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Charlotte found you looks good, nice job.
I have joined but not for selling so may catch you in the forum.
Sue
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Hi,
......
...... sadly I don't have the time to make stuff at that speed.
OH well! One day I will sell something, it is a good job we don't rely on me for our daily bread.
I propose minion power! I'm a strong proponent of minion power. What this world needs is more minion power!! Now, where are the freakin' minions? WE NEED MINIONS! 
The wicked witch of the west had minions. How come we can't get any?
Re: the cups. Strip up 1/3 of a rubber ball with a pencil stuck into it for a holder. Layer up about 6 layers, then twirl the pencil, holding a marker steady to mark the cut. Cut it when its on the ball. For the other half, put the first cup over the second to mark where it's cut. Then layer on some paper clay for easy smoothing and sanding.
To fasten them, put a large mound of clay in two places on one cup, then press down to get a flat side. Then put two 1/8" magnets on the table and press the still wet clay down over them to make the indent where these go. Let the clay dry around the magnet, then pry them out and put 'em back in with some super glue. When those are dried in place, put a magnet on these magnets, clay on the other cup where these go, then flaten the clay on the table, and then press the two halves together to mark where the magnets go on the second half. When the clay dries, put a drop of super glue in the depression, then push them into place while still on the first cup (so that the magnets' polarity is correct).
Surprisingly, the magnets are very strong! With two to hold it together, they are quite tough. You can't putll them apart. You gotta slide 'em! Use Neodymium magnets.
I first saw these in an import shop. They are incence boxes, but you can use them for other things (daily meds?). Those were fastened together with a zipper around the edge. Was ugly, but I liked the cup. I tried using velco, but that was just plain ugly like the zipper.
Now, if only I could paint nicely. I NEED (talented) MINIONS!
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I reckon the minions are in hiding as I keep trying to find them.
Len I am looking forward to seeing the finished mosque, it is looking lovely.
BBee, good to have you back, I had a little break as I was working on my pirate marionette, as he needed much surgery. Also have been sewing a lot as well.
I am about to embark on the finger puppet production line. there are 12 odd little grey mounds in our kitchen and Tim is starting to find them too creepy to live with.
Also have a half finished Raven (formerly crow but is going to be living at a place called Ravensnest when finished) sitting in the front window, frightening off the milkman. My friend Sarah reckons our house is starting to resemble an Edgar Alan Poe story.
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newmodeller: It is good to be back. I really missed you guys and of course doing papier-mache!
I seem to be working on a lot of bowls lately. I am not sure what that is about. I know when you start doing papier-mache it is traditional to do a bowl first and I never did one, maybe I am just making up for lost time.
I can't wait till this storage box is done. It is taking forever. I am sure it would go a lot faster if I actually got off my butt and actually did a little bit of papier-mache every day like I've been meaning to do. 
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I just finished my green mask
and here's two I finished off a while back, they're covered with fabric and then had the side bit painted on.
I just need to photo them properly and then they'll go onto my website.
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Wow! Those are really nice!!
How do you get the fabic applied? White glue? Do you gotta stretch it, or keep it from stretching?
If I could paint worth a darn, I'd try those. Those are excellent!
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Wow! Those are really nice!!
How do you get the fabic applied? White glue? Do you gotta stretch it, or keep it from stretching?
If I could paint worth a darn, I'd try those. Those are excellent!
Thanks! With regards to attaching the fabric, I use a watered down glue mix (about the consistency of very thick cream) brush that onto the brush and then the very important bit let it dry until it is tacky. It's probably best if you can use a stretchy material like lycra because it makes cutting out the eyes a whole lot easier. Of course I opted for using a non-stretch fabric just because it was pretty (it's got a gold weft in it thats sparkly).
I'd reccommend The Mask Makers Handbook by James Thurston because thats where I got the technique from.
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They look wonderful, I haven't made masks for years, in fact the last set I made were for the 25th anniversary of the Bakewell Youth Theatre Ball.
(masked ball held in the painted room at Chatsworth, what a place to indulge in Venetian Follies).
You have made me feel inspired, I quite fancy making a couple of venetian masque puppets now.
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Perfiditty: Those are so beautiful, where they made out of papier-mache pulp, or strips?
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Perfiditty
Lovely masks. I was asked at my last festival if I would make a mask for someone, for a masked ball they were going to. If she contacts me I may just give her your web address instead.
Sue
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Perfiditty: Those are so beautiful, where they made out of papier-mache pulp, or strips?
Thank you for the replies everyone.
For those particular masks I made a bulk load last year and used a combination of pulp and strips so the masks are like a papier mache sandwich. The strips are the outer layers for a smoother surface and inside is the pulpy paper (the recipe taken from this very website no less! The one by Micheal Favreau I think)
I ended up doing it this way because it dried a heck of a lot quicker than the way I was doing using all layers and I think overall they took a lot less time to make.
