Binky and Vince

I had to share this photo of Binky and his little friend, Vince (sleeping). Vince is one of the feral kittens we captured last summer. He has gone from being completely wild (His folder at the vet's office was marked "DANGEROUS.") to being the most affectionate cat we’ve ever had. He loves to cuddle with us and all the other cats. Tony, Vince’s brother, is taking a bit longer to tame but he is making progress. He doesn’t exactly love being held (like Vince!) but he tolerates it. He does enjoy a good belly rub – with much purring and kneading of paws in the air. And he gets along great with the other cats.

It makes me sad to think of all the potentially great pets that are destroyed because shelters don’t have the necessary resources or personnel to work with them.

“Nothing cures like time and love.” Laura Nyro

Charming “Mirror”

Been having fun playing with dolls! I made a funky little dress to go with the shoes I made last week. Modeling the outfit is Goodreau’s BJD Mirror.” She is borrowing one of Ellowyne’s wigs.

Simple Felt Flowers

I made these little felt flowers today to decorate the shoes. I found the instructions in a vintage Barbie pattern (as a handbag decoration). They are so easy to make. You just cut a small square scrap of felt any size you want (I used a ¾” square), run a gathering thread on the guidelines, pull tight and knot off. I added a little French knot to the center.

First Attempt at Doll Shoes

I got two 16” Goodreau BJDs (ball-jointed dolls) for Christmas and a couple of patterns to make clothes for them. One of the patterns was for shoes and I was really curious if they would fit. They fit perfectly! They aren’t quite finished, yet. I still need to glue on the fun foam soles and little heels. Now, here is my dilemma. The pattern says to use a glue gun for this operation. And the glue gun is definitely not my friend. I never fail to burn myself! I’m thinking maybe I’ll use tacky glue – the same stuff I use for Santa beards. Anyway, I wanted to show you a quick picture of the shoes so far. I’m also thinking about adding some sort of little ornamentation to the fronts. The pattern contains several variations of this shoe; with strap, double strap and scalloped upper – but I thought I’d just try out the basic pump, first. The shoes are made of a deep brown felt with a reddish cast but my workroom lights can’t pick up the color. I lined them with a tiny brown gingham check. I'm downright tickled with these!

Another Fabric Paper Sample

Last night, I decided to try making a more subdued sample. I glued everything on top of a really ugly old piece of cotton. This is a great way to use fabric that would otherwise go unused...

2010 Monthly Experiment (January): Fabric Paper

Well, give me a little paper, paint, fabric and glue and I’m happy. This is my first experiment making fabric paper – what fun! (This is meant to be cut up and used for postcard and ATC backgrounds with added stitch and/or collage elements.) I put all of the cats in the bedroom and worked at the kitchen table last night for a little while – and what a fine mess I made! There are a few sources of instructions for this (and a couple of variations) on the web. The Quilting Arts web site has Beryl Taylor’s instructions, here. And Arlee Barr has a wonderful tutorial, here. Got to play with this some more...

Stitch Explorer Challenge

Here is a little sampler I embroidered for the final Stitch Explorer Challenge project. I combined some laid stitch samples (couched filling, laid trellis) with chicken scratch. Of all the new stitches I learned this year, chicken scratch is my favorite. I know I will be playing with that more in the future. Thanks to dear Sharon B for a fun year of stitching!

Ellowyne Goes Christmas Shopping...

In the holiday rush, I forgot to take a photograph of Ellowyne in the new fur jacket and hat I made for her two weeks ago. The jacket is from a pattern that is in the current issue of Doll Reader magazine. The hat is from a Kitty Collier doll pattern.

Ellowyne’s Christmas tree pin is actually a cheap earring! Her miniature shopping bag was one of several in a package from the dollar store. Who doesn’t love the dollar store?

Happy New Year!!!

In an attempt to get my act together for the New Year, I joined Susan Sorrell’s 2010 Monthly Art Experiment. I am hoping to actually try some of the wonderful projects in Quilting Arts and Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazines – instead of just admiring them. As a further challenge, I’m going to attempt to limit myself to supplies I have on hand (shouldn’t be too difficult as I seem to have every art supply known to man!). The challenge is very loose since the participants may choose to try any project from a book or magazine that interests them. Last summer, I sat outside one sunny afternoon with my stack of magazines and actually wrote down the page numbers of the projects I wanted to do someday. And, of course, I have since lost the list! Well, I’m looking at it as an excuse to go through the magazines again! I am really looking forward to broadening my horizons a bit.

