A few more photos of Bonnie and Erzulie out in the white blossoms....
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The two BID Jennet outfits are coming along nicely, and today I'm working on the leather bags and cloaks. I've made so many of these tiny leather bags over the years, and they are very labour-intensive. Plus I always need to haul out so many boxes of supplies - and all for such a tiny little bag. I thought I'd take a photo. Keep in mind this is just with the boxes all neatly closed, before the scrounging around begins while looking for just the right stuff. When opened, and spread out - because what I need is never at the top - the stuff takes up half the floor.......  That's two big, heavy boxes full of leather - for the bag itself, and for the ties and belt.
A plastic drawer full of studs and metal bits - for just two tiny decorative studs for 'clasps' A drawer full of jump rings - for two jump rings per bag A drawer full of tiny buckles - for two for each bag Two drawers of embroidery floss - in the colours for the bit of embroidery on each bag Box of needles - for the glover's needles for sewing leather And that doesn't include the thread, scissors, the bag of snaps for the bag closures, or the glue. And finally, the basket with size 6/7 wigs, because my costume model needs a different wig All needing to be hauled out, then after finding what I need, everything has to be put back where it belongs. All for two tiny bags! And it will probably take the entire day to complete them. The girls are looking after Maya's puppies, and it's time to feed them.... 
Bonnie loves looking after the puppies, but Erzulie is still keeping her distance. She likes to watch them, but doesn't want to get too close. Byuri came out to join them too. She's supposed to be a costume model at the moment, but the outfit she is intended to model hasn't even been started yet, so she got tired of waiting around naked except for some tights, and decided to put her clothes back on and join Bonnie and Erzulie. She loves the puppies almost as much as Bonnie..... 
Maya in the dandelions, contemplating his true love....  Today it's back to sewing. I did get the eyelets inserted yesterday, but didn't get the sleeves as far as I would have liked. So that's my job for today - sew in the sleeves, and possibly attach the skirts and stitch in the linings. We'll see how far I get. Now that it's finally spring, there's lots to do out in the garden every day as well. Like poking out dandelions so my yard doesn't end up looking like the photo above. Ever since the government banned pesticides and herbicides for home use, everything is turning into a carpet of yellow each spring. It really does look beautiful, and very impressive - as long as it's not in my lawn. Magnolia petals need to be picked up every day, and the few tulips that bloomed need to be dead-headed. Dead branches need to be pruned. Lots to do!
I've been playing around with Ringo, trying on the second T-shirt I made, and trimming another wig for him. Charie is too busy right now to give him a faceup, so I'm holding onto him until she has time. I trimmed a brown Roxie wig which started out looking like a 'blown-dried shag'. It's still a bit rough, and it could use a bit more work, but he is a boy after all, so he can get away with it. 
I had cut his T-shirts a bit shorter, thinking I didn't want them hanging way over his pants, but it looks like I could have left the length. Now his belly button shows, but that's cute too. The girls are wondering what's up with this new little guy with the big attitude..... 
Bonnie is especially sympathetic, wondering what she can do to cheer him up.... 
Maybe he'll be happier once he gets a faceup, although I have a feeling he's always going to be hard to please.
Bonnie and Erzulie enjoying the early blossoms on a cool spring day....  With it being Victoria Day holiday Monday today, we need to finish our garden planting. Hopefully nights will stay warm enough that we won't have to haul all the delicate plants inside again.
I'm hoping there will be some time to work on my commissions today as well. At least set the eyelets in the velvet vests, and baste the sleeves into the under-dresses. It was a very cool spring day, so Bonnie and Erzulie put on their sweaters to go to the park. There they met a boy playing with his puppies in the dandelions.  Bonnie immediately got down to pet them, but Erzulie was a bit hesitant......  With it being spring again, I face the dilemma of what photos to take where. I figured the flowers come out again every year, and I don't want the same dolls in the same flowers year after year, so this year I'm trying to focus on dolls who either weren't around last time, or who rarely get out.
With it being the Victoria Day long weekend here, we decided to go visit our daughter and her family yesterday. We are lucky our eldest two sons and their families live just minutes away in the same town. But our daughter lives 400 kilometres away. However, with 99% of that being along the biggest, busiest highway in Canada, it takes just over 4 hours to get there. Our grandson Elliot is growing so fast, and he's ever so cute! 
He's looking so much like his older brothers... 
He's just three months old, yet can sit supported..... 
....and stand while holding Mommy's hands...... 
He likes 'normal' baby stuff, like rattles, too.... 
I guess you can tell that I'm a pretty proud Grandma! I love taking photos of my grandchildren, but have to admit it's a lot harder than taking doll photos. They move, the dolls don't.
I wasn't going to miss another delivery, so stuck an 'Out of Order" note on my doorbell, and sure enough there was a loud knock on my door - even before I had breakfast. Ringo had arrived! Bonnie and Erzulie, being the only two little girls still dressed, wanted to help unpack the box. They seemed a bit confused when one package had a pair of jeans, and two others had back-packs. Huh? Who could be in there? It was a BOY! And as soon as he saw them and realized he was totally naked, he grabbed the pants.  He said his name was Ringo, and he was a little sad, wondering where he was. The girls let him get dressed in private, then tried to comfort him. Bonnie took his bear out of his back-pack....  I gave him the socks and top I'd made, and found a wig that would do for now. I also changed his eyes to 10 mm gray glass. He makes me laugh, he's so forlorn-looking. People have said before that some of my dolls are so depressed-looking, well now I've finally got one who really is. I'm not sure whether he's actually sad, depressed, angry, or just plain pouty. A lot will depend on his face up, and the camera angles. One thing for sure, he's not just another happy little doll....  It's cool and very humid out today, and that reminds me of the Pacific northwest where it always seems to be cool and damp. I converted several 'native' photos, which were taken out there, to sepia tones, and find that gives them a very authentic feel, like they were taken a hundred years ago. Now if I only knew how to make them look really old and worn along the edges. 
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AuthorMartha Boers is an award-winning Canadian doll maker and costumer specializing in fantasy and historical-style costumes. Archives
March 2023
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