Madame Alexander Dolls

when i was young, the dolls i played with were the 8" little dolls by madame alexander. i saw one online tonight and WOW, my heart jumped! i haven't thought of them in so long, but as soon as i saw the photos i was in love all over again. i am astonished to discover how expensive they are! like $50 a doll. mine were from thrift stores, now i know why. but oh, what i wouldn't do for them now. it's so silly, i don't think of myself as a play doll kind of girl. no barbies or babies or any of that. but put any of the madame alexander dolls or a small porcelain doll in front of me and i am mush. i remember the old little women dolls the best. i think i also had little bo peep and other nursery rhyme dolls.

More New Elves

Besslyn does remind me of a mommy, so guess what I've been making now?
Yup.
Mommy and baby elves!
This was too much fun! Below are the new ones (plus one male elf). I am working on getting them posted to etsy asap!

Ebba and Dilys

Suzu and Pooka

Winna and Mitzi

Mitzi

Pari and Pavla

Tallou

New Elf

This is Besslyn. She is my first "tall" elf (at a whopping 6 inches). When Besslyn stands next to Arwina (the only remaining elf who is still here to compare to) she looks like her big sister or a mommy.

Besslyn has lots of beading all over. Wrist cuffs, ankle cuffs and head band.

I was very frustrated with the amount of wind when I was shooting her photos. But not enough to wait! I get so excited when a new being is finished that I feel I must post photos immediately! I am really struggling right now to NOT post crappy night photos of my next elf. She is looking at me like "Hey, what about me?". But I can wait until I can take photos in the light tomorrow. I think.

New Doll

Meet Franny...




Franny is an elf doll who enjoys spending time in vintage pottery. She is looking for a place to call home. She would like to bring her favorite yellow creamer mug with her wherever she lives. She may not stay in the cup all the time but she wants to have it with her as a private area. I really like Franny. I almost don't want to let her go! I guess if it is meant to be, she will not sell and stay with me. Otherwise hopefully the person who adopts her will love her very much. Visit Franny on my etsy site.

Birdhouse, 2008

i am finally finished with the "birdhouse" for Project Return. next year i will probably go back to giving them a doll for the auction, but it is always nice to try new things so i am not sorry i did this. i made it with the intention of having it played with. i bought the wooden house and then painted it, added shingles, interior molding, and "hardwood" floor downstairs and on the porch.





on the inside i included seven tiny girl dolls of various ethnicities to represent the seven girls living in the real Project Return house. i made 7 beds that they fit into, a dining table with 7 chairs, a china cabinet, 8 bowls for food, apples to put in the bowls, curtains, and rugs.

i hope it is enjoyed by whatever kid gets it!

More Organized

still a long way to go, but it's better already. i will miss seeing my fiesta and mccoy pottery but i need this shelf to keep better organzized with the tiny dolls. it is working much better this way then it was with piles and piles of "done" or "in progress" stuff.

Studio Tour

I am working on my annual birdhouse contribution for Project Return. It is almost done and then I will post photos.
After it is done, I will organize my studio space (again). So here are some shots of the current (highly populated) room...

Mommies

I am so happy with how these dolls came out! I have more than I can post since they are so fun to make. (About 20 painted out of 50) I'll have to make one for my mommy.