Putrid's Entry. Replica of antique Germen Santa and Sleigh.

[putrid]

A picture of the finished project will be posted on this first post. Probibly 3 hours before the dead line. LOL

I'm planning on doing a replica or an old German split twig sleigh and Santa. The frist pic is a scail drawing of the Santa and sleigh. I plan on shortening his legs so I can lower the sleigh. More than likely there'll be more modifications to the finished project.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=538

The next pic is of the glass eye'd deer, painted paper and first try branch.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=537

This next shot is of a branch made out of a ornament hanger. The paper used is the thick brown packing kind.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=536

And finally a shot of the only newspaper I get with some of the stuff around it. It's not really a news paper. More of an advertisement to subscribe to it. I'll get a copy of the Warrenton Record or St. Louis Post Dispatch for better date shots.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=535

Making the branch was time consuming but easy. First you'll need to use scissors to fringe a long strip of paper. Easier to fringe first then cut the strip off. Glue the flat part to a piece of wire. Then wrap at an angle to the size you need. I painted the paper by first putting some dark green and a bit of black on a small plate. Then added about twice as much water to it. Mixed this up with a 2 inch brush and applied it to the paper in long one direction strokes. Making sure to cover all the white. The visual texture will ad more depth to the three.

I've also learned today by trial that splitting twigs isn't easy. It's hard to get the twig to stay standing up wile I swing the ax. JK LOL More than likely it's the kind of wood. Ash doesn't work. I'll try Maple next. If I can't find a way to split it I'll cut it. It's a replica, not a reproduction. LOL What I did was drive a nail into the side of the twig. This caused it to split. I then worked that split up the twig as far as it would go. It would always end up going at an angle.

The Santa will have a paper mache body, clay face and material and fake fur clothing.

I'm planning on decorating the tree in the sleigh with lacquered silver bead garland. Tinted to match the old glass bead garland colors. If I can find a way to attach the beads to the branches it'll look like old glass ornaments. If not I'll just use it as a garland for the tree.

The majority of the toys will be made of bread clay. I'll try my hand at making miniature things out of wood with a Dremel. Will have to see how that works.

So far the only thing that's throwing me is the split twigs. If I can't find a safe way of doing them Santa will end up with a split rail sleigh instead. Never say die! LOL

[Sickie Ickie]

Looking good, man. Keep it up. :)

[putrid]

Thanks Sickie ickie. Hope it looks as good made as it dose on paper.

I've played around with the paper branches. I'm going to mix blue in with the green paint. Will go with a thicker coat to get rid of all the light coloring. Just made the tree look faded. I've also played around with drier lint. It looks better for Halloween. Had to give it a shot anyway. LOL Also drew the same slay only lower to the ground. Looks better.

Right now I'm planning on the sleigh and deer to be in a winter seen. With trees and a split rail fence. Mostly paper, paper mache and thinly split wood stained gray to look weathered. Even with the deer being close to $14 I still want to keep the hole thing less than $20. May end up using less expensive materials for Santa. Now if I could make a deer that didn't look like a four legged zombie..... LOL

[Sickie Ickie]

Putrid, are you familier with the homemade aging stain for wood using steel wool?

[EnlightenedGrinch]

Looks good on paper so far, Putrid!! That will be a nice looking project.

[bethene]

looking good, Putrid, can't wait to see the finished project!!

[putrid]

Thanks everyone. Ya'll do know that everything always looks good on paper. LOL

Sickie Ickie, no, not familiar with that technique. I've used paint with wood stain to get some cool color effects. But noting with steel wool.

[Sickie Ickie]

Putrid, it's really easy and creates a nice gray aged wood look:

soak steel wool overnight in ordinary white vinegar
take steel wool out and dilute vinegar solution with water 50%. (1 to 1 )

For more look here:

http://z.about.com/d/miniatures/1/G/E/2/-/-/vinegarwood.jpg
"Balsa wood showing raw wood on the left, a dilute solution of vinegar and steel wool in the centre and an undiluted vinegar/steel wool solution on the left."

http://miniatures.about.com/od/miniaturebasics/f/vinegarwood.htm

[putrid]

TOTALLY COOL Dude! Now I don't have to experiment to do something someone else has already done better. The split rail fence needs to look weathered to look right. Got vinegar and lots of steel wool. Gona play around with that tonight.

Haven't done anything with it today. Been going threw some more stuff in the basement and still getting Christmas packed away.

[theedwin]

How big is this going to be Putrid?

Edwin

[putrid]

The deer stands about 7 1/2 tall to the top of it's head. And is 8 1/2 long from nose to back foot. The sleigh will be 9 inches long by 3 1/2 wide with the sitting Santa between 5/12 to 6 inches tall. From the stags nose to the back of the sleigh should be between 18 to 19 inches. The over all width of the base will be close to 2 ft. I'm still working on the depth. That will depend on how the trees turn out. Right now I'm estimating about 18 inches. The over all hight of the piece will also depend on the trees.

Sickie Ickie, I've tried the steel wool and vinegar with no results. Perhaps having it coved kept the chemical reaction from taking place. I'll leave it uncovered for 8 hours or more and try again.

[putrid]

The cold weather is definitely putting a damper on getting anything done on this project. Really need to make the sleigh before I can do anything else. Kinda cold in the garage. Using power tools when your all bundled up isn't a good idea. Going to be warmer this weekend. Most of Saturday I'll be at my mom's. Will have to see what I can get done Sunday. Hopefully able to get the maple branches to split down the center. And cut out the flat areas of the sleigh and it's runners out of 1/4 ply. The plywood will be from Italy. Yes I can afford imported ply. JK LOL Shipping crates from stuff we get at work. And if I play my cards right the base will be scrap wood from Germany. And it's easy to tell the deer isn't American made. He has his 'parts'. Something you wont find on American made Christmas items.

[putrid]

Going to make a cardboard version of the sleigh. That way I can work out some details before I commit cutting wood. Still working on the bench area. I'll take a shot or two when it's done.

[Sickie Ickie]

Cardboard is a good idea, or poster board. Easier to cut and work with than the actual wood you'll be using. Will you be using a scroll saw to cut your runners?

[putrid]

Yep, a hand held scroll saw. I've got a stand alone one I've had for a good 5 or 6 years. It's still in it's original box. LOL One of these days I'll set it up.

Major changes have to be made. The Santa and sleigh is to small for the size of the deer I'm using. All I had to do is make a cut out of it out of paper and stand it in position behind the deer. This is a work in progress. Never made one before and I don't have any directions to follow. So I still have to make,

The sleigh....never made before.
Small toys....never made before
Paper trees....never made before
Paper mache body....only experimented with.
Clothing for body.....never made before,
Not getting something done in time for a dead line. I've done that before. LOL

When I finally do make a sleigh out of cardboard I'm going to try to fill in the corrugated parts with Sculply and back them. Cardboard wont burn or get damaged at 250 or 275. I've made Santas by covering posterboard cones with Sculply for years without any browning or damage to the cardboard. Just something I want to try to see if it can be done and look good.

