Monday, February 23, 2009

PRIMITIVE DOLLS & FOLK ART


I am crazy about primitive dolls, these dolls are serene and tranquil, nothing fussie or fro-fro.
Just beautiful dyed cottons, with button eyes, I dream of making dolls like these.
But I love feathers, and sparkles more, and can never stop.

I made this mermaid from white muslin, she is has no face, her tail is sun-dyed cotton, but I felt she needed lots of pearls. This is probably the plainest doll I ever made, and it took great restraint. I have an eccentric nature, I believe dolls can never have enough sparkles.

When I was a teenager, I would come down to breakfast in the morning, to set off into the city.
My mother would look at my outfit and say, "Its Halloween everyday"
So I have always had a problem with clothing or objects not having enough pazazz!

This is Autumn, she started out as a primitive doll, hand dyed, jointed with buttons, but somewhere along the line embellishments got out of hand.

My latest clay dolls, tiny tea cup faeries, are primitive. Paper clay, attached with ribbons, painted in pale paint and pearl topcoat. But they haven't been dressed yet, and as I'm trying to enjoy them in this plain state, it won't last. Sparkle tulle, and colorful netting will make adorable little frocks.
I hold these little darlings in my hand and hope for restraint, I look over at the Tree Dweller perched on my table, shaking her feathered head, she says "Forget About It"

Friday, February 20, 2009

MY STUDIO

My Studio is a converted Florida Room, I had french doors and side lights put up to close it in, and Mr. Miami can see me from the living room when he is watching t.v.

It is pretty new, just 3yrs old, and well organized to a point where I can't find anything.

I don't have a lot of stuff for a fiber artist, that is because I use to live on a Sail Boat, and there is not a whole lot of space for anything, living aboard it is just essentials. So I have learned to live with less.

But I love my Studio it has windows all around, and it is a beautiful shade of blue, I don't really need curtains, since I'm on the back of a farm. I have essentials, big leather chair, t.v. music, and lots of faeries floating about.

I also have a out door space for painting and playing with clay. The weather is pretty good here year round so, I can do a lot outside, and listening to the birds.

I feel blessed to finally live in a house out in the country, where it is so peaceful and quiet!

Monday, February 16, 2009

PLAYING WITH CLAY

Recently I joined this great doll club, ADO, check it out artdollsonly.blogspot.com
I've met wonderful serious art doll makers, lots of clay artists.
Seeing all this wonderful art, has inspired me to pick up some paper clay and mush it around.
I love primitive dolls, and made it easy by just rolling sticks and balls, and made this lovely little Tea Cup Fairy, she is joined together with ribbons. She is happy sitting in the morning sun, while I have my tea.
Thinking this isn't so hard, I made fabric sculptures and covered them with clay, smoothing seems to be difficult for me.
The mermaids are soft sculpture covered in clay


I than made clay bodies, heads, arms, and attached the arms with ribbon, added a stuffed tail
Green Pond Mermaids

These faeries are fabric sculpture covered in clay

I find clay interesting to work with, and it is fun to play with another medium, and I spent a couple afternoons laughing at my goofy faces. But I think I will stick to thread and needle, after all it is my comfort zone!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

OWOH ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNERS!

A pink moon over the Gypsy Caravan Campsite, cast a beautiful light over a party of singing and dancing, the last night of the great journey. The campfires were flickering and tambourines tinkling so much merriment, through this dreamy haze I heard the trumpet.


It was Valentine Bunny waking me up from my wonderful Gypsy dream, today is the day!


Get up, we have to announce the winners, the Country Faeries are ready to go!
The faeries crowed around the Peter Pan Hat, Spice Devil rode in on a alligator, who tried to take a bite out of the hat.

Taking care not to get bitten! Mr. Miami, pulled three names from the Magical Hat

The winners are:
Kate -- shiborigirl.blogspot.com
Catherine -- rieder@clunet.edu
Joanne Huffman -- thiemehuffman@yahoo.com
I will e-mail you all, congratulations, send me your address and I will pack up a Country Faerie
and send her to her new home
But wait, Mr Miami has to pull one more name from the Pan Hat, Spice Devil is going to live in a new house, she is excited about causing mischief somewhere new!

