it's a zoo + finish-a-long...

My name is Heidi and I love vintage kitsch. There is my confession. I enjoy my small, but lovingly currated, collection of vintage pyrex. When we cleared out my grandparent's farm before auction, I picked the items no one else wanted {furniture with "character", bits of old fabric, christmas ornaments in disrepair, rusty bits and bobs}. When I saw the Indygo Junction patterns for these little circus performers, I knew my shelves needed them!

The elephant came first... I think he is adorable with his little stick legs. That sparkly bauble is a button salvaged from my grandma's house.

This little piggy went to the circus. The elephant and piggy are similar in construction. I really enjoy the decorating and detail work on them - choosing that perfect trim or paper for their hats.

Mouse in the house. She is just adorable. What's cropped out in this picture is a little pink balloon made out of paperclay. Paperclay is a wonderful air-dry clay that is easy to work with and acrylic paint friendly. If anyone has some great suggestions on how to store paperclay long term, I would love to hear them. I don't use it often enough and it seems I am always throwing some dried-out bits away no matter how many ziploc bags I use.

Monkey see monkey do. I love this little juggler - again with the help of paperclay! In case you wondered what the rest of the monkey {& mouse} look like, here is a full photo. The legs are pipecleaners wrapped with floral tape and then painted - a new technique for me!

This post is two-fold: I wanted to show off my circus folks, but also share with you the Finish-A-Long happening over at Quilter in the Gap. I have long talked about my box of unfinished objects {UFOs}. Each quarter you share what you plan to finish, link up to her site, then add links to your finished projects at the end of 3 months. I'm excited to get to work + there are great prizes at the end of each round! Worst case scenario, I get some work done! So my first hope-to-finish is the last 2 circus animals that I want to make - a lion and a horse {possibly a unicorn}. I have all of the supplies out to make them - even little legs and arms all painted up for Mr. Lion. But these little guys are pretty time consuming with all their details.

Next up is this wreath. I had grand plans to get it finished in February for valentine's day. I want to make a variety of felt flowers just like I did for the Christmas wreath I made.

My last hope-to-finish is the binding on this queen sized quilt. I don't want to reveal too much until I am completely finished.

I hope you are enjoying Spring - it always seems like the best time of year for a fresh start!