[putrid]

The new dimensions for the sleigh. It'll be 12 1/2 long by 3 1/2 wide. The Santa, if standing, would be 10 inches tall. Because of it's larger size I'll have to leave off the trees I planed for the base.

[Sickie Ickie]

If anyone can do it, P- you can!

[bethene]

that's for sure, Putrid,(what sickie said) it sounds great, Putrid!

[Frosty]

You keep mentioning trees. I remember waaaaaay waaaaay back in school we used a tv guide and folded each page down then spin it around and glued together and then paint green and it doesnt look half bad. I will get a tv guide here soon so i can show ya what im talking about or maybe you already know. let me know

[Frosty]

AND when we make things to into the wreaths, decor etc can take some poster board and make a small boxes or use jewerly boxes and then wrap them and tie gold string ribbon around them. I mentioned this b/c you had said need to make some small toys:)

[Sickie Ickie]

You keep mentioning trees. I remember waaaaaay waaaaay back in school we used a tv guide and folded each page down then spin it around and glued together and then paint green and it doesnt look half bad. I will get a tv guide here soon so i can show ya what im talking about or maybe you already know. let me know

Dude! I would love to see that! :)

[putrid]

I've seen the trees your talking about. The ones I want to make look more like the trees you'd see with the old German Santas. Each branch would be a single wire wrapped with fringed paper or goose feathers painted green. A bit labor intensive but a great look. Don't have a supply of geese so paper will have to do. LOL I'll have to get on the old computer and post a pic or two to show you the toys. Mainly made of wood but some out of cotton or clay.

Folks, everything sounds good when your talking about it or looking at plans. "Looks good on paper." LOL Hope this turns out looking more like Christmas than Halloween. LOL

[putrid]

A couple of shots of some toys I'd like to make for my Santa and sleigh. These are real antiques. Nothing I've made.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=541

Sorry about the bad quality of the shots. Saved them to a publisher program and not as pictures. Originally off of Ebay. The first picture has a tree with the look I'd like to be able to make.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=542

My Santa and sleigh will look different that eigher of these.

[Sickie Ickie]

Those dolls are teeny tiny. Looks as if the wooden animals shouldn't be too hard to carve though. Decided on the wood yet? Pine or balsa would be easiest to carve methinks.

[putrid]

The people are about an inch and a half to two inches tall or so. As far as wood goes I got 2 ash trees, 2 maple and a sugar gum. Plenty of sticks to choose from. LOL I can no longer hold a knife well enough to carve so I'll be using a Dremmel to do most of the work. Because what I'm making will be a bit bigger than the two sleighs above the toys will be bigger as well. Make em easier to shape. If I can't get good looking toys out of wood there's always clay.

[Sickie Ickie]

I have to admit that you can do some pretty amazing things from bread clay. The Santa you made me is still one of my favorite pieces.

[putrid]

Sickie Ickie, the face on that Santa is Sculply polymer clay. You could make a face out of bread clay. But it would take a lot of work. Bread clay is unpredictable as it dries. Most of it shrinks. Wile other parts of the same piece expands. Any clay added to it would separate when it dries. You would have to start out with one piece of clay. Push and pull it into shape. I've seen some cool bread clay faces. Not as much detail but cool looking.


Here's a link from Ebay to a real old German Santa and sleigh. This one is 22 inches long. Around the same size as I would like to make. Totally dig the deer. Might try that with mine. It also has me rethinking what I want to do for a sleigh. Good thing I haven't started yet. LOL

http://cgi.ebay.com/1920s-GERMAN-SANTA-SLEIGH-with-BIG-REINDEER-22-LONG_W0QQitemZ380102193367QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_De faultDomain_0?hash=item380102193367&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

Not the first orange Santa I've seen. But one of the coolest. Check out their other auctions as well. Some cool old Santas.

[Sickie Ickie]

Pretty cool pictures, dude. The blanket looks good on the back. The eyes look like they could be LEDs. heh

[putrid]

LOL Sorry Sickie Ickie, guess I should have been more clear about the deer. Mine is solid brown flocking with one color antlers. It'll look a lot better if it looked like the one in that auction. What I like about the sleigh is it has a cross piece at the front of the skies. And it's that cross piece that the harness for the deer is attached. A lot simpler of a design than what I was planning. Simple is good. LOL I'm still planning to make the harness look like one of those old leather and wood ones. Depending on how everything turns out i might put saddle bags full of stuff on the deer as well. Will have to see how it goes.

Got all set up to start carving toys with the Dremel today. Everything except the book on putting the Dremel together. LOL I'm not that organized. Might take a bit to find that book. I'll take some shots of stuff in progress when I can actually get started. Got an idea of what I'd like to carve. But what I end up with....LOL If I can't find the book I can always work on the tree and it's ornaments. Going to make a few of the ornaments out of bread clay. Need some of those white spotted red topped mushrooms. See em on a lot of the old German Christmas stuff. Also plan on making apples and old fashioned lolypops out of that clay as well. All the old prints I've seen show the old candy as balls on the end of long white sticks. Might make a few different ornaments for the tree as well. Guess it's off to look for that book.

[putrid]

As stated earlier this is a project I've never done before so it's all a learning thing. Decided to work on the ornaments for the paper and wire tree. Wanted to use silver bead garland. Got out my tinted lacquer (instructions on how to make this http://www.christmasfanclub.com/showthread.php?t=679&highlight=lacquer ) Painted some of the beads. The colors are close enough to the old glass bead garland to look right. But I did have to mix brown and yellow to get a gold color. The yellow by itself is kind of green. In order to get the bead garland to work I'd have to find a way to get a wire threw each bead. As it would happen all I have to do is heat up the end of a wire and stick it in a bead. The plastic melts tight around the wire. Because each branch for the tree will use a separate wire I'll just attach a lacquered bead to each of them. No need to wire the ornaments on.

There are two reasons I'm using tinted lacquer instead of the colors of our modern beaded garlands. Fist I can easily match the color of the old glass beaded garlands. Even that yellowy slime green color. Second is for the varying shades of color. Again more like the old ornaments.

Still can't find my owners manual for the Dremel. Going to go to their site and look for one there. Need to know how to attach the remote unit to the base.

