Grey and Green

Green sweater (Plum), grey pinstripe cropped vest (Kensie Girl), black & white tweed cropped pants (Club Monaco, consignment), black and white Oxford shoes (Fluevog), chain necklace with charms (Nine West, The Bay), rhinestone earrings (don't recall).
This is one of those outfits that looked better in person - I took a zillion pictures and none of the poses looked right. Oh well.

I felt like playing with lengths and layers today. I love these pants - they are wool, lined and just a dream to wear, but they are more of a cool weather pant than a summer pant. And a great bargain at around $30 in the consignment shop. I like the colour and fit of this sweater - the sleeves have a nice fullness to them that makes this a bit more special. The necklace was Cindy's, from the infamous shopping trip - I talked her into buying it, but it wasn't really her style, so she gave it to me - thanks!

Of course, this is really all about the shoes. These are my favourite Fluevogs:
They are called "Harlow" (I love that Fluevog names their shoes). The white is crackled leather and they are supremely comfortable, although still quite a high heel. They have a great old-fashioned look.

Aqua and Grey

Okay, first I have to brag a bit. I was in a 10K race this weekend and I won a medal! I came in 3rd for my age in the Competetive Walk category, and 5th overall in Competetive Walk. My time was 1:07 (I beat a ton of runners). Not too shabby! I may just make it to the World Masters after all (I need some racewalk training, though - it would suck to go all the way to Australia just to get eliminated).

On to today's outfit. Aqua silk & cotton cardigan (I.N.C., The Bay), black cotton short-sleeved sweater (Jacob), grey with pale blue pinstripe wide-leg pants (consignment), black ankle boots, black double-buckle leather belt (Jacob), crystal earrings (Melanie Lynne), multi-crystal necklace (Plum).
I really like the I.N.C. line - the quality is top-notch and the styles are very fashionable without being overly trendy. I like the bell sleeve on this sweater and the colour is lovely (it's more aqua than it looks in this photo). I don't buy a ton of this brand because they tend to use a lot of silk and I hate paying for drycleaning. These pants were a good find - around $20 at my favourite consignment shop - the pinstripe is very faint, so I can wear a lot of colours with them. It's funny, though: one pant leg has been hemmed slightly shorter than the other.

The black sweater has reached the end of its life with me - it's a bit big and is faded, and it didn't wash well (the seams got puckery), so I can only wear it under stuff. This blog is a good way to weed out stuff in my wardrobe.

I adore this belt - I'm silly about anything with laces, buckles or complicated closures. And who doesn't love a big belt? Not me! I have an even bigger belt that I wear sometimes. It reminds me of the 80s.

Simple Red and Brown - and New Commenters!

Welcome to my new commenters: Xine (fashion diva extraordinaire!), xr (aka Ruth, fashion maven and work crony who gave me belts), and Celia (deliciously fun and giver of the tweed skirt)! Glad to have you here, ladies!

And a shout out to my mom, who notes that she bought the bead necklace off a hippie in the early 70s.

Today is Monday, and that means I have little energy for planning an exciting outfit, so I fall back to an old staple: the sweater and pant with funky shoe. Can't go wrong.

Red cashmere blend sweater (Tobias, Plum), brown wide-leg pant (Tobias, Plum), brown leather belt with gold buckle (mostly hidden, Plum), leopard pumps (Steve Madden, from DSW in San Francisco), gold filigree cuff (The Bay) and gold filigree & bead earrings (Plum).
Wow, it's almost all from Plum, but all at different times. These pants are a little big, but I love them. They have a super low waist and a couple of pleats at the front (danger! danger!), but they just look so good on. They make my hips look slim. I have this sweater in a deep cobalt blue as well (they were only about $20 each on clearance, and do you say no to cashmere - even a blend - at that price? No, you do not!). The cut of the sweater is really nice - I have a brown cami on underneath for extra warmth. But the shoes are the real star of this outfit:

Damn! Those are hot! L and I were in San Fran in Oct 2006 for my 39th birthday, just as I was in the middle of my weight loss (I'd lost about 20 pounds at that point), and I didn't want to buy any clothes because I knew they'd all be too big in a couple of months. So I bought all accessories: a couple of purses, a scarf and these. They are pony hair - you can see that they look sort of hairy. I love leopard - it's a classic.

Going Out - Red, Black and Pattern

My friend Elaine and I are going to see "The Mark of Zorro" tonight at the university - it's a 1920s silent film, starring Douglas Fairbanks. The symphony orchestra is playing the score live along with the movie - cool!

