Joanna Thomas Art Dolls

I Am Still Here!

2011-06-24T07:20:00.000-07:00

Well I have not died and still among the living! I am grossly behind here and am embarrassed about it. I had lots of plans at the beginning of the year AFTER my break, but everything has been pushed to the back burner for now.

I have run into some health issues.. and if you follow me on Facebook (my private page, not my fan page) you know a little about what's going on. If not I will just leave it to say that my foremost priority the last few months is getting healthy and staying healthy. So in the intern my dollies have had to take a back seat to my life.

I get a lot of emails asking when I will have another doll available and at this point I have no answer for that. I HOPE to have one before the end of the year. I will try though and if things improve then I promise you I will do everything in my power to have dolls this year!

Soooo in the meantime! Sarah with ADO (Art Dolls Only) did a little feature on me over on the ADO blog http://artdollsonly.blogspot.com/?spref=fb

If you read it you can see just how goofy I really am! (Thank you so much Sarah for the article!)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Summer and not burning up in the heat as it is down south!

I appreciate all of your support here and thank everyone that emails me and keeps up with me on Facebook and all your wonderful comments and notes. They mean more to me than I can say. I will TRY to keep this blog updated more.. but please bare with me as I sort out my personal health issues. I love you all! xoxo

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-16T15:53:00.000-08:00

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all! Thank you for following me in 2010! I love you all and wish you and your loved ones a very safe and happy holidays!
I am hard at work on new dolls for 2011 just like the little girl in the painting above only I have a chihuahua watching me instead of a collie~
xoxo~

A French Girl

2010-10-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

"Marcelle"

A little French girl

As you can see I've been busy! This is my new doll "Marcelle". I've been working on her several weeks and we had a bit of a bumpy road getting here but as you can see we made it! I cannot tell you how pleased I was at how she turned out. I only had a vague image of how I wanted to do her outfit to look and no idea what fabrics or colors I would use. My favorite color is blue with white and though her pantaloons and hat look black they are a beautiful jewel blue (thank you 'S' for the fabric!).... (and thank you Npin for your beautiful inspiration)...xoxo

I kept trying to add more colors to her but nothing worked and everything inside me kept telling me to just go with the white.. so there you go. I love the results and am so happy I did! I have been working on the ball jointed neck for sometime and she is the first doll I have done that's head tilts up and down as well as side to side. That was a real feat for this un-mechincal person! I LOVE the ball joint and how it allows for the changing of positions with the head! I hope you love her as much as I do....

"Marcelle" is available in my Etsy shop

http://www.etsy.com/listing/60588408/art-doll-by-joanna-thomas-ooak-inchelina

The weather here is FINALLY cooling off! I can't wait! xoxo

The Royal Sisters

2010-09-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

Princess Maud & Princess Alexandra

Two Royal Sisters

So I decided to take on a bit of a project unsure where I was going or what I was doing other than I wanted to create two dolls together. I went into this project with no direction. At first I wanted two twins that stood.. well as you can see that changed! They ended up wanting to sit so there you go... Then I soon realized creating two heads that looked identical was not as easy as I had hoped.. and though they favor, to me they do not look alike. I have rarely got to see two of my dolls side by side so this was a real eye opener for me! Next I wanted them to be a little shabby in their dress and not so precise. I get so wrapped up in details.. so this time I wanted to relax that a bit and have my two girls appear like to little girls that were perhaps running across the lawn before they were scolded inside to 'sit' for their portrait. So hence the messy hair and bows and unruly skirts. Though they did manage to put thier crowns on...

Their heads are both ball jointed and for some reason Alexandra's (the blonde) turns better than Maud's. Still working out the kinks I guess!

And just who is Princess Maud and Alexandra? Well here is a blub of history..

Princess Alexandra was the 2nd Duchess of Fife, and a member of the British Royal Family, granddaughter of King Edward VII. Her sister Maud was Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk. They had the distinction of being the only female line granddaughters of British Sovereign to receive the title of Princess of Great Britian and Ireland and the style Highness.

But my girls are just that.. girls who for a moment in time appeared a bit like two sisters who were sharing secrets and really not so worried about how they looked or what lay in store for their great futures in history.

I styled the wood bench they are sitting on... and covered it in a very fine imported silk fabric. Well my girls being girls slipped right off the slick fabric! Soooo I had to improvise a bit so their dresses wouldn't be so slippery on the seat so I added a bit of antique lace across the seat so now they sit just fine an no more slip slidding away~

Available in my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/Inchelina

(as soon as I can get them listed!)

Portrait of Adela

2010-08-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

"Portrait of Adela"

This is what I have been doing the last couple of weeks. This is one of those dolls that just evolved as I worked. I went in with one idea that just got lost midway so I let the doll take over and be what she wanted to be. In the end she came out reminding me of one of those antique portraits of a young girl with the big sash around the waist. I don't do sit down dolls very often just because they are not as much fun to dress as a standing doll and not as easy! But it was time to do one so here we have Adela sitting on her bench. I also have long wanted to do a big bonnet and have no idea why I haven't until now! I did the ball jointed head again and think I have perfected the technique. I love the idea that I can move her head and change her pose!

I hope you enjoy her as much as I enjoyed creating her~

She is available in my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/Inchelina

The Winner of Blog Giveaway!

2010-08-20T11:47:00.001-07:00

When it's your birthday you can do whatever you want! Well almost whatever... On mine I choose to give the lucky winner of my blog giveaway a gift! And the winner of my "Young Frida Kahlo" is Rocky from Rocky Mountain Fairies! Happy Birthday Rocky!! (Rocky please contact me as I don't have your email and need your address!)

Thank you so much for everyone that entered! I enjoyed reading everyone's post and can never put into words what they meant to me. Just to see you stopping was truly an honour!

Blessing to all!

xoxo

Le Cirque

2010-08-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

Please meet

Babette & Gigi from Le Cirque

I am really happy and excited about this duo for a couple of reason. Babette is the first doll I have done with a jointed head! Her little head will turn from side to side! I am so not mechanical so working this out in Polymer which is not known for putting a lot of pressure on it without issues was a real challenge for me. But with a little help from digging deep into my imagination I have worked out a joint that is very strong and still allows the movement of the jointed head and the strength needed in the clay for this process. The second reason I am really happy is because of Babette's dog Gigi a tiny Boston Terrier. Long long before I sculpted dolls I was making animals. It is not something I talk about or is it widley known. I have made all kinds of animals from tiny stuffed ones to polymer ones. Gigi is sculpted in polymer and once again creating a little critter brought me much satisfaction seeing her come to life!

