Welcome to my blog

If you enjoy finding a lot of different outlets for your creativity, then we may just be kindred spirits.
This blog is an outlet for my interest in miniatures, crochet, plastic canvas, and many other various arts and crafts.

I also love walking, taking digital photos, and most recently, have rediscovered an old love...bike riding! I purchased an amazing new bike, a comfy Townie by Electra this summer, and have been having a grand time exploring the area as though for the first time. It's like being a kid again!

If you enjoy any of these things too, pour a cup of coffee and tea, sit down, and join me.


Take care!
Kat

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Baby Hippogriff crochet



Harry Potter and baby Hippogriff crochet
I wanted to make a baby Hippogriff but couldn't find a pattern, so I just sat down last night and made this while watching TV.

Horse end of Hippogriff crochet
Greybeak is half eagle, half horse, and I created him as Buckbeak's baby as part of a challenge for my  Hogwarts at Ravelry group. In the story, Buckbeak and his wife Cobeak ask Hagrid and I to babysit Greybeak while they fly south for the winter.  Greybeak's adult flight feathers have not come in yet, and he doesn't have the strength yet to fly all the way south.

Harry Potter and Hippogriff amigurumi
I have an Uncle Buck and an aunt Cobie, who we always call Co, so the names Buckbeak and Cobeak make me laugh every time I type them, lol.

Harry Potter and baby Hippogriff, Greybeak, crochet
My Harry Potter grouping is getting quite large now.  I'd like to learn how to do stop motion animations with them.

Harry and Hippogriff crochet
I have to move soon, and I really don't want to, so crocheting has been keeping me sane by calming me when I start to feel too anxious.  I have a beautiful backyard, fully fenced, and my dogs are going to miss it so much when we move back home with my parents.  I hope we won't be there for long, and I pray that we'll find a place with a fenced yard.  I'd seriously live in a one room cabin if it had a fenced yard for the dogs.

Harry Potter climbing onto Hippogriff's back, crochet
In the meantime, I'll channel all of my anxieties into crochet, and see how many Harry Potter characters I can come up with, lol.  
I already have Harry, Ron, and Hermione in crochet.  I have needle felted Hagrid, but I will probably do a new Hagrid in crochet soon; I want him to be taller.

Harry Potter crochet, with Hippogriff and Hagrid
I also have to update my blog because I also crocheted several other HP characters...but that will be a surprise for later.

Needle felted Hagrid with crocheted hippogriff
If today hold challenges for you, too, I hope you'll find relief with your arts/crafts/creativity, whatever it may be.  For me...my crochet hook is calling :-).


Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Hermione Crochet Amigurumi

Hermione crochet doll
Here's my version of Hermione in crochet. She has a sweet face, with a little snub nose.  Her hair is very wild and bushy, mainly because this was the only brown yarn I had left, lol.  Poor Hermione looks like she has dreadlocks because the yarn is so thick, lol.

Ron and Hermione crochet
Hermione's has a removable school blazer, shirt, tie, and skirt.  Her knee socks and shoes were made as part of her legs.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione crochet
Here's the golden trio; aren't they cute.  Harry's little legs are too short, so I'm going to eventually remove them and make them longer, but for now he's fine.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione crochet
I sculpted wands and a broom out of clay for my little witch and wizards.  This was such a fun project; they make me smile every time I look at them.  I like the look of Hermione with her jacket off.

Hermione crochet

Hermione Crochet

Hagrid, Harry, Ron, and Hermione crochet
Harry's flying off to practice Quidditch, Ron is goofing around, Hermione is practicing her spells, and Hagrid is inviting them in for rock cakes and tea :-).


Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Crocheted Ron Weasley and Sweater

Crocheted Ron Weasley
Hello!  To continue with my Harry Potter theme, here's Ron Weasley, with removable Weasley letter sweater.

Crocheted Weasley sweater
I love the colors in Ron's little sweater; they seem so Weasley-ish, lol.

Crocheted Ron Weasley and Sweater
Ron himself is tiny, but a bit taller than my Harry Potter doll.  He's about 5.5 inches tall.

Ron Weasley
Ron has bendable arms and legs because I stuffed them with pipecleaners (cut in half, folded over, and twisted so they're more durable).

Freckles
 I gave him lots of freckles, but only the larger ones show up.  He has glass eyes, and his hair was embroidered using two different shades of yellow and orange.  His little nose, ears, and mouth were embroidered as well.

Ron having pumpkin juice
Here's Ron relaxing, enjoying a tiny bottle of pumpkin juice that i sculpted out of polymer clay.

Crocheted Ron Weasley and Harry Potter
Ron and Harry are relaxing in front of Hagrid's Hut, waiting for the half giant to come home.

Harry having pumpkin juice
Here's Harry with his pumpkin juice.

Hot Butter Beer
I decided to try making hot butter beer.  I know most of the recipes use cream soda, but in my mind, butter beer is hot and creamy, like hot chocolate, only tasting like butter tart filling.  So I put some brown sugar and becel in a pan and cooked it until it was carmelized, then added milk and vanilla and heated that as well.  The result...absolutely yummy.  It was soooo good I wanted more today, but was out of brown sugar, so I tried it again using white sugar and a spoon of molasses in order to simulate brown sugar.  I added a spoon of low cal becel, vanilla, cooked it up, and yummy again, lol. It's too fattening to drink very often, even with the low fat becel, lol, so it will be saved for special occasions only.

