to eat!

...and a few walnut candles too.

Then I baked an almond yogurt cake, I still have to ice it and assemble it, but I tasted a corner and it is delicious.

Also, I started on a few new pendants, these ones are sitting to dry from their first coat of resin.

This is what my kitchen table looked like at around 1pm....probably not the best way to work, but definitely messy fun.

Knitted Scarves

2011-02-20T16:19:00.000-05:00

Two new scarves that I recently knitted as birthday presents for friends.
The one on the left is a pattern called Old Shale - such a fun and easy pattern to knit! It's easy to memorize and I love the wavy lines it creates. The one on the right is a simple twisted cable pattern that I just kind of figured out as I went along.

OLD SHALE:
Cast on 38 stitches
Work in multiples of 18 stitches (+2)
Row 1 - Knit entire row
Row 2 - K1 - Purl row - K1
Row 3 - K1 - (K2tog)x 3 - (YO, K1)x6 - (K2tog)x6 - (YO, K1)x6 - (K2tog)x3 - K1
Row 4 - Knit entire row
Repeat.

Knitted Rag Rug

2011-02-15T17:54:00.003-05:00

I just finished knitting this rag rug - made entirely out of old bedsheets.
I tore the sheets into thin strips, and used it as "yarn".
It is so warm and comfy and soft!
I was inspired by Alli at One Pearl Button who got the pattern from Coco Knits.

Snowflakes

2011-02-03T14:43:00.002-05:00

I crocheted these snowflakes and dipped them in sugar water to keep them stiff. They are hanging, slowly twirling, in my bedroom window.

Lost Mitten

2011-02-03T14:40:00.001-05:00

A few nights ago, I lost one of my mittens at a bar. I looked everywhere and tried to retrace my steps, but could not find it. Having only one mitten is frustratingly useless (left).
So I decided to knit myself a new mitten, copying the pattern of the original mitt, the yarn is a slightly different colour, but I think it's close enough, and just as cozy (right)!

Text Beads

2011-01-10T22:06:00.005-05:00

Today I made these beads out of polymer clay. I used an antique typewriter to type onto white silk, cut the silk into strips and glued it to the beads. I then coated the beads with a clear gloss varnish.

and then he flew away into the night

2011-01-09T14:47:00.001-05:00

I found these vintage ties and appliquéd them with some simple designs.
I created the text using a typewriter on white cotton fabric.
Both ties are available for sale in my online shop!

Owlets

2011-01-02T22:18:00.002-05:00

I made these owlets out of an old T-shirt and some scraps of fabric.
I found a basic pattern for these little creatures at moonstitches and modified it to match the style of my other owl related projects. Oh, and I found the perfect use for buttons!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T12:34:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year to all my readers!
Also, I'm pretty excited about these buttons.

Embroidered Pillow Slips

2010-12-30T17:00:00.003-05:00

I embroidered a pair of pillow slips for my parents this christmas.
The tree branches were stitched freestyle, and the blossoms are made of french knots.

Macarons

2010-12-23T01:53:00.002-05:00

Today I made macarons! I made two kinds: brown ones with cocoa powder and nutella centres, and pink ones with strawberry jam. I found the recipe on this blog, which has a wonderfully detailed description of the process, and I will summarize it for you here:

BASIC MACARON BATTER
1 1/4 cups icing sugar
1 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons egg whites
pinch of salt
pinch of cream of tartar
1/4 cup granulated white sugar

-The egg whites should be left out to thicken the night before at room temperature.
-Sift together almond flour, icing sugar and any dry flavouring such as cocoa powder.
-Beat egg whites, salt and cream of tartar. Gradually add white sugar and any wet flavouring such as vanilla or food colouring. Continue whipping until the egg whites form stiff peaks.
-Fold in dry ingredients quickly but thoroughly until there are no dry clumps.
-Use a spatula to spread the batter along the side of the bowl, folding it until it reaches the consistency of thick flowing lava. Do not over-mix, or the macarons will have no "feet" (the crumbly-looking part at the bottom of the cookies).
-Pipe the batter into little coins onto a layer of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
-Let them sit for an hour so that they develop a thin "crust" and are no longer sticky to the touch.
-Bake at 325°F for 13 min. Let cool. Peel off the parchment paper.

