This Winter is feeling a bit like Spring!
Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts
Franley Speaking Friday- Shop til ya Drop!
As promised, today I am beginning my shop reviews. While most shops will be new to me, this first one was chosen because I have shopped there in the past. And I have to say that I remain glad that I did. It is one of the best purchases I have ever made. A couple of years ago I met a woman on Etsy, through an animal group that we both belong to, Etsy for Animals. Her shop name is Pigatopia, and as you may infer, she likes pigs. In fact, she runs a rescue/shelter for pot bellied pigs, and even has some that stay in her home. But that is not the most unique thing about her shop, that is just a side note that I found fascinating. The owner of Pigatopia, Shannon, is an excellent artist, and her favorite subjects are animals!
Well, my Mother's favorite children are her Yorkie dogs and they can't exactly purchase a gift on their own. Not to mention, she is extremely difficult to buy presents for. So, I commissioned a portrait of her 3 Yorkies, Misty Morning, Twinkling Twilight and Fiesty. I received a wonderful portrait. It was extremely accurate, and before you ask, NO, not all Yorkies look alike! But each dog represented in the painting certainly looked like the real them! And she even added Kiki (the cat I told you about last week, the one that Mom packed off to my house). While Mom loved the painting always, since Misty has now passed away, she really treasures that painting. While the look on her face when she opened it was worth a million dollars, the fact that it continues to hang and bring her joy, well that is a bonus as far as I am concerned!
Portraits range in price depending on size and type (material), but begin at a very reasonable $30! Here is a sample of her work, this is her puppy, Charlie. The Charlie portrait is $130.
And here is her Mother's day gift to her own Mother, and this portrait type and size would be $32.00.
Now, Shannon doesn't just do animals, so if you want a human portrait or even one of an old, favorite car, go and visit Pigatopia on Etsy and get in touch with Shannon. Give a gift that they won't be expecting, a gift that will keep on giving, give a portrait of their favorite classic car or their pet, or even a portrait of you!
Well, my Mother's favorite children are her Yorkie dogs and they can't exactly purchase a gift on their own. Not to mention, she is extremely difficult to buy presents for. So, I commissioned a portrait of her 3 Yorkies, Misty Morning, Twinkling Twilight and Fiesty. I received a wonderful portrait. It was extremely accurate, and before you ask, NO, not all Yorkies look alike! But each dog represented in the painting certainly looked like the real them! And she even added Kiki (the cat I told you about last week, the one that Mom packed off to my house). While Mom loved the painting always, since Misty has now passed away, she really treasures that painting. While the look on her face when she opened it was worth a million dollars, the fact that it continues to hang and bring her joy, well that is a bonus as far as I am concerned!
Portraits range in price depending on size and type (material), but begin at a very reasonable $30! Here is a sample of her work, this is her puppy, Charlie. The Charlie portrait is $130.
Now, Shannon doesn't just do animals, so if you want a human portrait or even one of an old, favorite car, go and visit Pigatopia on Etsy and get in touch with Shannon. Give a gift that they won't be expecting, a gift that will keep on giving, give a portrait of their favorite classic car or their pet, or even a portrait of you!
Crafting with Clay
Over the last day and a half, I was stuck on the interstate, broken down on the side of the road, and traveled about 900 miles to get back home to animals that think holding a grudge will make me stay home in the future, so I hope that you will forgive me for not getting the Monday post up in a timely manner.
I want to thank my guest blogger, Alyssa of Complex Beauty, for the great posts last week (Wednesday-Friday), and hope that she has a wonderful time on her vacation [in Texas] this week! I also hope that I can talk her into coming back and posting once in a while, as I really enjoyed her writing, and hope that you all did too!
So let me back up and provide you all with a project, and then I will get some much needed sleep and try a more interesting subject tomorrow!
For a quick and easy craft project, one that will provide you with a few different finishing opportunities, try purchasing some modeling clay to make various animal decorations. Make sure to get the kind of clay that you bake to finish. You can find the white clay at a very reasonable price, in your local walley world, but if you want/need any colored blocks, you will need to shop your local hobby stores, but expect to pay a tad more, for a whole lot smaller block of clay.
Try making a cute little sheep. It is easy and oh so adorable! To begin with, break off a small amount of the white and knead it until it is fairly pliable. Press it out until you have a nice oval shape for a body. Add a head, ears, nose and four legs in much the same way. Then make many small (very tiny works best) balls and press them into the body to create some "wool". Before you bake it, make sure to decide how you want to finish the piece off. You can put a hole in it to allow for hanging (ornaments with an "ewes special" tag are always cute!) or you can glue a magnet strip on the back for a fridge magnet. Then bake according to the package directions and finish by painting appropriately.
Or a cow? This one's details are easily painted after its baked. I used white for all of these, and just painted the various colors needed. This made them less expensive to create and very easy to get the designs as I wanted.
I want to thank my guest blogger, Alyssa of Complex Beauty, for the great posts last week (Wednesday-Friday), and hope that she has a wonderful time on her vacation [in Texas] this week! I also hope that I can talk her into coming back and posting once in a while, as I really enjoyed her writing, and hope that you all did too!
So let me back up and provide you all with a project, and then I will get some much needed sleep and try a more interesting subject tomorrow!
For a quick and easy craft project, one that will provide you with a few different finishing opportunities, try purchasing some modeling clay to make various animal decorations. Make sure to get the kind of clay that you bake to finish. You can find the white clay at a very reasonable price, in your local walley world, but if you want/need any colored blocks, you will need to shop your local hobby stores, but expect to pay a tad more, for a whole lot smaller block of clay.
Try making a cute little sheep. It is easy and oh so adorable! To begin with, break off a small amount of the white and knead it until it is fairly pliable. Press it out until you have a nice oval shape for a body. Add a head, ears, nose and four legs in much the same way. Then make many small (very tiny works best) balls and press them into the body to create some "wool". Before you bake it, make sure to decide how you want to finish the piece off. You can put a hole in it to allow for hanging (ornaments with an "ewes special" tag are always cute!) or you can glue a magnet strip on the back for a fridge magnet. Then bake according to the package directions and finish by painting appropriately.
How about a cute pig? Use a toothpick to sort of give the hooves that cloven look.
Or a cow? This one's details are easily painted after its baked. I used white for all of these, and just painted the various colors needed. This made them less expensive to create and very easy to get the designs as I wanted.So get busy creating, just let your imagination be your guide. You can create the whole barnyard if you want!
Tripod Thursdays- Fout Legged Friends
Animals are a part of my life, and have been since I was born, Today I have two dogs and two cats. The cats adopted me, one when she was dumped as a tiny baby, and sick as could be, and the other, when she was pregnant, and as sick as could be. Today they are both happy and healthy and definitely the queens of this house! With college done, and my Son married, Lucky went off to live with his real Daddy, and I was demoted from Mommy to Grandma. So now I am left with Dallas and his speckled tongue, an eleven or twelve year old rescued chow mix, and Gizmo, my 3 lb Yorkie. What Gizmo lacks in size, he more than makes up for it in moxie, and HE RUNS the ENTIRE HOUSE, or at least Dallas let's him think he does!
Enjoy these pictures of my extended family!
Enjoy these pictures of my extended family!
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