A Quick Goodbye

I know, I'm bad.  Here's a not too fond farewell to January.  No pics this post but I will have some new pics this week.  January sucked.  I was so excited about it, so many things to finish, and new things to get going.  Then the winter creeping crud stopped by.  It seems everyone had one form or another of it, and it was cold, and there was snow.  Yuck!

I did manage:
1 book read
5 dolls made

That's it.  Ack! Okay, no one plans on getting sick.  It's the getting better that takes so much time and then you've got to get your creative mojo jump started again.  I'm working on it.

I think I'll list my creative going on next month.  Then you can really see how around the world I am about making things.  Plus, I've got to make up for lost time.

See ya January.  You are so last month!

Winter Wandi- Snow

Finally, another dollie done.  She had been done for a week now, I just needed to attach her hand crocheted hat and shawl.  You can barely see but there is a beaded snowflake on her hat and one closes her shawl.

I'm a work in progress and working on getting better at photographing my pieces, so bare with me.  Her arms and legs are a light blue color.  I had a time working with the eyelash yarn.  It works better when the piece is knitted.  But she is done and I like her.  I will be posting her on Etsy.

Skellie Sketches

All righty then.  Hello, hello, hello.  Well, just when you think that things are going great, you get a bucket of wrenches thrown at you.  I had a great start in January, got sick, and was just getting back in the swing of things when my wireless router went ca put.  I called the Internet provider to see if it wasn't them.  Of course it wasn't.  So I unplugged the wireless router and plugged up the cord from the provider to my laptop.  Things were okay for about 15 minutes and then I lost connection.  Unplugged things again.  Waited.  Got online and then nothing.  So it looks like I may need a new cord/cable which shouldn't break any banks.  Finger's crossed.

The good thing is that I didn't have a massive meltdown.  I told myself it wasn't the end of the world.  It may take a couple of days to get someone to look at what's really going on and to not crawl into a ball and hide under the covers.  I had other things that needed to be tended to.  So the big girl undies were pulled into place and I was off and running.

I did have an eye doctor appointment today.  It's been awhile.  A long while since I'd last been but the sight was getting iffy and I need my sight.  My new doctor is awesome!  Because she was young, she had the latest in optometry hardware.  I didn't even have to get my pupils dilated.  She put in a yellow dye and had a purple lens and a blue lens, along with a bright light to look into my eyeball.  They even had a set-up with a camera that took a pic of the inside of my eyeball.  It was so cool!

My eyes are healthy but my script has changed, significantly, so I do have to spend some money.  But knowing that my sight is A-okay, I'm back in business.

I can't move her back to the center but above is Jolly Regina.  I had a tiny thumbnail sketch of her made a long time ago.  I thought she'd be cute as a pirate and I had been telling myself to make a proper sketch to work by.  Yes, she will end up being a doll.  Just love pirates.  She's a skellie pirate.  More Day of the Dead like I guess.  She may or may not get some funky colors.

One Wreck Bart is her partner in pirate crime.  Stealing ice cream and candy from little old ladies.  They better be careful because some of those ladies have ninja skills.  I have their armatures done.  Now for the felting.  Yes, I'm all over the place with my work but I have the attention span of a gnat.  But that's why you come back.  Right?

I'd like to welcome Eli en Karina.  I didn't make out a blog page.  Hi!!!

The Next Batch

I finally got their eyes and lips painted.  These are my next batch of Winter Wandi Dolls.  I've got some yarn for hats and scarves but I'm having a problem deciding who should get what.  Maybe by the time I get their hair on, it'll be a bit easier to decide.

I've got to get them done so I can justify starting spring dollies.  Have a great one!

I'm on Etsy!

I finally did it and it was a challenge.  I'm finally on Etsy.  You can click on the Etsy link on my blog and go directly to my shop.  Now I'm still trying to figure it all out and it is a work in progress, so bear with me.  Right now my head hurts.  But I did it.  After much anguish and gnashing of teeth, and gnawing down finger nails.  I have Cassa and Lexa posted.  Next will be Goth Girl Wynn.

I did it.

New Fabric

Okay, so I wanted to start on some spring dollies because I'm tired of the winter weather.  I looked through my stash and I don't have anything.  Nothing.  Zilch.  I had to go to the grocery store and stopped by the fabric store nearby.  Or rather, I went to that grocery store, knowing that the fabric store was nearby.  Right.  I don't know if they haven't gotten their spring stuff in yet, but this is what I fell in love with.

Kind of springy.  The black and purple one is for some Goth Girls.  Didn't really see anything bright and spring or summer like.  Oh well, applique workshop is coming up and will stalk the fat quarter section while there.

Two Heads are Better Than One

I have an art exhibit coming up and pulled out these two heads.  They are made of polymer clay and I still like them.  That's why I will try to bring them to life.  I'm working out the details of their bodies.  I don't know if I want them as individual pieces or a team.  I'm going to have to work on that fast.

Ghostie Girl Simcha and Hugo

Here is Ghostie Girl Simcha and her pet spider Hugo.  I started her and four others last year and didn't finish them.  Well... they're part of the creative program and they must live. 

Simcha's body is needle felted over an armature.  Her tights, black shoes, and top are needle felted.  There are bead buttons on her Mary Jane's.  She's got black cotton bloomers and a embroidered wool vest.