I love this set and I hope you do too...! I think they are among my most favorite.

Babette & Gigi are available in my Etsy shop http://www.inchelina.etsy.com

Don't forget to sign up for my blog giveaway ending August 22, 2010! To enter go to my previous blog post titeled "Blog Giveaway and ADO Challenge" and leave a comment there for your chance to win the bust Young Frida Kahlo. Good luck! And thank you to all those that have entered so far! I am very touched and honoured by everyone that has entered.

I noticed that some of the entries have their emails set to private so at the end of the giveaway please check back here to see the winners name posted as I may be unable to contact the winner via email personally to let them know! xoxox

Blog Giveaway and ADO Challenge

2010-07-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

This is the blog give away I mentioned on Facebook earlier this month! I have decided that I am going to give away the piece I created for the Art Doll Only (ADO) group for the Frida Kahlo mini challenge.

This is how my blog giveaway is going to work. To enter all you have to do is leave me a post here beginning today July 30th 2010. That's it! Nothing else! I will take all the entry names and draw on August 22 which happens to be my birthday! It will honour me to be able to give away one of my figures. I will post the winner here.

This piece I created is a small bust inspired by Frida Kahlo in celebration of Frida's birthday that was in July. The whole piece measures about 8 inches including the base. The figure is a bust and the bust alone measures about 3.5 inches. She has hand painted features with hand applied tiny hair eyelashes. The shaw is fine fabric that includes rare antique glass beads taken from an antique blouse, and a rare antique applique on the backside, antique gold pins, and real dried flowers. She wears earrings and a necklace all made from antique beads and sequins. All costuming is not removable . Her wig is Tibetan lamb hair.I have hand made her base from 4 seperate antique and vintage brass findings and wood that I put together which the bust is removable from for shipping. All signed and dated and comes with a signed card by me.

This is my way of saying thank you to all my fans who have followed me and supported me for doing what I love to do. I appreciate everyone of you and thank you for being there for me!
Good luck everyone! xoxox

The Circus Act

2010-07-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

Please meet Mia and Coco

I have been busy the last couple of weeks! This is my new doll Mia and her little monkey Coco. Mia works in the circus which sometimes is not so kind, so her dress is a little shabby from the circus life she lives. Mia finds joy in her little monkey Coco.. He is always with her to make her smile and laugh when she feels sad...

Mia and Coco are ready to leave the circus and come and live with someone special. This special pair is available now in my Etsy shop http://www.inchelina.etsy.com

Details on the pair are there.

And finally I have decided that I am going to do a blog giveaway! Yeah! It will happen sometime in August as my birthday is in August! I will post details later with pictures of what is going to be the giveaway.. so just hang tight until then!

And I want to say a special thank you to all those that follow my blog. It means so much to me to have your support and your comments. I can never thank you all enough but know I sincerly appreciate all of you! xoxo

Lizbeth

2010-06-19T09:37:00.001-07:00

"LIZBETH"

This is a project I started last May 2009. I came across and illustration and wrote to the artist Barbara Canepa and asked if I could do a figure after their character. The artist emailed me back at that time and was gracious enough and happy to allow me to do a figure after their illustration. I started this figure last year but because I could not settle on certain aspects I set it aside.

After much thought and contemplation over the next year about what I wanted this figure to be I went back to the drawing board and started on her again.

Here is "Lizbeth" in the end results! I hope you enjoy "Lizbeth" as much as I enjoyed creating her! She is a dark moody little thing... and I am sure has many secrets to share...but only to the one that claims her first to come and live with them ;-)

She is available now in my Etsy shop http://www.inchelina.etsy.com/

I home everyone is having a wonderful (and hopefully not to hot!) Summer!

xoxo

Something special

2010-05-17T17:16:00.001-07:00

These beautiful pottery pieces are by my long time friend Wesa Parkinson. I have known Wesa since I was 14 or 15 years old. We lost touch for many odd years but reconnected not long ago and it was like no years had passed and we picked right back up where we left off over 30 years ago. We also discovered that we have a special connection to each other because we both have a love of art. She had no idea I was an artist and I had no idea she was an artist until our souls touched and that spark spoke to both of us.. and if you are an artist reading this you know what I mean!
Anyway I wanted to share a bit of Wesa's pottery with you and her shop at Etsy, Cloud 9 Pottery www.cloud9pottery.etsy.com
These are a few of my favorite peices from her shop. The above piece is titeled "You are the Key".
The piece above is called "Bone Yard". When Wesa showed me this piece that is the first thing I thought of when I saw it... and I told her this so that's what she named it! I was so flattered!

This one is called "Embrace". If you know me and my dolls you know that the name I pick for my dolls is as important as the doll herself... It's all part of the process and sometimes the names come slowly and sometimes not! I love all the names of Wesa's pieces as much as I love her pottery.

I hope you enjoy visiting Wesa's Etsy store and seeing the other lovely pieces she has available!

Thank you my dear friend Wesa for sharing your beauty with us!

More later~

xoxox

Hannie Sarris

2010-05-03T08:16:00.000-07:00

Hannie Sarris our fellow dollmaker passed away yesterday... I will miss her. She leaves behind a legacy of her beautiful artwork...http://www.hanniesarris.nl/
God rest your soul dear Hannie. May you rest in peace~
xoxo

Spring is here!

2010-04-10T14:40:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is having a happy Spring and enjoying the warmer weather! I don't know how it is where you live but in the south the pollin is just murder! You can actually see the yellow blowing around in the wind around the pine trees! Everytime I go outside I start this annoying hacking cough.

Here is what I have been up to... here is a sneeky peeky of the figure I am currently working on. I am very pleased how she turned out. She will go into the oven in the next few days. Yes I have that wierd long thought out process.. and why it takes me so long to finish one! I started this one around March 2nd I think. I finished her 2 nights ago. Of course I may go back and tweek her a bit before she finally makes it to the oven. I have to say this is the process I don't much like.. I am all about painting them and dressing and I think why I drag me feet so in the sculpting stage. Plus I have turned into this annoying perfectionist.. sigh...and why I don't know cuz you know all this is going to be covered in garb. Anyway at least you can see she is on her way finally!
Now who she will be and how she will be dressed is a surprise! You guys know I am not about WIP pics so this is one of my rare post to see one. So enjoy and excuse the crummy pic.
My dog CC sends her love along with me.. (she is parked beside me on the sofa as usual~~)
xoxo~woof

Fille du Faune

2010-02-28T18:54:00.000-08:00

I finally finshed my new figure... This is "Fille du Faune". She is a little woodland faun so hence why you see a little hoof peeking out of her coat. She has faun legs. Originally she was going to have an owl with her.. but it didn't work.. so I went with a harp...(you can see the harp in this picture leaning by her foot). Then I changed my mind again and thought she needed a blackbird.

