How To Make A Shabby Chic Fancy Floral Bird

Hello & welcome to 

INSPIRE!

I feel as though I have found 

a long lost friend.

I have finally completed 

the journey from the flu, 

to near wellness, and 

back to my crafting space.

And I am thrilled!

Today I completed a two day project,

a Shabby Chic inspired bird,

made with air dry clay.

For the "form", I used

a blown lightbulb & leftover wooden knob

 from a past project.

I wrapped several layers of tissue paper around them both, and bound with masking tape.

I then followed a 1 to 1 ratio of

 gel medium to water, and strips of craft paper card stock to make a solid mache' form in which to add the clay to.

The clay I absolutely love to use is Das Air Dry Modeling Clay. It is light weight, and so easy to use and form. And can be found at your local Hobby Lobby & Michaels.

Basically I created a med thick clay "skin" and applied it to the bird form. I use damp hands to smooth and manipulate the clay to cover the form completely and then I let it dry to a slightly dampened state.

Using the same technique, I formed and shaped the wings, eye sockets, tail & beak and while slightly wet, applied and formed them into the body.

I wanted to give the bird a slightly carved looked, so I made striations with a ceramic tool over the wings.

Once the clay had dried, I used a dry paint technique, using a mousy grey acrylic paint first, then white washing it with a water downed white acrylic paint.

When the paint had thoroughly dried, I used a dry

scouring sponge to lightly sand over the entire surface of the bird, to remove any rough spot of clay, and lend to a distressed look.

To accent the bird, I used floral embellishments of daisies & leaf petals, painted with mild paint, alternating a pattern in applying them, and I used heavy duty epoxy glue to attach them.

To completely finish the bird, I used a thin coat of 

Tattered Angels Glimmer Glam in Clear, which just gives a hint of glimmer with it's slightly glossy finish.

You can find Glimmer Glam & the entire Tattered Angels line of products at Canvas Corp Brands online shop, along with other great CCB products like 

7Gypsies, Ken Oliver, Aga Baraniak & more.

https://shop.canvascorpbrands.com

Thanks so much for visiting today. I hope you enjoyed this project, and feel inspired to create one for yourself.

Until next time.........Crafty Blessings!