remember Gwendolyn?

I made her back when....

........when I found Black Eyed Suzie's dolls online; absolutely was smitten and reeelly, reeeellly wanted one.  But, I couldn't afford one  They were way too expensive for me.  So, I decided I could make myself one in her style.  I do that.

She took me awhile.  I was looking back at old photos and see months went by between the start of her and the completion.  Seems I was laid up for a good portion of that season too...with a wonky arm...and it was not the result of accident, but surgery, on my ganglion cluster on the same arm that is now broken.  Good grief !!

She is air dry paper clay over wire and tin foil.

Anyway...here's Gwendolyn ....something for show and tell ...

oops, sorry....perhaps I should have given her some panties for the photo.

Here are some of Suzie's in case you don't know of her dolls.  I still love them and hope to make more some day.

Alice ..

With a bit more clay here and there and some sanding done... that scratty mohair is not the actual hair ...but a bit of it....to see if she is getting there.  Just getting a feel for her "look"...   who knows what she will end up wearing on her head.

Added some more clay to the hands and they are actually beginning to look more like hands ...but, not quite there yet.  Wish I could make myself add a bit more clay than I do each time...but, that's me I guess.  Must make them before I get tempted to paint her face.

Good thing Maggi mentioned about not painting her face till we have the hands done so that we get the same colour for flesh... 'specially if we, you know,   ....    ....  mix colours to get "that perfect shade"  hahahah.... been there before.  I think she knows me.

Alice in Steampunkland

The new dolly I am making.

Not much new happening with her ... she will be a long time in the making.

However, I did add some tiny bits of clay to her face and head and got her sort of how I like her ...and, I began the hands.  We'll see if I use the hands or not.  I might have wanted to give a bit more thought to the position of the hands and fingers.  Like, if I want her to be holding something or not.  They won't hold much in this position.

The pattern shows perfect skinny sausages for fingers.... whereas mine definitely look more skeletal.  Nobody mentioned having to put on alternate fingers...but, I found I was having great difficulty doing one wet piece of clay that close to a second piece of clay.  So, finally did alternate fingers and let them dry and then did the rest.

I was thinking how the fingers looked weird and sort of pinched together where they joined each other finger.  But, once I got the little bit of clay onto the back of the hand, I discovered I could lay it up further on the fingers a bit more to give them slight space or a bit of a web between each finger. That'll be more like it.

It looks like a bit (or, a lot) more work is needed on them yet.  I'm so slow and tentative with clay.  I have no idea why.....it is easy to sand it off..it's just paper clay.  But there you have it... working with clay tells you something about you.  Hahahaha,,,, as if I didn't already know that I am cautious and a bit tentative with a lot of things.

Coming along, albeit very slowly.

Click on the pics to see them bigger.

Makin' a dolly...

Haven't done a doll since ..uhm....I forget how long ago, but a long time.  Since Madame Pompadour.   Remember her?  She took a lot out of me I guess.  Was it 2009?  Must look back sometime to check.
Wow....time flies.  Even if you aren't always having fun.

Anyway.... this is Alice in Steampunkland.  She looks like fun .. and, the pattern has a ton of great info to help get her looking good...

Here she is so far.... please don't judge yet..... there are a lot more steps to getting her face just how I want it.  And, if it doesn't please me, there will be other faces......... until I get it right.

Oooooh.... and, here is the really cute part...there is a bunny.   Can't wait to begin sculpting him.

Here is Alice when she is completed.... I hope mine eventually has a hint of a little smile..as this one does......hmmmm..... must continue working on those lips.........

Dotee Dolls ... the beading .....

One of the most fun parts of a Dotee is the beading.  Well, it is for me anyway.  I love making the "danglies" and the hangers.  It's fun to arrange the lovely colours to complement the dolly.

Over the past few months a friend and I have been doing a lot of origami ornaments.. she saw some of mine before Christmas and wanted to learn how to fold and assemble...I was thrilled to have somebody to play with..so we spent many an enjoyable hour doing those.  Now, I'm making some in Easter colours...for my Easter Tree.  They have a little gold thread to hang them....with beads on it to complement the colours of the papers of the ornaments.

 I seemed to acquire lots of colours and sizes ..but, you can never have too many beads, right?  They are even fun just to look at and run your fingers through.
Last week, with my 50% off coupon at Michael's, I got this.

A whole container with thousands of seed beads...   whopping total ....  $19.49.  I bought a fairly large string of them at the bead store for $7.00 a month ago...  ...but..... they were all the same colour.  So, if I bought only 3 strings of beads in different colours... I would already have spent $21... what a bargain.

