“Nature’s Way”

1. My original design. I used a scene of two antelopes and made a template and adjusted the size to fit a rhea egg.

2. Adhered template to tracing paper with Elmers’s craft glue

3. First cut with pointed burr, second cut with flame burr, third cleaned up lines with green and then white stone

4. Same procedure for back of egg.

5.Taped off back section. Cut out front section for door.

6. Warm grey paint to outside. Spray 2-3 coats Krylon triple thick glaze.

7. Sepia wash- 1st wash black than mix of brown, burnt sienna, raw umber and black, water and Floetrol. Add gold leaf highlights and sprayed with Krylon triple thick.

8. Painted inside and inside of door. Attached an inside hinge.

9. Prepared base/stand. Base sprayed with Rustoleum hammered chestnut. Crystal chain added to leaves and stand. Attach stand to base. Place felt pads on bottom for finished look.

10. Add 1 mm leather cord around carving perimeter in hematite/topaz chain > leather> ball chain. Put door trim and opening trim together 1st so it will go together.

11. Made inside scene: prepare “mold” for clear resin. Carve out “pond” and second layer of blue tinted resin. Add scenery-rocks, water scum, etc. Paint over hole in egg with Pebeo blues to enhance pond color. Cut and paint deer charms and glue in. Tree trunks made from cold porcelain and added treetops. Trunks painted to look like bark (black wash and different brown washes). Trim edge of pons to fit into bottom of egg.

12. Epoxy egg to the stand before inserting inside scene. 6 ss smoked topaz flatbacks to inside back of egg and hinge. Glue in resin pond/deer scene.

13. Add filigree, hanging crystal, flatbacks etc.