The Mask - Final Scene

I finally finished my mask today, after literally days of work, liberal coatings of glue (on both me AND the mask) and over FOUR THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED gems used. And doesn't it just look fabulous! All sparkly and glittery and sleek! Massive thanks goes out to the Crafty Dragons, my supplier, who threw in another two free packs of sticky gems - the extras were just enough to see me through, you were right, I would have run out!

My more-sensible-than-I mother suggests using sequins and just highlight with gems next time. Milley (also wiser than I) suggested directly gluing the feather stems in place between the mache layers next time, though my solution seems to have worked very well. Turns out PVA is also very handy for repairing snapped stems.

I think I've sorted the dress to go with it too - I can get it tailored in China for just £53; a black satin corset top with a black mesh layered skirt and a wide green diagonal silk sash, finished with diamantes and rhinestones. They'll go really well together too, as only the sash is sparkled up and so allowing the mask to really stand out.

I'm not getting it this month (as I've just had a new radiator fitted and paid for our brand new fridge freezer) but I've sketched it all up ready.

Talking of gems, I finally cracked it! The puzzle, not the crystals. My American friend sent us a package of all kinds of nice things, including Moqui stones, lollipops, acrylic brushes, and these. They sound like glass and feel like calcite. I'm pretty sure it's a form of beryl, known as Goshenite. The striated, rough crystal "coat" matches, the fact that it's a brittle silicate explains the glassy "ting", it's spar-shaped, fairly common in North America, which is where these were hounded.

Silly Tsam got in on the sparkly goodness too - the daft sod happily sat there and let me paint a pretty glittery stripe down his nose; he promptly went cross-eyed trying to look at it. Kyle thinks he looks very handsome!

Mind you, sparkly pretty things aren't always nice, as Mum discovered - I bought her a big glittery pink Diamond paperweight last year... and she dropped it on her foot. "I had a pretty diamond shaped bruise where the point got me!" Ouch! Are you sure you want another one to go with it?

Next thing to work on prettying up - my Neopets profile, in purple. See the work in progress/finished HERE. Let me know if it doesn't work and what's wrong with it, then I can set to fixing it.