Santa has entered the building...the gallery that is!!

Well....Santa has traveled down the street to visit the Trim-A-Tree event at the Foley Performing Arts Gallery.  Six of them made the trip this afternoon and three more will make it one day next week. LuLu was sad because she and her Santa didn't make this trip but I'm working as fast as I can Li'l Miss...hehe!!!

There are so many talented artist in our area and if you live close by or are planning a trip to Gulf Shores or Orange Beach then make sure you stop by there and browse for awhile.

I also took a few other things along...like the mermaid and child, the merboy with his fish and the faerie dancer plus several pieces of my jewelry. Fingers crossed that everyone has a good year selling!!

This sweet little faerie was already at the gallery and they had put her up on a shelf. It seems someone decided to pick her up by her wings. WHO in the world would EVER pick up a faerie by her delicate wings? They apologized and said they sure hoped that I could fix her because everyone loved her bright shining eyes and the way the light reflected off of her wings. They also have put my pieces in a glass case so that people can't man handle them. That made me happy....I was almost afraid to leave my new pieces...almost!!  My sculpts can last for a very long time IF taken care of. I have pieces that are over 12+ years and have traveled several different times to new homes and still look like I just designed them. I was able to fix her wings and she is now safe and sound sitting on my shelf in my bedroom where she will stay. I think she has been traumatized enough.

The Chazman wanted to look at the pieces in the glass case and he noticed that the Mad Hatter had apparently drank wayyyy to much tea because he was leaning over on the glass. I asked Josep to please take him out and let me see what was going on. The Chazman said that dormouse must had tried to make an escape and had tipped them both over. ^_^  I'm guessing that's not what really happen but again, someone had probably tried to pick him up by the teapot. BARBARIC PEOPLE!! Sorry, I just get so upset when others don't have respect for a piece that someone has put so much time into. Calming down now..ahhhh!! It was just that the teapot had been pulled off Hatter's hand and it was an easy fix. I have my mother's teapot collection and Hatter is going to be sitting among them. He and Dormouse can enjoy their tea in safe surroundings

Now...it's on to finishing up the other three Santa pieces, plus do my baking for tomorrow's festivities at my youngest sisters house. We split the cooking duties up...my part this year is the green bean casserole, homemade mac n cheese and the desserts. Notice that has an S on the end as in more than one dessert is to be made. I love that my family loves my cooking. I hope that YOU and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving and for those that live outside the United States....I hope that YOU have an awesome Thursday.

Until next time...........Hugs,
Regi

Twas the REAL Night before Christmas....

Not many folks know what happens for real on the night before Christmas. Oh..it's very true what they say...that Santa does delivers toys in his sleigh. However..the jolly ole Santa doesn't start out his delivering of gifts in his sleigh. No...he begins delivering gifts by riding his polar bear, Patshatl (which means giving) to the little elf children that live at the North Pole. You see, the Li'l ones are not allowed to know about the toy shop until they reach almost adulthood. Christmas is a magical time and Santa wants all to "BELIEVE" during their childhood so that when they are grown then the seed of magic will have been planted and they can continue a long tradition of giving and believing with their Li'l ones.

Santa and Patshatl are one of the newest designs in the Southern Ooaks Santa series for 2012. From Patshatl's back foot to the tip of the tiny wooden rocking horse, they sit at 8 1/2 inches tall. Patshatl is a wooden bear that was rescued from an old dusty table at an estate sale. The gentleman said that it had belong to his great aunt and was about 70 years old. I love collecting old, vintage, antique items to reuse with my designs. I had to sand some places and then I white washed him with acrylic paints.He is such a handsome Polar bear. His riding blanket was felted and then tiny glass beads attached. His nose harness was made from felt and then beaded. His reins were macramed using hemp and some of the tiny glass beads in between the knot tying. Santa,of course, is one of my original designs made from clay, without using any molds. If you have been following along then you know how he is made but I will give a small description for those that are new to the ooaks tree. His face and feet were sculpted from clay, baked and then detailed using acrylic paints. His body, a strong wire armature wrapped in wool yarn. His hair and beard were done using angora wool yarn. His Santa suit was hand sewn using velvet fabric from a vintage wrap. (also found at an estate sale) and faux fur. His gloved hands and boots were also felted.

