My Last Figure for the Year

This will be the last papermache figure for the year from Monkey-Cats Studio. It is a snowman, but unlike the other snowmen this season, this little guy has a human nose, and not a carrot to try to breath through. He is also dressed not only in a plaid scarf, but in a little green vest as well...which my sister said looked a tad tight like he had one snowflake too many! Poor little "Roller," he just can't give up those snow cones and rolls in the fresh snow. He is a friendly sort and has his right hand up waving at you from his frosty home.


"Roller" is carrying his little cousin "Ice Cycle" and a candy cane to swirl in their hot chocolate at the end of the day...another reason perhaps why "Roller's" vest is on the snug side. "Roller's" arms and hands are wire and can gently be moved to change their position.

Lots of little details in this fellow from his peppermint swirl button to the highlights in "Ice Cycle's" coal features and his little wooden carrot nose.

"Roller and Ice Cycle" have sold and will be moving to a warmer climate...they are thrilled and so am I!!

Have a great day!
Laurie

SpookyTime Jingles Update!!!

Where is the time going to? It can't possibly be time for another SpookyTime Jingles update on Saturday night can it?!!!! Yes, it is time and luckily I managed to get some pieces done this month in the middle of the Christmas tree farm madness!!! Not everything I wanted, not everything I thought I would get done (I have exceeding high expectations), but I did manage to produce 4 pieces for the update!!! (This seemed to be a really SHORT month!)

First, is "Standish the Pumpkin Elf," that you already had a preview to in an earlier blog. "Standish" is one of Santa's "go to guys" at the North Pole and he is a Pumpkin boy loving his elf costume!!! He is shown grinning with pride and holding a paper mache teddy bear and paperclay candy canes. Hours and hours in sculpting and painting the hat and those boots, but so worth it!!! The jingle bells on his hat and boots are actually paper mache balls painted to look like bells.


Then, there are the jingles for the month of December, "Topper", "Siegfried and Bubo" and "Tosser"....the 3+ snowmen from Monkey-Cats!!!


"Topper" is a unique piece that functions as a tree topper, but I also designed him so he can sit on a shelf. He is the shortest and smallest of the three, but he looks adorable on top of a Christmas tree.


Next, is "Siegfried" with his wise little snow-fellow companion, "Bubo". "Siegfried" loves this little stack of snowball goodness and carries him lovingly where ever he goes. "Bubo" may be small, but he is loyal and has kept Siegfried of a hot water more than once...which is really critical to a snowman!! You might say they are made of the same....stuff.


The final snowman in the group is "Tosser." Tosser is a guy's-guy, and has the throwing arm of a major league pitcher. He is known to always have a spare snowball concealed on his body somewhere (literally), and in an instant can toss a snowball with such accuracy that any challenger doesn't stand a chance. One good thing about "Tosser"...he never throws the first snowball.


I hope one of these new pieces finds a place in your heart! They will be available at midnight tomorrow night!!!!
Time sure is flying!
Laurie

STJ Tree on eBay

What an opportunity...a tree fully loaded with one of a kind originals made by the artists of SpookyTime Jingles is now on ebay!!!! Go give the auction a look and get close up photos of the ornaments because the group really came out full force to cover this little tree with the Christmas spirit!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110467416957&ssPageName=STRK:MESCX:IT

Yes, there is a Monkey-Cats Studio ornie on that tree and I'm going to be naughty and make you look at the auction for a peek! Great group, great fundraiser...now go bid and get yourself a special tree!!!

On another note...SNOW, and lots of it!! Home for the day painting because they are forecasting an inch an hour today...let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!

Have a great day all!
Laurie

Fa-la-la-la-la La-la-la-la

Well, I just had a pleasant surprise. I went to Flickr to upload my images and much to my surprise I found this lovely holly frame to put around my photos. It is cold outside, snow possibly on Sunday, holly frames available to "Christmas-up" the figures...all is good with the world. (It doesn't take much to make me happy!!)

Below is the finished Pumpkin-Elf, "Standish". I need my head examined for putting the hours into sculpting and painting his hat and boots, but I just couldn't resist. Unlike last month's "Elf in the Ornie", this hat doesn't have real jingle bells, these are made of paper mache and painted to look like bells.

"Standish" is another one of my Pumpkin Boys that loves all holidays. He doesn't deliver presents on Christmas day, but he does help Santa with the distribution side of things up at the North Pole. He checks the names and packaging of each gift (along with a crew of "elves", if you know what I mean *wink-wink*) so that Santa successfully delivers each child the correct toy and gift. It isn't like it use to be at the North Pole as they have even gone to bar coding! "Standish" takes his responsibility very seriously to assure that Santa doesn't disappoint the children of the world and is shown here holding a teddy bear (also paper mache) and candy canes (paperclay) to be packaged for....oops, that would let the surprise out!

"Standish" is one of the more dashing of the Lumina family members and is never seen without his full elf costume except when he takes his January vacation to the Caribbean....then it is strictly island shirts and shorts for this little guy.

"Standish" hopes as Christmas approaches that you have a joyous and loving holiday season and that he doesn't see your name on the naughty list!!

Have a great weekend!
Laurie

PFATT December Giveaway!!

Come join in the fun at the the PFATT blog for some wonderful December giveaway items....yes, giveaway items, and I have made a little something to make the holiday season just a little more cheerful!


As you know if you follow my blog, I believe that elves are born from ornaments. Below is little "Onslow" bursting from his ornament from both the top and the bottom with a small Christmas tree and Christmas gift present in the foreground. This is a 7" x 8.75" hand-painted original on 140 lb. weight watercolor paper, signed by me and created just for the PFATT December giveaway. How do you win this you ask? Click on the link above and go to the PFATT blog to register!!

Lots of wonderful things being given away this month by PFATT members (getting in the Christmas spirit) so don't miss the chance to put your name and email address into the giveaway for a chance to win some really lovely pieces!!!!

Good luck!
Laurie

2 New WIPs

It has been a busy week in the studio making paper mache clay, making armatures for hats and then building the hats, building faces, making elf shoes and boots and making bodies. Below is my first ever Pumpkin Elf. He will be a crossover piece from Halloween into Christmas and comes with an elf hat with balls on the tips and elf shoes designed in the same manner. He carries a teddy bear and candy canes and I plan on painting him in striped stockings with a little ornamental vest. The figures don't have much of a personality punch at this point....that will have to come with the paint.

I also roughed in several snowmen this week. The little fellow below has a carrot nose and an over sized top hat. and two "stick" arms. I think he gets a scarf today... he needs it to break up that large body of his.

That's how I work. I sculpt, set a piece down, work on another, then look back on the piece I worked on earlier and let it tell me what it needs. That little bit of separation during the creative process is very necessary for me to keep moving forward in the design of the pieces.

That's this weeks peek into the studio and my artsy little mind.

Have a great weekend!
Laurie

Marques Lumina

Well, in my house Halloween is just about 11 months away, so Marques is smiling as he awaits his assignment for 2010. I'm in the studio today working on some new things sort of spooky and sort of jingly.

Hope you all are having a great week. We have sunshine so it looks like a great afternoon to sculpt and play!

Laurie

Phew!!!!

Just had the last fall show for the season this past weekend and I am very happy!!! (Sorry, I forgot the camera!!) The show started slow and had me a little nervous because often the afternoons are the slowest part of the day....however, the reverse was true at this show. It seems the buyers waited until later in the afternoon to attend the show, which seems contrary to what normally happens. Big crowds in the morning, but hardly anyone was carrying packages versus smaller crowds in the afternoon with multiple items being carried. I guess you just never know.

I will start new pieces this week so as I get things put together I will post a WIP or two! Hope you had a great weekend!
Laurie

SpookyTime Jingles Updates Tonight!!!!!!!

The November update for SpookyTime Jingles is tonight at midnight!!! I have one little jingle, Phineas the "Elf in the Ornie", and two little spooky-jingles....


the "Christmas Count" and "Pumpkin Claus." These three pieces will be available tonight at midnight on that very special marketplace!!

We can all use a little jingle in our lives... don't you think?! Hope to hear from you at midnight Eastern time (11 Central, 10 Mountain and 9 Pacific).

Have a great day!

Laurie

Here Comes "Pumpkin Claus"

Here Comes "Pumpkin Claus", Here Comes "Pumpkin Claus", right down "Pumpkin Claus" Lane.... fa la la la la, la la, la la. Silly little "Pumpkin Claus" loves Christmas. From the time he was nothing more than a bloom on the pumpkin vine there were signs this little guy was going to be different. The elders talked about the strange candy cane markings on his bloom and the jingle bells on the tip of each petal. As his little bud grew they would hear Christmas Carols murmuring around him and shuttered at the strange sight of him shaking like a bowl full of jelly when he was highly amused. This little pumpkin even refused to release himself from the pumpkin vine in the fall...he waited until Christmas Eve.


The other little pumpkins laughed and called him names, and didn't let him join in any pumpkin games....oh oops, that's another story. Anyway, he developed an affinity for anything peppermint (starlight mints, candy canes, ribbon candy, etc.) and begged his Mother for a Santa hat and elf-like attire. Being a good Mom, she succumbed to his requests and also named him "Pumpkin Claus."

Santa heard about this little fellow, and when he met him he loved what he saw! Santa contracted with him so that on Christmas Eve he travels to an assigned area delivering gifts to good little boys and girls.

You didn't really believe Santa could deliver all of those presents all by himself did you? Oh, and if you leave out pumpkin cake or cookies for "Santa" on Christmas Eve and they are still there in the morning...you had a visit from "Pumpkin Claus." It would be like eating a cousin so he chooses to pass on anything made with pumpkin.

"Pumpkin Claus" is made of fastmache and wood and painted with acrylic paints. His candy canes and ornament are removable for safe storage.

Have a great day!

Laurie