Red satin cropped jacket (Vero Moda), black turtleneck t-shirt (Esprit), patterned poufy skirt (Vero Moda), black patent peep-toe slingbacks (Naturalizer), black wood double-ring earrings, purse (close-up only, Liz Claiborne, consignment).

Every so often, I find something at Naturalizer. I snagged these shoes off the sale rack for only $40 (right from under the nose of someone else who wanted them too! Haha!)

I don't even remember when or where I got this purse, but it wasn't new, so it must have been a consignment shop. It's got a nice vintage vibe, but I think it is from the 80s (it's vinyl).
Gotta run!

Casual Friday - White Denim and Chunky Boots

See? Now I can look forward to Casual Friday, after wearing my dressy clothes all week.

Embroidered striped shirt (Dex, Plum), rust tank (Inwear), white denim skirt (Club Monaco, consignment), black chunky boots, wood disc earrings, vintage 60s/70s choker (Mom's jewelry box in the 80s), metal and red stone belt (gift from Mom, from London, England). This is the last go for this shirt, I have decided. I love it...but it is simply too big on me now. The shoulders don't fit right and it gapes at the front, and the sleeves are too long. Too bad - I really love the cut and style of it. The embroidered flowers continue up over the shoulder to the upper back.

I like the look of this outfit (this is a repeat outfit from a year ago - it's my "after" outfit from the before and after shots when I was promoting my Weight Watchers at Work group) - the mix of the chunky boots with the denim skirt and the tailored shirt, plus the funky accessories. It all works for me. A close-up of the choker. It's on a leather thong - I think some of the beads are glass. I've always liked this - it's gotten wear from the 80s (high school) to now. I wear it at least every couple of months. Thanks, Mom!

Birthday Party - Jeans & Funky Blouse

My friend's birthday party was last night and L didn't feel like going, so I headed downtown for some food and cake!

Psychedelic silk blouse (I.N.C., The Bay), jeans (Esprit), brown leather boots (Roberto Vianni), gold cuff (Oscar & Libby's), gold hoop earrings, red patent clutch (Le Chateau).

It took some creative use of the convertible bra to make sure it worked with this blouse. I waited for about 2 months for this blouse to go on sale (I think it ended up around $30 - I.N.C. is gorgeous, but very pricey). I love the colours in it: gold, black, 2 tones of red, yellow.

Here's my outer wear, all ready for my bus ride to town. Black leather jacket (charity online auction for $75 - it has my company logo stamped on the arm, but you can barely see it), red/black/gold pashmina (gift from Mom, from London, England).

Lots of Colour!

I'm just so anxious for spring - it seems to be taking forever - that I couldn't resist some really vivid colour today.

Grey cotton jacket (RW & Co.), coral cotton sweater (Esprit), satin poufy skirt with abstract flowers (Mexx, Dots), turquoise suede pumps with flower (Le Chateau), black leather belt (Plum), copper and enamel clip-on earrings ("Matisse" by Renoir, Grandma J's).

Mucking about with the timer for this picture. Man, it's weird taking all these pictures of myself. I realize how much I look like my mom (a good thing!).

This is the skirt I got when I went shopping with Ruth - it's so pretty and light. Love the pockets (they're nice and deep too), and it has so many colours in it! I had this outfit on with a green t-shirt and it looked nice, but the weather is still chilly so I went with the sweater. This is the 2nd sweater of this sweater I have had - yes, again, this and the striped skirt - only this time I spilled red wine down the front of the first one. I thought I got most of the stain out before it hit the washer and dryer, but missed some (in my defense, I had drunk a lot of said wine). Great colour sweater for me. Love the shoes.

My feet are all veiny from walking home, ha! The shape of these shoes is very '30s/'40s - they make me think of Mae West (one of my idols). And real suede! From Le Chateau! I call these my Tammy shoes, because Tammy at work had them in black.

The earrings are part of my Grandma J. collection. She gave me a lot of gorgeous costume jewelry pieces from the 50s when I was in my 20s, then I got to pick what I wanted after she died. I remember her wearing these - and she wore them a lot - they have wear patterns on the copper from rubbing her skin. She had curly red (dyed, like me) hair and these totally suited her colouring.

I love wearing her pieces - I think of her everytime I wear them.

