To Doll or Not to Doll Today! huh!



Bead Joints



"Moon" Cat Doll



A Charming Mood!



Hmmmmm..To Doll ...Or Not....! NO...i just have too many crazy ideas flying through my head...so I pulled out ..... a LOT of STUFF to just "Create" !   On Monday...I will be getting together with a group to show them how I created "Girl Interrupted's Charms....and for the Girls to show me some cool  "Charm" techniques that they do.  I am definately excited for this meeting...because this is what brings together..."The Energy that CREATES WORLDS" !!!!!!  Everyone bringing ideas and techniques to the table...I think its the Best kind of meeting. 

Today I also pulled out a Tim Holtz Book that I have "moved" around for a while...But today's the Day! This book is SOOO Interesting...Today....(You know what I'm talking about...something has to click before you "SEE IT"......

So,  I will play today with whatever I have at hand...(that's a "LOT"! haha) ...and see what I can come up with.  I will then use these new charms as inspiration for the doll I have started...but cant seem to continue!  I think this will be the boost I need.

The paperclay doll that I started is being bratty...I tried to work in the "IDEA" of a ball joint doll using beads and making a type of Hinge....looks cool right?!  haha Well....it doesn't work!!  after trying different connection ideas..I chopped them off and and started something more basic..I guess I'll have to do more "Ball Joint" detective work....

I also started a cat...while looking at my "Live Model" MOON (my favorite cat-child in the universe).  I love the animals eyes I used...he already looks alive ...even without a mouth!

So these two dolls will remain in a "Coma like" state until I can blow some creative life into them

I started some thin polymer clay sheets (so thin...like paper), stamped.  after heating with my heat gun and baking the sheet to a cardboard feel...I used my new tiny punches that I found as leftover valentine merchandise...a tiny wing and elongated heart...whoa!! what a bargain find...this was the only one there! I also cut out some tiny kemper cutter flowers...shaped and texture stamped....and Then started fooling with all kinds of mediums...crackle, triple thick, texture glass....rock candy stickles..acrylics...and my new favorite stuff....Gilders Paste....so here is a starting point...gotta get to work....I'll come back with results and techniques!   

Little "Truffle" is done...Happy Valentines Day!



Tiny Red Valentine boots Designed from my Favorite Boots! 



Truffles Peanut Butter cup hat...Top stamped, highlighted and glossed!

Well. its almost Valentines day....and I completed my doll before the holiday!  I am usually behind the "eight ball" ......and the doll never gets done in time...but the weather made me just SIT and "BE" ! I am thankful for this lousy cold snowy weather!!!!

So I think this Doll feels like  a "Truffle" ....So Be it!! (i think its a cute name....and some day if I ever get a chocolate color cat, I will name her "Truffle" too!) 

OK, anyway.....DETAILS!!!!  Her Valentine Heart on her dress was "Heart" stamped out of red polymer clay, I cut a hole in the center before baking...then I took all of the tiny candies I made and arranged them to fit snugly inside (That took a good hour and a couple of cracks in the heart because I had to find the right combination for the candies to fit with no spaces..ugh! they are so tiny, I thought I would have a breakdown...



Boot pattern cut from paper towels



Soft Pink Leather painted with RED acrylic



Her RED Boots are my favorite Part of this Doll!  I did the boots differently this time...instead of attaching the leather directly to the sole, I made a pointy toed boot cardboard sole first (I made it longer so i got a very fine point that would be able to curl up...(JUST LIKE my FAVORITE cowboy boots that I ADORE!).  I then attached my leather pieces (That I had to paint red because I had no RED leather, I sealed with Super Matt spray by Duncan...they actually came out very "worn" ..just what I was looking for!)  to that, gluing "UNDERNEATH the cardboard (I usually glue inside the  already baked polymer sole...very tricky when something is this Tiny).......Then I made the same pointy sole in polymer,  a teensy bit larger, and attached that to the cardboard, then baked the entire shoe...WOW..the boot came together with much more ease....that is not to say that these boots were quick and easy....they took a good part of my day to make...but I couldn't be happier with how they turned out!! haha!

And Finally her Hat...oh my...we tried MANY hats..... But this is the Hat for her!!!  It is made from polymer, BY FORMING in a Wilton peanut butter cup candy mold.  At first I tried making it look like a peanut butter cup, but it didn't look right with the top not covered in chocolate....and the only way to see the peanut butter would be to take a bite out of it....hmmm, I just wasn't feeling it....I tried to make the chocolate on top sink, but as I was attaching the thin layer of chocolate to the top...it "Pouffed out"   and I thought...OMG it looks like a TAM! one of my favorite hats when my daughter was little! Still a little too "plain...so I stamped it with a valentine s word stamp....and i added a tiny bonbon candy to the top.

Leather glued "OVER" a cardboard sole