figurine makeover

Recently while thrift shopping, I came across a figurine of an angel holding a rabbit. “Oh neat”, I thought- “that can be a deity figure for my Spring Equinox altar!” I didn’t much like the colors though; it never seems to look right to me how small figurines have the details painted in. Then I remembered what I did for altar statues before I started sculpting; I made them look “rustic” with layers of acrylic paint. So now I’ll share that method with you…

You’ll need:
paintbrush
sponge
white acrylic craft paint (or acrylic gesso)
dark acrylic craft paint
light beige or off-white acrylic craft paint

1. First, clean all the dust and grime off your thrift shop treasure.

2. Next, paint a layer of thick white acrylic paint or acrylic gesso. This will make the subsequent layers of paint look even. Let dry thoroughly.

3. Now give the figure a rough layer of dark acrylic paint, concentrating on getting paint into the creases. I used a shade of green called “thicket” for the figurine shown here. Let dry thoroughly.

4. For this next step, use a sponge instead of a paintbrush. Dip the sponge in a light shade of acrylic paint like “parchment”. Lightly blot the sponge and dab over the figure; mostly getting the raised parts. Don’t try to get paint down in the crevices. Let dry.

There you go! From cheesy to rustic in four simple steps.

Simple Salt-Dough Goddess Plaque

If you’ve never really worked with salt dough before, or are looking for a Pagan craft project for your children, this is a fun, easy, and meaningful project to start with. The plaque pictured is a depiction of the Celtic Goddess Brigid, but this method can be easily adapted for making other goddesses as well by changing the details; put flowers or a rabbit in the hands for Ostara, fruits for a harvest goddess, etc. I used a strong salt dough formula for this project so that the finished project will be strong enough to hang on a wall.

supplies:
1 batch of mixed & kneaded strong salt dough
tools: clay cutting tool or butter knife, pencil, wooden spoon, raised thumbtack
wax paper
cookie tray
paint (optional)

Step 1: Break off a handful of the salt dough and roll out a cylinder shape, narrower at the top, and flatten. This is the base of your plaque. When attaching additional dough pieces, remember to lightly dampen areas of the base with fingers dipped in water.

Step 2: Use the handle of a wooden spoon to press in ridges to resemble a flowing skirt.

Step 3: Roll out an oval-shaped ball of dough. Press onto top of base.

Step 4: Roll out a snake shape for the arms. Drape over the top and curl to meet slightly below the breasts or at the stomach.

Step 5: With dampened fingers, smooth top crease and shape shoulders and neck.

Step 6: Roll out a ball for the head and attach to the top.

Step 7: Roll out a thickish snake shape for the hair. Flatten and drape over top of head.

Step 8: Use a clay tool or butter knife to make a part in the hair, lines in the hair, and the neckline of a dress.

Step 9: Use a pencil to make eye holes, slanting the pencil to the side to shape. Roll out a small ball for a nose and blend into face with dampened fingers. (Paint on a mouth after drying, if desired.)

Step 10: Add something for her to hold. This one is holding a flame. To make a flame, shape a little lump of dough into a teardrop shape, cut wavy lines in it, and place it atop her hands. Roll out a narrow coil for a snake and place at the end of her skirt. Lay completed project flat to dry on wax paper-lined cookie sheet. After the top is dry, turn over and press a hole in the top center with the blunt end of a raised tack, for hanging. Let dry completely and paint, if desired.

Paper Valkyrie Ornaments

The 11th night of Yule is sacred to the goddesses and the Valkyrie. With this in mind, our craft for the day is paper Valkyrie ornaments. It is based on the classic German paper Weihnacht Angel ornaments. You can vary the pattern to make different goddesses.

materials:
pattern printed out onto card-stock
1 sheet of paper or foil paper to make the skirt
stapler
glue
crayons or markers (or colored paper)
glitter, sequins, or any other decorations you want to use
ribbon or string for hanging

To make this craft:
STEP 1: Enlarge the pattern below to the size you want and print onto card-stock and cut out the pieces. (You can use this as a reusable template, or use the pattern itself to make the ornament.)

STEP 2: Color the pieces (or use template to trace the various shapes onto colored paper or fabric, then cut out and glue onto card paper). Glue on glitter and/or other decorations.

STEP 3: Fold the sheet of paper or foil paper in even accordion-style folds and staple at the top.

STEP 4: Glue the bodice onto the top of the skirt.

STEP 5: Glue the head onto the bodice.

STEP 6: Glue the arms onto the back of the ornament. At this point, she looks more like a goddess than a Valkyrie, doesn’t she?

STEP 7: Glue wings onto the back and sword in hand. Glue a looped ribbon or string onto the back for hanging.