[putrid]

OK found my Dremel manuals. Set it up and tried it. Not a big fan of the results. I get better and faster resulsts using knife and filing bars. Heres a few shots of what I've been up to.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=543

The first pic is the start of the carving. Done with an tractable razor blade knife. My fist attempt at a paper and wire tree with the colored lacquer plastic beads for ornaments. The bag behind everything is some antique glass bead garland.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=544

The next pic is farther along with the toy. His arms will be carved and attached later. Don't know what he'll be. Right now he's still part of a Maple stick. LOL To tell ya just how good I am at carving this started out as a woman. Then a man with a hat. Might end up being a bird or a dog by the time I'm finished. LOL

[Sickie Ickie]

Looking good Putrid. Carving is a relaxing skill. Problem is, you can take away, but not add to it like clay...unless you literally add clay to it. heh

[putrid]

LOL funny you should mention adding clay to it. I'd thought about it. Making a clay hat for the dude i just carved. And speaking of carving. I never tried carving with a retractable box cutter before. Totally cool. I can hold the wide handle. Wouldn't be able to hold a regular knife.

Finished the guy. To tall and lanky. Don't know if I'll use it or not. Did carve a woman. I'll get a shot of it posted when I get the arms glued on and it cut away form the 'handle'. ( part of the wood or stick used to better hold the carving. The farther you can keep your hands away from a knife edge the better. I have scars to prove it.) She'll stand a tad over 2 inches. Going to carve her a dude with a top hat and coat. Did learn something new today. Ash wood isn't easy to carve in. Think I'll stick to maple.

Thinking about getting a coping saw to use for the animal toys. Use it to cut away the wood from around the legs. Using a knife would take forever. Depending on the cost I might borrow one from my father-in-law and just buy the blades.

[Sickie Ickie]

I've always had problems making straight cuts with a coping saw...guess I just had to "cope" with it. :p

I'm hoping to get started on my angel today. Will start my own thread on that, of course. :D

[putrid]

At work today I remembered I had got some small carving chisels at an auction a few years back. I'll find them and try that first before buying anything.

[Sickie Ickie]

Free i almost always the best way to go! :)

Just saw your crypto site again. Awesome homemade skelies!

[putrid]

Thanks for the comp Sickie Ickie. Hopefully one of these years I'll be able to set the yard haunt back up.
Found the chisels. In the search I also found some Dremel bits from a cordless one I got years ago. Tried one of these bits. Chewed threw the wood like a beaver. LOL Kinda hard to control. But would work great in removing large areas of wood between the four legs of a toy animal.

Didn't get anything done on the project. I'll blame it on the full moon. LOL

[Sickie Ickie]

Why not? You're hairy enough. :p

[putrid]

Hairy and ugly but I can't blame either on the moon. LOL

Took a shot of both of the people I carved. Both are to big and are missing their arms. I'll use em in another project.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=545

She has both a scarf on her head and an apron carved in place. The dark line at the bottom is the planned cut off point. They'll both look better with a larger sized Santa.

[Sickie Ickie]

Now try carving match sticks. :p

[putrid]

Did some more carving for the project. These will be two toys for the sleigh. Smaller than the first two I carved. The man is 2 3/16 tall by 1/2 at it's widest point.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=549

Not the best of pictures. Neither carving is finished.

[Sickie Ickie]

Putrid Putrid
He's our Decker
If he can't do it
He's going to Heck-er! LOL

Goooooooooooooooooo Putrid!

[bethene]

LMAO, Sickie, what a great cheer!!
Yeah, Putrid!!
Putrid, cool carvings, can't wait until they are finished! what alot of work, carving all the toys. you make me feel lazy!!

[putrid]

Update. Although I really liked carving I'm going to have to make the rest of the toys out of bread clay. Don't think my right hand is up to it. Besides I haven't cut myself yet. Don't want to push it. LOL The only way to stop the bleeding from a razor cut is to use salt. I kept a container of it next to me incase I slipped with the knife.

Been working on the makeup of the paper and wire tree. At first estimate it looks like I'll need 117 branches. Most branches will start out as a wire with a plastic bead at the end. The branch part will be wrapped in fringed paper. The base of the branch will be secured to the trunk with brown paper. I'll lacquer the beads the color they'll be when the tree is complete. Leave a few without anything on the ends so I can put those mushrooms and other shapes on the tree. Got my work planned out for me. I'll get the paper painted and wait till it's dry. Sit back on the couch and listen to some good Jazz and spend the rest of the day relaxing wile fringing paper into pine needles.

Bethene. I started doing Christmas craft stuff in the early 80's. I know it didn't start then. But it seemed like everyone was gearing towards the idea that everything should be easy. Looked to me like nothing took longer than 5 minutes to make. By the time I started selling stuff in the 90's folks were painting Santas on 2x4s and sticks and calling it folk art. Not Toll painting. That would have taken to much time. The mentality was that your time is money. If you had to put to much time in it you'd have to charge more for it. Skill had been replaced by a pay chart. Folks were supposed to buy things their 8 year old kids could have made in art class. I even saw things for sale that were no more than a few $2 store bought things glued together with a $20 price tag. Craft shows died out around here. I think that attitude is still there for the most part. That's why when you go looking for Christmas craft sites on the web you find hundreds of the same skill-less easy stuff. If folks would take the time to put a little heart and effort into what ever they're doing sites like those would die out as well. Nothing I've ever done was hard. Just took a bit of practice and figuring out. And a lot of failures. LOL If folks would stretch themselves out a little bit now they'd find it easier to go farther the next time.

[bethene]

I agree Putrid, I never got the concept of the wuick and easy, except when actually making things with kids, I have done craft show, and folks didn't appreciate all the work and effort that went into the objects. I do paint, have since the 80's don't really consider it tole painting, but do like elegant, beautiful crafts.I guess I am a decorative painter. Before I got so big into prop making for halloween I did alot of painting for christmas, the first idea I had of the sleigh would have illistrated that. Even if I don't use it for the contest I will finally finish it and post a pic ---one of these days ! LOL!

[Sickie Ickie]

"That's why when you go looking for Christmas craft sites on the web you find hundreds of the same skill-less easy stuff. "

I can back that up. It's been very hard for me to find the craft how-to's for the SP site. Thankfully people have started writing their how-to's for the site when they have a nice looking project they have done.

Not to the number of projects hauntproject or monsterlist has yet, but still trying to get to that level.

[Just Whisper]

Putrid,
I think your carvings look great. But for sure it will be major time consuming. Many years ago I made a small toy chest (about 6" long) filled with toys for one of my children. I made the toys, like a stuffed bear, and a ball, doll, etc out of the clay that you put in oven and it turns into a hard plastic like material. It was great and so quick and easy to use. Can't wait to see the finished project. Sounds so lovely.

[putrid]

Sickie Ickie, Hopefully this forum and your Santa Projects site will inspire more folks to do more. Still looking forward to seeing your entry Bethene. The chest sounds cool Just Whisper. If you ever make a new one please take pictures. Be cool to see it as well.

A paper and wire tree how-to


http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=550

Lots in the first pic but it demonstrates most of what goes into making this kind of tree.

