Tag Archives: gnome

The Carving Continues, Part 2

23 Sep

I am at the tail-end of completing the three individual gnomes. I missed the deadline I set for myself, which was the end of August. And it is almost the end of September! I’ve got to get going on it.

Last week, I decided to push myself to complete this with love and dedication. I reduced my golf outings to focus on finishing up the pieces. And I must say it has been so fun and therapeutic to work on them.

Working on all three in tandem, seated at my workstation, I fine-tuned the surfaces and eventually applied acrylic paint. It actually took me only one day for the painting process! If I had known that it would take just a day, I would have prioritized this step sooner! Oh well.

I am very pleased with the outcome. The color choices of the pants are at the request of the individual recipients. At this point, it is only a minor touch-up to even the coat of colors. Lastly, a gloss varnish will be applied to the surfaces to complete the project.

Yay, I am a happy camper with my efforts, and I hope the recipients will be equally pleased to have them in their homes.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

The Carving Continues

19 Aug

Excited about carving again after seeing the Three-Gnome piece evolve, I decided to carve more gnomes, but single pieces instead of a trio. I found three wooden blocks from my stash and decided to work on them simultaneously.

On days when it was too hot to be out on the golf course, I alternated between the four pieces for the past several weeks. It wasn’t a daily process, though, and it took time. And since I completed the Three-Gnome piece last week, my focus is now on the three single gnomes. 

The task at hand is very exhilarating, especially with the new carving tools that I recently purchased online. When an unassuming block of wood evolves and becomes something creative, done with love and focus, the satisfaction and joy are immensely wonderful. 

I hope to complete the three pieces before the end of August!

Three more gnomes coming along swell!

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Reviving an Old Project, Part 3

12 Aug

The Three-Gnome piece is a done deal! Typically, I use oil varnish to give my carvings a nice gloss, but there was a big hiccup at this final step.

The varnishes in my collection

The DecoArt DuraClear gloss varnish that I have used to varnish all my past carvings has gone bad! Four years since my last carving piece, the liquid left unused has somehow separated. To make matters worse, my other bottle of varnish, the Daler Rowney brand, cannot be opened! Something has disintegrated on the push-turn cap mechanism. A full bottle unutilized unless I drill the cap to salvage the varnish.

And I wasn’t sure if my oldest bottle of varnish, a Talens brand from my college days, that’s dinosaur years ago, can still be used. Dang! So many problems.

Taking a chance, the Talens acrylic glossy varnish came to the rescue with whatever I had left! But it won’t last for the next project. So I bought a new bottle of varnish gloss, a new brand called Marie’s. As for the other two, I might drill the cap of the Daler Rowney and throw away both the DecoArt DuraClear.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Reviving an Old Project, Part 2

5 Aug

It has been time-consuming completing the Three-Gnome piece, with more waiting than the actual time spent working on it towards the end. Being patient is essential, as it takes time for the wood putty to dry before sanding the surfaces down. Then, after putting a coat of white acrylic, I wait again for it to dry. And the cycle repeats to ensure a smooth surface overall. The days pass by so quickly with these steps.

I found myself repeating the process twice before being satisfied with the result and applying the final colors of the gnomes. There was a slight hiccup when I discovered the skin tone acrylic color had dried up in the tube! Oh no.

Top: ready to add color; bottom: new Jaune Brilliant (left) vs old Pink Blush (right)

I ended up purchasing a different brand, so now these new gnomes will look different from the others! Then again, after a four-year break of carving gnomes, a darker shade for the nose would not be so drastic-looking, would it? New start, new colors.

With the final step of applying the varnish, this piece will soon be ready! I’m so proud of pushing myself to complete it, albeit four years later. Better late than never.

Top: original piece; bottom: latest piece. Note the color of the noses.

Tags: , , , , ,

The Halfway Mark

1 Jul

As the saying goes, time goes by when you’re having fun or being busy. Suddenly we have reached the halfway mark for 2022! Goodness, what happened in the past six months? Was I having so much fun or being so busy – I don’t seem to recall!

