I love wildflowers and notice them wherever we go. So while Jan was busy dumping the RV this morning I was looking out the window at the wildflowers, thinking the tiny daisies would be the perfect size for my dolls. So I went out and picked a tiny bouquet.....
I'm back!! For a couple of days, then I'm gone again. I love wildflowers and notice them wherever we go. So while Jan was busy dumping the RV this morning I was looking out the window at the wildflowers, thinking the tiny daisies would be the perfect size for my dolls. So I went out and picked a tiny bouquet..... Tiny white daisies, orange hawkweed, pink clover, blue vetch, a buttercup, yellow hopclover, and purple selfheal - just some of the many different wildflowers blooming up north at the moment.
I finished the three KID-size fairy dresses, and tried them on my three girls... And here they are again with Tillie and Cinnamon. modelling the final five fairy dresses.... I can't wait to see them all with wings!
Someone on one of the forums I belong to, asked to see a photo of an Iplehouse BID with something we all recognize - like a can of pop - to give a better idea of how big (or small) the dolls actually are. As a newbie whose never seen a BJD for real, it really is hard to judge size just from a photo. Since I was taking photos anyways, I thought I'd take one of Elin with a can of pop..... A BID is 25 cm tall, or roughly twice the height of a regular size can of pop. It's a great size! Today I have to tie up some loose ends and start to get my dolls ready for a trip up north. It's always hard to decide who to take, and what accessories and props I'll want. Fortunately there's lots of storage room in the RV. I've been experimenting with fairy wings. I bought some 'Gem-Tac' glue. I figure if it's strong enough to hold rhinestones and embellishments on dance and pageant costumes, it should be able to hold small, light, fabric wings onto wire frames. I tried one set of wings, and the glue seems to work well. This morning I tried using glitter paint to create the veins on the wings. It's a lot harder than it looks to make even straight lines. I found that glitter paint on it's own wasn't sparkly enough, and that I had to scatter dry glitter over the glitter paint..... I don't know if I'm happy with the result. I've always preferred sewing to gluing - there's just something much more permanent about sewing. I also prefer the transparency of the store-bought wings. Problem is, I have just six of the store-bought butterflies, and I need eleven of them, including three larger ones for the KID costumes. I think I need to go through my entire box of sheer fabrics to see if there's something better, and I'll also need to go to Michaels and get some regular glitter in all the colours I need. But it will have to wait until some time next week.
Efreet has only been here one day, and he's already got himself a paper route - and he's talked Ringo into helping him out. But all the talk about all the toys they are going to be able to buy with all the money they make, doesn't seem to be inspiring Ringo much.... ..even though all he has to do is pull the wagon and make sure the papers don't fall out or get blown away, while Efreet actually delivers to all the houses.
My little Efreet finally arrived this morning! He's one of the four original BIDs that Iplehouse introduced in their Elemental Guardian series. I dressed him in the outfit I made for him, and Erzulie was excited to meet him, and introduce him to all her friends..... He's light brown resin, and came with a factory face up. At some point I will have him repainted to get rid of his thick black eyebrows and the black line between his lips. The black line gives him a very 'pouty' look, but without it he'll look much more relaxed. However, for now he's just fine.
He came with some nice golden brown glass eyes, but the left one really reflects the light a bit too much. In real life it's not bad, but in photos it glows golden a bit too much. I will see how it goes, otherwise I will replace them. Now if I can just get Ringo painted, there will be two boys, who hopefully can become best friends. Edited to add: I've already switched his eyes. The golden glare from the left eye made him look cross-eyed much of the time, so I switched in a pair of gray-green glass eyes. They do look much better, but it's always an experiment to see what works and what doesn't with any new doll. It's been a very rough week, and I wasn't feeling up to taking photos, so there's not been much to post. But I am slowly continuing to make progress on my fairy outfits. Both Tillie and Cinnamon's dresses, panties, and flower wreaths are finished.....they just need their wings. So they impatiently wait, and envy the butterflies their pretty wings.... "Sigh......when do you think we will get our wings?" It could still be awhile. The next three weeks will be crazy, with two separate four-day trips, so it's hard to say if the wings can be made in between. I doubt it. I did go to Fabricland to get supplies for the wings - a special glue I'm hoping will hold the fabric securely to the wires, and some light green velcro to make the wings easy to put on and take off the backs of the dresses.
