Author: Donna Augustine (Page 16 of 20)

Fire and Ice Blog Hop

February 7, 2014 / Donna Augustine / 67 Comments

Before I was a writer, I was a reader. One of my favorite authors is Karen Moning. So for this blog hop, I’ve decided to highlight my favorite romance from her, The Dark Highlander. I think this is the first book in which she really starts to write a darker hero. This trend in her writing carries forward into her next book and also her Fever Series, another absolute favorite of mine.

From his penthouse lair high above Manhattan, Dageus looks out over a glittering city that calls to the darkness within him. A sixteenth-century Scot trapped between worlds, he is fighting a losing battle with the thirteen Druids who possess his soul, dooming him to an eternity of sexual pursuit. When Chloe Zanders, student of antiquities, is drawn into his world, she finds the insatiable alpha male an irresistible lure.Before long, she is caught up in an ancient prophecy that will sweep her back into time to medieval Scotland. Plunged into a world of timeless magic and dark seduction, she will soon face the challenge of a lifetime: fighting thirteen evil spirits for the heart of one irresistible man….

To help you on your way to reading this great series, I’m giving away a $10 Amazon gift card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t stop here! All of the sites below are offering up their own giveaways!

Needle Felted Bulldog Giveaway and Quick Tutorial

January 19, 2014 / Donna Augustine / 27 Comments

What you’ll need:

100% Wool Batting

Brown Wool

Barbed Felting Needle

Foam Felting Pad

Black Beads

Needle & Thread

Black Clay Nose (You can find tutorial under Needle Felting. This is optional. You can substitute black wool. )

I never know exactly how I’m going to make something when I start. There is a lot of trial and error. This craft is very forgiving. Too little wool, add more. Too much? Just snip a chunk off with your scissors. Don’t be afraid to play around with it.

Here is my starting point. One chunk of batting and a barbed needle (38 gauge).

Now, start randomly poking the wool until you start to form a rough shape. That’s the beginning of the head, torso and back legs.

A little further along.

I need to get some front legs on!

I made a flat piece of felted wool that I’m attaching for ears. Will cut off excess wool after it’s secured. Start forming face.

Forming face. Now I need to sew in some black beads before I get any further. I stick a needle in through the back of the head and poke out near the eye socket. I push the needle back in and tie it in the back of the head. I cover the thread in the back with a light layer of wool.

I added some colored fur and eyelids. I glued on a clay nose and poked in the mouth and wrinkles more. I also added a few strands of grew wool to accent the mouth. To make wrinkles, just poke in a line repeatedly.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Keepers Audiobook Coming Soon!

January 15, 2014 / Donna Augustine / 0 Comments

I’ve got great news! I’ve contracted with a producer to have The Keepers made into and audiobook with the rest of the series to follow shortly after.

The narrator, Laurel Schroeder, nailed the essence of Jo right from the very first audition. She’s an extremely talented actress and has agreed to sign on to do the entire series. I can’t wait to hear what she does with the rest of the books. I’ll post a link to an audition sample as soon as it’s available.

The Keepers should be available sometime in March to coincide with the next book in the series.

Polymer Clay Nose Tutorial for Needle Felted Animals

January 12, 2014 / Donna Augustine / 7 Comments

I’ve recieved a lot of questions lately about needle felting, also known as soft sculpture. When I first started, all my information came from free online sources, so I’ve decided to return the favor by posting some tutorials of my own.

I’ve decided to start with how I make my noses.

All you need is a cuticle stick and a bar of polymer clay. Most craft stores sell small packages of polymer clay. Warning, don’t let the clay touch your finished wood surfaces. Whatever oils they use for this clay can be damaging.

Make a three dinmensional triangle but round all the edges. Make a line down the center.

With the point of the stick, make two holes.

Make lines from the holes, to the sides.

Check the package of your clay for baking temps and times. I baked mine at 265 degrees for twenty minutes.

After it cools, glue the nose onto your needle felted critter. I will sometimes make several noses in one batch for ease if I’m going to be doing a lot of felting. Also, it helps to have several size increments available.

My example below is a bulldog WIP. If you like him, check back in the next week or so. I’ll be posting a tutorial on how I made him and be giving him away.

Sculpting Dragons

December 30, 2013 / Donna Augustine / 2 Comments

I haven’t sculpted anything in a long while. I decided to break out the polymer clay for a New Year’s Day Giveaway over at www.ismellsheep.com

If you want to enter to win it, swing over there Jan 1st. They’ll have some pictures posted on how I made it. I’ll load up a more extensive tutorial over here at some point in the future for anyone interested.