Boudoir Dolls: Four dressed and two more to go.

One's dress is finished, but she seems unhappy with it, so there will be alterations.  I'll show you which one, and you'll see by her expression she's very serious when she doesn't get what she wants.  The others range from dreamy to vampish to bawdy to bohemian, but they're almost finished.  I'll sew a brown slacks suit tomorrow for the bawdy flapper with a brown bowler (I'm on an alliterative kick, can you tell?) and fix Betty D.'s gown, but otherwise, I'm done.  Then on to the Izzy dresses.  Nothing like waiting til the last minute, eh?

I haven't named them, and photographs range from poor to worse, but I promise to do better.

She wears natural linen & black lace lounging pj's...

and has a mask for Halloween (she may already be spoken for...)

Bohemian Smoker...I think her name is Ilsa.

In person she reminds me of a certain pop singer but I can't think who...

Lilac chiffon, and dreamy blue eyes.

I think I was channeling "The English Patient" when I made her.

I don't know what to think of this one.  She just showed up.

She pretended to be innocent until it was time for her wardrobe.

The Queen is Not Amused. I think of her as Betty D., but her eyes aren't buggy enough.

This one has a great sense of humor, and wants a pants suit with a short bolero jacket. I think she's my favorite, but don't tell the others.

Marie Leveaux

Every once in a while, a project that I've seen in my head--for weeks!--takes a u-turn at some point, becoming itself instead of what I'd envisioned.

Such is the case with Marie.  What I had envisioned, believe it or not, was a droopy-faced sad clown, a bewhiskered hobo type, reminiscent of the 70's black velvet fellow with his bowler hat and shabby coat.

But at some point during the sculpting process, Marie showed up.  She's a sweet old soul, for all she's green and warty.  With a fondness for sparkles and fou-fou fashion, Marie still makes time to doll up every evening (she sells love potions and charms at a French Quarter sidewalk stand) and knows for a fact that her customers never truly believe her when she tells them; "Be careful what you wish for, Chere."

Made of a large and a small papermache egg, with lots of wooden bits for arms and legs, paperclay for hands and feet (and face and shoulders), Marie has a heavy bottom (don't we all?) and like a Weeble, she wobbles but she won't fall down.  She'll be coming with me to the art show in a few weeks.  Maybe she'll sell a few charms to the doll collectors there.

Have a great Tiw's Day!

Goodbyes and helloes.

Goodbye to a couple of wee friends...Diego and Lexi are on their way to Florida.

Diego

Lexi

I set up my doll show display in the floor of the family room yesterday.  This always amuses my husband, because I make a HUGE mess with stuff strewn everywhere, but it helps me visualize the set-up, and correct things before it's actually time to set up.  Plus it helps me see what all I need to finish.  This time it also helped me see how well my new back drops and display props will work.  (Pictures after the doll show, of course.)

Hello to Pumpkin Jack and Friend, who are newly listed on Etsy, and to several others as I get A Round To-It.  (yeah, that joke is old, but I like it.)

Pumpkin Jack and Friend

He's like our foster cat...always waiting for food.

 Also: I just bought 128 pairs of eyes this morning.  How many people can say that?  I love my job.

Goals: finish what I've started!

Two doll shows coming up...one at the end of August and one in October.  I have lots of dolls finished, but lots in the works still raising their wee brows when I begin yet ANOTHER project instead of finishing them. 

So the To Do list over the next month:

Dress the Izzies awaiting dresses.
Finish at least three of the boudoir dolls (might be pushing myself there...)
Draw up the instructions for at least two of the pattern designs.
Stop starting new projects until I finish these things!!!

I have at least gotten the Izzies in unders, and finished the clothing for a couple of the Izzy-tpe dolls.  I set up the "photo shoot" this morning, and got lots of new listing photos, but there still remains lots of dolls I forgot to include.  Wondering if our insurance covers a psyche eval for this Start a New Project Every Day syndrome.  Hmph.

Sculpted Clown-on-a-box, and wee elephant toy pattern.