Skaði Figurine

The 8th night of Yule is sacred to Skaði and Ullr. Skaði is the goddess associated with bow hunting, skiing, winter, and mountains. Ullr is the god of skiing and bow hunting as well. In honor of these two wintery deities, our craft of the day is a Skaði figurine.

(This craft is a little more complex than previous ones, and is best reserved for big kids and grown-up kids, since it requires hot glue. Snowflake crafts is another great theme for the 8th night of Yule. See 15 Snowflake Crafts for Kids.)

To make this craft, you’ll need:
1 (1 inch) wood bead
1 beige chenille stem
4 fluffy white chenille stems
2 red chenille stems
1 cotton ball
1 skewer
2 craft sticks
1 clothespin
black or brown paint, paintbrush
3″ X 6″ piece of felt
6 feet yellow or off-white yarn
ruler
pencil
scissors
low temp glue gun and glue
Preparing materials:
Score the skewer five inches down from the pointy end and break. This part will be Skaði’s hunting spear. Now score the skewer three inches from the bottom. Insert this part into the wooden bead with glue to secure. Use what’s left of the skewer as a “push stick” for when you need to press an item against hot glue. If you want Skaði’s skis to be curved at one end, soak the craft sticks in boiling water a few minutes, cool slightly and bend. Prop them up against something with an item weighing the other side down, so they will stay bent as they dry. Remove spring from clothespin. Paint the wood from the clothespin brown or black and let dry.

Assembling the figurine:
1. Glue wood from clothespin together at the top in an upside down “V”. Glue the bottoms (feet) to the craft stick skis.

2. Take the wood bead on the skewer segment and glue the stick to the top of the clothespin legs.

3. Dab a dot of hot glue to the back of one of the feet and wrap a fluffy white chenille stem around the clothespin foot to form the foot part of a snow boot. Wind in smaller circles and a little up the leg. Secure with a dot of hot glue, if necessary. Repeat with other clothespin foot.

4. Glue cotton ball to the chest/shoulders area, where the clothespins come to a point. Above this, center the beige chenille stem and twist around the neck in the back. On one side, fold the stem to where the end almost touches the neck. Twist to form an arm, leaving a loop at the end for a hand. Repeat for the other arm.

5. Cut 2 half inch wide strips from the long edge of the felt. Glue the end of one to a shoulder and spiral down the arm, overlapping as you go. Glue secure at the wrist. Repeat with the other arm and other strip of felt.

6. Fold the remaining felt in half. From the folded edge, measure over and mark half an inch from the right side and a half inch from the left. Measure a half inch down from those marks. Join at the bottom with a line connecting the two. Cut out the square. Now you have Skaði’s dress. Slip dress over head and secure with a red chenille stem as a belt.

7. Coil the other red chenille stem in a tight spiral. This is Skaði’s hat. Coil the yarn around three of your fingers and cut at the bottom. Glue yarn in hat and glue hat to head.

8. Wrap a fluffy white chenille stem around her neck as a collar. Wrap 1/4 of a fluffy white chenille stem around each wrist as cuffs. Secure with glue as needed. Place skewer spear in Skaði’s hand and she’s ready to hunt!

Try making an Ullr figurine using the same method; shorten the dress to make it a tunic and glue the yarn to Ullr’s face for a beard. Vary the colors of the materials as you wish. To further accessorize your figurine, check out How to Make a Mini Bow and Arrows.

Salt Dough Inspiration

As many of you well know, making deity images and the like with salt dough is one of my favorite past times. So I thought I’d create a blog post of some of my creations and links to past posts about the craft. Enjoy!

Articles:

• how to host a divine imagery salt dough workshop (includes recipes)

• Tailtiu Shrine

• Sun Medallions (for a Summer solstice treasure hunt)

• Dagda and Curnunnos Wall Plaques (includes a bit of how-to)

• Crafting with Salt Dough

Tailtiu Shrine

In Irish mythology, Tailtiu (pronounced tal-chuh) was the foster-mother of the god Lugh. Her name meant “The Great One of the Earth”. She died of exhaustion after clearing land for farming in what is now known as county Meath. Thereafter, every August, Lugh held funeral games in her honor. These funeral games (and fairs) became known as Lughnasadh; “the assembly of Lugh”. An older name for this holiday is Bron Trogain; “Lamentation of the Earth”.

“Great en the fair wood was cut down by her,
roots and all, out of the ground,
before the year’s end it became Bregmag,
it became a plain blossoming with clover.
Her heart burst in her body
from the strain beneath her royal vest;
not wholesome, truly, is a face like the coal,
for the sake of woods or pride of timber.

Long was the sorrow, long the weariness of Tailtiu,
in sickness after heavy toil;
the men of the island of Erin
to whom she was in bondage
came to receive her last behest.
She told them in her sickness
(feeble she was but not speechless)
that they should hold funeral games to lament her
– zealous the deed .”
-from the Metrical Dindshenchas