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Finally, a Beginning...

9/20/2013

I've finally started my Queen of the Night costume today. Asa, who it ultimately is for, is away getting a new faceup, so Soa has stepped in as the model for now. We switched her flat feet for her high-heeled feet because I'll need them in order to make some fancy high-heeled shoes - plus to make sure the skirts are the correct length. I was looking for a light blue T-shirt at WalMart last night, but with summer gone, everything now up for sale was in the darker more seasonal colours. However, I did find a nice pale lavender shirt in the men's department - the kind that has a bit of lycra in the fiber mix, so it stretches nicely in both directions. After running the shirt through the laundry, I made a pair of stockings, and Soa tried them on...

I usually prefer to make tights, but I need to minimize the bulk at the waist, so went with stockings instead. They may not be very flashy, but it's a beginning. Next step is to make shoes and pantaloons. I'm not a stickler for historical accuracy, so even if underwear wasn't worn during a particular period, I always make pantaloons under long skirts in order to protect the doll's resin from being scuffed by her stand. Shoes will be a real challenge. It was hard enough making nice shoes on art dolls where the shoes were a permanent part of the doll, so making lovely removable high-heeled "period" shoes will be interesting.

"Polly Want a Cracker?"

9/19/2013

Today is National 'Talk like a Pirate Day', so Byuri has dressed up and boarded
Short John Silver's ship to offer his parrot a cracker. "Arrggh matey!"

I've put the witch hats up for sale, but haven't started advertising yet as I need to get some properly sized boxes to ship them in. Hopefully today. I'm also excited to be starting several outfits which some loyal customers have been patiently waiting for for some time. They are all for either Kaye Wiggs MSD or Iplehouse JID with flat chest - so technically interchangeable size-wise for the most part - except for any tight-fitting sleeves. So I'm going through boxes of fabrics gathering what each outfit will need, and making note of what I'll need to be on the lookout for at Fabricland during their big sale this coming weekend. Because as every seamstress or hobbyist knows, no matter how much fabric or supplies one has, it's never all the right thing, so one has to go out and buy more! Like stretchy fabric for stockings. Even though I have a box full, with dozens of plain colours and different stripes, I don't have black and white stripes, and I'm also out of beige and light pink. And I also need some light blue. So, out of the five colours I need, I have one, and need to go buy fabric for the other four. Better start making a list!

National Playdoh Day

9/18/2013

According to my Special Days list, today is National Playdoh Day. I saw claims that it was actually two days ago, but I'm sticking to my own list - like it really matters. I bought my girls some Playdoh to let them try out their creative sculpting skills and make things out of it. Elin made a nice green alligator, Erzulie made a lovely little bird, and Nami made a striped kitty.

Did you know that Playdoh was invented as a household cleaner? People could remove soot and dirt from their wallpaper just by rolling some of the off-white goop over it. Later when it hit stores as a toy in 1955, it came in three colours - red, blue and yellow. The fledgling company had no advertising budget, so the inventor approached Captain Kangaroo and offered him a percentage of the sales if he would feature Playdoh once a a week on his show. Well, Captain Kangaroo loved the stuff, and featured it several times every week, and Playdoh caught on like wildfire. Today it's available in almost every colour imaginable.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of Playdoh. I much prefer plasticine or Sculpey. But considering it was "National Playdoh Day", I relented and bought a set of four small cans.

Elegant Witches

9/18/2013

This morning I thought I'd try the witch hats on my larger ladies, after all, they have the same size head as the Kaye Wiggs girls. I chose a hat to colour-coordinate with each of their gowns, and took them outside for a photo. I almost forgot how beautiful my larger girls are!

With their wired brims, the hats can be formed into more elegant shape, and the ribbon ties needed for the younger girls, can be tucked up inside the pointy crown.

Pointy Hats

9/17/2013

My elegant witch's hats are all finished! Just colour-coordinate one with a doll's existing outfit, and they'll be all set for Hallowe'en. The spidery veils can be worn down for a sense of mystery, or they can be tucked up onto the brim to allow a clear view for Trick-or-Treating.

I took photos of the hats on my Kaye Wiggs girls, but think they might work on some of my
larger dolls too - after all, they all have the same size head. I'll try that tomorrow.

Making Hats

9/16/2013

My girls are busy helping me make some elaborately embellished, pointy little Witches hats for Hallowe'en. They come in purple, black, and lime green, are decorated with a fine veil, decorative netting, ribbon bows & roses, and feathers, and tie under the chin. Each hat comes w three little black spiders, and Miki can't resist trying to scare Layla with one.....

Doll Show Finds

9/15/2013

Today was the Maple Leaf Doll Club's annual show and sale in Cambridge, and we went nice
and early, all the better to scoop up all those bargains. I'm always on the lookout for reasonably priced furniture and props to use in my doll photos. It's like a fun little treasure hunt!

Here's everything I picked up today....a nice bright red wagon, some furniture, some doll necklaces, and a stack of small straw hats to go with outfits for the smaller dolls.....

.... and several sets of miniature pink reproduction depression glassware, perfect for my Kaye Wiggs girls. They are "Jennifer Sets" 1, 2 & 11 made by Mosser Glass in Cambridge Ohio many years ago. The vendor gave me a great deal on the three of them!

Even though they are technically meant for the larger dolls, with some imagination they can be used for the tiny dolls as well. Glasses work for every size of doll. Cups can be photographed with the ear at the back so they look like glass bowls. The tea plates double as great dinner plates for the small dolls, and the covered butter dish has lots of possibilities as well.

Purple Amethyst

9/15/2013

Today is "Collect Rocks Day", the day to pick up an interesting rock and start a collection,
so Lonnie and Nami decided to go visit the 'amethyst mine' and look for some rocks with
perfect little crystals. They each found a very nice specimen.....

Miki and Kayla take a Closer Look

9/13/2013

I just couldn't resist taking another photo.....

It was a real challenge getting Miki's face lit up enough so I could see her peeking
through the sewing machine, but I love how the photo turned out.

Some Little Helpers on Sewing Machine Day

9/13/2013

After I shipped off all their beautiful party dresses, several of the girls decided that if I wasn't going to let them keep anything new, then they would try sew some new clothes for themselves. They each picked a favourite fabric and went to the sewing room - but to their surprise, the sewing machine was already in use.....

Maybe when the little helpers are done there, they can come and assist me! I could sure use some "little elves" to help me with the mountains of things I have planned, but can never get to.

You may also notice the new section in the header - 'Dolls for Sale'. I finally managed to get all the old art dolls I'm willing to part with posted in a new section. There's a few of the last dolls my sister and I made together, as well as some I made all by myself - including some of the very first dolls I ever sculpted. Some have amazing costumes, and I wish they were removable, as they'd look amazing on my BJDs, but alas they are al permanently attached.

Here's three figures from our "Fantasy Gnome" series. Maybe you'll recognize Jingle's outfit - it's what Inspired the Christmas Elf outfits I made for all my Iplehouse BIDs.

Short John Sliver

Ruffio

Jingle

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