I was really happy how her scruffy crow turned out. He has a bell around his neck.

She also has little leather spats on her legs to keep her faun legs warm out on those cold nights in the woods! Can you tell I love details!? LOL

Her face is a bit spotted on the sides which is how I see a faun... though it doesn't show much here. I used a lot of different elements here than what I normally would use. Red heads are rare for me... and this is the first time I have used this shade of red. Fauns are rare for me. I have only done 2 before and both were standing. The dark moody colors are not typical for me... but fit the theme here. Anyway I had fun doing this piece and hope you like her too. I actually finished her yesterday and have already started on the next one! I'm grossly slow when it comes to creating but I have a long thinking process as I work which sometimes takes me days to ponder things.

I want to thank everyone that visits my blog and I especially appreciate your notes you leave me here. I am sorry if I miss some of the post on the blogs I follow... but if I am always reading (which is what I love to do!).. then I would never get to create...so I have to divide my time and then I fall behind on the blog post. But know I love you all and thank you for sharing in my passion.

I also want to thank those that have passed blog awards to me. I don't get to always post them but know I really appreciate them and they mean the world to me. I received a new one today.. The Sunshine Award... from Spradora http://asifbymagicbackgrounds.blogspot.com/ and Shannon http://shannonsminiblog.blogspot.com/ I am to pass it to 6 blogs I love... I love every single one! Sooo hard to choose.. so let me think a bit.. LOL

Blessings to all.... xoxox

Joanna

Paintings and other

2010-02-03T07:47:00.001-08:00

I met a very sweet artist on Facebook named Heidi M. Drake who does paintings. She asked me if she could paint some of my dolls. She sells on eBay under the name ‘heidimdrake’ if you want to see more of her beautiful work. I was really honored and excited to see the first painting she did of one of my dolls… that I have posted here. The title of this one is “Antoinette’s Pride”…She let me name it :-)
I am excited to see what other paintings she does of my dolls!

I have a Fan Page over on Facebook that if you would like to follow along with what I do please join! I also have a private page where I just goof off that you can join also but I talk less about my dolls on my private page.

Now below is a picture of my ‘pride’..

This is my dog CC. She was 12 on Christmas and I have had her since she was 4 weeks old. So you see were are pretty attached. Over the years CC has watched me create many a dolls. Actually every one of them. That is unless it's after 9:00pm. That is her bed time and like clock work when the clock strikes nine she gets up and goes to bed.

She keeps wondering herself when I am going to finish the one I am working on now! I am happy to say she is finished and ready to be fired.. but as always before I fire one I let it sit a bit before it goes into the oven. Just part of my wierd process. I am very pleased with her thus far!

xoxo~ Joanna

Catching up again!

2010-01-18T14:20:00.000-08:00

I came into my blog and saw I still had "Merry Chirstmas" up! Shows you how far behind I get...! So just a quick note to get that last post moved on...
I am working on several things now.. a miniature doll because I haven't done one in eons and I get asked all the time when I will do another.. and a commission that should prove to be interesting...
I also am working on an odd piece to sell... It was one I started on last year that got shoved to the back burner as other obsessions took over my mind but I am finally getting back to it.

It's been freezing cold down in ole Mississippi but this week has finally warmed up a bit and I have felt more like sculpting. I have added another night of my exercise class to my week which cuts into my doll time but at my age it gets serious about staying in shape before it's too late!

Now I am off in a dash to try and catch up on what everyone else has been doing!
xoxo

Merry Christmas

2009-12-14T12:44:00.000-08:00

Are you ready for the holidays? I'm not but I'm getting close! I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
What special memory do you have of this holiday? Or what special gift do you remember as a child that shines above the others? I remember how my Mother would take us in the car Christmas Eve to the Diamond Oak subdivision in Ft. Worth to look at all the lights.. Each street had it's own theme.. one was called Candy Cane lane with giant candy canes in the front yard. All the neighbors for each street would participate. It was such a treat for me and my sisters to see!
The best toy Chritmas I remember was when I was 7 or 8 I got lots of Mattel Liddle Kiddles and a Kiddle house and a Mattel Baby Small Talk. I can still see in my minds eye how it was set up under the tree when I ran into the livingroom! Those are memories I would love to live over again... Nothing is so magical as Christmas in a child's eye. God Bless each and every one of you and may all your dreams come true..
xoxo

Alice

2009-12-01T10:28:00.000-08:00

Please meet "Alice" my new doll.

She has a very sweet little face that will steal your heart.

She is holding my hand here and telling me goodbye... that it is time for her to go out into the world. It is a sad parting for us as we have become close friends.

Alice is available in my Etsy shop. Please if you buy her love her for me and let her know she is missed.

I have started a Fan Page on my Facebook that's just about my dolls if you would like to follow me there too.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Joanna-Thomas-Art-Dolls/178845286066

xoxox

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-23T06:47:00.001-08:00

"The Fairy Bakers" (by Lisa Kettell). Two precious children getting ready to bake away! I love this image!
I know everyone is getting ready for their Thanksgiving with family and friends and lots of food.
I want to wish everyone a blessed and safe Thanksgiving holiday.
Thank you all for following my blog and all your comments.. and thank you for all the blog awards I have received recently from so many wonderful artist! It is a true blessing to me!

My new doll will be available right after the Thanksgiving holidays. I am sorry I can't post an exact date she will go up on Etsy. It's always hit or miss for me these days but I promise you will see her in the next week!

Be safe and don't eat to much like me through this holiday!

xoxox

A New Doll!