Step one. Size of tree.

I'm working to make a 5 1/2 inch tree. I stated out by determining the size and branch count I'll need.
Branch count.
For my 5 1/2 inch tree I'm leaving the top undone. I'll be making an Angel for the tree top so this branch will just be the trunk wire itself.
Starting from the top row of branches the first row will have 4. The second down will have 5. Next will be 6. And so on. ( I know the drawing in the picture says 8 for the next row. 6 looked better.) Each row of branches will be about 1/4 inch apart. Each branch will have a bead or bread clay ornament ( more on bread clay mushrooms later ) at its end. How many branches your tree will have will determined how many beads you'll need.

Step two. The paper.

Brown packing paper.
Scissors
Dark green water base craft paint
2 inch brush
container for mixing.
Water.

I cut out a 2 ft by 18 inch section of the paper. Really don't know how much paper it'll take to do this project so I figured the more the better. I can always make more trees if I have to much.

Mix paint with water. A good 4 to 1 ratio of paint to water. You want the paint to streak but not to show the brown paper. Paint one side, let it dry, then paint the other. Don't let any of the brown show. It'll make your tree look like it's dead. Let this dry.

Step three part one.

Need to know how the tree goes together before you can continue. Each branch is a separate wire with a plastic bead at one end. The length of the branch is wrapped with fringed paper. The other end is left unwrapped and bent down and glued/taped to the wire used for the trunk of the tree. When figuring out how long to make each wire you'll need to add 1/2 inch to be bent down and tape/glued to the trunk. I've tried shorter wire. It just makes it harder to do. This will be the branch.

Preparing the fringed paper.
In the picture above the long length of fringed paper is only one inch wide. Notice it's fringed on two sides. I marked it out by 1/4 inches on the short side. Draw a line for the first 1/4 inch. This will be your fringe cut guide. The line at the 1/2 inch mark will be the center fold. The 3/4 inch mark isn't needed. Draw a straight line at the one inch mark and cut the strip of paper there. You should end up with a strip of paper one inch wide by however long you want to make it. Lets say for this demo it's 1 inch by 12 inches long. Fold the paper at the 1/2 mark so the 1/4 inch line is visible on one side. It's now 12 inches long by 1/2 inch wide. Now to make this easier you could fold this again to make it 6 inches long by 1/2 inch wide. This way when you fringe the paper you'll be cutting threw 4 layers at one time. I've folded this again and tried to cut threw 8 layers of paper. Just makes it harder to cut. Not worth it.

Using the 1/4 inch line as a guide start fringing the paper. Make each cut as close as possible and not any longer than the 1/4 inch guide line. Unfold it. Fringe cut where the fold was at the 6 inch mark on both sides. Your strip of paper should look like the one in the picture above.

Step three. part two Wire, plastic beads and trunk

Spool of silver plastic bead garland.
Uncoated florist or craft wire.
Wire cutters.
Needle nose pliers.
Candle.
Scissors.
Container for loose plastic beads.
Cloths hanger or other sturdy wire for trunk.

Using a good pair of sharp scissors cut the string as close as you can to separate the beads off the garland. Trim off any excess string from each bead. How many branches the tree will have will be how many beads you'll need.

Cut the length of trunk for your tree out of the cloths hanger or other sturdy wire.

I find it easier to do this one row at a time starting at the top of the tree. For this demo I'll be using my branch count. I'm also not giving measurements for each tier of branches. Your tree will be as big or small as you need it.

I cut four lengths of wire. Light the candle. I hold one bead with my left hand. Using the needle nose pliers I hold one end of the wire into the flame for a good slow 4 count. Press the hot end of the wire into the bead. It will quickly melt around the wire. Do the same for the remaining 3 branches.

Step four. Branch and tree assembly.

part one.

Your 4 branches.
Quick drying clear cement type glue.
Scissors.
The will go get your hands covered with quick drying clear cement type glue.

First of all cut two 4 inch lenths of wire to practice with. These don't need a plastic bead at the end. The idea here is to get a feel for it before you start making your tree branches.

Cut your fringed paper down the center fold so you end up with two 1/2 inch strips of fringed paper. Cut a 3 inch length of paper for each practice branch. I found it made this easier by cutting the unfringed part of the paper at a 45 angle at the end that's glued to the wire. Put a dab of glue on this end and set it to the end of the wire that would normally have a bead at that 45 angle. The angle makes it easier to wrap. Let dry. Now wrap the paper down the wire at an angle. The idea is to maximize the fringing. Play with it till you get the look you want. Glue the other end down. Now fold up the fringe so it sticks out from the branch. I've found that if I cut the unfringed side of the strip down to 1/8 inch wide ( half of what it is ) I can get more fringed paper on the smaller branches. Just looks better.

Now that you have a feel for it make your first four branches.

NOTE. let the glue dry before attempting to wrap each branch. It'll leave the frustration out of this project.

Remember to only wrap them to the trunk bend. (see picture above)

Part two.

Your clear cement type glue.
1/4 inch wide strip of the brown paper. Between 3 to 4 inches long is more than enough.

Put a dab of glue on the trunk of your tree where the branches will go. Next draw a thin line of this glue down the 1/4 inch wide strip of paper. This strip will be used like tape to hold the branches to the trunk of the tree. Hopefully you still have that will to get covered with this glue. Hold one branch to the trunk of the tree and start wrapping with the glued strip of paper. Add each branch for that tier. Rip off the excess strip of brown paper.

You now have the first row and all the info and skill to make the rest of your tree. Toon in later. I'll get into using tinted lacquer to color your ornaments. And the bread clay mushrooms for the tree as well.

This next shot is of the first three rows of branches for my tree.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=551

MODifications. If you don't have or want to tint lacquer you can always use already colored plastc beads for your tree. You'll just have to keep an eye on each color so you don't end up with a bunch of one color in one area. Unlike a real tree you can't change the color of the plastic bead at the end of the branch easily. You'd have to cut the original one off and wire a new one on.

[Sickie Ickie]

Your patience and tenacity is an inspiration to me, P!

