Swap Doll Now Finished and Delivered.

Wow it's been a day short of a month that I last blogged. So many crazy things have been happening around here. I'll share all the news over the next few posts. First of all I finally finished my swap doll. My ADA Art Doll Artists Group had a doll swap last month. I was a little late getting my doll out but since I was hosting the group I figure it was o.k. and my partner had no problem waiting.

I don't have the best photos since it was raining like crazy when I wanted to take pics but I'll still share them with you. I receive a great doll from Sarah Timmerman which I'll show first.

This is Mia the Unhappy Party Guest.

She's an adorable zombie. I love zombies!

My doll went to Sherry Hall. Since she lives on a ranch and rides horses and steer, yes you heard that right she rides show steer!, I had to make a cowgirl. I wasn't able to show wips of this project since Sherry follows my blog but it you bear with me I'll do that now.

I was so happy I already had these fun fabrics in my stash!

 Hand sewing the mini pom pom trim (also from my stash) with green embroidery thread that matched the green in the fabric.

 Super proud of how this skirt came out.

The underskirt was made from a real baby dress. It already had the ruffles and lace so worked out perfectly.

I hand embroidered the belt with colors from the fabric and found also in my stash one of those bolero type metal things that was perfect for a big buckle.

The boots were the hardest part of this project. I made them from felt. The light brown that looks like leather is an embossed felt that I also already had. I embroidered the details on and I love how they turned out.

These are the three accessories I made to go with the doll. A steer plush doll, a hobby horse and a flat topped cowboy hat.

Skirt and underskirt detail. She also is wearing bloomers 

I made but never got a pic of.

Meet Lucille - Queen of the Western Prairie

More Trial and Error.

So here's the Lion AGAIN. Still without a mane. I tried several different ways to make the mane with the faux fur and nothing worked right. I may just be too darn picky, my family liked how I was doing it but it just didn't feel right to me. I'm going to try a different approach, new materials and see how that goes. I may end up returning to the fur...who knows.

On another note my swap partner follows my fan page and my blog links there so I won't be showing anymore peeks of that project. I want it to be a surprise for her. I will say that I've completed her clothing and now need to make her accessories.

A Little of This and That...

The doll I showed in the last post needs a few more tweaks and the PDF should be in my shop by the Fall. 

I haven't blogged lately because my daughter and I have been scraping wallpaper from Hell in our bathroom. Finally that was done and we painted all the walls and ceiling. It's been a long process since we could only work when I was feeling well enough. We still need to do touch ups, paint the trim, hang the towel racks and put up the new mini blinds. I'll show pics when we are finished.

My art doll group is doing a doll swap that I am hosting and I'm so excited about it! I just finished embroidering the face of the doll I'm making last night and need to sew the body. I'm going to show a little peek a boo since my partner doesn't follow my blog.

Now on to the kitchen news. I've come to the realization that I'll probably have to dismantle my studio for a few months while we are re-doing the kitchen. My current studio resides in my dining room and that's the only place in the entire house to store the appliances and kitchen stuff. I was going to move my studio into the Master bedroom after my brother moved out but he didn't get the rental house he was hoping for so will be here longer. I don't want to hold up doing the kitchen so will probably be working on a small table in my bedroom like in the early days. Or possibly carve out a small area in my nephew's play room when they aren't here. Not a fun time for me but I'll take one for the team so we can get this kitchen done.

I still haven't finished the Lion. I just can't find the time to sit and really think about the mane design. Nothing I've done so far is working and I refuse to move on to another character until he is done.

A Year In Review

2012 wasn't the greatest year for me health-wise etc. I know for some people it was way worse so I'm not really going to complain about my little life. Looking forward to 2013 being much better and will work hard to achieve that for myself.

Going to show a photo review of the year. Some notable highlights of the year were: I was published for the first time in Soft Dolls and Animals Magazine. I was accepted into Art Dolls Only Group and I really did some of my best work so far. Pretty darn pleased with those. I also jumped out of my comfort zone kicking and screaming. Was one of the best things I've ever done for myself.

