Home again, home again, Jiggety Jig.

Only I didn't go to market, to market to buy a fat pig.  I went to Phoenix for a cardiac ablation procedure.  What was supposed to be a day turned into four days, but all turned out well and I am home safe and sound.

Working on doll commissions--I have an order which fascinates me because it's outside what most folks usually want.  This customer wants Carnivale doll ornaments, and a Marie Antoinette doll.  Eighteen of the ornaments...it was daunting at first.  I usually work on several pieces at a time, but not that many!  So I sculpted all the heads, and then started figuring out hats and headpieces.  Today I got all that sorted out and then sat down to plan their face paint/costume details.

Oh my goodness!  This is so fun!!!  My job is usually pretty fun in the first place, but I feel like my imagination has been given a balloon ride around the world.

I have little time to get this and five other dolls finished, but since the hubs will be out of town for two weeks, guess what I'll be doing?  :~)  Photos as I finish, I promise.

These are the dolls the commission customer has already purchased, and which were the start of her  decorating idea.  What's funny is I made these dolls because I wanted to, not because there was a market for them.  But they languished, unappreciated by the average doll collector, because the market for them is not...wide, shall we say.  But this one lady saw and loved them--and this commission has given me free rein to get as crazy and colorful as I want, and know they will already have a home!  Woohoo!

Hope y'all are having a lovely October.  Be well.
Jan

New listings in the Etsy Shop!

I had a fit a while back, and luckily it coincided with the purchase of...antique jump rope handles.  Yes, antique jump rope handles.  They had to become dolls.  Of course they did!

Dibeaux

At the time, I was also exploring the joys of vintage circus graphics, and the two made a very interesting limited edition of tiny dolls.  I've listed them on Etsy finally, and can I say I had a blast writing their stories?  I did.

Have a great week, y'all.

Send In The Clowns...

Serious earworm lately, ever since I thought of that line.  Isn't it rich?

But I've had Vintage Circus on the brain lately, in many forms.  And I discovered a small cache of antique jump-rope handles.  What's a girl to do but make dolls, right?  They're all different but similar...since there are only six of them--I don't plan to scour the world for antique jump-rope handles to make MORE--I guess you could call this a very limited edition.  The last two dolls I made from tiny blocks, but they're still clowny.
Click on the first photo to start a slide show.

Now, maybe that I've finished these dolls and posted their pictures, I will no longer hear that song in my head.  I'm not holding out much hope, however, because I also plan a (short) line of little stuffed clowns inspired by the plastic faced, cloth body dolls of the 40's.  I had so much fun finding polka dotted fabric!

Oh well.  Send in the clowns...there ought to be...clowns.