I will say though my neighbours must get some funny sites from the back garden, I've had various costumes on the washing line over the years and rows of masks lined up on the wall drying in the sun.
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I bety those masks sell pretty well in february, just before Mardi Gras! I've seen some of these in person and they get really stunning (some are even overdone).
Me? I need a full face mask. I need to rob a bank so I can buy more Gesso! 
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Me? I need a full face mask. I need to rob a bank so I can buy more Gesso!
Why not go for a nice pair of tights instead of the full face mask? Readily available and cheap too! 
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No, No, No, the tights are needed for armature cover prior to the application of PM.
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No, No, No, the tights are needed for armature cover prior to the application of PM.
:shock:
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O.K I know I said I was going to have a break, well I have had a little rest and I 'm only finishing things that I already started so that dosen't count.
O.K, O.K, so I am working on a couple of new things some bumpy bins, a wall mask and a arts and craft looking box. I'm sorry I can't help myself.
What are the rest of you up too, as it has gone very quite around here.
Sue.
Last edited by snoozysnowshoes (2007-06-29 10:06:51)
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I thought that things had gone quiet too, there are a lot of postings in the galleries but not so much in the forum.
Me, I am avoiding coursework by finishing off another mermaid to try and sell on etsy. I have about another weeks work on the raven to do and am about to try a papiermache and cloth project. You know those pop up toys, cat or clown inside a cone that you push up from the bottom with a stick? I have an idea for one of those which I plan to try out. PM head and "cone" with cloth in the middle.
I seem to be filling up corners of the house with toys and projects, so I plan to stock pile what I don't sell on etsy and put up a Christmas fayre at out local craft centre. Anything left can go to the PTA.
Tim is getting fed up of opening wardrobes and being brained by the waterfall of puppets that land on him!
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Love the masks!
So we finally got moved which means we can get back to fiddling with PM. Unhappy with my desk and being really fascinated with PM furniture, I've started making a PM desk. So far it's going well. Still using flour/salt/water for the paste. Wood glue to put two or more piece of cardboard together for structure. I did switch to craft paper because, well, you all are right... cheap newsprint just doesn't cut it. We're amazed at how strong the furniture is so far.
Daughter wants us to make her a fancy bed frame now. HAH
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Have you tried Martin Favereau's recipe in the tutorials section. He uses the second one for furniture and I suspect that using combination of sawdust and pulp gives it the extra strength.
I have adapted it slightly as I don't have access to the coffee grinder, so I use the hand held blender after boiling and then liquidiser section of my processor (and do it in small volume batches) before draining off the last of the water. This gives me a lovely fluffy pulp, if you let it dry out thoroughly before mixing up it is fantastic to work with. I have found that being impatient and using it slightly wet makes it less pliable and it tends to crack more.
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Will see about testing that out this weekend. No grinder here either but will keep eye out for one at the thrift stores. Thanks! 
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Charlotte the Pop up idea sounds good and there are certain selling tactics on Etsy which I'm reading about before I dive in.
Seeria glad the move was ok, the desk project sounds like a biggy.
Sue.
Last edited by snoozysnowshoes (2007-07-02 10:58:57)
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Let me know what works will you? I gather from Nikole (Puppets AND Pals) that she gets her best sales by posting one item a day to keep her shop on the front page, she also has bumper stickers on her car and talks up the site wherever she goes. I understand that using the forums and chat rooms help (I'm not so good at these, I find the UK street team one hard to break into as they all seem to know each other extremely well and I get shy!)
It is fairly cheap on commission though and the posting process is very easy, it beats ebay hands down in my book. Ebay seems to be getting harder and harder to use if you are running a business.
Let me know if you do start a shop, I would love to see how you get on.
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So I'm laboring along, loving this BIG pm stuff when I sit down and releaize I made the height of the pm desk too high. DOH. Starting over. I'll try to get some early shots up to show around (not that it's much to see). Long live furniture and banana boxes!!
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The good side of making it from PM Seeria is you can just cut it to fit.
Still working on the bin things and I'm putting the last layer on A shelf thingy.
Sue.
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Hi everyone!
Currently I am working on a piggy bank in the shape of a truck. My girlfriend is having a baby and I was over there the other night and saw the theme she is going with. Cars and trucks. I went online and found her nursery pattern and have created one of the trucks on it. I'm still in the early stages. I am using cut up cardboard as my mold and paper strips. I finished my layers last night and as soon as that is dry, I'm going to add the porcelian finish TP paste (recipe on this site) for the final touches, etc. I'm hoping to be done in a couple weeks. I work full time and this week is crammed with errands and a party we are throwing next weekend.
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