[putrid]

Did some more work on the tree. One thing I've learned? i'll need LOTS more branches than I thought I would. My row count goes 4, 5, 6, 10....LOL And I'm not that good at keeping all the branches the same length. Also drew out all the pieces for the sleigh on a sheet of paper. Haven't cut them out of wood yet. Still debating weather or not I'm going to use ply or rip down a 2x4. My table saw will only safely rip to 2 1/2 inches. I need 3. Turning a board over and ripping twice doesn't always give good results. Will have to see how it turns out. If I did rip it all out I could make all the wood thicker. For the sleigh rails I was thinking of ripping a piece thick enough for both of them. Cut the shape out then cut that in half. Instant matching rails. For better or worst. LOL I'll build the sleigh before I make the rest of the toys and stuff. For the house and some of the toys I was thinking of rolling out bread clay and letting it harden a bit. Then cut and glue things together. Something else I've never attempted......LOL

[putrid]

Forgot to ad this in my last post. Yes, this is the third size of the Santa and sleigh. LOL Like the three little bears. First one was to big. Second one was to small. Third one is what I'm sticking with. LOL

[Sickie Ickie]

Third time's the charm! :)

[putrid]

There's nothing charming about getting it wrong twice. JK LOL

OK, got all the wood except for the rails cut for the sleigh. First pic is yesterdays date. Get the Wednesday's paper on Thursday. Never figured out how that worked but it's been that way around here for years. LOL

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=552

Next pic is of all the wood. The smallest pieces are 1 1/16 x 3/8 wide. All but one piece is 1/4 inch thick. I tried to rip down a 2x4 but didn't get good results. So I used my Italian 1/4 inch plywood for all the 3 inch wide parts. ( that sounds better than saying I cut up a shipping crate that came from Italy. LOL ) The rest is pine from scrap lumber. I'll get the cost of 1/4 inch ply and use it to figure the total cost. The ply would be the more expencive of the two woods. Wasn't thinking when I set the wood one the paper. All you can see of Warrenton is the W. LOL When I get the upper part of the sleigh together I'll take a new shot showing where that paper came from. LOL

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=553

Everything went well until my last two pieces. I needed two at 1 1/16. So not thinking I cut them from two pieces I had already cut for the sleigh. I think I'm pre programmed to do that. Seems as far as I can remember I ALWAYS cut at least one part from another part that's already cut. Unfortunately the last two pieces are both 1/16 off. The only pieces that are that far off. I'll try to get the body of the sleigh glued together tonight. Once I get the van part done I'll be able to tell how many toys I'll need to make it look good.

[bethene]

wow, Putrid, everything is looking good, you are putting so much effert into everything, am very impressed! Mine is not going to be any where near that detailed. You are putting a amazing amount of work into this project!

[putrid]

Thanks Bethene. Weather I win or not isn't really my goal. I've wanted one of these for a few years now. This contest got me off my backside and doing it. LOL

The first pic is of the van, date And the paper's name.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=554

The second pic is a better one of the finished van part of the sleigh.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=555

Only part left is the runners. I have all the suports cut and glued together.

[Sickie Ickie]

Thanks Bethene. Weather I win or not isn't really my goal. I've wanted one of these for a few years now. This contest got me off my backside and doing it. LOL

That sums up exactly why I do these contests myself. It's one way I keep myself moving forward with props. Otherwise I tend to procrastinate quite a bit.

[Just Whisper]

Oh Putrid, it's adorable. Can't wait to see it finished. You are so patient and talented.

[Sickie Ickie]

...and cute...you forgot cute. :p

[putrid]

Thanks Just Whisper. Hopefully it will look more like Christmas than Halloween. LOL

Cute???? Like in "that dog's so ugly it's cute." LOL

[Sickie Ickie]

Somebody has to feel sorry for the ugly ones. LOL

[bethene]

I know what you mean putrid, both things that have been considered for this contest are things that I have had in mind for a long time, dug out the sleigh again, so hopefully will finish it, plus the snow man that is currently my idea, have wanted to do either a snow man or santa with the large plastic cone i have for a while.but never do, but now have more of a incentive!!

[Just Whisper]

...and cute...you forgot cute.

Like I said Putrid... You are so patient and talented.

[putrid]

Finished building the tree. Man that was a mess. Gota like glue or making a mess. LOL All that's left is to finish lacquering the plastic beads and wrap the trunk with brown paper. I'll also be making an Angle or star for the top. Depending what looks better.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=557

Farther along with tips on tree making.

When dealing with lots of branches. Divide the branches up in about even bunches. My last two rows had 14 branches each so I had 1 pile of 4 and 2 of 5. Wind the trunk side of the branches together. Now you only have three things to apply to the trunk instead of 14. Makes it a lot faster.

I left the trunk of the tree long so I could use more of the inside of the sleigh for toys and things.

[Sickie Ickie]

Looks really good, dude!

[putrid]

Thanks Sickie Ickie. So far it's not looking like something for Halloween. I'm still happy with it. LOL

Bethene, whatever you decide to do I'm sure it'll be cool. Looking forward to seeing your entry.

Just Whisper, it's patient, talented and scary. JK LOL

Thanks for the comps folks. Really hoping this thing will turn out. If it doesn't I'll cut the Santa's head off and put a plastic pumpkin in it's place. Paint his coat black and fill the sleigh with Halloween candy. It's a win win thing for me. LOL

[Sickie Ickie]

LOL At least you have a back up plan. :p

[Just Whisper]

It's beautiful so far Putrid. I am sure it will just keep getting better. I am really impressed with that tree.

[putrid]

Beads are lacquered. Still waiting for all this clear cement glue to get off my hands before I can make the bread clay. The tree'll get a few shapes. Including a pickle and a red topped mushroom. Plus the topper. All made from bread clay.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=558

[Sickie Ickie]

I know the pickle. What is the mushroom?

[theedwin]

I am lost on both the pickle and the mushroom...

GREAT TREE Putrid! I couldn't have made one better myself! Maybe you should move to China and you can make them for a living!!! LOL I can't wait to see your list of supplies that you used. Paper, green stuff, the little balls, laquer, glue, wood, a different kind of glue, paint, more paint, a different kind of paint, silly putty, floam, antibacterial soap, part of a tire from a '39 ford, some magic and a bunch of the tips cut off of markers... Did I miss anything?

Again, beautiful tree Putrid!

Edwin

[Sickie Ickie]

You're on a roll today, Edwin! LOL

[putrid]

I am lost on both the pickle and the mushroom...

GREAT TREE Putrid! I couldn't have made one better myself! Maybe you should move to China and you can make them for a living!!! LOL I can't wait to see your list of supplies that you used. Paper, green stuff, the little balls, laquer, glue, wood, a different kind of glue, paint, more paint, a different kind of paint, silly putty, floam, antibacterial soap, part of a tire from a '39 ford, some magic and a bunch of the tips cut off of markers... Did I miss anything?

Again, beautiful tree Putrid!

Edwin

I'm not sure about the mushroom but you see it depicted in allot of the old German stuff. But i do know this particular mushroom is poisonis. The pickle ornament was for good luck. You'd hide it in the tree and kids would look for it. Whoever found it was supposed to have good luck.

On my supply list you left out sweat and tears. And all the hair i'm going to pull out trying to get this thing done in time. LOL I have 19 days to figure out how to make the Santa and the toys.

I figured the 1/4 plywood at a cost of $16. All the wood, if cut from ply, would cost .50 cents. Had I cut it from a 2x4 it would have cost .20 cents.

