When my Mini Layla arrived in late summer, she refused to look down. It was impossible to move her head so she would look down. So I checked to see if she had the little contraption in her neck joint that my other Mini Kaye Wiggs dolls have, and she didn't. It's just a little vinyl thingy, like Missy's here, but it obviously makes a big difference. So Kaye Wiggs graciously sent me one, and Layla couldn't be more pleased. She can finally look down and admire her pretty red boots... She can hang ornaments on the lower branches of the tree... ...and can put gifts under it. But best of all....she can now look down and read a book.... Thank you Kaye!
Sena and Fiona's Grandpa was babysitting while their parents were off doing some last minute Christmas shopping... "Giddyup horsey!" Fiona wanted to take a ride as well... "What do you say we let Fiona have a turn?" So the girls switched.... ..but Sena wanted back on... "Maybe there's room for both of us?" And there was...
My sister and I have been working on a new book this past month. She had spent the entire year working on a book featuring photos of every single OOAK art doll we had ever made, and then while doing the final edit, one idea led to another, and I made some comment about doing a book featuring photos I'd taken with my BJDs with some of our old art dolls in my collection. I actually got to see her finished book last week, and it is very impressive. Together we made almost three hundred sculpted dolls over a period of about twelve years, mostly during the nineties. The vast majority were sold, but we each kept some of our favourites, and ones that were special to us. Every now and then I would use one of the old dolls in my personal collection in photos with my BJDs. So it's been fun to put together a book featuring those unique photos. Well, right now we are in the final edit stage, and almost ready to send it off for the first test print. The front cover.... I'm really excited about this new book because it features some of my all time favourite photos. Like Lawrence in Jurassic Park as Dr. Grant... ...and as the Soldier in the Soldier & Death... The knights on winter patrol meeting up with my Griffin and his friends...... There's four visits from St. Nicholas, and this is just the one from 2014... There's also several pages with my favourite photos from my White Cat story... All in all 71 pages featuring photos of 29 of my old art dolls with my BJDs.
So, something to look forward to in the new year. Cookie had invited Buster the bear over for tea... "I'm so glad you could come." "Well, thank you for inviting me." "Some more tea?" "Yes, please."
We had some great packing snow a few weeks ago, so Missy and Raillie took Layla out to make a snowman. Having just recently arrived from Australia, she'd never made a snowman before... I'd just finished knitting Layla a sweater and hat set, so the timing was perfect.
The kids were getting totally carried away with their pillow fight... When suddenly there was a loud crash... "Ooops!" Steve rushed into the room... ...to find the Christmas tree flat on the floor.... "What is going on here!?!?" "We were just having a little pillow fight...." "...and then the tree just fell over." Sena seemed totally unconcerned, sitting among the pillows, playing with an ornament that had fallen off the tree... Steve turned to Eric and Nyssa, "Your friends are going home right now, and then the two of you are going to help me clean up this mess and fix everything before your mother gets home. Hopefully all her favourite ornaments are still okay."
I had wanted to shoot another promo for my Holiday pillows... ... but things got a little out of control.. Byuri was a little apprehensive about getting involved...at first... ..but soon joined in the fun... ...as things got really wild... So, if your kids want to join in the fun, there's still plenty of Holiday Pillows available... Holiday PillowsToday, December 13th, is the birthday of Emily Carr, one of Canada's most iconic artists. She was born in Victoria, British Columbia, on a stormy night in 1871. She was the second youngest of nine children, and as she grew up her artistic inclinations were encouraged. Later as a young woman she made several sketching and painting trips up the coast to visit Aboriginal villages. She focused much of her work on sketching and painting native villages and totem poles on location along the coast all the way up to Alaska, in the hopes that the Museum would be interested in purchasing her entire collection as a historical record. But they turned her down, claiming her paintings were "too colourful". Totally disheartened, she stopped painting for the next 15 years, turning her attention to running a boarding house and raising dogs, to help pay expenses. She started writing, and did eventually return to painting, encouraged by members of the Group of Seven, notably Lawren Harris. I've always admired her work, so Marianne and I made an art doll figure of her for our Artists series years ago. To this day she still sits at her easel in my display case. Back in 2013 when I was shooting my Special Days series, I did a tribute to Emily Carr for her birthday that year, but it wasn't up to today's standards. So I decided to do it again. I set up her studio on my dining room table. I filled it with her paintings, some Indigenous art, and native regalia. Then I tried to imagine the scene with three little girls there for some art lessons, even though she hadn't really been much of an art teacher. She had taken a teaching position at the 'Ladies Art Club' in Vancouver in 1905 - but for just a month. She was unpopular because of her rude behaviour, smoking and cursing at the students, so they boycotted her classes. So my scene is totally imaginary, how it might have been if a friendly Emily had actually taken children in for art lessons. Emily had a pet monkey. Woo, who I imagined would have been a total distraction... ...and Holly was distracted by one of Emily's puppies... ...while Byuri was watching Emily.... ...who was totally absorbed in finishing her painting. So everyone was pretty much on their own... Elin and Holly tried on some native hats that were lying around... While Byuri offered to take Woo out for a walk in her buggy... Leaving Emily to just focus on her painting.
The Elven Army was on the march. They had a long way to go...with General Nolan leading the way. But the smallest little armoured soldier often needed to take a rest. He was their munitions specialist, in charge of defusing bombs, so needed extra protection to do his job, and all that heavy armour weighed him down. ..and even though the others wouldn't admit it, they appreciated the frequent rests themselves. So it always took way longer than expected to get anywhere. Even Winston would come and join them now and then...just to be with Saphira...
Iris had been picking apples in the orchard, but it was such a lovely autumn day, that she decided to just relax and read her new books out in the garden... What could be better than an entertaining book, and a mug of mulled cider? Maybe some friends... ...to cuddle with in a nice warm afghan? *There's still two copies of Winston's Photo Album available, and a few copies of the Fairy book, so get yours before they are all gone. https://www.antiquelilac.com/books.html
|
AuthorMartha Boers is an award-winning Canadian doll maker and costumer specializing in fantasy and historical-style costumes. Archives
April 2024
|