2009-09-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

I took the whole Summer off from my dolls but have finally returned with a new one for the first day of Fall. This is "My Pearl". Please see my previous post about the inspiration behind this doll. This doll is very speical to me because as anybody that knows me, knows my little 11 year old chihuahua is always right beside me. Her name is CC but I have always called her "my pearl" because that is what she is to me. So I dedicate this special doll to my beloved pet pearl. My husband said when I finished this doll that she looks just like me so I find that fitting that here I am holding my pearl...
A Special thank you to Amy for allowing me to use her image! Thank you Amy for thinking of me when you did Teacup Prince!
My Pearl is available now in my Etsy shop.
(she can also be displayed without the chihuahua)
xoxox

The Tanglebox

2009-09-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite artist and friend's is Amy Ingram. I met Amy on Deviant about a year ago and just fell in love with her artwork. Here is a link to her Deviant page http://thetanglebox.deviantart.com/ Amy does digital photo manipulation art and it is just wonderful! I have used one of Amy's images for a doll I did last year that you will reconize from the images below. Her piece was titled "Polly". I titled mine "Poppy". Amy is from Australia and oddly my Poppy ended up in Austalia with a collector there.

I wanted to feature Amy's work here not only because I adore her work but also because she has been so gracious to allow me to use another one of her images to do another doll after. It also ended up that I was able to purchse the only print Amy did that I did my doll after. I was thrilled about that!

I won't say just yet which one it is but if you know me well you can figure it out. Enjoy the images below of some of Amy's work and please visit her page to see more of her precious art work.

I tried to take pictures this morning of my doll (yes she really is finished I promise).. but it has rained for days here and it's just too dark and gloomy. Pictures will go up as soon as the sun comes back out! xoxo

TWINS
POLLY

TEACUP PRINCE

Returning

2009-09-16T04:41:00.000-07:00

I have been absent here for most of the Summer due to the very long and hard work from the renovations my husband and I have done to our home. I am happy to announce we are officially done! And it will go up on the market very very soon! Like a Vampire it sucked the life out of me and ate up every single spare moment I had. I cannot tell you the relief it is to say we are finished!

In the meantime last month I had the 'big' birthday and I wanted to share with you one of the gifts a very speical artist friend sent to me!

Imagine my suprise when I opened this present and saw my very own 'Alice Dream Child' staring back at me done in water color by the very talented Patricia Cabrera. As some of you know 'Dream Child' was one of my most personal treasured dolls that I made... and I can't tell you how happy I am to have her forever in a painting and made even more special that such a special person as Patricia did it for me! Please visit Patricia's blog and see the beautiful Ball jointed dolls that she is now creating http://patitadolls.blogspot.com Thank you again Patricia!!!!

On another note... I am almost finished with my latest doll. I can't tell you how happy and excited I am to finally be able to say that! I will post in the next few days on her!

A special thank you to those that wrote me in my time away to check on me and let me know I was missed. It was very much appreicated! I am so happy to finally be back!!! I have missed you all!

xoxox

Poking my head in

2009-08-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

Just poking my head in to say I am still hanging about! Its a crazy time right now but I am very slowly winding down with all the 'house stuff' going on, AND have been back to work on my poor doll that has been waiting to get her clothes on!

The heat is on in Mississippi! I am ready for the Fall!

xoxo

Taking Giant Leaps

2009-07-10T07:51:00.000-07:00

(Another film publicity shot of Disney, Mia Wasikowska shown as Alice from the new film, Alice in Wonderland)

Do you ever feel like this? Like your peering down into nothing? I ran across this image a few days ago and boy is this me! This image just about sums up how I feel right now.
Like I am perched on the edge of something about to take a leap.
This last year my husband and I have given up every weekend to go back to our old house that we have been renovating to sell. This weekend will just about complete it and I can't beleive it! With the ending of that finally drawing near I feel an uncertain future of how everything will work out. Like I am looking down a giant hole into blackness.
Anyway with giving up my weekends to work on the house, it has cut drastically into my 'doll time' so hence why I haven't had anything new in awhile. I also have devoted Monday and Tuesday nights to a Kick Boxing/Cardio/Step class. I have a 'big' (age wise) birthday next month and I decided that before I hit the 'big one', I had to make some life changes. The class is brutal. I have even come home and shed tears over it, because it is so hard. Who would ever think that I once fancied myself a ballerina?
I am happy to report though the class is finally paying off and I can see and feel the results! I have pulled out of hibernation the tiny clothes I once wore years ago! I am so proud cuz I am the oldest gal in there and I am keeping up with those 20 something chicks!
I've also taken this Summer to read some books. I read all the time anyway but rarely did I before in the evening because I was always working on a doll. Now I have kicked back the last two months in the evenings when I do have some free time and read. I have read like 4 books in two months. I have suffered guilt over it because I am ignoring my dolls but something inside me tells me I need to do this now on all levels... read a book, get in shape... and just relax. As I am about to leap into that hole... and who know what awaits me down there!

(PS.. I had someone write me saying that my Icon is not showing up on the blogs I follow. I have no idea why. I am still getting updates on all the blogs I watch but I don't see my Icon either. I can only guess it's a glich on Google as I haven't dropped anybody and am still here!)

xoxxoo

Alice

2009-06-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

This is a film publicity image released by Disney, Mia Wasikowska is shown as Alice from the new film, Alice in Wonderland coming March 5, 2010.
I've seen a lot of pictures released for the film but this is by far my favorite. I've done lots of Alice figures over the years as she is one of my most fav characters to do and once did an Alice in a pose very similar to this one...
I know this film is going to be visually stunning! I can't wait!
xoxox

What have I been doing?

2009-06-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

I am so behind in my post here. Summer's are always busy for me with the warmer weather and we are still in the middle of renovating a house so my weekends are locked up until that's done. Plus I joined an exercise class 2 nights a week so that has eaten into my doll time also.
I feel so guilty for not staying on track with my dolls but I realized the other day that I have not taken a break from making dolls in 6 years other than a day here and there! So I kind of feel like I have earned one. That is not to say I haven't been working on anything. I actually have a doll completed in the sculpting stage but just can't seem to get her in the oven yet but that will happen in the next few days. Anyway so I know you're wondering what the heck is that a picture of? A new sculpting aid? A fancy toothpick? Nope. I had an accident over the weekend helping my husband tear out a hardwood floor. I didn't have my shoes on and was carrying a load of wood out the door and there was some sticking up on the floor and I ram-rodded my foot into it and this is the piece that went into the top of my foot and disapeared!
I pleaded with my husband to get it out before the pain hit me but there was blood everywhere and we didn't know how big it was. So we loaded up and went to the ER. Two nurses dug in my foot 15 min and kept saying there was nothing there and was I sure it was still in there? Well duh! I didn't have tears rolling down my face for no reason! So they gave up and called in a doctor who in about 3 seconds pulled this log out of my foot. Everyone was shocked including me as I never thought it was that big or that deep! Needless to say I am limping around now and in a bit of pain and can't get a shoe on.
So that's what I've been up to lately! Now I have to run play catch up on all my blog reading~
I hope everyone is keeping busy and enjoying the summer! It's 90 degrees here and HOT!