Also looked threw Ebay and found an 'Buy It Now' auction for the same deer for around $5. But I'll stick with the original $13+ I first came across. Still don't think I'll have any trouble staying below $25. As far as the cost of the tree goes? I bought the silver bead garland after Christmas for 75% off. Made the tinted lacquer myself. Used appr. 8x12 inches of brown paper. Part of a cloths hanger. I'll have to get a price for the wire I used for the branches. It'll be the most expensive part. LOL

[bethene]

wow, Putrid, the tree ia beautiful!!very cool, love that you are putting a pickle ornament on it!!

[putrid]

Thanks Bethene.
Figured up some costs.
Tree = .15 there's 7 ft of wire in that thing. The plastic beads were the most expensive part at .04 cents for 50 of em.

Bread clay. .60 weather i use it all or not.

Sleigh .50 Depending on what i use I'll have to figure the cost for the base later.

Deer $13.65 not what i paid for mine. The average price they were selling for last month on Ebay. ( one for sale now that's around $5)

And the Santa should cost between .35 and .50 depending one the fake fur I use. Priced material today but didn't bring any home.

I'll add a $3 price tag on all the paint, stains, glue and sealers to give an est. of $18.25 so far. Hopefully it'll look like it's worth that much when I'm finished with it.

[putrid]

Uuuug Bread clay isn't the easiest stuff to work with. Especially because you can't add clay. You have to start with one clump and work with that. I may end up scrapping the bread clay and going for the polymer. If ya'll want to find out how hard it is imagine trying to sculpt an animal out of one ball of playdow. LOL I started out trying to make a sheep and ended up with something that looks like a Tasmanian devil. And lopsided. LOL I might even break down and make the tree ornaments out of the polymer as well. Adds to the cost but will make it easier on me.

This project has been once concession after another. First I decide not to use split twigs because I can't get them to split evenly enough. Then I have to use clay because I'm still having trouble holding a knife. Now I have to drop the bread clay and go with a polymer. And I haven't started on the Santa yet.

Theedwin, Looks like the things I'll use will be as long as the things I tried to use. LOL

[theedwin]

I wish I could find the pickle in your tree, I need the good luck!

Viva Las Vegas!

Edwin

[Sickie Ickie]

Psssst! I've got a pickle! LOL

Actually a huge jar of them. My wife bought this giant jar of them on sale, and they've sat in out fridge for I have no idea how long now!

[EnlightenedGrinch]

Most people hang a fake pickle in a real tree, I hang a real pickle in a fake tree!! LOL
Your project is looking good, Putrid!

[putrid]

Thanks EnlightenedGrinch but as of today I'm not sure I'll have it anywhere near done by the 19th. Played around with a polymer clay (Sculply) and did a horse and some sheep heads. The sheep bodies will start out with a simple wood frame and be first covered with paper. Then with snot ragging or paper pulp mache to try to mimic wool. Something else I'll have to try to make for the first time. LOL I'm completely positive that the next time I enter a prop contest I'll do the same thing again. Try to make something I've never done before. It too will start out as one thing. Then slowly morph into something similar looking because i haven't figured out how to do it right. LOL.......that headless horseman candy wagon is starting to look like a good idea.....LOL

[Sickie Ickie]

Don't give up. P. you still have 16 days. :)

[Frosty]

For sheep why dont you just find something like this at the flea market or something or part of a nativity scene stuff? It would save on time. I know those pieces can get pricey quick but its worth a shot. http://cgi.ebay.com/Furry-Stuffed-Plush-Animal-Figurine-RAM-SHEEP-ST-LOUIS_W0QQitemZ200314782092QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_D efaultDomain_0?hash=item200314782092&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 18|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

[putrid]

Thanks for the idea Frosty. But it's more fun if I can make them. Or in most cases attempt to anyway. LOL

[putrid]

One step forward, two steps back. Decided to make the toy house out of wood. Set up my skill saw. Had some trouble with a clamp. Knocked the saw onto the floor. Bent the blade. So with that stupid people trick under my belt I decided to work on other parts. LOL

A picture of some of the stuff that will go in or on the sleigh.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=560

Starting at the bottom right in front there's 9 apples. Just above them is a pickle. Above it are 5 each of pears and oranges. To the left of the apples are 3 mushroom tops and a poll that will be cut down for the stems. Above them are the two carvings. Above it is parts of a small toy. Then you have two sheep frames and heads, a sail boat and an Angel tree topper. About down the middle of it all are pretzels and cookies. Back to the top there's the horse, old fashioned candy on long sticks ( more on that below) and two small toys that will be hung on the outside of the sleigh. Tan stuff is bread clay, white is Sculply. And in the midst of all that is my dead thing. The first toy I tried to make out of the bread clay. The clay was to moist so the body callapst. I'll toss it.

Old candy on long sticks. I've seen this on quite a few old Christmas cards. I'm guessing it's an early version of our suckers. One of the antique Santas that sold on Ebay recently had cookies hanging by ribbon. I liked the idea so I'm using it for the sleigh.

[Sickie Ickie]

Wow! Have you been working hard!

[theedwin]

maybe cotton balls would work for the sheep.... Stretch em out (actually, they unroll quite nicely!) and glue it on. Maybe ruffle it up a bit?

Back to my original question... HOW BIG IS THIS GOING TO BE??? LOL

Edwin

[Mummy deer-est]

As always, Putrid, your creativity and crafty skills amaze me!

[Sickie Ickie]

Edwin, I think Putrid mentioned something in the range of 12 feet tall. :p j/k

[putrid]

Theedwin, wood wrapped with cotton is how they used to be made. There are even cotton ornaments. That's a skill I think would be cool to learn. I can now measure the sleigh. It's 9 1/2 inches long by 3 1/2 wide. The back of the seat is about 5 1/2 inches tall. The base would have to be 20 by 5 1/2.

Thanks Mummy deer-est. It's not skill. It's a disease. LOL

Sickie Ickie, At this point in time it might as well be 12 ft by 10 ft tall. LOL Really hoping to get most of it done this week end.

After showering the garage with wood shrapnel I was seriously thinking of dropping the sleigh idea. I could make a bag for a cone Santa. Make saddle bags for the deer. And have Santa hold a bag across one shoulder and have the tree in the other hand. I really need to stick to things I've done before for these contests. LOL A hand full of attempts later and lots of new scrap wood I finally got the runners made. I'll take a shot of the sleigh and post it later. I also have an idea on how I'm going to make the Santa. I'll start out with a stick long enough to go from the seat to the top of his head. Drill two holes threw it for wire. One for the arms and one for the legs. Make a body armature out of news paper and duct tape. Then measure it to make the coat and pants. Bend everything so Santa is sitting with his hands holding the reins.

