A thing of beauty.

This incredibly beautiful face was created by Susan. She does the most incredible embroidery work as you can see. I feel so fortunate to have been able to do a swap with her. Now I'm busy planning the doll I'm going to make.

3d Icicle Swap.

This is the swap doll I received from Nina. Gorgeous beadwork! I love the face. I think I'm going to make it a goal for the coming year to learn how to do this type of face.

Unfortunately I thought I had taken a picture of mine when it was finished but I hadn't. However I've been playing with some alternative versions of the icicle doll so when I finish them I'll post those.

3D Momiji Swap

Decidedly Different Dolls had a momiji swap. The criteria was that like a momiji doll the doll had to have a secret compartment for a message. I wanted my doll to have a bit of the momiji shape with the big head and Fisher Price Body.

I used a medicine bottle for the body and a styrofoam ball for the head. Cut out the bottom of the ball to insert the medicine cap and glued it in. Then I paper mached the head with newspaper. After which I gessoed it white. Then I used toilet paper and glue to create the nose, eyes and mouth. When that was dry, I covered it with white tissue paper for the face and a patterned tissue for the hair. The body I covered with Japanese Origami paper and embellished with beads.

This is the doll I got from Y. Isn't she beautiful? Her head comes off and she has a darling tiny scroll inside.

Day of the Dead Challenge

Well once again I didn't finish my doll on time for the challenge. Had a good excuse this time though as I caught a nasty cold and lost a week or two of craft time. Here's what I have so far.

Shudayra Finished Up

My local doll club had a stash swap and in the pile was this mound of curly copper hair. I had Shudayra with me and she kept nudging me and telling me to go check it out. We tried it on her and all the women agreed it was definitely her.

Her feet were just begging to be beaded. : ) Would have loved to make spiky heels for her but ran out of time before I could figure it out.

Made her a healing hand charm with a heart to go in her charm bag.
For her journal I made a page for her charm. Used my hand as a print and then used copper foil on it.

And last but not least, I painted her portrait for her journal as well.

Seed Bead Fusion Fun

I have been working through the book "Seed Bead Fusion" by Rachel Nelson-Smith and have been having a blast. Below is a bracelet that I modified by making two rows instead of one. The base is a right angle weave and then the bumps are made with peyote stitch with crystals between each row of bumps. It works up really fast and I love making them as it's one that I can do and talk to people at the same time.



Take time to admire the beautiful clasp. It cost me more than the entire bracelet but is definitely worth it. : )

My next project from the book is a funky spiky bracelet that I am no sure how you would ever wear as it would catch on everything.

3D Halloween Swap

This is the doll I made for the 3d Halloween swap. Frankie has a beaded body and I made the face, hands, and head from polymer clay and beads and wire. He is four inches tall.

This is the fabulous doll I recieved in the swap. Gail made this beauty. The faces are painted clay and the bodies and welcome mate are fiber.

Shudayra

This is MA's doll for the Coolaberation. Her name is Shudayra. From the moment she arrived, she has been sending me vibes to give her a face. So I did.

Halloween is coming : )

I made these Halloween bracelets. The pic didn't get the colors very well and I don't think the backgroud color helps either. : ( But it says "Boo" and has little pumpkins along it. I made the purple and orange for a friend who loves Halloween. She was showing people and another woman liked it so much I told her I make her one too.

3D Dia de Los Muertos Challenge

I've been working on my challenge doll and the other day at the store I found the perfect skull. I'm going to gesso it, paint it and then add embellishments and either varnish or layer with glue. It's about five inches tall.

Halloween Giveaway at Dollistic

I just have to share the chance to win this fabulous five inch doll. Go to Dollistic for your chance to win. Gail has outdone herself on this doll.

If you like this doll, why not join our Halloween Swap at Decidedly Different Dolls? This doll was originally intended for the swap but was five inches instead of four. Come and play!

My wonderful swap doll

G from Dollistic and I arranged a swap and this is the fabulous doll I got! I just love her. She has the look of worn leather, like she has mellowed with age.

I love the musical notes and her body reminds me a bit of a cello, which I've always told myself I was going to learn to play someday.

Between her and the bird, it just reminds me of the beauty of music, nature at it's finest. : )

Hands, hands, hands...

Y from Ink Spiller's Attic posted this tutorial on some hands she made from polymer clay and wire. She mentioned though that she thought the wires might break as they seemed really fragile. So I got the idea of wrapping the wire around itself. I used a 20 G wire and it makes a really stiff finger. I'd like to try it again with maybe a 22 or 24 G wire, because I found this a little tiring after all that wrapping. Those are the ones with pink finger tips. The other pair, I just used the wire but I put beads on the wire. It turned out really cute and it allows me to use up my "bead soup."

Sapphire Beauty

Miss Sapphire Beauty is the doll I've been working on lately for the BAD birthstone RR. There is something really meditative about this doll. Maybe it's the shape? She reminds me of those statues of Christ that you see on the cross that are in the Alps and other high mountain places. Sort of a nunlike quality.

I did the arms and area below the arms. The center section is peyote with with a ruffle. Easy to make just do two rows where you put two beads instead of one between each bead. I got the idea from the "Frill Seeker" bracelet that I made. The sides are Right Angle Weave

Latest Raggedy

I took a picture of all the Raggedy's I've made minus one's I've given away. And here is my latest Raggedy doll. This one I did for a woman at my bead circle and she picked the colors. I think I much prefer bright happy hair to real hair colors. But I'm sure she'll like it since it's what she wanted. The dress is actually more purple than the reddish color that is shows here. Ah, photography. Speaking of photography I want you all to notice that these are in focus! : ) I used a timer and it's really helped.

3D Metal/Wire Challenge - Miss Bobblehead

Here is my entry for the 3D metal/wire challenge. It's not quite finished. I'd hoped to finish by the deadline but wasn't feeling so well over the weekend. I still need to do her legs. Maybe this weekend?

I need some suggestions for her poor head. It's supposed to be a bobble head but I think maybe the wire isn't stiff enough, because it isn't hanging the way I'd like. I really like the colored wire though so I am loath to change it to silver or some other metallic. Any ideas for re-enforcement while still looking nice?

The Delightful Miss E

The finished bodice. Created using a metallic fabric paint, 26 G wire wrapped and glued into place using E600 glue. Which was a chore in itself. I had to hold the wire in place for twenty minutes as it didn't like those curvacious breast. LOL... Then I added a herringbone wrap at the bottom of the corset to finish it off.

Frill Seeker Bracelet

When I went to bead circle this week, M had made the cutest bracelet. It was white with colored ruffles on each edge. It looked so fun I had to try it over the weekend. All it is, is single peyote and the ruffle is made by putting two beads inbetween each bead instead of one. You do two rows of the ruffle in contrasting colors. If I did it again I think I might use smaller beads for the ruffle for a more delicate look. Of course with my stupid camera and my shaky hands I can't get a good pic. I'll try again tomorrow in better light, but I kind of liked the light patterns of this pic so I posted it anyway even though you can't see the details.

This bracelet is in the current issue of Beadwork (Aug./Sept. 2009 p.72 Frill Seeker) The picture in there is really ugly too. I would have never made one based on that picture!

Recyling Effort

One of the efforts to heal my foot fractures was a machine called of all things, the bone stimulator. It was outrageously expensive, I think the first on was $7,000.00 and the second had fallen to $3,000.00 a few years later. Even though the machine still works, it is programmed to only work for 400 days. Hmmmm....

I was going to take the bag apart and use the straps, zippers, etc. for projects, but I got looking at the bag and it has all sorts of cool pockets inside and would make a great bag to store all my bead stuff in. So I appliqued my Picasso Woman to the front and now my designer $3,000.00 ; ) designer bag is ready to rock and roll.

Croquet Anyone?

"Get to your places!' shouted the Queen in a voice of thunder, and people began running about in all directions, tumbling up against each other; however, they got settled down in a minute or two, and the game began. Alice thought she had never seen such a curious croquet-ground in her life; it was all ridges and furrows; the balls were live hedgehogs, the mallets live flamingoes, and the soldiers had to double themselves up and to stand on their hands and feet, to make the arches.

The chief difficulty Alice found at first was in managing her flamingo: she succeeded in getting its body tucked away, comfortably enough, under her arm, with its legs hanging down, but generally, just as she had got its neck nicely straightened out, and was going to give the hedgehog a blow with its head, it would twist itself round and look up in her face, with such a puzzled expression that she could not help bursting out laughing: and when she had got its head down, and was going to begin again, it was very provoking to find that the hedgehog had unrolled itself, and was in the act of crawling away: besides all this, there was generally a ridge or furrow in the way wherever she wanted to send the hedgehog to, and, as the doubled-up soldiers were always getting up and walking off to other parts of the ground, Alice soon came to the conclusion that it was a very difficult game indeed.

The players all played at once without waiting for turns, quarrelling all the while, and fighting for the hedgehogs; and in a very short time the Queen was in a furious passion, and went stamping about, and shouting `Off with his head!' or `Off with her head!' about once in a minute." - Alice in Wonderland

Gail is having too much fun and I can see that I need to re-read Alice in Wonderland. I didn't remember that the poor hedgehogs were used as balls.

I have laughed so much hearing about the Queen's antics while she travels around. : )

Long Live the Queen

Isn't she just beauuuuuuuuuuutiful? This is The Queen of Hearts after G worked on her. She did such a fabulous job.
I am so happy! : )

This is too cool!

This photo is so cool. Just as I was taking the picture, Bismark lifted his head up to bark.

Elsepeth - Coolaberation RR

This is Miss Elsepeth, a steampunk detective from the 2009 coolaberation. This is her in the beginning. She is made of felted wool with a clay face and breasts.














This is Elsepeth after Em gave her some arms and hads and a beautiful tulip skirt, which in real life looks like it is made out of feathers.


















I decided that she needed a little glamour in her life so I made her a venetian mask to wear to the masqurade ball, where she is sure to find all sorts of clues. I'm also in the process of making her my version of a steampunk bustier.

Lend a hand...

Wish I could take better photos but my hands shake too much. : ( This is my hand for the upcoming BAD hand challenge.

Long live Spock!

My first bracelet

This is my first bracelet I made after taking a beginning wire twist class. I don't know why but it took me a while to be able to produce nice round links.

My First Charms

These are my first charms. I'm really pleased at how they turned out. I took a beginning wire wrap class and though my loops and wraps were pretty good for a beginner. But a few days later at home when I tried it gave me fits.

I might have to make me some skull earrings for Halloween.

Dead Parrot Sketch

Working on this stupid parrot has continually reminded me of Monty Python's Dead Parrot Sketch. Polly is such a bedraggled parrot.















And for your enjoyment...

Hair beautiful hair

I thought I'd done all that I was going to on Persia, but last night she demanded that she have hair NOW! So she has luscious locks made from strips of fabric. It really worked up fast.

First Decidedly Different Doll Swap

Decidedly Different Dolls had our first doll swap in July. The dolls have to be 4 inches or less which is a challenge for me. I made "Puck" the green doll for Yvonne. I really like the arms. The arms and and face are peyote stitch. The body is Right Angle Weave.

The orange doll is mine. MA made it or me. Isn't it cool? The body is very cool it is fairly hard but has a rubbery texture to it. I thought at first it must be some sort of clay but MA told me it's a cloth form that she painted and then varnished. I love the face.