Owl Eyes

2010-12-18T18:09:00.004-05:00

These appliqué owls were designed as a birthday present for a friend. They are made from pieces of felt and scraps of fabric, including one of my father's old ties. I loved them so much I decided to stitch them onto a set of hand-sewn pillows.

Off to Australia

2010-12-03T15:51:00.004-05:00

I just shipped my very first etsy purchase off to Australia!

Little Projectiles Shop

2010-11-19T18:19:00.003-05:00

Just in time for gift-giving season, Little Projectiles now has a brand new online shop. I've posted a whole bunch of pendants for sale and a calendar with prints designed by me. If there's anything else you've noticed that you would like to see for sale, leave a comment and let me know!

November

2010-11-16T12:39:00.000-05:00

I've been very busy lately, mostly with knits and crochets and also some prints. Here is a hint of what I am working on - I don't want to ruin the surprise for those who will be receiving these as Christmas gifts!

Darby

2010-10-22T11:25:00.003-04:00

Ballpoint pen on paper.

Chuck

2010-10-19T16:27:00.002-04:00

Ballpoint pen on paper.
Click photo to enlarge.

Amandine

2010-10-17T12:46:00.001-04:00

I've decided to start drawing portraits again!
This one was done entirely with a blue ballpoint pen using a photo reference of my friend Amandine. Click on the image to enlarge.

Pelvic Skeleton

2010-10-15T12:31:00.007-04:00

3"x2" mini pelvic skeleton – I made this just for fun!
Molding the main skeleton was a bit of a mind-bend – I never realized how much the coxal bone resembles a sort of abstract Mobius strip.

Materials: polymer clay, wire, acrylic paint, high gloss resin

Four More Pendants

2010-09-10T11:37:00.001-04:00

Materials: polymer clay, acrylic paint, high gloss resin

Bird Pendant

2010-08-27T13:58:00.004-04:00

I wanted to make a ceramic pendant for my second little sister's birthday.
Not knowing much about ceramics, and not having access to a kiln, I decided to cheat and make one out of polymer clay. I rolled out a clay coin with a little hole at the top and hardened it in the oven. I drew the design onto a piece of paper so that I could get better detail, and painted over it with cobalt blue acrylic paint. I then glued the paper onto the clay, covering it with several layers of white glue. I finished it with a thick coat of high gloss resin, which created a slightly domed surface.
It's not ceramic, but I think it looks pretty close!

The Real Slakah

2010-08-18T11:51:00.002-04:00

Slakah the Beatchild poses with his shiny new action figure.
Can you see the resemblance?

Beatchild Action Figure

2010-08-03T00:48:00.004-04:00

This character is based on Toronto performing producer Slakah the Beatchild.

I modeled it out of white polymer clay, painted it with acrylics and lacquered it with a high gloss resin.

Quilled Card

2010-08-02T13:50:00.002-04:00

I made this quilled card and attached it to a bottle of Veuve Clicqout as a wedding present that is to be opened on the newlywed couple's 10th anniversary. I had never done quilling before, but I think the little strips of coiled paper add an elegant flourish!

Wax Paper Ornaments

2010-07-09T18:55:00.008-04:00

The skeleton of these little ornaments is made of armature wire, and they are covered with a layer of white wax paper.

These are a few of my favourite things

2010-06-18T12:05:00.011-04:00

My little sister's favourite things:
· pink things
· pumpkin pie
· starbucks
· shoes
· aqua-coloured things
· malibu rum
· beachy things
· green tea
· purses

For my sister's birthday, I decided to make her a collection of magnets of all her favourite things. So I asked her for a list, and this is what I came up with.
I made the little items out of Fimo, painted them with acrylic paint, glued magnets to the back and covered them with a coat of resin.

Which brings me to resin: the coolest things ever. My friend came over last week and taught me how to use it. I never dreamed it was so simple! I always thought it was super-toxic (which it probably is) and extremely smelly (which it isn't) and very messy (which - as long as you cover your workspace with a garbage bag - it really isn't). There are essentially two simple steps to applying resin: mix + pour. And then wait for 12 hours before touching them (which is the hardest part).