Glamour - Blue Satin & Pencil Skirt

Black suit jacket (Max Studio, Winners), blue satin blouse (Do & Be, Bliss), black cami with sequins (Esprit), grey high-waisted pencil skirt (Le Chateau), black leather belt (Plum), black leather pumps with rosette & ankle strap (Aerosoles), black wooden double ring earrings & black wood ring & capiz shell necklace (Caracol, Plum).
Ugh, that is not a great shot of me - where is my waist? I was playing around with the timer before L got home from work to see if I could do my own pictures. I took a couple in the library that aren't too bad, so I might try that tomorrow night, since I have a party to go to right after work and L won't be home till later on.

Anyway, the clothes. This is the blue version of the yellow satin blouse I wore last month. Gorgeous colour. I do love a pencil skirt - this one was only $19.99 on the clearance rack at Le Chateau. I find they are usually too pricey (considering that they carry very trendy, rather cheaply made clothing), but when I find a piece that's on sale that I like, I snap it up.

A better picture: Such a pretty blouse. I love these shoes (Cat has the same pair, so we have to coordinate our shoes if we're at the same party) - there's nothing like an ankle strap! They are super comfy since they are Aerosoles - I have a few pairs - even after a day in them, my feet feel fine.
I was trying on stuff in my closet, picking out tomorrow's outfit, and L called me vain. Humph! Tomorrow's outfit has my new multi-coloured skirt - I had to try stuff on with it to see what it goes with! I don't want to look silly when I arrive at work and discover what I thought would look good actually looks disastrous (I've had a couple of those days - always plan what you're going to wear ahead of time, especially if you don't put your clothes on until after you're at work). I am also the General Evaluator at Toastmasters tomorrow and I want to look nice when I'm up there yakking away.

Pinstripe Suit with Orange & Red

Navy blue pinstripe suit (Esprit), orange t-shirt (Inwear, Dots), red ribbed tank (Plum), red slingbacks (Nine West, Shoe Warehouse), white gold hoop earrings. Hmmm...can't see the pinstripes too well, but they're there. This is the suit I got when I was shopping with Ruth a couple of weeks ago - I'm glad she talked me into it, because it looks great on (I caught a glimpse of myself in a hall mirror and thought, "Wow, I look tall and skinny!"). A nice feeling.

The downside: the suit is loud! It's primarily cotton (it has a touch of polyester & lycra to keep it from wrinkling, which is awesome since I'm sitting for most of the day and I hate a butt full of wrinkles), so it rubs against itself really loudly. It's also a cat hair magnet. I need one of those rolly lint picker-upper things (hint to Mom: good stocking stuffer).

I love navy with red, but didn't want to look too nautical, so punched up the suit with the orange t-shirt (same shopping trip with Ruth). Navy and orange go fantastic together. Great shoes - my first purchase at Shoe Warehouse when it opened a couple of years ago. A close-up:

Comments - Floor Polish

James has a question!

Ok, could I make a photo request? It's kind of creepy. Could you take a shot of the floor polish so I buy the right stuff? I'd like to pick some up and try it. I have at least 30 figs awaiting paint. I haven't picked up a brush in over 5 years, but you're giving me the bug again.

Here you go, James:
This is the stuff we use. We both have little bottles (shown) that we put a bit into so that it doesn't dry up on us (dollar store is a good place for mini bottles), and I use a palette (also dollar store) for mixing up my paint, water and floor polish. You use up a lot less paint this way, so it's a good method for preserving some of those really old paints.

I used to love some of the TSR lines (I think they were TSR anyway) - the humans had an almost cartoon feel. I hate overt realism in figs. It's much more fun to paint and look at caricatures.

We have some of the old TSR ones (mostly L's as he's been painting a lot longer than me).

I always use Testors metallics and then wash them with inks. I used to keep brass, gold, silver and an even brighter one (aluminum?) on hand (and often blend brass over a base coat of gold - really makes it pop). Their white is pretty much indispensable. There's something about the light pigments (white & yellow especially) that just doesn't work with water-based paint. They dry up in no time and tend to be 'grainy.'

We use their white for our primer - we both primer by hand (meaning with a brush, as opposed to spray primer, which tends to sink into the fig and obscure the details). Primering by hand is also great for really noticing the details in your fig.

I've never found a yellow I really like, either in Testors, Partha Paints, or Citadel/Games Workshop.

I have some paints that are ~15 years old myself - these giant glass bottles of citadel paints. I loved them. There was a hobby store that went tits up and was selling them for $.25 each, so I bought one of everything they had. Super smooth but not thick, a slight satin sheen to some of the hues, but still very nice (a spray coat of matte varnish takes care of that). I think I have two of those left.

My art teacher says you can just buy acrylic paints in the art supply stores - all acrylics are basically the same thing: liquid plastic with pigment. Only the consistency varies. But I'd never use one of those giant tubes up.

When our friend's gaming store closed down, we bought tons of the old Reaper Miniatures paints so we wouldn't ever run out.

I see you also have posts about fashion... they frighten me.

It's okay, you don't have to look at those. Just click on the "Sheila Figs" or "L Figs" link at the bottom of the post and you'll only have to look at the painting posts.

Brown and Stripes

Brown cable sweater (consignment), striped skirt (RW & Co.), "wood" and gold ring necklace & leather belt (Nepean), brown leather boots (Roberto Vianni), gold hoop earrings.
Ack, my hair looks like ass here, but I don't have time to take another picture. I have a painting class on Monday nights, but I don't get home from work until 5:45 & I have to eat and walk to my class by 7:00. Not a lot of time to fuss with my hair - arg, no lipgloss either.

Good functional sweater, goes with lots, nothing special about it. This skirt is actually the second skirt of this skirt. Huh? I bought it in a size 10 or 12 a year & a half ago when I did a "midway" shop, after I'd lost 20 pounds. When I shrunk out of it, I passed it on to Cat (who also shrunk out of it - and incidently, gave me a lovely handmade necklace in a box that she covered in the fabric from skirt #1 for my birthday!).

I happened to be scouring the clearance rack at RW months later and lo and behold, there it is again! Even cheaper! And in a size 6! Which is now too big, but I'm feeling puffy right now and very "meh" and it's Monday, so I threw on this outfit again, which happens to be exactly what I wore to Scotch Club last night, so Ms. Carollyne, that is why you are having deja vu.

A Backlog of Figures

I took some pictures of some of the more recent figs I've done - there's a bit of a backlog of photos, so this is pretty much one giant post full of pictures. Whoo hoo!


First up: Barbarian Fighter. He's supposed to look like he's a Northern fellow.
This guy's pretty recent. I like how his cloak turned out (it's supposed to be some sort of arctic wolf fur), and his shield looks cool (I handpaint all my designs - no decals!). Hmmm...flash is too bright.
Bartender: This is one of the village people; meaning, he will go in the Christmas village, at the Inn with all the other Inn staff and their customers. Our Christmas village is pretty cool. My bartender is one of the early floor polish figures - you can see how I was just getting the hang of the thin layers of paint on his apron and clothes.
He's got a bit of a weird eye thing going on - perhaps keeping an eye on a customer who might not pay for that ale? I wouldn't want to anger this barkeep.
These next two I am proud of: both are recent, within the last year.

Samurai Chick: I handpainted her flag. I really like her colour combination of blue and red. Her hair and face turned out really well.
I like her socks.

Purple Wizard with Dragon: This is one of my favourite pieces. Everything just came together perfectly on him. There isn't anything I would change. I love the way the purple and black on his cape fade together.

The gold looks really good on this guy - that's a Testors gold paint. Testors isn't great for painting in colour on figs (it's not an acrylic base, so you can't mix the colours or thin them), but their metallics are superior, especially gold and silver. Nice and shiny, they really look like metal.

That's it for now - gotta go for a walk!

Welcome, commenters!

Hi!

Welcome Cat and James! Cat is one of my cohorts in fashion and James is a friend from my old site, RT.

Someone else also posted a comment, but is anonymous - please note your name in your comment if you're someone I know. I'd just like to know who you are!

Anyway, comments are welcome, and in the future I will reply in a post if you ask me any questions about clothing, painting or our figures. James, I replied in the comments sections to you this time.

Cheers,
Sheila

Casual Friday - Plum-tastic!

So I am treating today as Casual Friday, business as usual. I always looked forward to having a slightly less dressy day, so here I am back to that.
Purple velvet cotton jacket (Jacob), Plum anniversary t-shirt (Plum), black cotton turtleneck sweater (Reitmans), dark grey cords (Esprit), black leather grommet belt (Plum - the one Ruth gave me is a bit more rock n' roll), black motorcyle boots (Cougar, from The Cobbler), silver multi-hoop earrings (can't remember, probably The Bay).

