Dryer Drum Bottle Tree

When Roy was throwing away his old dryer I managed to confiscate the drum. First I painted it. Then sealed it with varnish. I added some wings and then rods and curly wire coming out of the top holes. Every summer I fill it with colorful bottles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garden Mushrooms

The top of this mushroom is a concrete mixture that has been formed over a bowl lined with plastic. After that was a little dry I added the face by just molding it with my hands. The base was cast in sand. After it all dried completely I painted it and then added some stain, which I wiped off to give it the antiqued look. Then I sealed the whole thing.

 

 

The Gingerbread House

Every Christmas the town of Lima has a gingerbread house contest. This was my entry for 2009. Everything has to edible except for the base.

First I made large sheets of gingerbread which I cut into the walls while they were flat. Then I poured cooked sugar into the window openings. After that I started building up some rice krispie treats to hold the walls stable and then glued the walls in place with icing. I cut the window frames from fondant and added the details with washes of food color. The roof is made of fondant shingles with poppy seeds rolled into them and then painted with food color.

The reindeer in the hot tub was one of the things people at the show liked most. I formed the base from the rice krispie treats then made strips of gingerbread which I glued around the edge with frosting. The reindeer are made of salt dough and painted with food color. The bubbles are hot sugar mixed with blue food color and then poured over ice chips. I broke them up and added some white food color to look like bubbles. Towels are fondant. Mr. and Mrs. Claus and the elfs are made of salt dough and fondant.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hat Holder & Bench

This bench is made from 1/2" plywwod, painted and varnished.

Muffy the Muffler Cat  

I went through a phase where I was collecting mufflers from the side of the road and turning them into cats, like Muffy here.

 

Kids Bedroom Sets

Both these bedroom sets were done for local charties auctions, one for the Seneca Park Zoo and the other for the Adam Walsh Foundation. They each brought over $1,000 donation. I used a single bed for the base, then cut the animals etc. from 1/2" plywood. Parts were handpainted, airbrushed and assembled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Herbert's Heap

This miniature sculpture was made of fimo, wood, paint, etc. For the car I started with a plastic model. I drilled thousands of holes in it with a dremel tool, then added fine sand for rust. After that I painted the whole things using washes until the rust looked real. I antiqued all the little parts and then assembled the whole scene. The inside of the car is also filled with goodies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bertha's Cat House

For Bertha's house I started with empty dry cat food boxes. First I glued them together, then I cut out the center for the opening. Bertha is made of fimo. Her cats are cotton balls which were wet when I formed and painted them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dracula's Castle

For this miniature show we were asked to create a typical room. Being that I don't relate well to the word typical I created a 'typical' bedroom in Transylvania. Dracula and his bride are just waking up for the night getting ready to scour the countryside for breakfast. The castle is made of plaster shaped over a screen support structure and then painted. Both Dracula and his bride are sculpted of fimo. This has 12 volt electric lighting and during the show I had a small fan behind it so cool air blew on your face when you looked at him in his coffin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Witches Brew

Watch out for the witches preparing their love potion. For this sculpture I started with an old wrought iron kettle. I made all the witches from fimo and their clothes from fabric. During the show I had dry ice in the pot creating steam. It was a huge hit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uncle Fester's Antique Shop

This antique shop is filled with tiny items I either made or found and antiqued with paint and stain. Fester is sleeping in the corner, not a very busy day in the antiques business.

Mosaics around the House

I collected all these interesting objects... rocks, shells, beach glass, driftwood etc. and I couldn't decide what to do to display them all. Finally I started doing mosaics around my house. They are so much fun. I start with a layer of thin-set put on with a trowel and then begin placing the objects on the wall, vase, picture frame or anything you want. Break some colored glass and some mirrors. Find old dishes to break apart, collect stuff from the beach. Work in a small section at a time. The thin-set dries quickly. Fill in with tiny stones you can get at the garden store.