It is a good idea to scrutinize every aspect of it very carefully though...and to make sure how to open each of the containers so as not to spill out any ...(or plenty!) of the seed beads.  Trust me on this.  You turn the carousel on it's side and jiggle and shake it back and forth gently to make sure all the beads are settled into their various compartments.. BEFORE opening the lid.   And, then, when you close the lid... make sure it is done properly and is securely fastened.  See that little crevice in the photo below? (on the red beads) ... a lot of tiny beads can fall out of that opening!  And ... they did!  'Til I figured it out.  Much blue air ensued after the first careless closing.  I failed to realize that the lids fit just so, and must accommodate the corner tabs inside the lid properly, before trying to close the snap tabs on the outside of the lid.   And beads must not be on those little dividers either ..or the lid doesn't close properly.  It's a good system and it works ..if you pay attention.  Just sayin'......... if you buy one .... make certain you have it figured out ... please...

 Then, get a glass of wine and do some beading...oh, just a minute ...I'm empty... hang on I'll go for a refill.... .................  .........................  ......................

Don't you love my clutter?  It's the way I work.  Everything within easy reach ... and as I know you are aware ..all of a sudden, all of it is all over the place.  Soon I'm working in a pretty small space ... like ..  about 8 X 8 ....inches, that is!

Works for me.

It's still kinda organized....  (the ex-dental assistant) ..hahhaha....

....   and don't think I don't use every single tool on that mat either.  They are indispensable.  Every single one of them.


Of course, there is doubt, consternation and downright curiosity from various onlookers....

Well, of course, not everybody is interested in beading.....

Each to his own ........

Dotee Doll (part three)...

Same day ... later.  You know I couldn't just walk away ... once I found some more 'stuff' to use.

I finished her instead of bothering with vacuuming, laundry, etc..  although I did do the treadmill and some other exercise.  So... I'm feeling okay about it. There's always tomorrow for the other things...

She is finished and I'm pretty happy with her.  I learned several things and will do them a bit differently next time..and, I will definitely look for some transparent beading line if there is any...or use white next time... but, other than that.... she's pretty cute.

That was fun.

The "Dot" pose...   this is always how she displayed them... oops... got her on the wrong finger .... okay, so .....close then, but not exactly, which is fine, because she is not exactly a Dot doll but similar, and that's what I was aiming for when I began this.

and...reclining on a chair.... you can see some colour on her cheeks and nose in this one....I used some blush on a Q tip.... instead of doing more beads..I thought there was plenty around her face already.  Next one I may not use quite that many...and, in retrospect... I wish I had used some greens on her face ... the purple seems a bit blah to me.  But, as I say...  not necessary for her to be perfect.... they are just cute, fun little projects.

Next ..... I'm dragging out my fabric and choosing a second bit of colour for a Ditto Dotee ..  ... but, first I must eat.

There is always tomorrow................................................

I

Dotee Dolls

Do you know of them?  They were really popular several years ago and everybody in the doll making world and also the embroidery and beading circles was making and trading them.

Dot Christian is the lady who first created them and they are named for her....  such sweet little things they are.... she said she liked to use them to spread friendship, love and joy.  They sure did a lot of that.  My understanding is that they were never to be sold....just traded or given as gifts.  She made hundreds (I wonder how many she did make?) and traded with people all over the world.

I wish her blog was still around...she had so many great photos of dozens of them and little stories about them and where they went and where some sent to her came from.   I have collected quite a few photos of the ones I really like and am always on the lookout for a pretty coloured one or a cute shape or the amazing beading work, etc....

Since long before Christmas I have been having fun making origami ornaments ... buying and using all sorts of pretty beads.  You can already see where this is going can't you? ....

Now... I really should be putting away the beautiful beads, pretty papers and gold and silver threads... ((OH< AND... may I just put this out there before I go on with the dolls??))

I have almost run out of single ply gold thread to hang up the origami ornaments.  I did manage to find 12 more rolls of the silver on an Easy site, but, gold is nowhere to be found.  It is a craft thread I suppose more than a sewing supply... found in bead shops.  All it says on the label is one ply thread made in Japan and the yardage .. sold for about $2.50 a spool.  The spool is a skinny cardboard  2 1/2 inches long with a 3/8 inch diameter.  If anybody knows where I might find some can you please let me know?  Or if you have some of the same stuff, do you want to sell it to me?  or will you trade it for something? .........

Onward...

I want to make a Dotee Doll.  I can still play with pretty colours but in fabric instead of papers... and do some fun beading... all around their little faces, on the hangers and the tails, and on the bodies and ... ..oh, the hair ...the list of supplies to use for hair is amazing...

