Table Leg Dragonflies, Painted Mardi Gras Mask, Giraffe, Leaf Shaped Wings, Scrolled AND new Reversible Dragonflies

Update as of Spring 2016, I'm no longer making the dragonflies.

I sincerely appreciate all the past orders, thank you!

Please visit my new online shop featuring my coastal and 

nature themed mosaics. 

Leaf Wing Dragonfly

That's quite a range in that post title but I thought I'd group all my

latest dragonflies in this one post!

For this one, I cut leaf shaped wings out of wood

and added paint and a lady bug

He has rusty eyes and curly antenna

Went a little funky with this one and gave it a Mardi Gras theme

Clock hands antenna...

I added this ceramic piece at the tail...can you tell what it is?...

It's a purse shaped cork stopper turned upside down.

Hand painted Mardi Gras mask design on the wings.

I'm always making zebra and leopard dragonflies and butterflies so

I had to add a giraffe print in the mix too

More rusty eyes and antenna. I added those little brass

rivets to the body by predrilling small holes and pounding them in

Distressed giraffe wings.

Then I made another leaf shaped wing dragonfly but...

He's reversible...Green leaves on one side and fall colored

orange leaves on the other.

You can remove the screws, flip the wings and you are done!

Next are a couple of scrolled wing dragonflies...this

one in a golden yellow with a loooong spindle body...

He has keys for eyes

I cut the scroll design out with the Rotozip spiral saw.

This scroll wing was a custom order... 

Distressed wings...

Starry eyes.

Do you remember this butterfly?

A customer purchased it and then ordered 2 coordinating

dragonflies to go along with it.

She chose this slat wing dragonfly, 

The wings are made with wood shims painted in different colors...

Then I made this one with a block painted finish and escutcheon eyes

Here are two of them together. 

And lastly, this painted guy...

Rusty metal accents on the body

And block painted wings.

Thanks for reading about my latest dragonflies

Visit my new store or find me on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Pinterest. 

I still have items and reduced original paintings in my Etsy shop as well.

Cat Face Pumpkin, Quick and Easy Carving with Rotozip Power Tool

Kitty Pumpkin

Last year carved my pumpkin with the Rotozip.

I've used the Rotozip on foam pumpkins too, so easy!

I decided to use it again this year but on a real pumpkin.

The Rotozip is a spiral saw power tool and I like it 

for detailed cutting in wood like scrolled wing dragonflies or, 

in this case, pumpkins!

The last few years I've been cutting a hole in the bottom of the pumpkin 

instead of making the little lid and then I place the carved pumpkin over a candle.

So much easier!

After cutting the hole from the bottom and cleaning out the inside,

I drew a quick freehand design of a kitty face and started cutting.

I used a silver sharpie to draw the face on the pumpkin

that's what those silver marks are you see on the face.

Place over a candle or you could create a solar pumpkin.

It only took about 20 minutes start 

to finish, including the cleaning part

Happy Halloween!

Click on my Fall/Halloween category to see more DIY Halloween ideas.

Visit my online store featuring mosaic art and coastal style ornaments. 

Find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube

Thanks for stopping by!

The Original Table Leg Dragonflies with Ceiling Fan Blade Wings

Update as of Spring 2016, I'm no longer making the dragonflies.

I sincerely appreciate all the past orders, thank you!

Please visit my new online shop featuring my coastal and 

nature themed mosaics. 

This post has been crazy popular over the internet, and these are the originals!

I started creating dragonflies using spindles or table legs for the bodies in 2009. When I 

first started making them, I would create a wing shape out of wire just like

in the dragonfly with beaded wings tutorial and then cover the wire shape

with canvas fabric that I had painted in fun patterns and designs.

The addition of ceiling fan blades for the wings was my latest idea in 2011.

The bodies of the dragonflies are table/furniture legs and spindles

For some of the wings in this batch instead of fan blades I used thin plywood, 

called Luan or underlayment. I cut the wing shape with a jigsaw

then used the Rotozip saw to cut the scroll design.

When I came upon this box of ceiling fan blades at the thrift store,

I saw dragonfly wings!

I cut most of the ceiling fan blades down into more of a wing shape.

To make it easy, I clamped 4 blades together at a time and used the jigsaw to make the cut.

I primed them and painted with various distressed finishes and added a little 

dimension by gluing other wooden pieces and parts on the wings.

Here is a back view that shows how I attach the wings. You will need 2

screws per wing to keep them from shifting. Be sure to drill pilot holes through 

both the wings and the spindle body before screwing them in or you risk splitting.

Since all the table legs and spindles are different, you sometimes have to play around

a little with placement of the wings in order to get the most surface area to screw into.

I added finials to the ends of some of the table legs, 

this was a single ottoman leg I had...I knew I was saving it for some reason.

I used scraps of decorative molding on other wings.

The patina on this spindle is perfect,

I left it as is and tried to match the wings to it with paint

These two I did a little differently

I used giant wooden macrame beads you always see at 

thrift stores to create a zig zag pattern on the front of

this table leg and gave the whole piece an antiqued turquoise finish.

For the wings I used thinned paint and my fingertips to create the pattern

Pictures don't really do it justice, it looks pretty cool in person!

The eyes are little metal pieces from the back of brass knobs I had and

the antenna are metal hooks.

These antenna are rusted wire that I curled on the ends...

These large whimsical antenna are made from copper metal plumbing strap. 

Please, no more emails to me to let me know dragonflies only have tiny, barely noticeable

antenna and not the large antenna like I use. Since these are not actual representations of 

dragonflies but whimsical, art creations, I added big crazy antenna to some of them! 😊

Did you know dragonflies are the symbol of renewal?

It's actually a perfect fit using recycled materials to create them.

There is a lovely story called Waterbugs and Dragonflies by 

Doris Stickney that tells the story of dragonflies and rebirth.

I've lost count of the emails I've gotten from people telling me how

dragonflies have such a special meaning to them and their loved ones. 

They truly are symbol of rebirth and renewal!

Hang indoors or out, I seal with liquid Minwax Polycrylic. 

Keep in mind they are painted wood and they are going to weather, and

could start looking dull like any painted wood if left outside. 

The finish will last longer if displayed in covered area outdoors like a porch or patio.

If you want them in direct weather and want to prolong the painted finish, 

you can always re-coat with a spray of clear poly about once a year.

Visit my online store featuring mosaic art and coastal style ornaments. 

Find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube

Thanks for reading!

~Lucy