I tried a little experiment today that I’ve wanted to try for a couple of years, since I first saw it in Quilting Arts magazine – and it took next to no time! I used a stamp to make an impression in some fusible fiber (a type of Angelina I got on sale quite awhile ago). I wasn’t sure it would work because I only had a foam rubber stamp and I was afraid it would melt. I put the stamp on the ironing board, face up; then put some fiber down on top and covered it with a piece of parchment paper. A few seconds later, with a dry iron set on the “silk” setting, I got a nice crisp image - and the stamp is none the worse for wear!

Merry Christmas to All!

DAE’s Smoking Flame Vivian is borrowing Gene Marshall’s American Countess gown. Madame Alexander’s Suzette is borrowing Gene’s Crescendo gown (with violin). This photo was taken a couple of years ago.

Treasures from the Sea

I mounted a small collection of delightful vintage carved Mother of Pearl buttons on an embellished and embroidered background I had created for the TAST challenge a couple of years ago. I think the frame (purchased in Michael’s) is evocative of a whitewashed beach cottage. I'll be adding this to my Etsy shop, soon.

"Christmas Constance"

This has got to be one of the most beautiful dolls ever made. Her name is “Christmas Constance” (so I had to have her!) and she is a CED doll. She’s about 19” tall with a highly articulated body. I love the vintage box of Christmas lights that came with her.

“Dashing Thru the Snow”

I finally added my Santas to my Etsy shop. Here’s the latest one, finished. When I first started my doll business, I sold an original pattern for a Belsnickle dressed just like this Santa. While moving my studio upstairs, I found a box with a couple of finished crazy quilted collars that were just too nice (and represented too much work) to throw away. So I used one to dress up a Santa to sit in a sleigh.

Santa Wreath

Here is my Santa wreath finished. As I mentioned a few posts ago, this is an idea I’ve wanted to try for some time – and finally decided to just do it. I’m so glad I did - it was such a joy to make! Santa is wired securely to the metal back of the wreath. His legs and arms are hot-glued in place. I may have to make more of these, next year. I loved playing with the silk flowers...

I Cooked!

Departing from my usual tradition of serving frozen lasagna, I actually cooked a big holiday meal. I think I've been spending a little too much time watching the Food Network, lately! Here’s what I served - along with links to the recipes. It was all delicious, but very, very rich...

Squash Stuffed with Apple-Almond-Cherry Basmati Pilaf (recipe)
Mashed Potatoes (recipe)
Sweet Potato Casserole (recipe)
Green Bean Casserole (recipe)
Cranberry Sauce with Orange and Rosemary (recipe)
Coleslaw from Kathleen’s wonderful blog (recipe) – the yummiest coleslaw ever! Kathleen maintains three beautifully written blogs illustrated with great photos: Eggs in My Pocket, about life on her farm, Yesteryear Embroideries showcasing her creative and inspiring needlework and My Country Kitchen where she shares the tastiest recipes!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Here is a quick, easy and delicious recipe for fresh cranberry sauce I found online, here. I’ve never made it before and OMG – it tastes just like cranberry sauce should taste! I’m doing the happy dance! I was able to use fresh rosemary from my herb garden. Here it is cooling down awaiting refrigeration. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Almost Done...

I’m just finishing up a few things on “The Gardener” before he is uploaded to Etsy, but here’s a sneak peek as he sits on my work table. The sled is staying here, I think. I found it the other day in a box of Santa-making supplies – I had forgotten I had it. Anyway, he can sit anywhere as his legs (and arms) are wired.

Another Santa in Progress...

Here is another Santa I’ve been working on for the past week or so. This little guy is meant to be wired to a wreath – an experiment I’ve had in mind to try for awhile, now. I made him very flexible and lightweight so he should be easy to manipulate.

Another Embroidery Framed...

I finished another of my little embroidery pieces by stitch mounting it to heavy watercolor paper and adding a double mat and frame.

More Progress on Santa...

I finished the vest for the gardening Santa by adding a wool felt lining and buttonhole stitching the raw edges. I’m really pleased with how it all worked out. I just need to add his beard and hat - and he’ll be ready for his close-up. The photos below are not quite true to color - I used regular fluorescent lights.

I have a couple more Santas in varying degrees of doneness – but I’m seriously running out of time! That studio move took much longer than expected – boxes had to be loaded, lugged upstairs and unloaded - I’m still looking for doll-making supplies that got lost in the shuffle. Oh, but I’m having so much fun. I love this time of year!