The theme I based my project on is, "Spring Flowers." I decided to make a Spring Nymph out of a re-purposed jewelry hanger. Here she is:
Of course, she didn't start out this way. Here she is before her seasonal transformation (who wants to have a hook for a head anyway???):
You can find these jewelry hangers at discount stores such as Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, etc. Using needle nose pliers, I pulled out the hooks from her neck and her arms and I cut off the black dress fabric. I made a head and arms out of flesh-colored clay, which I baked. Before baking, I left holes in her neck and arms so that when the pieces dried, I could string wire through the holes to attach them back onto her torso.
From then on, it was just a matter of giving her a new wardrobe made from Tim Holtz's "Dictionary" fabric. I assure you that his fabric is every bit as fun as his patterned paper! I added little scraps of colored fabric here and there and dabbed on several different shades of Tim's Distress inks as I went along. I also used his fabulous Papillon stamp set to stamp some butterflies onto my girl's dress.
To incorporate the spring flowers, I used one of my favorite flower-coloring techniques, which is simple to do.
Start with white flowers:
Using a craft sponge or make-up wedge, dab some Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Peacock Feathers in this case) onto your flower:
And now the magic part! Using an eyedropper, and while working over a waterproof surface like a craft mat, drip several drops of water onto your flower so that it causes the ink to spread and blend, like so:
Let the flowers dry and they will still retain that soft watercolor look. Once they were dry, I added just a hint of Tim Holtz Distress ink in Walnut Stain to give them a dustier vibe. And here they are all finished and attached to our girl:
I gave my girl bright red hair, which I made from several types of yarn and fibers. I also decided to add some wings, which I made from a panel of crafting wire that was similar to chicken wire. I adorned her wings with strings of turquoise yarns and fibers.
For that last floral touch, I added a flower to her hair.
This project was such a joy to create and I love the complete versatility of Tim Holtz products. You can go retro, dusty, rusty, grungy, soft or bright.
A special thanks again to A Vintage Journey for allowing me to make a project for them. If you're a fan of Tim Holtz and all things vintage-y (totally not a word), then be sure to check them out. And in the meantime, I'm going to hope that Spring really is on its way!
