Circus Elephant

 Michaels is now carrying adorable paper maché animals, including elephants! I went and picked up a few, and here's what I did with the first one: I painted the elephant grey with pink ears and cheeks. I had some great G45 polka dotted scrapbook paper, so I mixed up some colors to match the paper and painted a little blanket with a heart on her back. I painted a paper maché star box the light cream color, and then painted orange-y stripes on the sides. I then glued some more of the scrapbook paper to the top of the star. Once all that was dry, I used some inks to give the box and the elephant a little age and depth.

 Here's where the importance of being a magpie comes in: I found her little rubber ball a few months ago in a parking lot. Yes, they laughed at me when I scooped it up, but who's laughing now? Look how the color goes great with the rest of the piece! It's perfect! I attached the ball by sticking a sharp needle up through it, and then down through the trunk. A little dab of E6000 keeps it secure.

Here's her backside...

 

                                                                                                              ...isn't her bum so cute?