Custom Ornament

Paper Clay Valentine Bunny

 Paper Clay Snow Kids

Vintage Easter Swap

Vintage Circus Challenge

 300 Penguin Wedding Ornaments

Native American Doll

Elsa and Frank Topsy Turvy Doll

 Prim Doll Challenge

Day of The Dead Challenge

 Big Frank Plush

Vintage Halloween Swap

Halloween Ornament Swap

Christmas Ornament Swap

Fall Themed Swap Doll

When I have them all on one post like this I see how much time and energy I spent on these so I guess it was a good creative year even though it wasn't a quantity year. 

I wish you all a fantastic 2013!

A long over due update

Well November turned out to be the one month a year that I have very little pain and I actually feel Human again. Unfortunately it was also the month I had the full body wracking cough that had me worried I'd crack a rib. Very little sleep, trying to sleep sitting upright against a wall, waking up everyone in the house at night with my coughing and explosive sneezing. Some kind of virus or allergies? I didn't get better until my sinus' got infected and I got an antibiotic. I still have a dry hacking cough but at least I can sleep now. And still compared to October it was a good month.

Didn't get much done since I can't sew when I'm hacking up a lung. I managed to get one special Ornament done for the ADA's Christmas Swap.

He's a sweet little felt and paper clay Santa. I received the loveliest Santa Cat ornament from Trish Powell.

I took advantage of Cyber Monday and purchased a brand new sewing machine for a fantastic price and free shipping. It's a present to me from my wonderful mom for Christmas only I get it now.

I played around with it and so far I don't hate it, it's pretty easy to use and it seems to like me fine so we are becoming fast friends. Hopefully this baby will help get a good stock of doll bodies built up so I can do some shows next year. Fingers crossed.

My poor daughter just had a cyst or cysts on one of her ovaries rupture and has been in so much pain. So even though she's 20 years old she still needs mom to take care of her.

I put some of my older Holiday Plush dolls in my etsy shop and a couple of them sold...yay!

 These guys are still in my shop. I made them last year. I make a new set of holiday characters in a new design every year. Just couldn't make a set this year.

These 2 are the last of the holiday plush dolls from 2010 and are also in my shop.
 

I'm currently working on a doll for a swap and a custom order and I'm making a Super Hero doll for my youngest nephew and a girl doll for my brother's new girlfriend's daughter. I have a bunch more challenges coming up and I'm just tired thinking about them. Actually I'm physically exhausted. But of course I'll do them anyway.

Monday in Sasyland.

Well I'm up and about trying to finish current projects and itching to start new ones too. It's amazing what a pain free day will do for my productivity. I thought I'd show some things going on in the studio.

 Here's a pile of felt that I'm using for my current projects. There is some fabric tucked in there too somewhere.

Here are two little ugglies (at least I'm calling them that until they are painted) on my clay table.

This is a paper clay ornament I did for Art Doll Artists Halloween Ornament Swap. He was fun to make and I can't wait to get my swap partners ornament. Can you tell I have a Frankenstein thing going on here lately?

I have a couple more of this style ornament waiting in the wings for clay.

The sweet little pumpkin girl is a WIP for Patrick Gill's Vintage Halloween Challenge and Swap at Every Witch Way Lane on Facebook. This is the 4th challenge I've done with this amazing group of artists. I use these challenges to push myself out of my comfort zone and really force myself to do things I never thought that I could.

This owl goes with the above piece. There is a black cat that goes with too that I'm working on today.

My next project is for ADAs Silent Film Star Challenge. Of course it's completely in my head but not even started yet. It's due on the 30th of this month but since I'm hosting it I'll probably end up pushing the deadline back a little bit.

 I love researching the fun and unusual and I found a great star that I never head of for my piece. She's Anna May Wong and was the first Chinese American Silent Film Star and was considered a female fashion icon of the era. Isn't she beautiful?

2 photos of the same dress. Of course I choose to do this crazy and difficult dragon dress.

I found this dress on Pinterest and OMG it's the same dress!!!!!!!!!!!! I have hundreds and hundreds of tiny rhinestones to glue on for the dragon design. I know I'm nuts. But once I get an idea into my head it has to be made no matter what.

Then after that project I have to do my wonderland project which I'm not having high hopes for anymore. So what are you all working on?