Fleur de Lis and a wedding Anniversary

2009-05-31T14:17:00.000-07:00

ohhhhhh lookie at what I got! This weekend was our wedding anniversary and my hubby suprised me with this wonderful French Fleur de Lis necklace from the French Garden House http://www.frenchgardenhouse.com/
I LOVE thier stuff! It is soooo me! If you haven't ever visited their website take a peeky. You will ohhh and awww and drool at all thier goodies!
I think this necklace is by far now one of my most favorite pieces of jewlery I own!
Poor hubby was so sick too with the crud I had for 10 days... but he still suprised me with this necklace and a beautiful spring bouquet of flowers that included 6 orange roses and 6 hydrangeas... my most favorite flower and the same I had in my wedding bouquet and wedding cake!
Now I am back to work on my doll that for whatever reasons is giving me fits... more on that later~
xoxox

A door and a portrait

2009-05-24T19:58:00.000-07:00

A couple more painting I did. The large one above is actually a door and I have used it in two different homes I lived in years ago. When I would move I would just take it down and move it with me! You can see the handles about mid way in it and the hinge. If you push on them the door folds flat in the middle to open. It never really was finished and I never painted anything on the other side. It was so huge I just got tired of painting on it and I kept wearing out my brushes because it's wood. It now stands in a hallway in my home because I don't have a doorway for it but hope to again one day.

The portrait below is one I did ages ago and it's huge. It is a bit distored because right now it's up in my attic and I took this picture looking down onto it. I don't have a wall big enough to hang it now so hence it's being up in the attic. It was a study I did and I used my own face... You would think I would have made it a bit more flattering but I never dreamed anyone would know it was me until I entered it in several shows and everyone always reconized it as being me! It's a wierd painting but I was going through a wierd stage I guess... I made the frame myself.

I hope everyone is having a good Memorial weekend!

I spent the day working on my doll~ She is coming along slowly.

xoxoxo

Creative Artistry Blog Award

2009-05-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

This award was given to me by a wonderful artist named Dessa Rae http://dessaraeartdolls.blogspot.com/ I met Dessa through blogville along with many other wonderful artist and friends. I was very slow to join in on blogging out of different fears. One was I thought I would never have anything to talk about (I am basically a very shy person) and who would want to read what I had to say? And then one day I just did it.. and I am so honored and touched that you all out there like to read my words and share in my passion of art.

So now like Dessa Rae I want to give back to my fellow bloggers and friends.
Dessa Rae has created this new blog award.
It comes with a creed that includes her ideas of what
blogging means to her and me too.
The rules are simple:
Upon receiving this award,
simply pass it on to (one) other person,
and tell why you gave this person the award.
I have chosen to give this award to my friend and fellow artist,
Sue Barton http://bartonoriginals.blogspot.com/. Sue's blog is a place you want to hang out with a good cup of coffee or tea.. where frends gather to chat and share, and of course
her beautiful dolls. Sue is what blogging is all about!

xoxox Joanna

2009-05-19T17:07:00.000-07:00

Thank you Pattee of http://odd-dolls.blogspot.com/for giving me an award... one that I'd never heard of before. The Byrum Spiritual Art Award. Her message to me was "Because you make a difference in my days Joanna I've left you an award on my blog : )" I am very touched and honored by her words. When my days are down I remember those out there that I count my 'friends' even though we have never 'met'~

I'd like to pass this award on to ~

Nancy http://feteetfleur.blogspot.com/

Julie http://bellabelledolls.blogspot.com/

Marci http://marciehart-aworkofhart.blogspot.com/

Patricia http://woolytales.blogspot.com/

Laetitia http://merveillesenpapier.typepad.fr/merveillesenpapier/

I hope you will visit these special artist and friends blogs and if you don't know them you will discover a wonderful new friend and their wonderful art work!

xoxox

Joanna~

Little Girls Fashions

2009-05-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

I love these two images from the movie 'Antoinette' because of the little girls you see dressed to the hilt like the adults in the background. Look at the two little girls right over Marie's left shoulder. I love the one in the gold dress with the blue trim.

It's hard to find reference photos for children's fashions from this time and I admit I rarely use them and rarely follow fashion rules but when I do find them I am always amazed.

This picture is my favorite of the two because of the little girl's hat and her stance. I love how she has her shoulder's pushed back like a little lady. She almost looks like a little adult!

I know these dresses and what was worn under them could not have been very comfortable but can you imagine how the little children suffered in all this garb?

I love love love the soft colors here... It reminds me of the sky~ So soft and wispy.

I was tagged 3 or 4 times last week and want to thank those that thought of me. I am so honored... I must apologize for not passing the tags on. I came down with a rather nasty cold Friday and have been layed up on the couch under a blanket since.... I haven't even touched the clay. I hope to get back at it this week....

I hope everyone is busy working on wonderful new things!

xoxox

Paintings

2009-05-11T18:47:00.000-07:00

While on the subject of paintings I thought I would share one of my own. This is an oil painting I did years ago and one of the few I did that I really liked and kept and actually hung up in my house for a time.

I loved to paint dogs and cats and was at the time commissioned to do pet portraits...

This was no one's pet.. but just a Wippet I painted as I was fond of the grace of the breed.

When I originally painted the dog there was a leash attached to the collar. Later I decided the leash was a distraction so I painted it out.

This painting I titled "Looking Back" and it was in several art shows years ago.

On a dolly note... I am working on something new.. but it's too early to talk about yet. I am at the stage where things can take flight, or crash.... Cross your fingers things take flight!

xoxo~

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

~Happy Mother's Day~

I went home this weekend and took a picture of one of my most favorite things I have. An antique oil painting of the Madonna. I've had this painting for many years now and prize it. It is Italian and when I bought it, it had an inscription written on the back of the canvas in Italian. Someone had tried to restore the painting long ago and they recovered the back leaving a 'window' on the back so you could still read the inscription. Because of the 'window' it caused a weak spot on the canvas front and the Madonna developed a crack across her face.
I had it professionaly restored and in the process tiny details were brought to light in the painting like little gold marks on her fingernails and the book. She has a little halo around her head... (Sorry about the shadows on her face but I took this in a dark room)
Alas though the back of the canvas had to be totally recovered including covering the window so the inscription can no longer be read. The restorer traced if for me and to this day I have never found anyone that can translate it other than a name and a date from the 1700's.
Anyway I hope you enjoy my Madonna~
xoxox

Marie Thérèse Charlotte

2009-04-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

Marie Antoinette's daughter, Marie Thérèse Charlotte

I finally finished her! I ended up redoing the base as the other one just didn't suit me so I will save it for another doll later. This base looked much better than the first one. Can you see the pleats under her skirt? I love those! Remember the image of the servant girl's pleats from a couple of weeks ago?
The fabric I used for mine was an antique very pricey piece of organza fabric I bought. I still have some left so I want to use it again. My favorite part of her dress though is that little blue trim around the hem. It was another expensive piece and I didn't get very much. I wish there had been more! It has tiny gold threads in it that I love.