I also picked up some cute appliqués for the bibs of my boy's overalls. Speaking of boys, I am really hoping Efreet arrives tomorrow. Yesterday tracking showed him to be in Scarborough. But earlier today when I tried his tracking number to see where he was at today, it said "Tracking Number Not Found". Huh? Well, that has happened before that the tracking number disappeared into thin air on their website, and the doll was still delivered when I expected it, so it's still too soon to panic. I thought I'd try the tracking number again, and now it says the Canada Post website is down for servicing until some time tomorrow morning. Well, like my son says, there's more than one way to find stuff on the Internet.....so I tried United States Postal Service Tracking, and Efreet is still there. Good! I'm slowly continuing to make progress on the fairy outfits. I haven't started the wings yet, but have cut out the fabrics for the three KID-size dresses, and designed bodices for my Kaye Wiggs tinies, Cinnamon and Tillie. It's been so long since I've played with the two of them, that I've almost forgotten how cute they are. With their pointy ears they've always been destined to become elves or fairies, so it's about time I finally made them some nice fairy costumes. Tillie and Cinnamon will get to keep their fairy costumes, and they've chosen pink and blue. They thought they'd try help so I'd get done faster...... I've been checking tracking on Efreet several times every day, and he's finally out of Customs. He spent all week there. I wonder what they were doing with him so long? Anyway, now that it's Friday and the weekend is upon us, I can't expect him to arrive until Monday at the earliest.
Today is 'Nunuvat Day' in the far north. It commemorates the creation of Canada's third territory. The Canadian Parliament passed the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act and the Nunavut Act on July 9, 1993. Nunavut officially split from the Northwest Territories and became a Canadian territory on April 1, 1999. But because the people of the north felt a greater connection to the July date, Nunavut Day is annually celebrated on July 9th. To celebrate with their fellow Canadians in the far north, and to get a greater appreciation for Inuit Art and culture, several of my girls went to visit the McMartha Gallery of Fine Canadian Art.... In Iqaluit, the territory capital, celebrations will include free screenings of the movie 'Frozen', and the 'Chronicles of Narnia'. I think when my girls get home, they would enjoy those too. Happy 15th Birthday Nunuvat!July 1st was Canada Day, but it was also 'Build a Scarecrow Day', so some of my girls went to the farm to put together a scarecrow for the vegetable patch.... I'm in the process of choosing flower petals and fabrics for the KID fairy dresses. I still need to experiment with making wings in order to finish the BID fairy outfits, but I find it hard to work with the house shut tight with the air conditioner on. Plus renovations in the dining room are into week three, and it goes very slow now that Jan is back to work, and I find it very oppressive having all the boxes of supplies piled in my work space.
Tracking shows my new little BID Efreet landed at Pearson yesterday morning, so he can arrive at any time now. I have nothing for him to wear - not even a wig - unless I strip Ringo, so I need to take a break from the fairies and quickly make some boy clothes and a wig. But 'quick' still means it will take a day or two. Today is National Strawberry Sundae Day. I had cut up a box of strawberries just so my girls could have a sundae. There wasn't any regular milk for the whipped topping, so I used chocolate milk instead. Yummm! Byuri and Erzulie made nice little sundaes, but Elin had bigger plans.... They sat watching Elin in wonder, not noticing their own ice cream melting and running down their legs. After they finished their sundaes, I had to strip the two girls down and wash all their clothes Meanwhile, Elin was still working on her sundae. It will probably take her all week
- unless she gets a bit of help from some more of her friends. |
AuthorMartha Boers is an award-winning Canadian doll maker and costumer specializing in fantasy and historical-style costumes. Archives
April 2024
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