[putrid]

The sleigh in one piece.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=561

[Sickie Ickie]

Dude! That's beautiful! You never said you had carpentry skills!

[putrid]

Thanks Sickie Ickie. But there's a difference between carpentry skills and showering the garage with wooden shrapnel. LOL For a how to on the sleigh all I'll be doing is giving the dimensions of each piece. I really don't have the skill to tell someone how to use power tools.

[Sickie Ickie]

Truthfully neither do I. I just do it anyway and leave the how-to with power tools up to the experts.

[putrid]

Measurements for the sleigh. All but one piece are 1/4 think. These are all my creation.

The 'floor'. This piece is both the bottom of the sleigh van and the bottom of the seat.
6 1/2 x 3

Back of the seat.
3 wide by 3 1/4 tall.

Back of sleigh.
3 wide by 1 7/8 tall. Bottom of this is cut at a 30' angle.

Kick plate. ( the solid piece under the seat)
1 3/4 tall by 3 wide.

Each rail is a different size. Make two of each.

Top rail
5 3/8 x 3/8

Middle rail
6 7/8 x 3/8.

Bottom rail.
6 3/4 x 3/8.

The two small pieces that are holding the rails at the front of the sleigh. I'm not a carpenter. Have no idea what to call them. LOL
1 1/8 tall by 3/8 wide.

Foot rest. ( piece between the rails at the front of the sleigh) This is the only piece that isn't 1/4 thick
3 wide x 5/8 high x 1/2 thick.

Support under the sleigh. All these pieces are 3/8 wide and 1/4 thick. You'll need 4 piece of the same size of 2 1/2 long. These will go between the two outside pieces to make a box. I'll take a pic of the bottom of the sleigh so you can get a better idea of what i mean.

Under the seat. 1 3/4 tall.

The back of the sleigh is at a 30' angle. These pieces need to be 1 15/16 tall. You may need to sand these down a bit to make them fit tight.

The last piece s a piece of scrap that goes behind the kick plate. This holds the plate in place.

The rails. These are also 1/4 inch thick.
bottoms rails are 5/8 tall. The entire piece is 9 1/2 inches long. The front curve is 2 inches tall.

For a total of 22 pieces.

I don't have the skill level to be able to tell ya the best way to cut all this out. This post would turn into a horror story if I told ya all the mistakes and mis-haps.

My next post will be a group of shots showing how all this came together.

[putrid]

Construction pictures.

The first pic is of the under side. Note how the suports are made into boxes.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=562

Next one is of the seat. Note how the lowest rail is used. It's even with the bottom of the sleigh floor. Helped hold the seat back and the back of the sleigh in place wile the glue was drying.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=563

Next one shows the scrap piece that holds the kick plate in place.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=564

Next shot is inside the van. Again note the bottom rail and how it forms a lip.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=565

I'm giving the power tools ( and my nerves) a rest. LOL Low tech to the rescue! Set up to cut the wheels for the wagon out of a 5/8 piece of dowel rod.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=566

Next is more stuff for the sleigh.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=567

Bag for fruit made out of bread clay. Wagon. Candy on a stick being held in a glob of bread clay. This will hold it above the fruit in the bag. Thing in a hat. No idea yet LOL. Two stick dolls ready for dresses. Two cornucopias for the tree. A horn a top and two small toys.

Next will be the body armature for the sitting Santa. It'll have wire in it. This will make it easier to get the coat and pants on. Boots will more than likely be made out of bread clay.

[MerryBells]

I have been watching with interest as you go along. That's really a beautiful little sleigh. You must have the patience of a saint, though...it looks like very exacting work.

[putrid]

...... You must have the patience of a saint, though...

Not patience, more like the familiarity of solitary confinement. JK LOL Thanks for the cop MerryBells.

The body. I started out decided what size Santa would be when I did a drawing of the sleigh. Then changed that three times. LOL Took the dimensions from the last drawing and transferred them to a standing position. From there I got the length for the arms and legs, shoulders and hips.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=568

Padding was easy. Start out by wadding news paper around the body and holding it in place with duct tape. Arms and legs followed.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=569

Next shot shows the under belly. Done this way so the figure will sit in the sleigh.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=570

Sitting in the sleigh. I have that Jack-o-lantern on stand by. LOL

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=571

A size perspective. Santa's head will be about 1/4 inch taller than that wood dowel.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=572

I cut the wood dowel to size. For this 4 inches. Then marked where needed and drilled holes for the wire. Held that in place with duct tape. Bent to the measurements for the shoulders and hips. Then padded.

Now comes the part I'm really not looking forward to. The suit. Most of it I think I'll be able to do on a machine. But the arms will have to be hand sewn on. That should take me a few days. If the suit proves to be out of my skill range I'll do it in paper mache. I've made so many changes to this project one more wont hurt. LOL

[putrid]

Sleigh has it's first coat of finish. Been painting the toys. I've ended up with more toys than the sleigh can hold. LOL Now I'm thinking of changing the deers harness so I can put saddle bags on it.

Things I still have to do.
Sculpt the Santa face.
Make the coat and pants.
Make the boots.
Put a few more coats of finish on the sleigh.
Paint up the deer.
Make the harness and saddle bags.
Paint all the bread clay stuff.
Finish up two houses and a drum.
Make the base.
Finish one sheep and decide weather or not I'll use it.
Paint the tree top Angel and ornaments for the tree.

And I'm sure there'll be more things to do. Always is. LOL

[Just Whisper]

Putrid, I was surprised to find how well I could "sew" with hot glue when I was making clothes for my animated elves table. Well, the clothes were for the elves, not the table. I just glued the seams together since I didn't have time or patience to sew them. It held up really well, and you couldn't even tell. Maybe that would work for your small seams. Maybe it wouldn't...just a thought.

[Sickie Ickie]

I heart hot glue. :)

[Just Whisper]

Just for you sickie...

[Sickie Ickie]

LOL! I love it! Thanks JW!

[putrid]

Might end up using glue for the suit. Probably not hot glue, I'd have to buy a gun and all. The only project i've used hot glue on was the chains for the Halloween display. I borrowed a gun for that one.

Almost finished with all the toys. Decided to dump the sheep for now. Not enough room in the sleigh. So no saddle bags for the deer. Got the tree completed. It now has the mushrooms, pretzels and the pickle. Going to use my first paper tree attempt on the sleigh as well. Most of the old sleighs had a filler material in the bottom of the van. Tinsel, wood chips, cotton and the like. Was thinking of using parts of fake evergreen garland to fill in the empty spaces and lift the toys up a bit. Was also thinking of making something so the tree could stand on it's own. Might just drill a hole in the drum and see if that'll work.

Now to get to cranking that Santa out.........

[Sickie Ickie]

Your Santa's on crank? :p

[Sickie Ickie]

Just Whisper posted: Putrid,
You know glue guns are pretty cheap any more. You can pick one up at WalMart for under $10.00.