Also, I had a thought about incorporating some of the embroidery techniques and fabric scraps from the classes I took with Karen.... I could make a white on white with lovely embroidery stitches and perhaps some soft pastels placed here and there .... I think that might be a great little dolly.... I'm "imagineering" even as I'm writing this.

Anyway,  most of these are Dot's own design and dolls... ... although, one of these is not like the others and is not hers ...but, I love the colours and so am showing you that as well....

Does anybody have an original Dotee Doll of their very own?   I would be interested to see a photo of it if you do.

So, as far as I know...the above dolls were made by Dot herself...that is her hand displaying them...

This one I think somebody made for her... the facial embroidery is so much different than her own.

I love the colours and beads... and, it seems to be a different type of body than her usual...but, I like it too.  Aren't they all so sweet? ...

Click them to enlarge for more detail..... and ...     stay tuned for my very own first Dotee doll... soon..... .

WOYWW

Sadly.... a mess that is getting sorted into ....boxes.  That's what's happening on Wednesday over here.  Welcome WOYWWers.... sorry for the mess... c'mon in anyway..............and, don't step on anything important okay.  Olaf is watching...... he's always watching.  And...can you believe I still can't show you the 'secret' things I was making....oh, man..no fun at all.  People are not home, gifts not received..etc.... I hope to show you something soon.  Maybe just few days now.... fingers crossed.

Nothing going on the 'making' department. I'm packing up my craft room in readiness for our renovation...which will include painting this room.  Sigh....  we don't even have a start date yet, but if you know how long it takes to pack up years worth of stuff in order to vacate the whole floor of a house....well, you know.....

I need to make a start.  A really good start.  Small stuff will go into the storage area... a very large storage area under a newer area of the house that we added several years ago....(we've been renovating for 24 years, yeh, I know....)   ..the rest will go into the garage as well as down here.  I hope it all fits somewhere.  At least this time we don't have to sleep in the garage ...we did on the big reno about 15 years ago...hahahha...there we were stuffed between motorcycles and house plants...our clothes hanging on the garage door opener rails.... washing dishes in a bucket.....



This time...we will be living on the lower floor of the house... the basement actually, but our basement is lovely and bright and will be just fine.  Although, we will be using the laundry room for a kitchen/laundry room/bathroom... there is a toilet in there.  Here, look it is a very nice laundry room..it's not as bad as it sounds.
A nice sink for washing up .... cupboards for toiletries and other small stuff ...

...space for electric frying pan, toaster oven and crockpot.... I could live here for a year if I had to....but, it won't be that long.....

We did this room a few years ago.. all by ourselves...right from the cement out .... including a ceiling....and we're pretty proud of our handiwork,  but, this time...somebody else will be doing the grunt work.  My back won't take it any more... and of course, my wrecked elbow....and poor Mr. BV wrecked a knee on the last one...so... yeh... time to let others do it.  It'll be hard to let the reins go though...reeeeellly hard..... just one more thing that lets me know I am getting ..... o..oh...oh, how I hate to say it out loud ...older......

I'm trying to pack up a small box with little things I can work on during the time... big enough to contain entertaining bits and yet small enough to carry around to wherever my 'desk' happens to be on any given day during the disaster.

Oh, I so hope it isn't a disaster of any kind.  That's the reason we began doing it all ourselves in the first place.  We had no luck at all with contractors and tradespeople ...none at all.  Some of the the stories just make my blood boil.  Not going to think on it...just think about packing up dolls ...bears....stuff.....and more STUFF!@  That does it ...I'm purging.

Hmmm...somebody doesn't look too happy about being boxed.... even if I am building a box tall enough for her!  This is my tallest doll at 26 inches.... it was for a challenge to do a Raggedy with a twist.  I did her as a ballerina...

If you want to see more desks, workspaces and more about what people are dong with their spare time...hahhah...and every other minute too.... check out WOYWW over at Julia's...

WOYWW

She's finished!!  My copycat goosie...... with tips and advice and even the wool !! from my friend Gretel... a world class felter, artist and now... published author of a children's book... Mrs. Mouse's Cupcakes... for which she felted all the characters and even the cupcakes for the photos in the book!
If you live in the UK... ... you could even get in on one of her in person felting workshops!!  And, I'll be green with envy!

If you want to see progression photos from the balls of wool stage to this..... ... just backtrack a few posts... cover your eyes at the bloody one.... hehehe........ ...it happens..... occasionally, if not often ...
Gretel's goose in the background photo ...mine in front.  Think I will name her Gracie.
She is seven inches tall at the top most part of her neck/head area.  How tall is yours Gretel? .