And Spice Devil is going to:
Send me your address
Better get a cage ready, Spice is a handful

Everyone has 7 days to contact me
Congrads to everyone, and a big thank you to everyone who entered my give-away.
Please come back and visit Central Florida, I will be having a big French Champagne Party this Spring, lots of interesting characters have been invited, also a beautiful little french faerie will be given away.
BE HAPPY MAKE DOLLS
















































Monday, February 9, 2009

COUNTRY FAERIES ARE PATIENTLY WAITING


Today I noticed the three Country Faeries sitting outside my window, lined up in a row on the farm posts.


We are waiting for the OWOH Give-away, we are excited can't wait to see what adventure awaits, the three little faeries sang out to me!



Two more days and Mr. Miami will pull three names from the Peter Pan Hat!


The comments on my OWOH blog will be closed Weds. the 11th at Noon Florida time.
I want to thank everyone for visiting Central Florida, and all the great comments on my blog.

This has been a wonderful event, and I am looking forward to having more give-aways in the Spring, from my French Champagne Party "Oui La La" a Marie Antoinette inspired collection of dolls.

Also, I will be pulling one more name, for this little Valentine Spice Stinker,
because the devil made me do it!


I'll be making my announcement of all four winners Thurs. 12th

BE HAPPY MAKE DOLLS

Saturday, February 7, 2009

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM


ADO's new Challenge Shakespeare, is so exciting I had to get started right away.

My favorite play A Midsummer Night's Dream, has lots of great characters and faeries, I started two characters Queen of the Fairies, Titania and Bottom the Weaver, with the head of the donkey.
The story is Puck casts a spell on Bottom to give him a head of a donkey, and Titania while sleeping has magic love drops placed on her eyelids, when she awakened,
she will fall in love with whoever she sees first, which as luck would have it," it is Bottom," who ends up being lavishly kept by the Queen.
My two sculptures are cotton knit and the bodies have been sculpted, the faces are blank, ready for sculpting and painting and a donkey head must be fashioned out of cloth.

More pictures to come as they progress.
Art Dolls Only is a great new club of very talented Art Doll artists, group chats, forums, blogs

Check it out at artdollsonlyblogspot.com

My studio Kitty Sailfish is feeling better, and is very quiet, she has stopped singing "Someday my Prince will come" YAY she will be off to the vet this week for a little nip and tuck.

Friday, February 6, 2009

TAGGED FOR THE 4TH PICTURE IN THE 4TH FILE

I was tagged by the lovely Kim's Art by the Sea, for the 4th picture in the 4th file,

It was elf dolls and the back of a faerie dress, what else would it be! All my pictures are of faeries or my cats.

Sorry Kim, nothing embarrassing in my files, my life is pretty slow these days! But it is still fun to be tagged, Thanks

I tag the following ladies for the 4th picture in the 4th file
MealymonsterLand
DubuhduDesigns
Lolaenchanted
Blackeyesuzie

Monday, February 2, 2009

VALENTINE'S DAY IS COMING, I FEEL THE CHOCOLATE MONSTER APPROCHING

It has been a while since my last post, I've been busy riding the GYPSY CARAVAN, the OWOH event had kept me intrigued with wonderful new blogs to read, and I have met and seen incredible artists along this fascinating journey. A big thank you goes out to Lisa Oceandreamer, for hosting of this spectacular event. I joined this group of Art Doll makers, ADO Art Dolls Only. This is a amazing group of artists. Members of this club enjoy forums, chats, discussions, challenges, click on the ADO badge and check it out!
Now back to Valentine merriment and Chocolate monsters! I've been trying to work, I added new dolls to my Etsy site, Sprite Faeries, colorful spindly faeries that tumble around the house, sprinkling rose petals. But the Spice Devil Girls have been running rampant through my studio, spilling pins on the floor, pulling the Kitty's tail, and hiding my tiny gold scissors. Little stinkers these devils, dancing and laughing, party central seems to be here. But not even these little Divas can spoil this week, for I will have my very first Etsy Showcase, Dolls and Miniatures, Thursday Feb. 5th "it is so exciting"

So dance the Can Can Spice girls as tiny gold winged Angels watch, clap and sing! Lets celebrate and have a wonderful time, break out the chocolate!
Except for this one little naughty Spice Devil who is the biggest trouble maker of all!
So off you go to someone else's house to cause mischief.
My FOURTH GIVE-AWAY we be this LEOPARD DRESSED DIVA

My OWOH blog will be closed for comments Tues FEB. 11th at noon EST.
and 3 names will be drawn for my give-away plus one more for this Little Spice Devil
SORRY, BUT THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT!
Announcement of the winners on FEB. 12th, don't forget to make a comment on the blog below and get in my give-away.