Heck, mini glue guns you can get for a dollar at the dollar store. The cheap hot glue sticks for $1 is inferior, but you don't need a lot of holding power to glue material together.

[putrid]

I'm a bigger fan of chemical glues (Or chemicals anyway...LOL) than I am hot glue. Just a personal preference I guess. If i get anything done tonight I'll take a pic or two and post later. Right now I'm having fun playing with the toys. LOL

[putrid]

Still having issues with the coat. Would like to have a hood instead of the more American furry night cap. If i have to I'll end up with the cap and a mantle. Looks like this project will kinda resemble the project I started to make. LOL The mantle will hide the shoulders and neck area of the coat. I have yet to be able to make the shoulders, sleeves and neck line to look good. The pants turned out to be a breeze. Wont get anything done tonight. Kinda worn out from a rough week at work.

[putrid]

I think I've solved the coat issue....well I think I did...still have to try it. LOL A pic of what'll be in the back of the sleigh.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=574

The bag made out of bread clay is for the fruit and 'candy on a stick'. The small toys and horn will be hung on the outside of the sleigh. Sail boat still needs a sail. Decided not to use the sheep. No room. If I have time I might make one of the stick dolls and drum.(not pictured) Also pictured in the back of the wagon is my first paper tree experiment. Figured it'd be cool to use it here instead of sticking it in a box somewhere. Painted both carved people.

Not going to use the oranges. They don't look like oranges and I really don't have the room.

The Santa is wearing scrap material. Use this stuff when trying things instead of the good stuff. I pulled two BIG bolts of material out of a dumpster at the condos where my mom lives. Nothing like free stuff. LOL

Adding to the list of things I've used are three fake evergreen branches from my pile of 'things to experiment with'. ( been using these for my perm-o-flocking experiments.)

Hopefully I'll be back sometime today so I can do some more work on this.

[Just Whisper]

Looking good. You have been busy.

[bethene]

yeah, Putrid, I LOVE free stuff, everything is looking good so far!! can't wait to see it finsihed

[putrid]

Still redoing the coat. But I now have the face, hands and boots done and baked. The pants are done and I have an idea for the hood. I'm going to leave the deer out of this one. Just have a Santa in a sleigh full of toys.

More costs.
All Sculpley items $1.50
Pants .04
Coat and hood. .08
With these costs,
tree .15
bread clay .60
Santa body armature .34
paint stains and glue $3
First tree experiment .05
Three evergreen branches out of a full size tree. .03
All wood used for the sleigh and toys. .70
Sticks for carvings Free. ( free is good LOL)
All Sculpley items $1.50
Santa's cloths without fur trim .12
For a grand total without the deer of $8.11

I bought a BIG stiffed white rabbit at an auction a few years back. Was going to use it in a haunted toys display. Cut it open and put ribs and guts in it. Redo the mouth and paws so it would have teeth and claws. That kinda thing. Anyway this came in a big plastic trash bag with other stuff toys in as well. Going to use the fur off of it for Santa's beard. Got fake sheep wool I'll use for the trim. Really don't know what to say all that will cost so I'm going with $1.50. Seems fare. I gave .50 cents for the entire lot of stuffed animals. Something's got to go up in value these days. LOL

With the fur the total cost of this project will be....$9.61.

I'll save the deer for when I can make a split twig sleigh.

[Just Whisper]

I bought a BIG stiffed white rabbit at an auction

Damn, I hate it when my rabbit gets stiff.

[Sickie Ickie]

LOL You beat me to it, JW! :p

Can't wait to see the finished product, Putrid! :)

[putrid]

Not till I get that damn rabbit unstiffed. LOL

[Sickie Ickie]

Just a reminder. March 19th is the last time for entries. :)

[putrid]

OK so we can enter by the 19th. When do they have to be done? JK LOL Had to spend some time outside today. Way to nice to be in here. I might even go back out there when I get back off line. Still nice one there.

I think I've got all the measurements for the coat and hood right. Cut a set out of scrap and try it. Got the pants on and glued the boots in place. I'll use the fir trim to hold the pants to the boots. I'll do the same for the coat and hands. I might have this done a day ahead of time!

[putrid]

This is it. DONE! The sleigh turned out. The toys, tree and fruit turned out cool. The Santa is a disaster. Coat arms came free from the shoulders. You can see the paper at the wrists because I made coat arms to floppy. But he's my first of this kind. If it wasn't for this contest he'd be boxed away somewhere with notes on what I did. Next one will be better. Or at least no pics of it if it don't. LOL

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=581

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=582

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=585

[Sickie Ickie]

Call it what you want, but I think you did a great job!

That's the fun of these contests. To try new things and see what you can do with limited funds and under a time frame.

[Just Whisper]

Ditto here Putrid. I love it.

[EnlightenedGrinch]

Looks great, Putrid!! I can see you put a lot of work into those props.
Santa looks kind of surprised, like all of his reindeer just left him behind! LOL

[theedwin]

Kudos Putrid!

Amazing from start to finish! Great job!

Edwin

[putrid]

.........
Santa looks kind of surprised, like all of his reindeer just left him behind! LOL

LMAO enlightenedGrinch! You just gave me a name for my prop! It will be now known as,
"Now What?" Santa.

Thanks for the comps everyone! Totally appreciated. Despite all the changes I had to make. Using my table saw to pepper the garage with wood shrapnel. And a 2 day headache from the glue I used to hold the suit together( glad that's over with. ) it was a lot of fun to make. I'll use all the things I learned from this one to make another one. Your right Sickie ickie. It's all about pushing yourself and trying new things. Thanks again folks. Totally cool.

[bethene]

great job, Putrid, he turned out awesome, I love it! you did good!!!!

[MerryBells]

Really nice work; and so much attention to detail! Thanks for sharing all of this with us!

[putrid]

Thanks Bethene and MerryBells.

[Mummy deer-est]

Oh, Putrid, don't be so down on yourself. You did a fantastic job. I wish I had have your skill!

[putrid]

Pictures of my 3rd place winnings! I added the prop itself because I still think it's cool. Just needs a bit reworking to make the coat right.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=44&pictureid=610

Thanks again everyone for the cool prizes offered. Ya'll made the contest fun.

[Sickie Ickie]

The wire frame sure looks sturdy, and I dig the color on the cane!

[putrid]

The wire frame is definitely well made and heavy. And the candy cane blow mold ROCKS! Looking forward to using both of them in this years outdoor display. The "Now What" Santa and sleigh will have to stay inside. LOL

[Frosty]

The snowflake frames are insanely STURDY!!!! rigid as they get HEAVY DUTY!

[putrid]

The wire is a heavy gage 1/4 thick and all the welding is uniform. A nice pro piece of work!