The pandemic is still here, and we are so used to it now. After all, it’s two and a half years already since the beginning of the outbreak. And the country has been revising the SOPs constantly to circumnavigate the ever-evolving situation.

Despite the constant rules updates and changes, one thing has remained. People are still masking up whenever being out in public, especially indoors, although it is not a must now for open areas. The public has been ingrained since day one to do this. It’s a good and safe practice to contain the virus spread. Our mask supply is never-ending too!

This year, my crafting of DIY miniatures is taking less of my time because I started wool felting, and also my golf games have picked up. I suppose one can’t have it all. We’ll see how the second half of the year goes for me as far as my miniatures are concerned. There’s still a mountain of supplies waiting for me, and I intend to buy more!

Felting is quite a therapeutic activity whenever I want to do something. This activity takes less time, and the finished piece is just as rewarding and satisfying.

Carving has halted big time because it’s too messy and dusty. However, I still have a three-Gnomes piece to complete before the year ends. With six months left, I should be able to, I think. I need to find the time and focus on the activity.

Let’s hope the second half of the year will be exciting and not just fun and busy so that when we look back at 2022, it will be a year to remember and not be lumped together with the past two forgettable years.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Felting is Fun! Part 3

17 Dec

I have to admit this piece is my third character before the gnomes. Soon after finishing Mike from Monsters, Inc., I wanted to do something for myself. Hence, an owl to go with what I have been carving to make Gigglesville.

A felted owl to join the Citizens of Gigglesville!

It took some 3D visualization effort, and in the end, I am pleased with the result! It looks like crafting miniatures and carving are taking a backseat for this.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Satisfying Activity

13 Dec

Within a few days, I felted a few more characters. IKEA’s Christmas gnomes inspired me, so I decided to make a couple of my own instead of buying.

After all, a gnome character is right up my alley, with all the gnomes that I have carved. I think my attempts are pretty good!

IKEA’s gnomes inspired me!

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

DIY Project #22, Part 3

30 Nov

As expected, I completed DIY project number 22 before the weekend was up! It was an easy-peasy set – that’s why I picked it over the other choices from the stash. Although I feared working on the many fabric pieces after completing the nitty-gritty, the task did not intimidate me. It turned out to be quite enjoyable.

DIY project number 22

There were days that I did not have time to sit down to work on the set, which I had anticipated, but I managed, and I’m pleased. The best part, I found a spot in the Ikea display cabinet for it. Soon after, I took a day off from crafting miniatures, and I even went to the office.

The set came with the Little Bear and bunny slippers

I think carving the Gnome Trio will be sidelined again because I want to start the felting activity to see if I like the new hobby. It could be the start of something new!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A New Hobby

29 Nov

M1 recently gifted me a new hobby kit – a complete felting kit. I talked about wanting to try felting but never followed through because I was obsessed with crafting DIY miniatures. She must have remembered and bought the kit for me to try. Of course, I was thrilled when I received it.

The latest activity to try

But I was also afraid to even start on it. What if I don’t like this new hobby? What if I do like it? Then, how do I plan my schedule? As it is, I have so many things to do to keep me busy.

There’s the crafting of DIY miniatures. Currently, I am at the tail-end of DIY project number 22. And there’s carving on balsa and meranti wood to make my Citizens of Gigglesville and gnomes of all shapes and sizes.

Let’s not even delve into painting, which I have my easel and several canvases sitting there collecting dust. Throw in the cooking, cleaning, golf, and occasionally, some design work – there’s hardly any time left. And now, with a new hobby venture, how do I divide my time? Tough.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

DIY Project #22, Part 2

23 Nov

DIY project number 22 got off to a good start. I managed to put in two solid days without interruption. As a result, most of the nitty-gritty was completed. The main challenge now is dealing with all those fabrics, necessary to complete the little bed.

Slowly but surely it’s coming along

I have to plan to see where I can place it in the Ikea cabinet once it is completed. And the completion should be before the weekend is up!

Perhaps once this is done, I should jump back to carving the second Gnome Trio, as this is far more important to finish, bearing in mind it’s a gift for somebody.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries