The Laughter Of Children

Did you see young Tess celebrating England's women's football team winning a place in the finals? I care not a jot for football - but it was so heartwarming to see the sheer joy on this girl's face as she danced [well done BBC for arranging a couple of finals tickets for her] There is something so lovely about the innocent joy and laughter of children. The Hebrew name Isaac means "one who rejoices" or "one who laughs" and we have decided to name the little shepherd boy we are making from the Yard Sale Mannequin "Isaac" He is making us smile, anyway. Before he disappears up into the loft for 4 months, there has been some work done

Darned Armpits

The foam structure is covered with stockinette, and the heels, armpits, forearms and calves all had small holes which need darning before they ran into large holes. And some stains, which needed covering.

The Shepherd's Footstool

Bob has made a base from an old microphone stand [they cost £30 to buy] as the left leg is slightly raised - and rather than force it straight, we're going to build up the floor around it. The piece of wood has been labelled so we don't forget what it is.

Cut Off His Head!

Bob trimmed the neck and base of one of our spare polystyrene heads, and attached a wooden dowel so it can be slotted in place. But Isaac's skin and head were far too white. I got some spray paint which I thought would provide the right skin tone. It worked on the fabric- but Bob sprayed some on his polystyrene offcuts, and discovered the paint dissolved it! The head was given a protective coat of PVA, and the little man was taken to the summerhouse 

Spray Tan

This did not go as planned- it turned out orangey and glowing, like a sinister alien Donald Trump! I tried toning it down with brown blusher

...this is still a work in progress. 

First Coat

In the end I put a scarf over his head and draped some fabric round Isaac, and topped the outfit off with a waistcoat, just to get an idea of how he'd look in a shepherd's costume.

We are getting there, slowly. Come Advent, he will be a healthier colour, properly dressed, and have a lamb to carry! 

For now, he can join Mary and Joseph in the loft. As Ted Hastings might say "Does anyone have a spare wee donkey?"