Hagrid, Harry, and Ron
Here's Harry and his pals, ready for adventure.

Ron
Ron looks like he's ready for Hallowe'en, lol.

Harry and Ron 

Ron

Ron resting

Harry and Ron playying
.I had fun with this project, and the boys look like they're having fun too. Maybe too much fun.  I"d better stitch up Hermione soon so they can get some school work done ;-).
Take care!

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Harry Potter miniatures in polymer and Harry Potter crochet

Harry Potter miniatures in polymer clay
My obsession with all things Harry Potter continues, lol.  I sculpted these miniatures out of polymer clay.  The snitch feathers are bits of down from my Cockatiel, Noel...he was happy to share :-).  I used colored clay for the snitch...yellow and gold, marbled together. It's so tiny it's hard to get a photo to show the details.  The sorting hat was made by mixing bits of gold, yellow, green, and red clay.  I dry brushed brown over it to give it a worn look, and am happy with the way he came out.  The wand was super easy to do, using gold and bone colors.
Plastic canvas fireplace with polymer clay snitch, wand, and bear on mantle
I put the snitch and wand on the mantle.  There's a tiny bear in the centre; but he's so dark it's hard to see against the brown background.



Polymer clay wand, baby mandrake, sorting hat, and snitch
 Here are all of the polymer clay HP minis I've made so far.
Crocheted Harry Potter with Needle felted Hagrid in Plastic canvas Hut with polymer clay items
I searched high and lo for a pattern for a Harry Potter doll small enough to fit into the plastic canvas dollhouse, but in the end, had to make him up myself.  He's a bit taller than 5 inches, when standing on his toes, lol.

Crocheted Harry Potter
I made Harry's arms and legs flexible so he can pose and hold things.  Here he is with his wand.

Crocheted Harry Potter in plastic canvas Hagrid's hut with Needle felted Hagrid

Harry and Hagrid

Harry and the Sorting Hat

Crocheted Harry Potter

Polymer Clay sorting hat with sparkling magic potion

Potions in plastic canvas cupboard

Crocheted Harry Potter ami with polymer clay snitch and wand
I had a lot of fun with this project.  I love this photo (above) of Harry with his wand and golden snitch.  I plan to make little Ron and Hermione next.

Harry Potter and snitch, crochet and clay

Harry Potter crocheted doll

Harry Potter and Hagrid
Bye for now!

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Sculpting Grinchy Christmas Ornaments

Polymer clay Grinch, Max, and Cindy Lou Who in plastic canvas dollhouse
The other day I made my first baby mandrake in polymer clay. I had so much fun I followed up with a tiny polymer cat, dollhouse size.  I posted them on facebook and was asked if I could do the Grinch and his friends.  I didn't know if I could or not, so said I would try, and this is what I came up with.

Sculpting and painting the Grinch who stole Christmas
 I did the Grinch first.  He's the biggest sculpt, at  inches tall.  I used flesh colored clay and had to paint the parts.  The white paint didn't want to cover for some reason.  Painting the tiny features was a pain, but I like the way he came out; his face is so expressive.
Sculpting Max, the Grinch's dog
I decided to try to use colored clay next, to do Max, the Grinch's dog.  Here's the head and body shapes, ready for the oven (above).

Teeny tiny Cindy Lou Who in polymer
I used flesh polymer clay for Cindy Lou's face, but used colored clay for the rest of her.  She is VERY tiny...most of her height is hair, lol.

Polymer clay Grinch and Cindy Lou wWho
Here's Cindy Lou and the Grinch next to a Canadian Quarter, and a sewing ruler.

Grinch and Cindy Lou in Polymer Clay
I'm happy with Cindy Lou's little face; I gave her a snub nose and a shy grin.

Christmas decorations, Grinch style, in polymer clay
Max was the hardest to sculpt, because of all of the tiny pieces.  His ears fell off. His legs fell off.  His antlers fell off.  Sheesh!  I had to use liquid sculpey to get everything to stick together, but even then, his antlers were a problem. I eventually made the thicker antlers that you see in the photo.  Poor doggy looks like he has a tree trunk on his head, lol.

Cindy Lou and the Grinch 
Here's Cindy Lou and the Grinch by the fireplace in the pink plastic canvas dollhouse.  The dollhouse is way too big for them, but I couldn't resist.

Max the dog with fake antlers

Grinch, Max, and Cindy Lou in polymer clay

Polymer Clay Grinch and friends

Polymer clay Grinch, Max, and Cindy Lou Who

Polymer clay Christmas ornaments in plastic canvas dollhouse
I'm having a lot of fun with polymer clay, but am not thrilled about painting the eyes.  I'm happy with the Grinch and Cindy Lou but think Max needs to be repainted so his eyes are more expressive and soulful.  These eyes just don't do it for me.  I hate to retouch him though, as my paintbrushes, even the smallest ones, seem absolutely huge next to these guys. I had to use the end of a toothpick to do the pupils.