Trial and Error

It's sometimes difficult to have a full-time job and work on custom projects, but I try to fit them in when I can. This includes writing entries for my blog. Don't hold me to it, but I'm going to aim at one post per week for the time being and we'll see where that leads.

Now, on to today's post:

I love to take on new projects, especially when they are custom. I made the cake toppers for my own wedding cake and since then I've really wanted to work on more. At the moment, I don't have a listing on my Etsy shop for cake toppers, but I'm always willing to make some. Lately, I have been doing wedding projects for my friends and family. Last year, I tried out something I'd been wanting to try for a long while: customizing blank vinyl toys.

I'd done quite a bit of research on customizing blanks, but reading and doing are two different things. I had to adjust a little of what I was doing as I went and ended up being very happy with the result, but now I know what to do a little better for next time.

I started out with a couple of Mini Munny figures from Kidrobot:

 

And then found out that they didn't care for Bub. Poor Bub.

 

After washing the Munny pieces in soap and water (which was recommended on several tutorials), I started adding Super Sculpey to the pieces that needed it. I made a wedding dress (I used tin foil underneath the dress to reduce the weight and amount of Sculpey) and then started working on the hair. The tiara was a separate piece and I added the bun one piece at a time.

 I wanted to make the faces flat, so I added Sculpey to the crease on the lower half of the vinyl head. I also added snowflake details to the dress and tiara.

 The groom was a little simpler. He needed some hair, his tie and lapels, and then some cuffs on this arms.

 The Sculpey gets a little lighter and less shiny after it is baked in the oven. I used the directions according to the box and kept a close eye on it since the vinyl was also getting baked and I didn't want to burn or melt it.

I didn't get any shots of the painting in progress, but I used regular acrylic paints (and I wish I had used the spray primer like it was recommended in the tutorials because it would have taken fewer coats of paint in the end). I used a clear gloss spray to seal each piece after the paint was dry. I used Krylon Clear Gloss and I definitely recommend it. It sprays and covers well and dried relatively quickly. 

Here is the end result:

I wanted them to be a simple design for the face, but slightly cartoony and cute. They were very fun to make, and were a hit at the wedding, but the groom decided to take a flying leap from the top of the cake. If you look closely, you can see a dent in the right corner of the cake layers. Next time I think I may need to make a stand for them.

And they lived happily, ever after...