Armita and Rob Topper

Another topper for your viewing pleasure.  Because of this particular pose, I had to bake the polymer clay in several more steps than usual to make sure that the pose of each figure worked together.

Photography: Green Autumn Photography

Caroline and Craig's wedding

Check out this gorgeous post of Caroline and Craig's wedding over on 100 Layer Cake featuring a topper by yours truly!  I can't get over all those fresh and bright colours!  And those shoes...oh those delicious shoes!  It's pretty amazing to see one of my cake toppers captured on the actual wedding day and to have been able to contribute to their special day.

Photography: Apryl Ann Photography

Felted Topper with Curly Hair Tutorial (Gwyn and Danny)

The best thing about making custom toppers is that each project allows me to try something new or different. That means there is a lot trial and error, doing research and generally just learning and testing throughout.  I would not consider myself a needle-felting expert yet and I know that I still have a lot more to learn.  So I'm grateful for the wealth of knowledge, expertise and tutorials on the interweb.  Many of my techniques are hybrids of other tutorials that fit my expertise and my purpose.  So what may work for me may not work for someone else.  

Gwyn and Danny

For Gwyn and Danny's topper, Gwyn's hairstyle was a romantic half up-half down with curls.  I was very experienced with felting updos but not with "down dos".  Down dos, that's a word, right??  For updos, I had previously cut thin strips from a flat felt sheet and then felted them to the back in little curls.  But I found that this method didn't really look realistic.  Since a felt sheet is only one thickness, the curls didn't quite have that dimension and they looked, well, flat.  Also, flat felt sheets are very limited in colour choices and therefore sometimes makes it impossible to colour match with my wool roving.  

So I played around with wet felting each strand to give them more dimension.  Since I didn't have a teeny little curling iron lying around, I had to "set" the strands in a miniature form of "rollers" and let them dry into shape.  So I did what I normally do, find something I already have lying around.  In this case, it was wooden BBQ skewers and chopsticks.  Check out my tutorial!    

Felted Topper with Pups (Caroline, Craig, Winnie and Jemma)

Ever since I blogged about my C+J topper, I received a lot of interest from all over the world.  So it's really quite amazing now that I'm making custom toppers for people from across the country and the world!  Doing custom projects are a wonderful contrast to my day job.  As an industrial designer, I work on consumer products that are mass produced and are sometimes quite technical.  These toppers allow me to work on more handmade, custom products that will hopefully become lasting keepsakes for couples of their special day.  Also, needle felting is truly a labour of love that takes time and patience.  The fact that people are interested in my work and recognize the time and effort that is put into each topper is a true testament to the growing handmade craft movement.  Also, many of my customers tell me that after all the wedding dust has settled, the topper is a perfect memento that is all the more special because it was made only for them.

I've got several toppers on the go right now but I wanted to share one that I did recently.  See more after the jump!

Autumn Cake Topper

Now that we're in the thick of autumn (with pumpkin beer, pumpkin muffins and pumpkin Pringles (!)) I thought I'd share a custom fall themed wedding topper that I made.  This one was over the top detailed and personalized, right down to the pattern on the groom's tie.  I had a lot of information to work with, such as the groom's custom suit with paisley tie and the bride's dress with flower details, so it was fun to incorporate as much as I could.  Working with polymer clay is always fun and allows me to sculpt and re-sculpt however I want.

See more after the jump!

Wanderlust

I’ve always loved small and cozy spaces.  Even more so, I love small cozy burrows set in vast spaces.  Perhaps the presence of a small dwelling makes an otherwise otherworldly landscape look more real.  That’s why I’ve always loved the idea of tents.  You can just pitch a tent anywhere and have your own comforts while still being immersed in the beauty of your surroundings.  This weekend weather is calling for a snow storm so I'll be dreaming of these places that I can escape to.

Portaledge (Hanging Tent) Source

Mongolian Yurt (Source)

Igloo Village (Source)

Lion Sands Tree House South Africa (Source)

Laptop Sleeve

After 7 tumultuous years, I finally ended my relationship with my laptop.  I really should not have let it go on for so long.  Especially when the power jack started looking more like an asteroid crater than a functioning connection.

So enter my new love: the 17” Macbook Pro.  Like all big purchases, it needed to be accessorized.  Just like when I first bought my bike, I dressed it up real nice with pretty lights, a rear collapsible basket and a Sumowrestler bike horn.

The first most important thing was to make a laptop case to protect my laptop from all the harsh realities of the world.  I wanted it to be easy to slip over my laptop and stay secure.  It also had to have lots of padding for the occasional bump.  Lastly, I wanted it to look nice and colourful.  Now I haven't sewn anything in a really long time and my skills are very limited to lines and really slight curves.  So thank goodness laptops are rectangular and not heart shaped.  Check out my easy breezy tutorial!

Keep reading for the tutorial...