I love this jacket - I am a total sucker for any kind of velvet, especially in a rich colour like this. I was going to do the t-shirt solo under it, but the weather is freaking crazy (it hailed today!), so I went for warmth. Here's a shot of the t-shirt - it's one of those funky grafitti-esque designs. Plum put it out for their anniversary last year:

Hmm...I look better with the jacket done up. My boobs look flat there. Grr.

Love these boots. They need to be re-heeled, but I'm waiting until summer so I won't miss wearing them (they are a staple of my weekend wardrobe). They are waterproof and have a stretchy thick back, so they fit nice and snug. I get a lot of compliments from men on these, oddly, especially when I wear them with a skirt or dress. I guess they like that "bad girl" look.
I'm also a sucker for buckles. Bring 'em on!

Wrap Dress - Brown and Cream

Art nouveau printed dress (Plum), cream cami (Vero Moda, Plum), wood disc earrings and wood bracelet (Oscar & Libby's), leather faux croc and straw peep-toe pumps (Franco Sarto, The Bay).

When I forget to pick an outfit (or just don't feel like planning anything) the night before, my go-to outfit is always a dress. I have several that are work-appropriate and I just change up the accessories. I've worn this about a dozen ways since I bought it last fall. It's a super comfy dress (love the wrap! it's so flattering too), and it's machine wash and dry. Say what you will about double-knit polyester, but it's come a long way since the 70s.

These are one of the few non-Fluevog pairs of shoes that I've ever paid full price for, although I did wait for The Bay to do the 30% off promo before buying them - they weren't on sale plus 30% off, they were FULL PRICE plus 30% off. This is rare for me. But I fell in love with them at first sight. Aren't they gorgeous? They say, "I'm going on a cruise" to me. A close up for appreciating them in their full glory.

I am actually wearing nylons with open-toed shoes (!) - I need to shave my legs and the nylons hide the stubble. As long as the nylons are sheer enough and do NOT have a reinforced toe, they are perfectly appropriate to wear with open-toe shoes. Besides, I like the way nylons even out my leg colour (I have super pale skin and varicose veins - thanks, Grandad), and the control top is handy for tucking in cami layers so that they don't show.

Purple Classic

Purple sleeveless blouse with ruffles (Esprit), black high-waisted pencil skirt (Kensie, The Bay), grey cropped jacket (Guess), faux suede platform pumps (Payless), white gold hoop earrings (birthday gift).

This is just blatantly flaunting Denim Month - haha! I love this ruffled shirt - it's even washable. Also, nothing beats a pencil skirt when you need a bit of a lift - this one sucks in my tummy and makes my butt look great. I feel like one of those 50s vixens in this skirt. A close-up of the blouse (I figured out how to crop!) and the shiny black pyramid bead detail on the skirt waistband:

The shoes are too big. I bought a 9 1/2 when I should have bought the 9. I step out of them when I walk, since the platform doesn't bend. I am keeping an eye out for that perfect black pump (preferably platform) to replace these but for now, they will do. Needless to say, they were cheap.

Indulge me - Cat pictures!

These are our boys: Othello and Inigo. Othello is the solid black, cranky one (he's 11 years old) and Inigo is the fat black and white tuxedo one (he's 4 years old). I love them dearly.

Tonight they were in a fighty-bitey mood and were vying for top position on the scratching post. Inigo looks annoyed.

A shot of Othello. He is not a cuddly cat. He prefers to sit near us, rather than on us, like on the edge of the couch instead of on a lap.

Inigo visits the den (this is where my closet is and where I take all my pictures). Is he not the cutest kitty ever?

Preppy Plaid

Denim month is over - for me, at least. I'm sick of wearing denim and being casual every day. I have too many nice clothes - I want to wear them!

White shirt (Plum), black sweater vest (Esprit), plaid skirt (Jacob, consignment), baby blue suede belt (gift from Ruth), blue peep-toe wedge shoes (Seychelles, Winners), white glass and silver chain necklace and white stone and silver earrings (Plum).Killer outfit - I was really pleased with this. The photo does not do it justice. Anyway, yes, I quit - I gave up on the stupid Denim Month after 2 weeks. I am pathetic.

On to the clothes: I hate white shirts. They always require ironing and yet, they always look rumpled. But you have to have one in your wardrobe. All of my clothes have to be folded up, packed to work in my backpack (because I walk 35 minutes to work every day, except Friday, which is "no exercise day"). I change in the bathroom at work, and then at the end of the day, they get folded back up in my backpack and I carry them home again, at which point I change back into my work outfit for my picture. This is why I look vaguely pissed off in most of my pictures.