The printed fabric on her top is from Italy. I debated about doing it solid but I wanted to jazz her up a bit instead of being ho-hum. This is my second umbrella. I actually wanted it a bit smaller but this is how it came out and I was happy. It was tricky getting the hands pre positioned when the umbrella was still just a thought! I also didn't want a neat fixed hairdo. I wanted a bit of a windblown look.. like perhaps she was standing outside enjoying her cup of tea.

Anyway now I am on to the next one.. which at this point I have not a clue what will be. I will take a few days off to breath and clear my head before I start it.

This one will be available either Sunday night or Monday in my Etsy shop. I hope you like her as much as I do~

(she looks a bit pouty doesn't she?)

xoxox

Inspiration

2009-04-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

I often wonder where inspiration comes from. For me sometimes it's just a name, or it could be just an accessorie I find. My Little Marie Antoinette came about because of the bird cage she holds. That whole doll evolved because of that tiny accessorie.

A week ago I showed the image of the little servant girl with the pleats under her skirt. Those pleats were so inspiring to me! Sometimes I have no inspiration and just blunder along. When I did Bebe I had no inspiration... she was one I just let evolve.

I have nearly finished my new doll and thankfully the inspiration for her came about like music and everything just flowed. That does not always happen!

I promise she will be available later this week and I will show pictures, but you know me... I like to hang on to them a bit when I finish one so for just that short time I can call them "mine" before they are sent off into the world.

Part of the inspiration from her came about from the image here of Marie Antoinette's daughter, Marie Thérèse Charlotte, who was given the honorific title at birth of Madame Royale. So in honor of that, my new doll will be named "Marie Thérèse". I simply love this portrait. My doll will not look anything like this but for me it doesn't have to for the inspiration to happen. It can just be a feeling that is created when I see something.

So where does your inspiration come from? A word? A bit of fabric or trim? A whispered word?

xoxo

Joanna

Shoes again!

2009-04-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

I fell behind here a few days because I came down with a nasty virus... I was so sick I didn't even want to get online so you know I had to be really feeling bad ;-)

I also fell behind on my new doll. She's standing on the table in front of me waiting patiently for me to get back to her. I'm feeling much better now so I should get back to her tomorrow night.

In the meantime I found this wonderful eye candy I wanted to share. I came across this wonderful blog http://feteetfleur.blogspot.com/
"Fete et Fleur Designs", Confections de Marie
In honor of the Queen A paper shoe indulgence Paper Shoe Gallery© Fete et Fleur Designs"

You all know how much I love shoes and these dainty little confections are just wonderful~ Please visit Nancy the artist's blog and view her beautiful work! It's hard to believe they are made out of paper~ Enjoy!

Happy Colors

2009-04-16T06:23:00.000-07:00

I love this image and I LOVE the colors in it! The colors make me happy and remind me of Spring and Easter... So I am 'planning' to dress my new girl in these colors.
I am very partial to blue (just tour around my homepage gallery and you'll see what I mean) but I like this where the blue is mixed with the pink. Now when I first saw this image I was convinced it had yellow in it, but you know now looking I don't see any yellow! I think the background threw me! I love the little pleats that peak out under the bustle... So I went on a mad hunt and found some antique silk tiny pleated fabric and I am hoping I can use to mimic those tiny pleats.

I got behind with my doll because I ran into some issues with her feet! They would not cooperate! I am happy to now say I have defeated that monster and got her painted last night so now I am on to the fun part of dressing and all the fun details!

Went back to the old house this weekend and remembered an antique blouse I had that I thought I could cut up once I found it (never did find that particular one). I went up into the attic and ended up finding not only my Mother's baby dresses but a black silk antique blouse, a white batiste antique camasole with hand done cut out lace, and another gorgeous white Victorian blouse covered in inset lace. Yes I admit I thought about the scissors (not with my Mother's baby dresses of course!) YAHHH!
I brought the antique blouses home but am unsure now what I will do with them... I don't know if I can bring myself to cut them up.. so I will either sell them or just pack them back up. They were all in prestine condition. Don't ask me where they came from... I am a pack rat so there's no telling what I will come across when I go to digging~
Oh I did find a yellow antique organdy apron. Now THAT I WILL cut up! I guess I still haven't convinced myself there isn't yellow in this image~

Just Stuff

2009-04-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the sculpting part of my doll... I always let one sit almost a week before I bake it. Do any of you do that? I am a one time baker person.... Though once for a tiny mini doll I did that had on gloves I did a couple of prebakes.. Other than that I never put one in the oven until it is entirely finished. I have to let it sit for a week first so I can be sure I am satisfied with it.

No wonder it takes me so long to get one done! LOL...

I uploaded a new background here.. This is my third one to try out. I loved the first one that had Marie Antoinette on it but it was a bit busy and very pink.. I may try it again. Then I tried a softer one before I found this one. I think I am diggin this one. What do you think?

Going to Memphis tomorrow and going to check out the bookstore to see if I can find the new Marie Antoinette magazine! Yahoo!

Anyway I hope you all have a wonderful weekend... I will be away Saturday but back on Sunday... So I leave with with the gorgeous image here...

xoxoxo

Joanna

Rest in Peace

2009-04-07T16:08:00.000-07:00

I'm so bummed... I have always used the same wooden sculpting tool. I have a whole bag of sculpting tools but I never use them. I just got hung up on this one and never used any others. After every doll I made I would clean it by scraping it with a razor blade. It was like an extension to my hand!
Well two days ago I broke it. Look at the tip in the above picture. I snapped it off trying to pry something open and stupid me grabbed the closest thing for that task which happen to be my prized tool. I tried sanding it but it's not the same. The tip is gone... :-(

I dug around in my tool bag and found the one on the left in the above picture. It has the tip but the handle is different. See below.

