A Fanciful Twist

Whimsical Botanicals {Little Mushrooms in my Shop}

Hello Friends!

I finally finished my little mushroom sculptures.

I decided to add gold leaf and antique mica flakes as well.

They were extra fun to sculpt as I worked on the details.

I had to work very carefully and delicately with the clay.

Getting into a very calm space to sculpt and detail, whilst keeping the structure intact.

I have the oldest package of mica flakes, still in their original antique packaging.

You can't imagine how delighted I was to find it years ago.

It's like rare gold to me.

I decided I'd open it, to add some to these special little pieces.

So they could sparkle in only the way mica can.

I wanted to make them part whimsical and part botanical.

They'd look really special under a bell jar, me thinks.

It took me a little while to make these, but I'm happy to finally be sharing them.

I popped them in my shop this evening.

Here is my shop link, in case you fancy a peek.

I have been having such delightful studio days.

It's officially chilly here, perfect weather for hunkering down and creating.

Books and mushrooms seem to be just the thing, don't they? :-)

I am obsessed with the effect of antique mica.

Once, I was hiking at the top of our forest mountains, and there were actual mica flakes strewn about.

Naturally occurring in the area, it was so magical.

And there were indeed Amanita Muscaria and butterflies everywhere.

So, that's what I've been up to dear friends.

I've also been painting and trying to conjure up some Christmas gifts for my family.

I hope you are doing extra well in your neck of the woods.

I do believe this might be a whirlwind week, eeek!

Are you ready for the holidays?

I'm not sure if I am or not, but I suppose I better get ready fast.

I have not wrapped a gift yet.

And I'd still like to make a Christmas cake.

And my yearly baklava.

But I'm not going to pressure myself, and just enjoy the moment.

I hope you do too <3

 

Thank you for stopping in.

See you extra soon!

 

Love, Vanessa

 

Oh and, here is my shop link again <3 <3 <3

 

 

 

Homemade Tempera Paint + 7 Days of Blogging {Day 2}

Day two and here I am, as promised.

I spent the day doing botanical kitchen experiments and paint chemistry yesterday.

I had sooo much fun making tempera paints, I was like a mad chemist, pulverizing organic matter to make paint.

This all began one day when I was looking at dry flower petals and thought, I MUST create paint.

Anywho, I bring you my findings for the day.

Also - 

It's been raining so much, which is glorious, but that means that I had a very difficult time taking indoor photos.

So, please forgive the dark cloudy vibe in my images, especially the art.

I would have retaken them on a sunny day if I wasn't doing this challenge, but since this is all about fun, I give you my bad photos for today :-)

Before I tell you about her and her friends...

Let me take you back to the day that I became obsessed with the idea of turning dried flower petals into paint or dye.

I was looking at all my dry flowers thinking, surely there is a way to create a pigment from these petals.

I thought about ways, and I decided that possibly the paint of the great masters might work.

Egg and pulverized powder was my thought.

I knew that to make tempera paint I would need a watery color and an egg yolk.

Of course, it was a bit trickier than that, and - 

I did come up with some colors in the end...

But first, let me tell you about my experimental findings, ahem :-)

I began by putting dried rose petals from my garden in my food processor.

I thought, this will surely work because I've made flour from oats before.

Nope.

Not fine enough.

So, I took my sort of ground up matter and put it in my blender.

Which sent flower particles up to the heavens, so I had to put on a mask because I was starting to sneeze, and I thought, what have I done?! HAHA!

Before I go on, I must tell you that I did not follow any recipe.

I just used the knowledge that I had.

I knew I had to mix up a tinge of water with only egg yolk, and I used one egg yolk per color.

When you mix the water with the egg yolk it turns into a sort of off-white creamy milk consistency.

To that you will then add your color, which has to be in a liquid form.

I'm not sure why I thought I would grind flowers to powder and mix them with water, and voila have a color.

But that was the nutty professor in me, thinking, SHAZAM! I've got it!

And of course, I didn't.

I am laughing whilst typing this, because it really was so ridiculously funny.

I did in fact manage to make rose powder, which actually smelled amazing, and I swirled it with a bit of water, but really it was like a cream of wheat texture.

So then, I cut up some panty hose to strain the color through, and that worked okay.

But I ended up with a very pale pink beige color.

So then I tried turmeric and cinnamon, and ended up having to strain through the stocking and do all the same steps as well.

I then decided to use some natural pink dye to make two shades of pink, which really turned more coral because the egg and water is a cream color base, so there was no way I would get pink. Which I was absolutely fine with.

The paint really has a glossy sheen, and is really more like a glaze.

It dried thick and sort of shiny, almost metallic in a way.

It's all really fascinating and I have more plans to try making colors.

Beets would have worked phenomenally.

So far, I liked working with the turmeric tempera paint the best.

The cinnamon was super chunky no matter what I tried, but was kind of fun for texture because it has little flecks.

