I have conquered the Yashica!

So I didn't get a chance to post on Saturday like I usually do because I was helping my girl scout troop make crafts for the upcoming holiday bazaar and because  I was still recovering from my prior fight with the Yashica and was having trouble making myself get in that ring again!

First the girl scouts -

Our troop chose to make American Girl doll accessories, bottle cap magnets, and barrettes to sell at the bazaar this Saturday.  If you're local, consider checking it out - feel free to contact me for the details.

One of my favorite doll items is a camping set, which includes a sleeping bag, campfire, marshmallows on a stick and s'mores.  It's so cute!  Here's Kit camping in my front yard, rocking an outfit that my mom made (I just love the little details she puts in all her clothes!).  I really hope the neighbors didn't see me taking these pictures.  They'd think I'm nuts playing with dolls while the kids are at school!

The campfire was made with sticks and orange tulle and we used polymer clay for the marshmallows and s'mores.  Half a wooden skewer was the perfect size for the marshmallow stick and we brushed the clay with pastel dust before we baked it to give the marshmallows a toasted appearance.  What's pastel dust you ask?  It is the powder produced when you run chalk pastels (which are not the same as oil pastels) back and forth on a paper.  We used orange and brown mixed together on our marshmallows.  Simple!

The girls had so much fun making these bottle cap magnets.  I just love them!

To make your own, you need:

Bottle caps, Mod Podge Dimensional Magic, paper, clear tape, magnets, Gorilla Glue, and small trinkets (aka junk).  First, you cut a 1" circle from your paper.  If you are using something like wrapping paper or images printed on your printer, you need to cover your image with clear tape before cutting it out so that it doesn't run.  We used scrapbook papers and stickers so we could skip this step.  Squirt a little Mod Podge Dimensional Magic in your bottle cap, add your paper and trinkets, if desired.  Let it rest a few minutes so your paper won't "float" when you add more mod podge.  Once your paper looks like it will stay in place, fill the bottle cap with Mod Podge Dimensional Magic, making sure to squirt it over your trinkets.  Let it dry overnight and glue a magnet onto the back of the cap using Gorilla Glue.  Easy and fun!

Now on to the Yashica -

I'm relieved to have finished "The Yashica".  This painting required so much precision - especially the letters.  I found it a bit tedious and really struggled against the texture of the canvas. The next time I face a subject like this, I hope I remember to use a wood panel instead of a canvas.  The smooth surface should make it much easier.

Here is the finished Yashica painting.  I do like the end result, so I guess it was worth the fight!