Custom Chameleon and Garden Tomatoes

     I love working with clay.  It's almost therapeutic when your kids finally go down for a nap and you just get the time to be creative and feel as though you've actually accomplished something for the day.  (Same can be said for sewing, crocheting, or working on whatever craft floats your boat.)

     I was recently contacted by a customer interested in placing an order for a few ornaments.  One of the ornaments she requested was a custom piece that would be based on her child's art project.  When I saw the picture, I was super stoked and ready to tackle the project.  GREAT colors, I love chameleons, and it looked like it would be a fun challenge.  What a fun idea!

    The finished product turned out really neat.  I was nervous about getting the coloring right, but after a few coats of paint, it was finally as vibrant as I wanted it to turn out. 

       For this project, I used Sculpey Studio clay, acrylic paint, fine-point paint brushes, satin glaze, metal wire (for the ornament loop) and bonding agent (to secure the loop so it wouldn't come out).  If you want your paint to come out really bright, be sure to put more than one coat on there.  I also double-glaze my pieces for extra protection.

     On an unrelated note, the Grow Boxes are still doing their duty!  Our cherry tomatoes are starting to come in.  We picked these today and have about 40-50 more that are still green on the vine.  Pepper plants, zucchini, and cucumber have also been producing like crazy.  I love home-grown veggies.