Below are some samples I made, this is the next day and they are totally dry.

So, you can see how the yolk creates this thick shiny texture.

(the paints on the page below are actually dry)

Also, there is no egg smell to the paint whatsoever.

When I got tired of trying to paint things that were just globby, I took a quite bad brush and started using only the turmeric to make faces.

(And a hint of rose for cheeks)

This went on through the rest of the afternoon.

I made about 30.

I taped a few up to take photos, but my studio is just dark from the rain.

And turning on the lights did not help to take photos, because we all know what that does.

I did get a video that was a bit better, that I will post in my Instagram stories this evening.

The sheen of the dry paint is really something, as you can see below.

I tried Yupo paper (above), card stock and heavy duty watercolor paper (below).

The turmeric girls were best on the watercolor paper.

They really are quite a nice color in person.

Soooo, overall that was a lot of fun.

Yes, I could have used acrylic paint right off the shelf, but it's fun to do these sort of projects from time to time.

My kitchen is a wreck, but fun nonetheless, haha!

I really enjoyed making these girls.

Actually, maybe I'll make a YouTube video of them to insert at the bottom of this post...?

Only wish you could see them better, if it wasn't soooo dark out.

But turmeric works!

So, that's what I did with my turmeric tempera paint.

Not a total waste of time if you're amused, and I was.

I love experimenting, do you?

Here is a history of tempera paint if you are curious.

And, here is a list of paints you can make at home, including egg yolk paint.

Shame I didn't follow the directions myself :-)

Of course, I didn't paint the Mona Lisa with my tempera paints, but I did enjoy myself as it rained.

Now to clean up my mess.

I should let you know that, I have none of these 7 day posts planned.

I'm just taking you on a 7 day adventure of the sort of things I do on a whim.

No rhyme or reason, just go with the flow and see where it takes us.

Thank you soooo much for coming along with me!

I really appreciate you being here.

I loved the comment section in the previous post, and I responded to everyone there.

What a special group of kindred spirits you are!

 

See you tomorrow, fancy that!

<3 <3 <3

Looove, Vanessa

 

 

Here's that little video, but I think it is a cloudy day video too :-)

Tomorrow shall be brighter, I think, what with all this glorious rain, I'm quite uncertain of what shall come, and I looove the mystery of it all.

 

 

 

Into Wonderland for our 2021 Mad Tea Party!

It's time to plunge right into the fun of one of our virtual Mad Tea Parties!

Yes, It's true!

(details about participating will be shared at the end of this post)

I started these tea parties on my blog in the summer of 2007, on a very bored day, whilst in search of a magical infusion.

(see tea parties from the past by clicking here)

I decided to take all manner of tea sets and pretty things into the garden, and take photos to share here on my blog, and so began our yearly Mad Tea Party.

I took a few years off to pursue other exciting adventures, but now we are back with what is technically our 10th annual Mad Tea Party!

Can you believe it?

Time to get out your fancy napkins and tea cups and join in the fun!

Pour your tea, nice and hot.

Do you take one lump or two?

I've been drawing characters to inspire the event.

Here is Miss Alice herself, beckoning you to join in.

Step through the looking glass, and into Wonderland, won't you?

A little pencil and watercolor to get me there...

You can always count on the White Rabbit!

Now to set the table for the soirée.

We'll all be here on Saturday the 24th of July, hoping you'll join in.

Or at the very least, stop by...

Into that place of fairy tale magic, that we all hold so near and dear.

Through the viewing pane, and into....

A place of enchantment.

Wonderland!

Where you are free to be yourself and dream the dreams of your heart.

I so hope you can join me in this delightful celebration.

Below are two sizes of flyers for your use.

(flyer)

(badge)

 

If you do not recall the steps to participating in the past, I'll refresh your memory, and make it simple.

 

If you would like to participate by sharing your own Mad Tea Party on July 24th, here is what to do...

 

1) Leave a comment below with the link to your blog or Instagram account (or both) stating that you are going to join in.

I will be posting here on my blog, and on Instagram.

For example, my Instagram account URL is  -  Instagram.com/afancifultwist

My blog URL is, afancifultwist.com

Leave your url's so I can easily find you, and so that people can click to see who you are.

 

2) Post the event on your blog or social media and let your friends know.

Feel free to use the flyer or badge above and make sure to link to me or tag me.

(right click on the party flyer or badge above and save to your computer to use on your own blog and/or social media)

 

3) On the day of the event (July 24th) post your party as early as you can, and leave a comment in the comment section of my party post, with the link to your blog post or your Instagram account (or both).

That way I can easily find you to link you, and other people can visit you.

I will then add your name to a list I will make in the body of my actual tea party blog post and link back to you.

If you are joining via Instagram I will also link your account over in my Instagram party post. 

Leave your post up for a couple days to allow people a chance to visit you.

 

4) Make sure you link or tag me in your posts so people know where to go :-)

 

Easy right?