Now oddly I found I could sculpt much easier with this new one (who knew!) but it just doesn't feel the same in my hand! I may or may not replace the old one... Maybe I need to grow away from it and the accident was a good thing...

And on a final note... I see all the wonderful work areas other artist have on their blogs... so thought you guys would get a good laugh out of this.. The above picture is my work area. Yep.. I work off that tiny board and have for years. I also lay everything out a certain way on it. The pipe cutter is there on the right for a reason. It keeps those stylist from rolling and getting in my way. I hold the board in my lap and sit on the couch. So that's my "studio" so to speak...

The figure you see with her head cut off in the picture is what I am currenlty working on. Sorry about cutting her head out of the picture! Don't know how I manged that!

Anyway.. may the most beloved tool of many dolls... Rest in Peace~ She served me well...

xoxox

Joanna

Karma Award

2009-04-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

Karma Award

Beautifull Anna http://ilmondodiredanny.blogspot.com/ has given me an award! Thank you Anna! I am very honored. Here is what this award is about;

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind of bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

I love everyone's blogs and think they all deserve this award! So if you're reading this please take this award with much love and big HUGS and know I adore you!

xoxox

Joanna

Shakespeare Challenge Piece for ADO

2009-04-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

"JULIET"
This is my piece for the ADO (Art Dolls Only) Shakespeare Challenge. I chose to do Juliet from Romeo and Juliet. This is my first bust and I hope not my last! I wanted to do something different for the challenge where I could include more elements. When I think about Shakespeare I think about dark moody things with velvet and old gold ornate things.. the smell of old wood and moss..., frayed edges and sadness. Does that make sense? Anyway this is what I was going for so hence the faded colors, frayed edges, and darker colors.. I was trying to set a mood here. I picked Juliet because I felt she just suited my style of work...
These are not the greatest pictures but I just could not get one I was happy with! It has been cloudy here and dark by the time I get home!

The above picture is a close up. Can you see her tears? She has on a pretty Juliet cap on the back of her head.

The above picture is the inside of Juliet's box. I could not get a good picture of it with her in it! I LOVE the background drappy fabric. That's original to the box. It is worn and I love that for this piece. All the trims you see, and the piece that juts out at the bottom I added.

Read below about the above picture.. This is just a different angle. I like seeing Juliet in this shot. I think she goes well in my hodge podge collection here.

The above picture is a favorite antique desk I have with some of my most favorite things on it. I love art pieces by other artist and these are some of my most prized pieces. Yeah I actually display this hodge podge like this! It may look messy but there is a bit of order there. The big piece in the middle is by Gary Wang and typically sits above my fireplace but I am between houses right now so not wanting to pack it up it moved to the desk to be seen and enjoyed. I love the items aside from the obvious.... There is an antique taxidermied (sp?) bird, the pen and stand from my wedding, my art doll book from my dear friend Aude, matches from a favorite resturant from when my hubby and I were dating, an Alice in Wonderland book from Russia from my friend Barry, the glass box holds my baby braclet, my Dad's retirment pen, along with more prized things, two very tiny antique photo albums, a tiny antique book, a framed photo of my Mother when she was 16, and there is actually an antique book there on Shakespeare.

See if you can spot the other art pieces in the picture and guess who the artist are!

Good luck!!

xoxoxo

Joanna

The Love Award

2009-04-02T04:41:00.000-07:00

I got another wonderful award today from Mags http://mags-nificentminiatures.blogspot.com/ What a sweetheart! Thank you Mags! I am to tell 7 "loves", as requested.

1. My family which includes.. hubby, kids, grandchild, sisters, and dogs.

2. Making dolls

3. Friends

4. Reading a wonderful book.

5. Long talks with my daughter about life in general.

6. Stars.. the kind in the sky.. not the movie kind.

7. Birds.. especially during the Spring when they are busy with their nest and eggs...

Now I am to pass this award to 7 more .... but instead of choosing 7.. I am going to go the way of my friend Jodi and pass this award to you all! It is way too hard to pass it to just 7 when there are so many wonderful blogs out there... So if you're reading this please pick up your award.. tell 7 loves, and take a bow.

xoxox

Joanna

P.S. I have finished my ADO Shakespeare Challenge piece and will upload pics soon... !

Bebe a French Girl

2009-03-28T07:05:00.000-07:00

I finished my new girl "Bebe". She told me she was ready to go so here she is finally~

I was going to add a suprise to the back of her dress but it didn't suit her so I will save that for another figure later. It is rare I do brunettes as I am partial to blondes but when I started this one I knew she was going to be a brunette... There is a panel in the front of her dress that is the blue toile I showed in an earlier post. That is an imported fabric from Italy. I LOVE the antique organza trim on the bottom of her dress, sleeves and hat! Been saving that for the right doll and she finally came along!

I love costuming.. I think it's a thearpy for me. I love all the tiny stiches and bringing things together. The silk runching you see I did all by hand. I also made the base from an old box lid. Man that was a pain! I had to cut it down and had glue everywhere! All the brass accents and trims I added myself.

Bebe is ready to go and is available in my Etsy shop. I hope you love her as much as I do~

xoxox

Joanna

2009-03-28T05:39:00.000-07:00

I received another award! What a wonderful week! This one was given to me by Sue at http://www.bartonoriginals.blogspot.com/ Thank you Sue! I am so very honored!

Here is a description as to what this award means:

"This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!”

How wonderful that is! Thank you so much Sue, I appreciate it more than I can say!

I must now pass it along to 8 blogs that I feel are deserving of it. The other criteria is that when accepting the award, you must post the meaning of the award on your blog (see above).

A very tough choice as there are so many wonderful blogs to choose from but the following are my choices;

Jodie and Richard: http://creagerstudios.blogspot.com/

Rosannasart: http://rosannasart.blogspot.com/

Gail Lackey: http://gaillackey.blogspot.com/

The Fairies Nest: http://thefairiesnest.blogspot.com/

Tina Von Wiesen: http://tinavonwiesen.blogspot.com/

Amy Short: http://amyshortart.blogspot.com/

Linda Smith: http://www.lindasmithoriginals.com/blog

Yovanka Black: http://yovankablack.blogspot.com/

Please visit these wonderful blogs and give them a hand of applause!

xoxoxo

Joanna

2009-03-27T05:05:00.001-07:00

I am so happy! Nita from Sleetwealth Studios gave me an award for my blog! I am to tell 7 things about myself... so here goes:

1. I LOVE chocolate cake and hotdogs... but rarely eat either.

2. I am an early riser... I bound out of bed happy everyday and go at a run... Seriously. Ask my husband! ;-)

3. I am miserable when a doll I'm working on goes wrong. And elated for days when one goes right.

4. I am a quite person... an observer and I don't like crowds.

5. I wanted to be a ballet dancer... and did for a brief period when I was younger. I cry when I go to the ballet as it so moves me so. Then for days dream of being up on that stage~

6. I read all the time... Everything! I suck up words like chocolate cake!

7. I grieve for other people's pain.... Even those I don't know and will never know.

Shoes again~

2009-03-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

Marie Antoinette's shoes

Look at that yummy blue pair to the right in the below picture!

