I’ve wanted to share this story with you for so(ooo) long. For six months to be precise. Yes, since Christmas. Now I don’t know exactly what took me so long. I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately, and the timing never quite seemed right. But 6 months?? Today I though, you know what, as today marks the 6th mensiversary of the mice moving in, there are no excuses left.

Every Christmas I think of something special to make for my husband. And Mr.AP has treasured each and every one of them! From the Rocket Mole that I did (from an empty toilet paper roll), to paintings, to Paper Mache hearts. This time around I wanted to make a mouse sculpture for him. And then the one sculpture turned into a mouse and a half.

I started by looking around Pinterest. I created a moodboard with the ideas that I liked and took it from there. I liked the 20’s bather look but I knew I wanted cartoony ears.

So the ideas started coming and I was suddenly left with a bit more material then expected. That’s when I found the adorable idea of a compadre of sorts, who has almost gotten away from the chase.

So what are the mice made of? What technique did I use to create them?

Well, if we were to look inside, the body and head are made of foam. The neck, hands, legs and tail are made using pipe cleaners. I used some wire for the ears.

Technique wise I cut the foam to shape with scissors. I then covered every bit of the mouse with masking tape. With the same tape I was able to adjust the shape of the core as needed. The surface of the sculpture itself is made with the spun cotton technique. I used this tutorial. The cheese is made from a cardboard base using much of the same techniques. The mice and cheese where then primed and painted with acrylic paints.

Looking back I did not leave enough time for this project. Using a totally new medium, technique is always a big no-no for a gift, but then I never learned from my mistakes. The time pressure I had was immense. At the end I was not able to finish it completely because I suffered a bit of an accident right before Christmas.

The lines of the bathing suit are crooked and I never did correct it. I also never painted the little white buttons that hold up the suspenders. I never got around to painting its face either. And even though Melchior and Felix (in Hungarian it means half of an X) are half done I really think they are quite complete. No pressure, no fuss, just lots and lots of fun and laughter… and lots of explaining to do when friends are around.