Nuket group's Christmas swap 2002 - CRUCIFIXES

Some finished crucifixes.

I had never taken part in a swap before, but the idea of getting several mini surprises for Christmas was so tempting that I decided to join the Finnish Yahoo group's Christmas swap 2002. There turned out to be 19 of us, and the idea was to make as many more or less identical minis as there were people in the swap. Then we'd all send our minis to the swap organiser, who would send one of each different minis to everyone in the swap.
At first, I was thinking of making miniature jumpers, but the thought of making 19 identical ones was kind of Boring, and my jumper scale is still a bit too big for proper dollhouse scale as I only have one set of knitting needles, and they're just a bit too thick. So, it had to be something else. I considered FIMO foods, but many of the list members already make their own food, and are more experienced in making it than I am. But while I was fixing my broken crucifix with superglue (the cats broke it in Galway!), I thought maybe I could make mini crucifixes! I'd want one, anyway, for my own dollhouse..

I started by marking the matchsticks..

Going to glue the first crosses..

One glued..

I got this copper wire from inside an old lamp cable.. I'm on a very restricted budget, so free or cheap materials R Us! LOL And this stuff is actually really nice to work with, it's easy to bend, it's strong, it looks good as is, or it can be painted. Perfect!
I was playing with it, to see how to hang the crucifixes on the wall, and eventually ended up using just single wire (the crucifixes are so light, after all), which I also tied around the glued part, to make the cross stronger.

Testing different hanging options..

Drying the final glue..

Ready to be painted..

One painted (burnt umber 223), one unpainted..

I use a small brush like this..

First seven crosses, waiting for FIMO Jesuses..

Making more crosses..

Saving this stuff for later use!

All glued and drying..

Now it was time to start working on those tiny FIMO Jesuses.. Ideally, I'd have wanted to make them smaller than I did, but my only tool at this stage was the scalpel, so if I wanted any details on Jesus at all, I'd have to make him a bit too big for the cross. If any dentists happen to read this, feel free to send me any old tools you'd otherwise be throwing away.. LOL
So, I decided to make sort of "gingerbread style" Jesuses, by carving a human shape out of some FIMO, and then working on its details with my fingernails and the scalpel.

Here goes.. Using white FIMO (traditional)

Two Jesuses, waiting to be baked..

A closer look..

22 little Jesuses, heading to the oven..

After baking..

A finished item - close look.