Thrift Store Thursday

This week's spotlight is on ceramics.  They can seem diametrically opposed.  Some are commercially made, others hand crafted. Some are delightfully ridiculous, others delightfully scary.  One thing unites them, they all were found at a Thrift Store.

Enjoy!

Hand Crafted Lizard Man Mask

I bet this came from the ceramics Department of a local University.  You can tell from the craftsmanship....

It appears to depict some kind of Lizard/Man Deity.  Or it could have been a classmate portrait assignment.  It would have been quite frightening without the tongue sticking out, but it's presence is like icing on the OMFG cake!

Lap Dog Tea Party

These pooches look like they come from money.  Not only do they have their own couches to lounge in, but they have pillows and blankeys to make them more comfortable.  I'm surprised they aren't wearing sports jackets and ascots. I envy their lifestyle of leisure. I wonder if the tea party is for them too.  Is that tea pot full of oolong, or chicken broth? They are so fabulous!

Poo Shoe

I think I saved the best/most atrocious for last!  It wasn't obvious to me at first what was attached to the red ceramic sneaker.  "Could it be a rumpled sock?," I thought "Or a newborn something or rather?"  No.  It most sure as sh*t is crap.  I appreciate that it was placed on the bottom shelf.  Its placement both indicates its quality, and enhances the comedic effect.  

Acrylic Transfers. I use 'em to make magnets.

Here are some pics of acrylic transfers that I have already painted with acrylics.  I made the transfers by slathering acrylic medium onto a black and white Xerox copy of my (scaled down) drawings.  After the medium dries onto the Xerox, I soak it in water and rub the paper off.  I am left with an acrylic skin that has the ink of the Xerox transferred onto it.  Are you riveted yet?

Acrylic Transfers, laid out into rows
How organized!  One tricky thing about painting the transfers is that they are painted backwards.  I paint on the back of the transfers, so the first thing I paint (the highlight) shows on the surface, and whatever I paint next appears behind that.  It can get confusing imagining what it looks like, because all you see is the back, not the front.

Acrylic Transfers in a jumble
Here's a pic of the same acrylic transfer paintings, all jumbled up.  Look, the acrylic transfers are transparent!  Some will turn into bottle cap magnets, others into glass gem magnets.

Finished Magnets
This is how the magnets turn out.  Those same acrylic transfers are either sandwiched between glass and card stock, or drowned in resin.  It's the end of the road for the transfers, the Jig is up! Sneaky charlatans...

Splendid Dachshund: Dustin Rankin

Splendid Dachshund: Dustin Rankin: " Hope you like! Most of my new work is a mix of Acrylic paint and Photoshop Collage. ..."

Thrift Store Thursday

Another round up of notable thrift store finds.  This time around, I found a plethora of adorable finds.  Here are the select few I absolutely LOVE!

Teddy Bear Picnic
A rustic pastoral setting is the backdrop for this classic automobile enthusiast teddy's picnic.  Jump back!  All he brought on his picnic was cookies, how adorable is that?! Now that the tin's contents (almost certainly cookies) are gone (have been ravenously consumed),  this cute teddy is its only selling point.  Also, it's a tin so it can hold crap.

Hang in there
I can't really make fun of this adorable box.  It appears someone replaced the cliche cat hanging from a tree branch, with an adorable tiger.  ADORABLE!  It is iridescent, but the gaudy factor is squashed by its cuteness factor to the third power.  One thing I noticed, kitty's corn hole could be showing, or maybe it's an unwittingly placed spot.

Hang in there [dynamic perspective]
It's a box!

Cleft Lip or Hitler Mustache?
Were you beginning to think I wasn't gonna include a truly horrifying pic? I have a reputation to maintain, so here you go...

It is supposed to be a nurturing, loving image, but I can't get past the freaky baby.  There seems to be a gash, square in his face/ mouth area.  It could be a cleft lip, or that famous Fuhrer's signature facial hair.  You decide.

Detail of facial gash/ hair
A close up.  He could possibly be undead, the bloodsucking variety.

A peek into my magnet making process

This was my first time using EnviroTex Lite, and I love it! It's a pourable, two part epoxy resin that dries crystal clear overnight (though they say it takes about two days to cure).  Just look how glassy it turns out!

At this stage, I just have my glitter and resin in the bottle caps.  Some of the bottle caps are painted, the ones that are bare were scrounged up after I noticed that I mixed a surplus of resin (oopsies!).  Soon, they will be graced with my little acrylic transfer paintings, and will turn into bottle cap magnets.  Patriotic, no?

Cool trick to get rid of bubbles that form in epoxy: wave a torch over the resin after it had been mixed and applied.  It totally works! Be careful not to get the flame too close. You don't want your hands to end up looking like Mickey Rourke's face.

Thrift Store Thursday

While browsing a local Thrift Store, I was dumbstruck by a select few of it's contents. Notably, the unicorns.

I could not get over how much power these mythical creatures weald, and the stories all seemed to create.  I am a sucker for a good narrative, so I decided I must share my favorite Thrift Store finds, and their stories (that I made up), with the world.  I hope to make Thrift Store Thursday a regular feature on my blog.

Enjoy!

Unicorn Embroidery with Floral Flourishes
This piece started my hunt for photographing amazing thrift store finds and Blogging them. I took one look at this superbly crafted Unicorn and fell instantly in love with it. Well, not enough to purchase it. But I stopped to snap a photo of it to share with the world. That says something.

Crazed Unicorn of <3s on Black Velvet [left panel]
This Unicorn is the companion piece to the Moody Unicorn. This one generously exudes heart power and can levitate. Close inspection of it's eyes reveal an astonishing truth. Despite all the <3 goodwill, this unicorn is unfortunately crazed.

Moody Unicorn of Darkness on black velvet [right panel]
The title pretty much explains it. I thought this Unicorn looked like it was on the verge of going on a Carrie rampage.

DIY Eugene Levy Cup
The expression of this Eugene Levy cup screams, "Say What?!"

Vintage Yoda
My best thrift store find yet. I don't understand how this Yoda came to resemble Leatherface , but it surely contributes to it's charm. His reaching arms suggest longing for the past, notably a time when he still had ears, and not just exposed cartilage.

Ominous Light Box Setup

Ominous Light Box Setup, a photo by Whiskers and Tea on Flickr.

It reminds me of a science experiment. It actually is a DIY Light Box I made out of a cardboard box, white Gift Tissue, poster board and tape. I have it set up in my home studio. The light box has been super useful for photographing my items I sell on Etsy.

Closer view [just as mysterious]

Closer view [just as mysterious] , a photo by Whiskers and Tea on Flickr.

Another view of the light box.

Another view of light box

Another view of light box, a photo by Whiskers and Tea on Flickr.

This is taken from the other side. you can see my paintbrushes in the foreground. I have my whole painting table setup to the left of the light box.

Full Frontal [inside the light box]

Full Frontal [inside the light box], a photo by Whiskers and Tea on Flickr.

This pic shows the light box in it's entirety, with my little handmade magnet inside. You can also see another magnet face up in the for ground and an index card I have been using to illustrate scale.

Dramatic peek at magnet

Dramatic peek at magnet, a photo by Whiskers and Tea on Flickr.

A peek inside the light box.

Magnet photo thanks to light box

Magnet photo thanks to light box, a photo by Whiskers and Tea on Flickr.

The finished Product! I think it looks pretty good. What do you think?