Here are some pictures of Marie Antoinette's shoes. I actually think these are from the movie "Antoinette". I LOVE these shoes! I love the rainbow colors and lush yummy fabrics!

Here is a picture of my finished doll's shoes. As you can see I went back and changed them a bit from the earlier picture of them. I just wasn't satisfied with them once I got her finished. They weren't jazzy enough for me before, but now I am happy and I think they look much better now!

And here is a picture of the crazy slips under her dress. I told you I loved slips! She has on 3 and of course her little under pants. This was a special made slip so it will hold her dress out. Also it's important to me that what's under the dress looks as good as what's on the outside.

And yep she is done! And her name is the French name "Bebe". You can see the little plaque with her name on it on her base. I will post pictures of 'Bebe' within the next day or so... I am just not ready to release her yet and until that moment strikes me... she is 'mine' for the 'moment'...

They always whisper to me when it's time to 'go'~

Baby Antoinettes

2009-03-21T08:20:00.000-07:00

I love anything Marie Antoinette... I love the style of clothes, the shoes, the movie by Sofia Coppola... the wigs! It makes me drool and I want to dress like that and wave a fan and flounce around in all those skirts!

I ran across the artist Lisa Kettell that does the does the most beautiful things with pictures and colors and sparkly things. I LOVE her happy colors! They remind me of confectionery candy and yummy things. I found this image "Baby Antoinettes" she did on her Flicker site and just fell in love with it. THIS is how I see my dolls. Little girls playing grown ups in all the Marie Antoinette garb. I have never come across another image that spoke more loudly to me of what I want to convey with my dolls. So I wanted to share it with you and share Lisa's site. Pleave visit it and let her work make you smile like it did me~ http://faerieenchantment.blogspot.com/

Shoe Freak

2009-03-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

I love tiny shoes! I love making them and I even have some tiny miniature shoes that I have collected over the years by different artist. Some are so tiny they fit on your pinkie nail!

Here are a couple of pictures of shoes I've made for my figures. The pink pair were Little Marie Antoinette's shoes.. I sculpted them on then covered them in fabric and totally trimmed them out. The blue pair are on the current figure I'm working on. I finshed them last night. I sculpted them and then just added a bit of fabric, buckles and trim. And I see a hair clinging to her stocking! I was wigging her last night and that must be a stray!

Sometimes I sculpt feet with toes then add shoes made of very thin leather. Sometimes I sculpt the shoes on and paint them or I totally trim them out. It all depends on what I'm trying to achieve.

I also love stockings.. Most all my dolls have stocking. The two pictured here have a very fine net stocking from France. I also love garters and bloomers and lots of slips! This is the stuff no one ever gets to see but the buyer as I never take pictures of this stuff but for my own files...

I am a stickler for detail. Detail is what speaks to me... Plus I love the tedious process. It takes longer but the reward for me at the end is worth it!

Next I will upload pics of what is hidden under all my doll's garb! Stay tuned~

Eye Candy in Book Style~

2009-03-18T12:24:00.001-07:00

A very good friend of mine Aude Berger of France has a wonderful new art doll book out. I received a copy of it and I can't tell you how thrilled I was with it! It is written in French but an English version is in the works. It is available in French book stores or drop me a note and I will let Aude know you want one. It includes works by Virginie Ropars, Veronique Jacquelin, Bets and Amy van Boxel, Hannie Sarris, Marlies Theillout, Diane Guelinckx just to name a few!

Even though I couldn't read it (wish I could read French!) the pictures are lucious and I drooled for hours! Not to be missed!

Work in Progress

2009-03-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

Here's the girl I am currently working on... Sorry about the crummy pics but if I take all the time to set up my lights and stuff I would never have time to do this! Anyway you get the idea here...

I'm actually not fond of WIP pics but thought it might be fun to see how my work evolves... I originally wanted to dress her in black then realized I don't have any black fabric... and I realized I left my fabric dye at my old house and won't get there until this weekend so had to scrap that idea. I stayed with the darker theme though and as you can see in the other pic I just about worked out my color palet for her. She has on her slip, stocking and bloomers in this picture but the slip isn't finished or hemmed. The funny grove you see in her head is her part line. Also I will go back and work on her eyes more once I get her wigged. Her shoes are little slip ons.. The heels goofed on me in the oven. I have that happen a lot! They were taller heels but became short and wonky when I cooked her. I will redo those later with Epoxy Sculpt and they will be painted gold.

Since I took these pics I have already worked out the upper part of her shoe with one of the printed fabrics you see in the picture and the cutest buckle and bows! I am so into little shoes!

The horrible white stand you see her standing on is my baking stand. I will work out her display base later. That little stand has been in my oven many many times and why it looks so awful.

I have her about half dressed since these pics were taken. I did go with the solid dark blue taffeta fabric in the pic and one of the two prints you see but will reveal which one I went with later. Her dress at this point is mostly pinned on but I can already see she is going to be adorable! She will have something really cute in the back.. but will reveal that later...

In the background you can see a blurry image of a small bust laying down I am working on. That's for the ADO Shakespeare challenge. I will show that later on. Also the table I work on and some of my scattered supplies. I LOVE peeking into other bloggers studios and seeing all the goodies laying around!

So for now you see what I have going on~

Hello!

2009-03-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

I have finally done it.. I am officially a blogger! I have put this off forever for several reasons. One is.. what will I have to blog about?! The other is.. Where will I find the time!? Anyway I just decided I would try it and see where it goes.
I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed reading so many wonderful blogs out there and I have kept asking myself...Why am I not doing this too? So here I am... I am still figuring out all the bells and whistles so bear with me while I get it all sorted out. In the meantime.. sit back, and I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I do!

I was honored recently to be selected to be interviewed for a new site for miniatures. Here's the link if you want to check it out http://www.intotheglue.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=96