Kerry–last of 2022

This is the last doll for 2022. She is a commission for a friends daughter in law. The customer made certain requests and while I did try to include everything she asked for there were a couple of things that are adapted from what she talked about. It all came together regardless. The customer is happy and that’s all that matters.

So here is Kerry. She is approx. 12” standing, the chair makes the overall size approx. 14”. Her heads, hands and feet are clay. I experimented with giving her a clay breast plate, the arms are clay and the lower legs as well.

Her jacket is a faux leather, pants are a knit fabric as is her t-shirt. The actual person is blonde, but I had to go with what my senses told me and as it turns out, she recipient actually dyed her hair this colour…. synchronicity..??

There are little bits of bling here and there from her flip flops to her messy bun. I made a selection of mini books and magazines and tote bags to carry them in, along with a little stack of her mini business cards. So here she is…

Marion – A commission - 2021

A woman saw some dolls I had made, and contacted me to ask if I would  make a doll for her sister that lives in Saskatchewan. She gave me some background information that I asked for, so I could make sure to personalize it as much as possible for her. The sister had requested bold bright clothing but when she saw what I did, she changed her mind and thought what I did was perfect. It turned out, her sister said it was just right too. ;o)

I made a few things based on the information I was given, such as the books. Those are made with clay and embellishments. I tried to include references to as many things as possible. She was very happy with the end result and that’s what you want to hear…

Big Catch Up…wow

I haven’t posted in ages, did you notice the last date… ooops. I have so much to post, I’ll just post one or two pictures of each project, unlike how I usually post several. I’m going to have to post a few separate posts because I’ve been doing a number of different themed art projects.

Here are some ornaments and small pieces. Some things I made very just to try something new and used that as a learning curve. So here you are…

This is a fairy designed by Shashi, my version is red and white and was ready for Christmas.

 

  
This was an order for a special customer that has ordered these fairies for a few years now. She sends them to family in Australia. They have a separate tree for them now. ;o)

These are some pins I made using wool scraps, some beads and other embellishments.  First a couple of cat faces.

These are the lady pins. I again used some beads and other embellishments. I really loved making these. Like the cats, they are my own designs.

A Mash Up to End the Year

I’ve been working on a number of things and am well behind in posting here. I’ve made ornaments for the gallery, a small commission and some things for my own holiday decor. A bit of a long post, but better that than complaints that I post too often..?? Oh well…

First up at these Winter Rose Fairies. They are an adaption of the Shabby Rose Fairies I usually make. I made little snow globes for them to hold, and nice warm hats and scarves for those winter winds.

Next are the 12 Days of Christmas. These designs are made using the patterns from Larissa over on MMMCrafts. CLICK HERE.  Larissa has used the traditional way of numbering the ornament (who knew there was a different version of numbering them), so if you decide to make them, be aware that you will have to change the numbering if you want the version that is more widely known.

Along with the 12 Days of Christmas, Larissa included 3 bonus designs. One with the Partridge, one with the Geese a Layin and the last with the Lords a Leapin. So there is an egg, a heart and a pear. These ones are on my tree. They are so easy to make and a great way to use up those felt scraps that build up in a basket if you’re like me and love working with felt. ;o)

Another project I did for our Christmas decor. are these cute little Snowman coasters and Candle Mat. This is a design by Penny Lane Primitives. CLICK HERE. There are some really nice designs there suitable for many occasions. This set only took me a few days to do. I wasn’t at it non stop, but it’s very quick stitching you can do while watching tv.

The next thing is a stocking. I had one for hubby and one for the cat (of course), and just finished this one for me this year.The inside is lined with a pretty cotton print covered in male and female cardinals. The pattern does not call for lining, but I’m a detail person and just had to line them. Cheswick Company has a wonderful collection of stocking patterns. You don’t even need to fill them (they are between 18” and 22” long), that would take a lot of stuffing. ;o) But Cathy has tons of ornaments, tree skirts, prim dolls and more for all seasons. CLICK HERE

And the last picture is that of a small doll ornament. A couple bought one of my Tiny Dancers and after leaving the gallery, realized they should have bought something for the other granddaughter. So they contacted me and gave me some details of what they had in mind. This granddaughter loves basketball, has brown eyes and brown hair. So how to make this work. I had wanted to get a mini basketball for the doll to hold under her arm. Not enough notice or time for that, so I came up with a different idea.

I would have her sitting on a basketball. I found a soft foamy kind of ball at the $$ store and it worked out just great. I made some basketball shoes suitable for an 11 year old little girl and a little added bling. I also added a Santa Hat. When they came, they said I captured her just perfectly, so yay…good news. The End….

A Pirate or an Angel

This is an art doll I just finished for a customer. She asked me to make a doll that looks like a pirate but with angel wings. The details are based on the recipients life style and her charity work. There is synchronicity involved in this request. I can make a pirate and I can give her angel wings, but who would have thought that years ago when I bought a pattern for this very style of doll and that someone would request a custom doll like it 12 years later… ;o~  The design is by Sandy Pine. As a doll maker, do you remember this from back to 2005 ?

I followed parts of the design and did my own in other areas. The customer requested either a kayak or canoe as a prop, and that needs an oar, and she definitely wanted angel wings. I also had a base that has been tucked away in a chest, and that worked out great for this theme. She also wanted to add a bottle rum, of course. What pirate would be complete without that…

I had a few learning curves with this project, which is great. Keep those little grey cells happy. For the canoe, I had found some rectangular pieces of birch bark at a small florist some time ago, that had the best unique things she had sourced from who knows where. I had no idea what I would do with them but they were too interesting to not buy.  I found this tutorial online and followed it for the most part, except that’s bigger (about 7” long) and I added a seat and a cross member. CLICK HERE for the canoe tutorial.

The angel wings are made with coffee filters, in a mini version. CLICK HERE for the tutorial. I followed the basic instructions, just super mini sized them.

The oar is made from an image I found, just free handed it. The oar is balsa wood, the handle is a dowel. The rum bottle is a party favour with a Captain Morgan’s label reduced to fit. Here she is, and I’ll continue below with more details.

The costume:  the blouse is made with silk, the leggings are a stretch ribbing that you would use on sleeve cuffs etc. The vest is non woven felt with strips of leather and faux suede. The cuffs are leather pieces and tiny gold buttons.

The Tricorn hat is made from felt. There are lots of patterns on Pinterest for that. You just have to modify the size you need. The hair is from an Etsy seller in the UK. I had thought to wrap the hair up into the hat, but the curls are so nice, I didn’t want to hide them. They are tied with a piece of leather in the back.

Her boots are made with faux suede and wrapped with strips of leather. The boot pattern made no sense to me. I don’t know how she made them to look like the picture, so I had to do my own thing.

The tips of her boots are metal bead caps. I made them in three parts, the legs, the cuff and the shoe part.

Here’s the rum bottle. And her skirt is made from faux suede and soft leather leaves in a few different sizes, fed onto a string and wrapped around the waist. A little bit of jewelry around her neck finished the look.

Here are some close ups. She also has a patch over one eye. You can still peek under it to see her full face. ;o)

And that’s it. She’s gone to my customer who is writing a poem to go with the doll. I’ll look forward to hearing some feedback. Thanks for visiting today ;o))