 

Remember, you can post anything you'd like for your tea party.

A real tea party, miniatures, art, anything at all.

It's your vision for your own tea party!

 

If you do not have social media or a blog, or if you simply can not participate that is okay too.

I know not very many people blog anymore or can put a party together as such, but you are always welcome as a guest! <3

 

Just come on over on the day of the party and be a guest at my table by visiting me here.

 

And so it's settled, we shall be having tea with each other once again my friends!

Hope to see you here <3

 

Lots of Love, 

Vanessa

 

 

 

ps: Thank you to those who would like to join in with me <3 <3 <3

If you are joining in, here is an example of the comment to leave so I can easily find you (and others can visit you too), thanks much!

"I will be joining in on my blog at, afancifultwist.com and on my Instagram account at, Instagram.com/afancifultwist

 

 

 

Wonderlandishness & the Making of a Custom Blythe Doll

Hello dear friends!

I hope you are doing well in your neck of the woods.

I've been working on so many arty projects lately, including this lil' cutie...

She is a recently completed custom Blythe doll.

What this means is that I have taken a factory made doll and resculpted, painted, sanded and changed her up completely.

Changed eye chips, washed and cut hair, repainted face, etc etc.

(if you are curious about this you can google custom Blythe dolls to peek into the vast world of Blythe dolls)

I have been collecting custom Blythe dolls by different artists for many years.

They range from around $500 dollars and can go above $1000 easily.

I know, you are thinking to yourself, how is this possible?

But the time and detail is what makes them so expensive, and they are not that easy to come by.

All mine have come from Russia, as most custom Blythe artists are way over there.

Anyways, I got the bright idea that I wanted to try one out myself recently, and not only was it fascinatingly fun, it was so relaxing and enjoyable.

Since I normally sculpt my dolls from a chunk of clay, working with hard and delicate plastic was definitely interesting.

I've also been doing a lot of drawing and painting of the wonderlandish variety, which I'll share more about at the end of this post.

So, to begin customizing a Blythe doll you have to disassemble them completely.

Not the easiest thing in the world, especially the eyes.

There are so many delicate moving parts inside the head, along with springs and strings that make the eyes work, to name a few things.

So, you have to carefully take the doll apart before sanding, sculpting and repainting.

This is what she looked like before I started the sanding process.

And this was her face after I had sanded, sculpted, changed forehead, chin, nose, lips, etc.

Here's a peek into the inside mechanism after removing screws, springs and strings.

Right before I removed the eyes and changed the eye chips.

(eye chips were very challenging and had to be drilled out beyond carefully)

Then there was the making of powder pigments for her face...

I decided to change her skull cap to a more peachy hair color after coloring her face, because of the warm tones I ended up using.

And then, because I go way back as a Barbie hair cutter :-), I decided she needed a little hair cut (after washing and drying).

Remember when your mom cut your bangs as a child?

My dad cut mine once when I was around 8, and he cut them exactly in the shape of Eddie Munsters forehead hair line, it was gorgeous, (haha).

My mom and I both sobbed, so then I ended up with one inch long bangs as the repair.

Luckily it all grew back.

Unfortunately, I only had one shot with my little lass and no chance for regrowth if I messed up, eeek!

That's the thing with the face too, you only get one chance.

I worked very slowly on her bangs (fringe) because doll hair is so straight and cuts so bluntly.

Happily, it all worked out in the end, hooray and phew.

And here she is, completely done.

I had all these different elements of clothing that I put together to create one outfit.

It was such a pleasure and delight to get to put her back together and see how cute she was.

You don't really have a full idea when you just have the face plate in your hand.

Such a fulfilling project, I must say.

I understand why custom Blythe dolls are so pricey.

It takes a very long time, it is super fragile work and there are soooo many steps.

Also, you just get that one chance, and the cost of the doll and supplies and clothing really adds up.

I love trying new projects and this was a top contender in the joy department.

You just have to be super patient and delicate handed.

I've already started a couple more, but I'm not sure if I can part with them.

Maybe if I make a few.

Meanwhile I have been sculpting, I have also been preparing myself for our Mad Tea Party.

I will definitely & undoubtedly post a mad tea party this year.

You can join in if you'd like exactly as we have in previous years.

This time you can join in via your Instagram or blog link.

Or you can just pop in as a visitor.

I will give more details in a separate blog post.

But for now, we have a new little cutie in the house, hanging out in the tea room.

But the question of all questions is...

What should I name her?

Have you any idea?

If you know, then pray tell, please share.

Are you a Blythe doll collector or into Blythes at all?

Many of you know I've been making clay dolls for many years, and now am inspired to make more of my old school dolls.

That's the thing about creativity.

Once you start, all sorts of a ideas and inspirations find you.

You just have to start.

I hope you are doing well friends.

Thank you for stopping in, it means the world to me.

 

Love, Vanessa

 

See you soon!!

 

<3 <3 <3