Tuesday, 24 July 2012

You're Mocking Me Aren't You ?

Fresh on the heels of my Toy Story Keepsake Box themed after Andy's room comes another one from the same movies.....this time it's Buzz Lightyear himself that gets the glory.


I had a lot of fun with this one. It wasn't easy and quite a few things went wrong (they always do) but the end result is one I am very pleased with.


I wanted this one to be quite obviously Buzz. A box that you could tell straight away was Buzz Lightyear without even seeing the top. It features all his iconic colours, his control panel buttons and logos.....the whole kit and caboodle !


I am planning on producing a Woody box to keep the Buzz one company but it may have to wait as I have some other projects I want to do first.


If you are intersted in purchasing this one of a kind Buzz Lightyear Keepsake box, then please visit my ETSY shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChasingWhimsies

Where it can be yours for the rather bargain price of $39.99





Tuesday, 17 July 2012

Give-away !!!

I have a created an exclusive piece for a fantastic Disney Fan blog called Disneyland Guru.

It's entitled "Clockwork Mouse" and features what is clearly the iconic Mickey Mouse symbol.


It's a bit more abstract than some of my other Steampunk creations but that was my intention.

If you want to be in with a chance of winning this one of a kind piece, head over to Disneyland Guru, check out what a great site it is and have a go !

And if you want to see what else I have on offer to buy, visit my ETSY shop


Tuesday, 12 June 2012

What's This, What's This ???

I can't remember the first time I saw The Nightmare Before Christmas but I do remember being completely enthralled by it from the very first few minutes.


I have always been a fan of Tim Burton anyway and I am probably one of the few people that think his version of Planet of the Apes is actually quite good ! But I digress.


The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favourite films and I find myself going back to it time and time again to watch. It is magnificent in High Definition and I wanted to create a keepsake box that would do the film justice.


So here is my second keepsake box creation. It's quite a bit larger than my Toy Story box but that was deliberate because I wanted my next project to be BIG !


I had a lot of fun creating the gravestones and of course I couldn't forget one for Zero so his kennel is featured on one of the sides. I decided to keep the town background the same for all four sides but thought a varied range of gravestones would look really good.


Finishing the sides off are the essential bats that any self respecting Halloween Town would want and the lid is decorated with four rather lovely looking pumpkins.


This was a real labour of love for me and I am now busy working on another Pixar themed box so keep your eyes peeled for that.


This box is for sale via ETSY




Monday, 14 May 2012

To Infinity............and Beyond ???

As well as producing one of a kind Steampunk pendants I have also ventured into the keepsake box side of things now. I have always been fascinated by themed boxes and have quite a collection of 'official' ones myself but I really wanted to dip my toe into the water and start creating some myself.

As with all my projects I tend to have more than one on the go at any one time. To be honest my head is like a roulette wheel of ideas most of the time and I find it hard to commit to one project in case I forget any of the other ideas that are spinning round so whilst today I present to you my first keepsake box, trust me, many more are just round the corner.

So here is my first in what will hopefully be one of many keepsake boxes.........Toy Story.
Available to buy from my ETSY SHOP


I love the Toy Story films. In fact all the Pixar films are very dear to me for many reasons but I will never forget going to the cinema to see Toy Story for the first time way back in 1995 and being amazed at what I was witnessing.

From that moment I was hooked and have been a fan of everything Pixar ever since.

This box is based on all three Toy Story films but the main decoration is clearly focused on the original film.....and Andy's wallpaper.


Painted in a beautiful shade of sky blue, I wanted the clouds to really stand out so I hand sculpted every single cloud, even the small ones, from white polymer clay and then (because I wasn't happy with the shade of white) painted each cloud with a high quality white paint that I was happy with.


The 'wooden' bun feet are actually made from two different colours of polymer clay which I blended together to give that authentic wooden look and feel.


The top of the box was originally going to be covered with some very small Toy Story toys that I had gathered over the years and, although the quality of the toys was overall very good, it started to look very busy and a bit messy so I decided to keep it simple yet effective and made some individual stamps featuring all my favourite characters.


Most keepsake boxes I have collected over the years have always been pretty plain on the inside but I wanted to something that wouldn't interfere with storage but still give the box a special quality. As to be expected with Andy's bedroom, the inside has a laminated wooden floor, white skirting boards and the inside lid is dedicated to Andy's wall and features two drawings of Buzz and Woody from Andy himself and some of his favourite stickers.


I am very, very pleased with my first box project. The quality is very high throughout and I am looking forward to showing you my next one........which is a nightmare........and hopefully before Christmas ;)


Wednesday, 4 April 2012

Welcome to Chasing Whimsies

Hi, thanks for stopping by.

I'm Andi Child from Chasing Whimsies.

I have been making one of a kind pendants, keepsake boxes and various other Steampunk inspired items for quite a while now but I recently (at the suggestion of one of my best friends) decided to sell my creations on the internet. You can find all of my items for sale at Etsy.com.

I am still testing the water so to speak and at the moment I have only listed a small number of items to see what people are in to, but hopefully if you are reading this you might find something you like !

I suppose my first exposure to Steampunk was back in 2003 when I went to see "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen". I was transfixed at the remarkable inventions, fashions and creativity in front of my eyes and I knew I wanted to be part of it. 

I spent many months researching everything I could about the Steampunk genre but, as with many things, life got in the way of what I really wanted to do. I am now in a position to pursue my creativity and, after making items for my friends and family, I feel I am now ready to offer my creations and projects to the general public. 

So why "Chasing Whimsies" ? Well I have spent many years doing just that.....chasing one whimsy after another so I thought I would name my business after what I do best.....chasing whimsies.

My interests range from animals to music, theatre, shopping and my ultimate favourite......films. I find myself completely transported when watching a good movie and you will find some of my work is very inspired by films I see. 

The purpose of this blog is to show you any upcoming projects I have on the go, finished items and general opinions I may have on anything that takes my fancy !

Until the end of April I am offering Free Shipping on all items, no matter how many you buy

Here are some of the items I currently have on Etsy :






















Well, I hope you have enjoyed your 'taster' of Chasing Whimsies. Please stop by again and, if you feel inclined, treat yourself to one of my creations ;)

Andi x