Her eyes are needle felted, her eyebrows and mouth are made of embroidery floss.  I did a blanket stitch around the edges of her vest and also stitched a spider's web.  She has glitter spiders all over her vest.

You can see more of the embroidery and the web.  Hugo has a red flower on his collar.  Her hair is dyed wool that is felted onto her head.  Her cotton skirt, as you can see, has many spiders and webs on it.  I was going to name her Arachne but that's so typical.  Simcha and Hugo are on a mission for fun.

Hugo is made of metallic black pom oms, metallic black chenille stems for his legs, and googlie eyes.

My first new doll on my new shelf.  Is this great or what?!

Rats!

I have an acquaintance who used to have rats for pets.  I hear they make very good pets.  Well, I will take their word for it.  They are also very intelligent.  My pair of rats are the oh so cuddly type.  I got them from IKEA too.  They are my rat muses.  Maya named them Otis and Mildred.

The grey one is Otis.  He's got big feet.  Mildred is the one in white.  Or the one that is white.  Maybe I should make them winter sweaters.  They are going to be my models.  Won't be able to work on them until next month.  This month is Wandi doll month.

IKEA shelf

I pulled out an old recliner chair from my studio.  It had become a catch-all and it was in the way.  Plus, I needed room for some shelving.  So Maya and I went to IKEA to see what we could see.  It wasn't the first shelf I had seen some months ago.  Yeah, you know that saying, 'If you like it when you see it, you better get it.'  Lesson learned.  I think.  So here is my shelf.  One hour and 25 minutes of workout.

Next time, I have to remember to leave myself enough room to get around the project.  Also, a buddy would have been nice.  You know, you always need an extra set of hands.  A power tool would have helped along with wine and pizza.  Maybe a movie too.

Here is my new shelf in its place, where the recliner was.  I'm so excited!

Another shot and you can see some of my babies hanging up.  I've heard the horror stories of putting together IKEA furniture.  Someone wished me Godspeed.  Of course, I saw that as a challenge and it's a shelf.  Not an entertainment unit.  I am very proud of myself.  Toodles!

First dollies of 2011

I decided to relax over the weekend.  I had wanted to get right to work but asked myself when would I have a nice long weekend to celebrate a holiday again?  I mean, the next time off is Memorial Day.  So, I took a break.  I was invited by neighbors across the street to ring in the New Year.  It was very sweet of them, I went and had a ball.  The food was awesome.
    A relish dip of some sort with eggplant, onions, tomatoes; a roasted red pepper cheese; another herb cheese spread; mushrooms stuffed with chopped mushrooms and spinach; salad; bread, and rosemary herb bread; veggie and meat lasagna; spaghetti and huge meatballs; cookies, brownies, and tiramisu.  Of course, the vino and champagne when the clock struck midnight.  Good thing I lived across the street.

I didn't want to start off the new year by mentally berating myself for not doing anything.  I mean it's only day three.  So I cut myself some slack.  After watching movies for three days and seeing some extremely handsome men, I finished my first dolls of the year.

The Wandi Girls.  From left to right, Lexa, Wynn, and Cassa.

I just love this pattern and I have new clothing designs for them coming up.

 Wynn the Goth Girl.

 Cassa a Wandi Witch.

 Lexa, also a Wandi Witch and Cassa's BFF.

Is she sassy or what?

Cassa is a bit more demure.

Lexa is ready to have fun.  Or cast a spell on a termite.  They will be the first on my new Etsy shop.  That info will be posted very soon.  Cheers!

See ya 2010!

Yes, I'm a little late in my New Year post. 

Happy New Year everyone!

Yes, 2010 is so out-of-here.  So last year.  It was a good year for me.  I worked very hard to accomplish:
30 individual projects
16 needle felted pieces
37 dolls
2 paintings
17 greeting cards
2 finished quilts
13 books read
3 art shows
4 shops displaying my work
1 trip to the mountains
1 trip to Myrtle Beach
1 manuscript completed

I made many new friends, lost some, and was dumped by a few others.  Their loss.  How does that poem go, some friends are there for a day, some a season, but all for a reason.   Yep!  I am moving forward.  Been waiting for this year the past month.

I claimed 2009 as my year.  I worked out a plan for my life.  I worked it in 2010, putting those plans into action.  Changing some, adding new ones, getting rid of those that just didn't work.  Got frustrated at times, but never gave up.  Not an option and have deleted those words from my vocabulary.  I worked harder last year and just now realizing it.  Now I know where to step things up.

I am so looking forward to 2011.  I'm going to rock it!  Going to new places, meeting more cool people, creating new work, designing on a different level.  Yes!  2011 will rock.

These curtains were my last project of 2010.  It was getting mighty cold in the south.  The coldest December in these parts in a long time.  I needed something to catch the draft.  The fabric was bought for an 18th century English Country Dance costume.  Wellll...... I needed the curtains more than the costume.

I made all those little tabs too.  It was so bad after I figured out what I had to do and by the time I got to the last one, it was a piece of cake.

The curtains are also reversible.  So in the spring, they'll be laundered and turned around.  Sometimes I can be clever.  Time to move on.

I'd like to welcome The Red Angel at http://www.xtheredangelx.blogspot.com/ and Natalia at http://www.myuniquedreamdollhouse.blogspot.com/ to the party.