Debate over Squirrel Tails

While I have been industriously working on simplifying the fluffy tail construction for Squirrel King squirrel kits.













Alien Two has her own ideas of what a tail should look like.

And, Alien One .... well Alien One has been buzzily building a bumble bee!

More from the chaotic land of The Squirrel King soon.

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

UFOs and Cream Puffs

Presaged by a mysterious giggle and a green light, the stormy skies over Los Angeles were suddenly filled with a mysterious spaceship.

And then apparently ferried by a bolt of lightning our two favorite Aliens dropped in front of me. Dancing.


But why? ... What was it they were anticipating?

Beard Papa's delicious Asian cream-puffs, as it happened. Sensational! Even Papa Bear was happy :)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

World's Biggest Acorn

Dear Reader,

An early draft involved home-made play-dough; unfortunately I went a little light on the salt and the rot set in, literally that is. So much so, that the acorn to the right was thrown out when it developed into a fungus-infested mess.


The final model was based on papier mache over masking tape, over crushed paper, over plant pots, and it looked pretty. Really pretty (the doughnut on the left would soon be the top).

So we moved to casting, where early efforts met with inauspicious reults.













The solution was obvious; enlist the help of an expert.

Enter Jeana, potter extraordinaire! (check out J Clay Pottery). Of course when you bring in an expert you learn all sorts of interesting facts, like clay shrinks up to 20% by the end of the second firing!

So while the Aliens oversaw progress on the second of Jeana's two graciously thrown oversized oversized acorns (the second oversize being 20% bigger than our model oversize), I was left wondering if we could indeed still make a scale cast of our prized model.



Then, while working on the water for the shower, it hit me. Look carefully at that baby lion's head from which the water spurts ... it's made of plaster of paris on gauze! Strength without shrinkage!

Finally, we have two perfect replica molds. Wish me luck as I fill them with pulpy papier mache :)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

P.S. Why the effort to make oversized acorns? To pack the Squirrel King squirrel kits, of course!

Dinged and Damaged, Dumpster Diving still bares fruit!

The Squirrel King gets a frame, courtesy of a local dumpster on the way home from dinner with the Aliens and the Trouble and Strife.

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

The Mystery of the Packing Peanuts

Dear Reader,

Longtime followers of The Squirrel King may recall that the Aliens were once spotted painting packing peanuts.




Of course the glint in Alien Two's eyes foretold where this was headed, and pretty soon, inspiration drawn from acorn adornment opened the door to an inspired leap in efficiency - a really hands-on approach.

The Trouble and Strife caught me, bitten by the bug, joining the fray with some leftover blue from wattle flowers from the shower stall floor.



And earlier this week, peanuts were painted pink with leftover bathroom bottle beauty.




And today! Today, Alien Two returned to the job with red.

What is the eventual meaning of these nifty nuts? I leave that conundrum for you to ponder.

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

The Toilet Evolution Continues

Having finished with the basic structure of Robin's toilet, Alien One and I took advantage of a furlough day at her school and began adding the color she'd demanded.

Blue is of course a great place to start evolution, and pretty soon we were thinking about water.


Minutes later Alien One had taken a hands-on approach to the addition of plant-life.







And before long the scene had further evolved to include fish.

Crustaceans, more plants and lively bubbles all remain in the design, but we're getting close!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

In Answer to the Question: No bathroom is complete without ...

A toilet!

It took Alien Two a moment's inspection to unwrap the riddle.


Behold, Robin's throne. Obviously it still needs a coat of paint, and in Alien One's words: "white will not do, because your world has lots of colors". We'll see where we end up :)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Blueberry powered return to our roots

Today's sustenance: mum-bear's blueberry danishes.

With batteries fully re-charged, it was back to one of our favorite Squirrel King past-times: papier mache.





Alien One celebrated the return to our roots and then turned to the serious business of manufacturing bottles for Robin's bathroom. And me, well let's try a little interactive opportunity for you readers: can you guess what I was working on? It's in the foreground on the right. I promise a visual answer of the work in progress next post.

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Water: Take 3 (oh, we're getting close)

Obviously the baby lion's head will be switched with Robin's copper shower head; the black stands will be removed; everything will be relocated to Robin's bathroom; and everything will sit up on the papier mache floor (conservation of wildlife here with the lion's claw feet) ... but I think you have to agree, if Alien One can wash her hair, as she's doing, there's a lot of hope for Robin's shower.

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

The Child's Play of Building Squirrels

Dear Reader,

The true mission of The Squirrel King is to engage the world with creativity, and a big part of that is having fun.

To start you need to procure some materials - in good time, Squirrel King kits will be available to everyone - but for now, Alien Two and I had to hit the local crafts store to buy the basic elements piecemeal.






As sometimes happens, Alien Two got a little carried away.







Back at the ranch, Vivian, our Squirrel King queen coached the Aliens, beginning with the pipe-cleaner backbone.


We didn't quite get to fur and tails yesterday, but it's always important to know there's something for tomorrow.


Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

In Search of Color and Beauty

Alien Two spent a couple of hours with her baby on a trip to the yarn store for supplies. Colors and textures abounded, but nothing compared to what was already at home ...

So on our return she jumped back into costume.



Very soon the Aliens, back in full costume, will be visiting Robin in her shower (which continues to get closer to greatness).

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims