Liam just drew himself.
He drew without anyone encouraging him to do so. He did it for me. And I love it! Isn't that the sweetest picture ever? He even used his favourite colour, green. I just scanned it in and had to darken it a bit in Photoshop as it was a bit light in places. Oh my boy is growing up!
I got my husband to take a few pictures while I was making my newest elf. He's carrying a little satchel of post and blowing his bugle - my most ambitious elf to date! He still needs shorts and legs, but here he is in the making...
His postbag is still empty, it will get some letters.
I tried something a little bit different with these two. It didn't quite work out the way I was hoping, but still, for a first attempt I'm happy...
...not quite 1:12 scale, but where the big one is an ornament, the little one is a garden gnome =) Only thing is, now they need painting!
I am done! I was surprised with the most beautiful bouquet of flowers from the staff and children at the preschool, it was lovely and I cried, and I will miss them all terribly as Liam moves on to big school in September. I had great fun bringing the wall to life, and I hope the children coming in to the new school year enjoy it just as much as I do. Here are some close-ups of the children through the seasons.
And a rough composite of what the wall looks like. It's a bit tricky to photograph as the school wall is too close to the mural to get back far enough to shoot the spring/summer panels, and each panel is staggered down from the last, but the green line of the grass does match up in real life!
I don't think I'll ever be able to say "It's completely finished" but tomorrow I will say "I'm done."
All that remains is touching up sky and grass, sealing it with the clear varnish, and writing the pre-school's name in a cloud above the winter girl. I have two helpers tomorrow, which, considering that it is the last day of school for the year, is a good thing! I think it looks fabulous, the kids love it, and I've enjoyed the process so much, listening to the kids come past every day, always with something to say about the latest addition. The summer girl was a huge hit in her pink dress, the autumn leaves, the dog! One boy said, "Oh look, she's finally done the dog!" and then the faces - they've come alive since I gave them eyes and noses and mouths!
And look, proof that is really was me painting - I'm giving the winter girl red spots on her pink wellies - now to find myself a pair just like them! One little boy greeted me this morning by saying "Hello Artist!" I used to be 'the painter'...seems I've moved up in the world!
Click to enlarge ;-)
There is nothing more satisfying than taking a lump of clay, a cup of water and my favourite tool in the world, and creating a new little elf. This little one is very sweet and charming, holding the skirt of her coat. I took a friend to HobbyCraft last week, and bought a new block of Das air drying clay. More elves will definitely be born this summer...
This one needs a name, any suggestions?
I am clever, aren't I?! I come home every day exhausted, absolutely knackered, but it's that good tired feeling when you know you've accomplished something. The mural has come together better than I ever imagined. In fact, it's looks nicer than the colour mock-up I'd done on paper. I had a new helper today, so now all that's left is the detailed outlines, the winter boy and some hats and shoes here and there.
After finding my Arthur dollhouse on Ebay, I did a bit of research into how I wanted to do it up, and decided that clapboard siding was a must. I love the look it gives a house, and in my opinion takes it from being a dollhouse to a real house in miniature.
Unfortunately though, the only UK supplier had discontinued the siding and had no stock left at all, so my only option was to order it directly from Greeenleaf in America. I needed 4 bags of siding : $20. Shipping fees? $80!!
There went that idea.
Until I put a request on the TwoPeas forum that I'm a member(addict) of. I find it difficult to explain to real life friends how great my Pea friends are. We're a bunch of old regulars who inspire each other, advise, share, laugh with, pray for, care for and help each other. Just like a real friend would. I had two offers for help within a day of posting my request - one from someone who was willing to have the siding shipped to her from Greenleaf, and then using regular USPS to ship it to me. And then Farrah, who offered for her husband to bring it over to England when he visited his folks, thereby saving me the shipping charges completely!
Now Farrah's expecting a baby, but she doesn't know what it is, so I went in searched of a little non-gender specific something to thank her for her help and generosity, and I found these darling little peas in a pod. Aren't they the sweetest? Farrah has decided that her kids aren't getting anywhere near HER peas, and personally, I don't blame her...I almost wanted to keep them for myself!
I had help today - Hooray! With Dot helping and the sun shining, we got lots done. The trees are taking shape, I love the colours, and Autumn is standing out as my favourite - don't you just love the punchy orange against the green and blue? I don't know if you can really see Spring's tree from the shot, but the colours are lime-y and tart, and will look gorgeous with pink blossoms.
So a while ago I was approached by my son's preschool to do a mural on a new exterior wall. I've done one before, and a friend was busy with one at her daughter's preschool, so I felt confident enough to agree (I could always ask her for help if I got stuck!) . Well, I had no idea quite how big the wall was going to be - it turns out it's 1.8m by 11m!
The idea came to us quite early on - we're doing the four seasons, with a tree for each season, and children playing, with their clothing and activities changing according to the weather.
Here it is so far...
The rain has not helped this week, in fact yesterday I came home early after the torrential downpour actually washed my sky away completely! But, today I was smarter and took the garden brolly with, which did the trick when it started spitting. I managed to finish all the sky, and I've started the grass down at the 'Spring' end. I have a helper on Friday, so I think I'll ask her to start on one of the children - it will really start coming to life then. While it is a bit daunting, I'm really enjoying it and I think it's going to look awesome!
**ETA**
I popped back this afternoon while Liam had his big school visit, and got some more grass done.
It's amazing how quickly it's taken shape with the addition of one more colour. The children really stand out now, and it's coming together nicely.
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