She's got a dress finally,

and a pale gray linen cape.

These girls have unders, but no dresses or bonnets yet.

This one has unders and a bonnet but no dress.  She's the loudest of the lot, reminds me of Charlie Brown's Lucy.

One of the "Velveteen Rabbit" rabbits from a pattern I'm working up.

A long legged frog pattern...

A pink nursery version of the elephant toy...this one has a gusset unlike the primitive one...

Pumpkin Jack and Friend.  He's a gourd art doll...looks a lot like my Papa.

A pattern for a duck pin-keep sewing pocket thingy. 

Renee (my daughter) has already claimed this rabbit...she doesn't sew.  :~)

More of the pin-keep ducks.  Can you tell I went a little gonzo designing patterns?  I have a lot more to sew up and get pictures of, and then to write up instructions for.  But there will be lots of patterns on my shop in the future!

Now I've got to tend to the house work I've put off.  

First step is to put away all the photo props, backdrops, tripod, etc. etc. etc.!  

And then, well, maybe a cup of tea to recharge.  

Have a lovely week everyone.

Studio Clean-up!

I am currently working on several life-changing issues at the same time...not always the best approach, but I'm either brave or stupid and decided to tackle it all.

First change: giving up daily coffee in favor of tea.  I am a truck driver's daughter with java for blood, so this is much more difficult than you might imagine.  The husband has considered running away from home.

Second change: stepping aside to let the husband manage his leather shop.  This is hard--both because of my control-freak tendencies, and because he works a full-time job so I feel I should do it, but it's his store.  He's taken more of an interest in it since he learned how to post a listing--recently working on new checkbook covers to list.  I still do the daily checking in stuff, (we won't tell him that I edit once in a while) but it's been good to share this part of the load.

Third change: I have been in training...learning how to put things up when I'm through using them.  Now, I'm almost 50 yrs old, and this is not a tough thing--in the rest of the house.  I've managed to run a household (I didn't say tidy household) for a number of years.

But my studio seems to be a different story.  Maybe I get caught up in the creative frenzy or something.  Many's the time the hub has found me working on a tray in my lap because the available workspace is taken up with this creative frenzy...bottles of paint, bits of clay, brushes, wire, tools, doweling, cloth, etc. etc. etc.  So my mission began after this last cleanup.  (Pictures of before and after below).

I've done pretty well so far, and the room is still essentially in good order.  But between the lack of coffee, the control issues w/ Phil's shop, and this effort to be a grownup in my playroom...it ain't been easy.  Whew! 
One day at a time has taken on a whole new meaning for me.

BEFORE: 

AFTER:

I realize as much stuff as I still have out it looks messy, but a lot of that is work-in-progress and has to be out.  The following pictures show some ways I've stored things I need to use/work with...this is an 11 x 12 room, and the huge white cabinets at the back are 20" x 47" x 6 ft and hold tons of fabric.  I make good use of plastic drawer sets found at the thrift shop. Labels help too, keeping shoe-boxes of antique lace and ribbon under control.  It'll never make the cover of "Where Women Create", but it works for me, and I'm enjoying the ability to walk in, sit down, and start working on something without wondering where I'll put my paint tray.

I'll always be messy during the creative process...but I am learning to pick up at the end of the day so I can get more done.

Pumpkin Girl

Back when I designed a couple of bodies for my "big girls"--the ones inspired by the Greiner dolls and milliner's model type paper maches, I had made three doll bodies.  Two of them became Isabella and Anne, but the third just sort of sat around...having not turned out sculpt-wise the way I'd wanted her to at the time.  But I went back and revisited her a bit.

She ended up with pumpkin and crackle, with harvest colors and polkadotted stockings and Queen Ann-ish eyes.  I like her and have enjoyed her wide-eyed presence.  Now I guess I'll list her on Ebay or Etsy and see if someone is as hungry for cool autumn weather as I am.

I know, it's too soon, and I should be happy with whatever season is upon me.  But a girl can dream, right?