Welcome to the Lilly Bug Blog!

Please visit and see what's happening behind the scenes at Lilly Bug Studio.

Don't hesitate to leave a comment or to follow this blog.

And please remember to visit the Lilly Bug Studio website and the Lilly Bug Boutique Etsy store.

Thank you for visiting! :-)

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Smiley Ad

Smiles are hidden within everyday objects. :-)

Have you seen the American Express commercial where they show everyday objects that resemble smiley faces? I love that ad. It's a very clever and creative ad that makes you look twice at objects to see if they have a new image to be discovered within them.

Take a look at this ad! :-)

Playful Penguins & Snowflakes

"Green" Penguins Playing in the Snow. Here are my UpCycled Sculptures made with burned out light bulbs.

Penguin Sculpture

These penguins are ready to play in the snow. In honor of the anticipated blizzard here in Wisconsin, my Playful Penguins proudly display snowflakes. I am not a fan of Wisconsin winters and snow, cold, etc. One of these days I hope to move to warmer, more mild temperate state. Do you like winter weather? And if so, what is your favorite part of winter and what do you like to do in the winter?

Penguin Sculpture

My Recyc-a-lite Penguin holding a snowflake.

I make these penguin sculptures using burned out light bulbs and Apoxie Sculpt. After I'm done sculpting them, I paint them with acrylic paint. Prior to covering the bulb with Apoxie Sculpt, I decide what the penguin will be holding or doing. Once I decide what the penguin will be doing, I begin to form the wing structure with wire mesh and masking tape. Depending on what the penguin is holding, the wing sculpting process can be tricky because once I cover it with Apoxie Sculpt, it can be difficult to make additional changes.

Penguin Sculpture

I try to vary what my penguins hold in their wings and what they do, to keep things from becoming stagnent. After I had a large stash of burned out bulbs from a local recycling center, I tried to sketch out a variety of penguin "activities" to help me figure out how to begin sculpting each penguin.

Penguin Sculpture

If you'd like to learn more about how I make my Playful Penguin sculptures, click the following:

Playful Penguin Process, Part 1

Playful Penguin Process, Part 2

Stop by my Etsy shop to see my line of Upcycled Sculptures.

Penguin Sculpture

Monday, December 7, 2009

Have a Cuppa Java

coffee cup magnet

Need a caffeine & cute fix? Here are some of my new coffee cup magnets that I sell at my Etsy store, Lilly Bug Boutique.

These magnets are fun to make. I love to pick out a color palette and having a "blank cup" to make a variety of designs on. If you have any ideas for a design to paint on a coffee cup, please let me know. Also, if you're interested in having a custom cup made for you or for a gift, I'd love to do a custom order for you. I also can make a coffee cup pin to wear, if you'd like a pin to match a magnet or a pin instead.

coffee cup magnet

One of my first coffee cup designs. The first coffee cup I made was attached to a personlized pen for a line I call "Artful Pens".

cup of coffee

I love the color combination of these bright colors of blue, magenta and green.

pink coffee cup

A nice pink colored coffee cup. :-)

ladybug coffee cup

And last but not least, a ladybug coffee cup. Since I'm a ladybug lover, I could not resist painting a cup with a ladybug design.

Which cup is your favorite?