WIP MERMAID

Enjoying the AC on a hot Friday!

Mermaid Calli

for the

Mad Tea Party

June 25th

HALF AND HALF

My latest creation

a

Beautiful Mermaid

half clay half soft

her tail is filled with tiny pellets

which makes it move softly

her top half is Japanese paper clay

with articulated joints

she will be part of the Mad Tea Party

blog event

June 25th

STAYIN COOL

Summer has not arrived

but the heat has been

relentless in Central

Florida

staying inside

playing with

Mermaids

sweet cool little finned

ladies

THE PONDERINGS OF BALL JOINTS

Spent a good part of the day pondering

ball joints

the most important part of the doll

and for me the most difficult

I used single joints early on, but like the way the double joint makes the dolls

movements amazing

these small delicate pieces are the key to arm and leg

movement

but they have become a constant

experiment

practice makes perfect

two new Mermaids I'm working on

for the

Mad Tea Party

WIP AND MORE CRANES

Working on 1/2 and 1/2 dolls

ball jointed doll with soft pellet tail

sort of prefer this to a clay tail

and I get to play with fabric a little

my yard has become lonely heart

central

this is the second male that has arrived

Hey, I'm taken and I don't have feathers!

it is very cool to see these magnificent birds

so close

GETTING READY FOR A TEA PARTY

Looking out my studio window

a

pair of Sandhill Cranes

newly paired

mated for life

While inside

preparing for the annual

Mad Tea Party

click on the badge on the right to get all the sparkle info

Working on some new dolls

for the upcoming Blog Party

Sailor watches the birds

another lazy Holiday Weekend!

LIVING WITH DOLLS

Dolls have always been part of my life

even at the busiest times when travel and work and moving in and out of many apartments

dolls were always present some place

on a dresser or attached to a purse

So early this year when I re-organized my studio

and took out all the dolls and clutter

I thought it was about being able to look out the windows

actually I was in Artistic transition

For some time my hands have been screaming

"stop"

stuffing, stitching, soft sculpting

it wasn't until they would become completely numb

that I realized the time had come to

stop!

Thankfully, a year ago I was severely bitten by the

ball jointed doll bug

fascinated by these amazing dolls

I have absorbed and sponged up everything about

BJDs

many hours of flickr surfing and YouTube Videos

and then it happened

I sort of figured it out

and the clay is so soothing and gentle

I've fallen hard for this

artistic tranquility

within the last couple of days

all my soft dolls and my collections of dolls

have moved back into my space

as if to say, it is OK

we are here smiling at you

15 years of soft sculpture past

Now I happily play with clay every week

who knows where it will lead?

But I love living with dolls

this is the new girlfriend or mate to the lonely

Sandhill Crane that has been in my yard

everyday

they dance and preen

and still visit everyday

Guess it was a good thing I opened up my window space

cause love is in the

air

SARAH A DOLL SET

Sarah is the first of many Doll Sets I hope to create

As a child I loved dolls that came with trunks and cases

filled with outfits

So now as a collector of Art Dolls

I translated the idea into

hand made

doll art

Japanese paper clay ball jointed child doll

with a magical trunk filled with fabulous outfits

a fairy outfit with gorgeous wings

pink knit bed jacket and ruffled bloomers

and matching leggings

crepe silk day dress

with pink hi-tops sneakers

Sarah's favorite sparkle wings

Everything a little girl needs for a day of magical dress-up

Sarah is 11 inches, with Sunshine curls

and comes with three outfits and a handmade trunk

and she is in my

shop

ALMOST FINISHED SARAH AND HOUSE

Sarah my first doll set

is almost done

lots of little finishes to her

outfits

and my house is all taped and ready for a coat of paint

French Silver

YAY goodbye yellow and blue