Post #694832 by MadDogMike on Sat, Sep 28, 2013 9:22 AM

Hilda, Marlene, Wendy, Jon, David, Lance, & Greg ~ Thanks you very much, you are all friends and always welcome. I will keep the natives at bay and promise you won't be eaten!
Nothing new on the pirate ship tree house lately, pretty much finished building for now (current pics on the web page, link in my signature below) So it's just play and maintenance. As the boys get bigger I will have some age-appropriate additions like a giant-sized pirate version of the game Battleship.

Been busy with a "commercial" Tiki project that I can't post yet but did add a little embellishment to my "welcome sign" including this arrow stuck in the wooden shield.

I bought a Venus Flytrap at Home Depot the other day to plant in my tropical garden (I didn't know they are from the swamps of South Carolina!), we'll see how it does. I decided it must be the most "headhunter" of all plants so I decided to add a polymer clay version to my sign too


Looking at it now I realize I should have made the stem wrap around the spear. Maybe I'll need to add another one too?

Here's some step-by-step. I made the red inner "flower" part and baked it. Quarter to size comparison

I made a wire armature for the stem and the "teeth", epoxied it on and held it with clothes pins

After the first batch of epoxy dried, I removed the clamps and really gobbed on more epoxy. It was going to be covered so neatness did not matter, only strength.

Filled in the gaps around the wire and rolled out and cut the green underside part of the Fly Trap. Clipped the "tooth" wires

Then I pressed the green underside to the flower, covered the stem and teeth with more polymer clay and baked it in the oven.