My little guys were impressed by her sheer height..oh, and also her feet.......

Tuffy was hoping she didn't decide to get up and go anywhere........

From Ruggles' perspective .... view of the situation.... and little Buttercup just looks on in awe of the long, lean model on the runway....

Here is how a needle felt begins....  a bag of wool... and there are many types along with a huge array of colours (or you can dye your own ... I've even used Kool-Aid to do that) .... from various breeds of sheep....
Here is the wool Gretel sent me back when I began my project.  She declared that the stuff I was using was never going to work.  hahah....thanks Gretel... for taking pity on me.  I love it.  It's like having a second sister...

You also need some barbed needles to stab, gather and shape the wool into various parts before assembly.  A pen holder like this one is a good idea instead of trying to hold the tiny ends of a needle...just too hard on hands and wrist.  This particular one will hold up to 3 needles... you can also use only two for the smaller pieces or even go down to just one for tiny things or for the finishing ...

This 'copycat' mentality is what got me started on needle felting in the first place several years ago.  Could I make a little bear as cute as Norm was making? the first ones I'd seen .. .. and that I just had to buy on e-bay?... because after the first two I bought  .. the third one got into a bidding war and I paid waaay too much for him.  When he arrived in the mail, I carried him around for a day just looking at him... totally in awe... he was so cute and so tiny ... well, ...that was it.  I was hooked before I even found some wool and needles and tried to make one for myself.  Hahaha... and the first was pretty funny ... looked more like a monkey than a bear..but I finally got him to look sort of okay and was pretty thrilled that I had made my very own little guy.  However, I have to say.....I still want to own at least one of Gretel's creations... yep...I do.

For the WOYWW we are supposed to keep our posting short...but, eh..... just wanted to also tell you about my doll making start.  Almost the same thing.  For months I had wondered if perhaps I could make a doll.  One just like "youknowwho"....  and.....  had to give it a try.  Turned out I could.  I did.  She worked out beyond my wildest dreams for a first....and from an online course actually.  How I loved the little personal challenge of the attempt.   I don't think I have much imagination of my own really ...but, I love to try making some of the things I see others doing.

Here's my first doll .... Echlin... from a Sherry Goshen pattern.  Wow... back in '07 already  .... hmmm...time sure flies....

The painting of the faces was the most intriguing part to me.  I'd never tried anything like it in my life.  But, there were about 18 pages of pics and instructions... you just follow along and all of a sudden...a face appears... absolutely amazing to me!  We also made the little chair.  It was supposed to be made by cutting and cleaning a big dirty old gourd.... I just couldn't bring myself to use one.  Instead I just made a paper clay shape over a shallow bowl and went from there. ... lined it with silk and made some flowers from paperclay as well... and voila.  My first doll!  Pretty darn thrilling to me.

If you want to check out blogs of others participating in WOYWW....go to Julia's blog and see our list of bloggers...wow...it gets longer each week....

Huh ???

Yes, I guess I obsessed.  More than just a bit.  I had to figure out where I had put poor little Rumpel.  It totally freaked me out that I had absolutely no recollection of having put him anywhere at all... am I losing those last three marbles?... is it happening already? ...

So... back in there again I went.  He had to be there...somewhere... in that room!! No place else he could be.

I looked in every drawer and cabinet..once again...after already having looking several times.  This time I even climbed onto a chair to make sure I hadn't missed him ... perhaps on a higher shelf.
It was kind dim up there with no lights..but.... hey.. just a minute!

What's that? ?

Are those two trying to conceal something?
Is that a tiny foot ? ... a spindly leg?....

What the ????

Oh, sure ..just pretend nothing happened.  Nothing at all.  Weirdoes ! ...

.... oh, alright .... it wasn't all their fault.  I have to 'fess up.  Suddenly, I did remember.  During the week, I did a reeeellly good tidy in my craft room because we were having neighbours over.  I placed him in an inconspicuous spot... safe til I wanted to work on him again.  Yeh...safe... til about 2020 if I hadn't spied the poor little guy....

You know how we like to make sure there is not a lot of 'stuff'  hanging around making things look messy if somebody other than us peeks into a room... ...even if it IS my craft room.  Well, I do anyway.  And..I guess I figured I would make him disappear for the night.  Just like poor Harry Potter ...pretending he didn't exist.. and then... after a week of excitement and busy-ness....totally forgot what I did with him.

Whew!  I did actually have the awful thought ..for just a moment... that I had perhaps done away with him for some reason.... ...