Category: Making

handpainted advent calendar

Advent

handpainted advent calendarI always wanted to do a proper advent calendar with my daughter and this year I finally got around to making one. I bought a plain papier mâché box with twenty-five drawers and decorated it with collage, acrylic paint and some stickers. I was going for a rustic, nostalgic, and nature themed advent calendar. I used a lot of Phoebe Wahl illustrations from Taproot Magazine. My daughter loves it and goes to it first thing in the morning to get her piece of chocolate.

Today, I finished my first semester of nursing school. I have been working tirelessly since the beginning of September. I only painted one time during the whole semester and I felt guilty about taking the time away from my studies. I am so looking forward to making some art over the next three weeks!

mermaid dolls

Creative Detour

I took a break from drawing and painting to work on some sewing projects: mermaid dolls*. While I enjoy sewing, it can be very intense and time consuming because I don’t have a machine and do it all by hand. When I was done with this project, I was relieved to pack up all my sewing supplies for the time being. I am so ready to get back into my sketchbook!

*I followed a free pattern from Made by Marzipan. I added the yarn hair, a different face, a decorative button on the bikini, a belly button and sequins to the tail.

mermaid dolls
Hand sewn mermaid dolls.

Handmade Christmas

This year I tried out making some small gifts for my daughter and nieces. I am still learning to sew but the kids do not care about the imperfections. Next year I think I will make gifts as well, but I am going to start working on them much earlier to leave myself more time.

felt cookies
Felt chocolate chip cookies, iced sugar cookies with sprinkles, and iced gingerbread heart cookies.
felt doll in Altoids tin
Felt matryoshka dolls in Altoids tin “bed” with a pillow and blanket.
Painted wooden houses with peg dolls.
Painted wooden houses with peg dolls.
village3