Santa's bag was made from the same velvet fabric as his suit. Peeking out from the top of his overflowing "goodie" bag are a wooden rocking horse, soccer ball and tiny basketball (yes elves play soccer and basketball..hehe), a tiny bear, two tiny shiny presents and a bagged gift with candy canes poking out.

The piece came a long way from the little skinny guy to the plump, jolly old elf he is now!! I love designing Santa and I have many more to come. This piece is going to the Foley Performing Arts Trim-A-Tree event. I so hope that someone adopts him and takes him home. If they listen carefully, they might even hear the li'l elf children giggling on Christmas morn!!

Until next time...............HUGS,

Regi

Sealife pieces for Trim A Tree event!!

I had so much more I wanted to do for the TAT event but alas...my head is a pounding and I can barely focus so I think it's time to call it a wrap. I hope that some of my items will be a hit and sell. I know times are hard for everyone BUT I think with that being said...it's a good year to buy from local artist. Yep...that sounds mighty good to me. Doesn't it to you?

I made some of my mermaid tail charms and I didn't attach any chains or ribbons or cords to them. It will keep the cost down for me and for whom ever purchases one. It seems that everyone has a certain preference for what they like so I thought it a good idea just to factor that out and let the buyer decide later on.

Remember the WIP teaser of the three seahorses on my previous post? I was going to make a bracelet and earrings with them but just ran out of time to do one of my macrame bracelets. Well.......ran out of time and steam ..hehe) I made the earrings I had planned and in place of the bracelet I made a keychain.

I love working with my shells and doing anything with regards to the ocean. We have quiet the collection of shells from our walkabouts too. I have noticed when being out and about in town that some of the women are wearing the larger medallion necklaces. I thought medallion...shells...clay....yep....I can make one and I did. Hmmmm...actually I made two. Again...I didn't attach a chain or ribbon or cord to the medallion. The opening in the top will allow the buyer to use any of the three.

This kinda has a Chinese look to it,doesn't it? The red on the shell is not paint....it's actually colors in the shell.

I have had these sea glass beads for some time and have just been dying to use them. They just add so much to this piece...or at least I think so. Please tell me it does and I'm just not so POOPED that I just think it does..LOL!!

Now my last sea item is one that I was so afraid that my clumsy fingers wouldn't be able to do. Natural sand dollars. I sealed them and attached German glass to the front.....makes it look like someone just picked it up from the beach. Surprise..Surprise, I didn't break any of them. I really was worried. The sealer gave them some added strength. I attached a shell to the rope tie along with the legend of the sand dollar.

I know that it's hard to read the attached card so I will type it again for you....it's really a very unique legend.

The Sand Dollar

One of nature's most unusual shells.

The five splits in the shell represent the five

wounds in the body of Christ.

The Easter Lily design has, in it's center, a

five pointed star, the star of Bethlehem.

On the back is the outline of the Poinsettia,

the Christmas flower.

When the shell is broken open carefully,

five perfect replicas of a dove can be found,

These are the doves of Peace.

I love this legend and I do hope that folks won't try and break them open to see if the doves are there. Believe me...they are there!!! 

I'm excited to have pieces in the event and I hope it's a good year for all the artist that have their works in it too. I already have my Alice characters and my Faerie Races series there. I'm also going to be taking Santa and Chester, the mermaid twins, the Man in the Moon by the sea, my needle felted mermaid and Gypsy the Fall faerie. If you are in our area anytime from November 10th through to the 23rd of December, please go by and see all the amazing and wonderful works by our local artist. I'm sure you can find something that just screams "TAKE ME HOME".

Until next time....Hugs, Regi

If you are new to the old Southern Ooaks and don't know about TAT (Trim A Tree) then click HERE to read all about just what it's about. Thank you so much for visiting and I hope you come back often. I LOVE my visitors!!

WOW...Santa got a SUN BURN!!!

The annual Trim A Tree Christmas event is just around the corner and I'm frantically trying to get some new things done. WHAT??? You don't know what the Trim A Tree (TAT) is? You must be new to the old Southern ooaks house OR you are as forgetful as I am these days. HEHE HEY...I did put myself in with that statement and if the shoe fits...well...Wear it!!!!! If you are new or just need a reminder simply click HERE to read all about it.

Since times are so hard for everyone I thought perhaps some of my ornies would be a good selling item. Simple to make and not expensive. I thought that since I do live in a coastal town that some of them should be of that theme. I started with these three yesterday. Keep in mind they are not baked or painted yet. I guess you could say they are NEKKID..kind of!!!

This is the jolly main old elf himself. (that's Santa for those that don't know) He is standing in the surf...in his old timey suit tank with his Rudolph swim ring. 

Here he is again...standing on coconuts so he can reach up to put some Christmas decorations on a palm tree.

Here is Santa with one of our local beach dwellers...HANK!!! Hank is a Heron that loves to take walks on the beach in the early mornings AND have his picture taken. One of our local gents, Steve Jones...who by the way does more than just get up early and snap some amazing beach shots but also does so much for and around our community and is such a great asset to all of us....thank you Mr. Jones....and to Mrs. Jones for sharing you with all of us!!!!  Steve gets up each and every morning and does a walkabout on the beach and WOW...you wouldn't believe the postcard photographs he takes. It seems though that HANK has become a favorite. Such a character....let me show you.

Hank and one of his buddies!!

A morning he was camera shy apparently!!

Enjoying the waves!!

So you see...I just had to do an ornie with Santa and Hank. It seems though that Hank had other ideas. I don't think he likes being included with anyone else. (Did you happen to notice in the photo with his buddy that Hank was walking away?) I put the piece in the oven to bake and checked on it several times. All was going great and then my last check as the timer went off and OMGOSH...Santa got a horrible sun burn and oven stripes. Argggggg....I so could not believe what I was seeing. Do you think that Hank tried to fly away or worse...pulled a Heron ninja kick on the old guy? I mean if I didn't know any better I would believe that he had completely pushed Santa off their sand base and in doing so pulled him right out of his feet and smacked him right on the oven rack. Poor Santa. There will be a moment of silence please............

Now....I'm going to do another ornie of Santa and Hank and this time Hank had better behave himself or I might just forget he is a Heron and cook him up like a turkey!!! 

Until next time.....Hugs, Regi 

P.S. Keep fingers,toes and eyes crossed that this one turns out...pplease!!!!!!

P.S.S. I just had to share this now. I sculpted another Santa and Hank early this morning and Hank totally behaved himself this time. (had to give him a serious talk before he went into the oven though)

I'm doing my ornies in sets of 5....not that they have to be purchased as a set...individually will do too. ^_^  So I also sculpted two more this morning so Santa and Hank could share their sauna oven time with some friends. We love going to the beach and watching the guys wind surf. Now doing a small sculpt with a kite above would make it to heavy to hang on a tree BUT a Santa on just a surf board...well... KOWABUNGA Dude....that would so work.

I also wanted to do one that could make you think of two things here in our area. First that might come to mind are those AWESOME FRG#2 (that's Fish River Grill #2 for those that aren't locals here...the best place to eat here in Foley) Hurricane burgers that Ms. Diana and her crew makes. YUMMY!!!!  The second thought you could have might just be of one of Jimmy Buffet's famous songs "Cheeseburger in Paradise".

Now....on to my Bear Bottom ornies and then perhaps some real sand dollar ones....my muse is singing up a storm today. I just hope she is about finished with her 100th rendition of Cheeseburger in Paradise....LOL