Anyway, I buy a white shirt every couple of years, wear it until the pits turn yellow, then buy a new one. I stretch out the life by wearing it under things like sweater vests.

I actually wanted to wear this skirt - a great consignment find at $18 (love the pockets!). It has a thin blue strip that matches the belt. And the jewelry just picks out the white and the grey and it goes and well, I just felt great.

Love the shoes. Here's the obligatory close up:One of my favourite pairs - I love the peep toe (although I had to do an emergency 60 second nail polish pedi this morning in my office so that my bare toenails wouldn't show). Love the heel - it's a wedge, but it's actually super thin, so that from the back it looks like I'm wearing a stiletto. I got these at the same time as the two-tone brown peep-toe, at Winners last fall. I think both pairs together were around $40 - a total steal. I get so much wear out of these.

Green Cleric - Completed

I started this guy a couple of weeks ago. Here he is with just the white primer and the base skin tone and green tabard & shield. The primer gives the paint something to stick to - if you just paint on the metal, the paint will wear off. This is my least favourite stage. I hate blocking all the colours in - it takes a long time, it's finicky (although easy to fix up later), and I usually don't have a clear idea of what I want the figure to look like.

Here he is with some black, leather and dark steel based in. I start with the "base colour" then gradually lighten, either by brushing or by building up colour with the floor polish method (applying thin layers of successively lighter paint). I usually don't do a darker shade than the base colour - it muddies the look of it to overly wash. I find you don't need to do too much to give a colour depth other than "lift" the colour.

I'm using an alligator clip at this stage to hang onto him. If you use your fingers, you'll wear the paint off from handling the figure. Ha, there's my sample fleur-de-lis on the cardboard - I was showing L how to paint one. He's got some musketeers coming up next.

And here is the green cleric all done! I painted for about 6 hours yesterday - I just wanted to finish him.

I gave him a kilt, and I'm quite happy with his very blonde hair (usually blonde ends up looking too yellow) - it started out as some leftover wash from the pages of his book. Back view:
The shield was glued on last because I had to paint all the stuff under it (his arm, the leather straps and a couple of pouches). The final touch: matte finish spray to protect him and he's ready for battle.

Denim and Tweed with Boots, or Mexx Appeal

Cropped jean jacket (Ann Taylor Loft, NYC), sheer black shirt with embroidery and sequins (Mexx, consignment), plain black cami (Inwear, Dots), herringbone grey/black tweed skirt with kick pleat (Mexx, gift from Celia), black faux patent boots (Expressions, The Bay), double hoop earrings (The Bay).

We were at Steve & Celia's party last weekend and Celia dragged me into her closet to look at her clothes (not like it was hard, as I love looking in people's closets to see what kind of gems they have hidden there), and she pulled out this skirt and gave it to me! I was agog! What a sweet thing to do. I tried it on under the kimono dress and it was like it was made for me. It was super comfortable all day at work today, too - I felt like a million bucks.

Part of that is also the nice detail on the sheer shirt (it has weird little ruffly sleeves - I'll wear it in the summer with some jeans and show my arms). This was a nice find from a consignment shop that I usually don't shop in because their prices are too high, but this was on the sale rack for $20.

The other part of it is these boots. Of course, last year was all about the black patent and I HAD to have black patent boots. Well, I'm not paying a ton for real patent leather, so I found these, which are the Bay's house brand for shoes. They were on sale, naturally. Can't remember how much but it was under $50. A close up:

Yup, that's a black boot.

Some Hallowe'en Figures - Pumpkin Head and Jack's Lament

Two of my figures that I did in the last year were Hallowe'en themed. This one is Pumpkin Head. He will go in the graveyard of our Christmas village this year. Yes, we have a graveyard in our Christmas village, doesn't everyone?

This is one of the first figures I did with the floor polish method of mixing it in with the paints to allow more controlled detail work. A shot of the back:

And this one reminded me of Jack Skellington in the "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (one of my favourite movies of all time), so I painted the guy to match Jack's pinstripe suit. Very tricky to get that right. Front and side views:Jack will also go in the Christmas graveyard (it also has werewolves and vampires, and this year will have a church with nuns!).

That's a skull he's looking at - having a little "Alas, poor Yorrick" moment.