Wing Awesomeness - Day 49

There are days when the vision you have in your head comes out just about perfect!
Today is that day!
After much thinking about the wings for my painting, I stumbled on tutorials using Fantasy/Angelina Film. I ordered online yesterday and this morning it arrived. All plans for the day dissolved away as I made these wings. Then took depth breaths as I had to wire them into the canvas.
The painting can still be seen through the wings and they are delicate enough that they dont overpower the whole piece.
Its called "Into the Unknown" 

 Good Tutorials so you can head off and make your own!

 NZ dollworld - wing tutorial as part of a Doll tutorial, Plus my supplier of Angelina Film!

Doll Makers Dream - Tutorial for a single layer wing

Enchanted Hearts -Fantasy Film Fairy Wings by Deb Wood

Heart Shortbread - Day 48

Today, I attempted to heal craft frustration with the popular standbys.... cooking and shopping!!

1. Whitcoulls bookshop had a massive sale on.. not only were there stickered books at $2, $5 etc, but today they had a buy one, get one free!!
I got 2 books for $5, and the normal retail would have been $130 combined!! Awesome!!
One was a fabulous book of fantasy artwork from Weta Workshop called "White Cloud Worlds". Happy Happy Joy Joy!!

2. Heart shortbread biscuits. This is one of my favourites! The icing is a quick drying glaze that is tasty and easy (although I tend to end up with slightly scorced and coloured fingertips!!). It is also a shortbread style, but without the rice flour, which i never seem to have in the cupboard when the urge to bake comes.

Shortbread Biscuits
The Stuff: 150g butter, 225g plain flour, 125g Caster Sugar, 1 tsp vanilla essence

• Grease baking tray, pre-heat oven to 180'c
• Rub butter into flour till fine breadcrumbs
• Stir in caster sugar and vanilla
• Mix to a firm dough with hands (will seem all crumby at first but your hands warm the butter and bind it together)
• Roll out on lightly floured surface- thickish (5-7mm??)
• Bake 10mins (keep eye on it, dont let it brown much) - cool and glaze

Glaze:  1 cup icing sugar, 2 Tbl lemon juice, food colouring (can change flavour, just add water to keep liquid same, these ones are raspberry)

• Put all in double-boiler system (mines just heat-proof bowl over a saucepan)
• Heat slowly and stir till warm and smooth (dont bubble)
• Dip top of biscuits in glaze, tap gently to remove excess.
• laugh at coloured fingers while eating the first set ones!!

Resin wing sadness - day 47

Positive note first... in theory, the mold worked out great!!
On the Negative... I messed it up!!
Let me count the reasons why...
1. The wire I put in for strength and final attachment to painting shows too much and looks silly
2. Because of the wire, I did 2 layers of resin... so too thick
3. Was careless, and broke a twirly bit while trying to remove excess resin
4. 2nd wing now has bits of tinfoil stuck to it, as the covering tent I put on to protect it collapsed
5. Wing is too bulky for the fairy I painted, I need something very sheer and graceful (though the idea is right, I like the way the painting can be just seen)

So now have 2 odd resin wings that will need to be recommisioned into different things. maybe a shattered wing painting with "I do believe in fairys" as a warning.. or a giant fairy wing brooch/necklace... or just another dust collector in my box of other odd pieces.


But remembering the words of Uncle Gaston (meet the robinsons): If I gave up every time I failed, I would have never invented the meatball cannon.