Christmas Green

"Oh Tannenbaum" has been included in an Etsy Treasury titled "Green".  It's always exciting to see one of my dolls included in an Etsy member's treasury!  Thank you Cyn!

All Tucked In

Do you ever wonder what your pets do when they don't realize you are watching?  Our girls "pretend" they don't like each other but when caught by surprise, guess what......

We've been having work done in our house this week and they are usually freaked out by noise but eventually, as a group, they calm down.  I'll probably never see this scene again.

Welcome Home Cindy Lou

I must say that Cindy Lou is one of my favorite dolls (thus far).  I wanted to try using German Glass Blown eyes on one of my dolls and I just love how they turned out.  A little more difficult to work with but the end result is worth it.  I added a little crackle medium on her nose to achieve a more vintage look about her face.

I found vintage bisque doll hands and legs in my bucket of "parts" and I attached them the way they used to make baby dolls, with a vintage ticking fabric.  Then added her party dress and package.  I was fortunate enough to find a little scrap of dot paper in my stash that matched her dress.

Cindy Lou will stay in my personal collection.  I don't think I could give this one up.  She is so sweet sitting on her little shelf in our home.  Even Mr. D likes this one, although he thinks she needs a friend.

Happy Halloween

I know I'm a bit delayed in my Halloween wishes, so I'll say I hope you had a frightfully fabulous Halloween!  I just had to show you my new toy!  Call me crazy, but I love the silly, spooky Halloween toys and must pick one up each year.  It's hard not to buy all of them but I limit myself to one.  This year it was this crazy Jack In The Box.  When you turn the crank you hear this creepy girls voice..."I hear youuuuuu" along with creepy hallow music.  Then she pops up with a wicked laugh and lights flashing in her eyes!  Awesome!

Packed Up and Ready To Go

Lizbeth is all packed up and ready to head out on her new adventure to her new home in Reading, Massachusetts.  She is so excited she can hardly contain herself.  (haha) 

I'll miss Lizbeth but I'm sure she'll be very happy in Massachusetts.  Happy travels, Lizbeth!  Thanks Kimberly!

Bobbi Joe in the City

"One day," said Bobbi Joe, "I'm going to fly this chicken coop and head to the big city where my name will be up in lights and I'll wear a ball gown every night!"   Unfortunately, for now, she is stuck in the chicken coop, selling eggs from her father's farm.

Bobbi Joe is the last in my "tall girls" series, at least for now.  I have a couple more dolls in the works but not of this series.

A Social Butterfly

"Flit, flit, flit" is the sound Tilly makes as she hops from one group to another at the Butterfly Ball.  She is, afterall, the grandest of the Social Butterflies!

"Tilly" is in the same series as my previous "Lizbeth".  She started as a pixie but when I added her pearls I knew she was a socialite at heart. 

Good Witch or Bad Witch

Lizbeth made an Etsy Treasury designed by kathysdesigns called Good Witch or Bad Witch.  Way to go Lizbeth and thank you Kathysdesigns!

Poor Little Lizbeth

There once was a girl named Lizbeth who lived in a pleasant little town known as Salem.  Lizbeth loved her town.  That is until the day the histeria started and the town's officials came knocking on her door.  Poor Lizbeth!  Would she be dragged to the gallows and if so could she will the rope to break?

What's Up

Wow!  Great surprise today.  My "Bat Outta Hell" Art Doll was included in Lilabelledesigns' Etsy Treaasury on October 2, 2010!  How exciting and awesome that she included my work in her treasury!  Thank you Lilabelle!

I've been creating several new dolls but haven't had a chance to stop and photograph them!  They are all waiting quite patiently for their close ups.  I'd better get to it.  This is a sneek preview....

Bat Outta Hell

When bats fly out of hell, do you ever wonder what comes out with them?  I know that is creepy but as we approach Halloween the creepiness factor tends to go up doesn't it?  That seems to be what happened with my latest Art Doll.

"Bat Outta Hell" started with a spring.  No, not the season, but an actual spring that I found in the parking lot.  I kept playing with it and thinking I should use it for a doll's body but I didn't want him to be a typical "Jack" and although a clown would have been traditional, they kinda creep me out.  So I went to the dark side....well sort of to the edge of the dark side....stuck my big toe in maybe.

He is made with layers and layers of paperclay, his arms and the bats are polymer clay and he is painted with layers of acrylics and pastels.  His sweater is handstitched from a recycled sock.  When I found his tumbstone in a halloween shop, I knew it was the perfect final touch!  He is available in my Etsy shop.  Feel free to visit.

Tormented Souls

Well you know blogging and selling my work on Etsy is a bit new to me and I'm working my way through.  So you can imagine how surprised I was yesterday when I received an "Etsy Conversation" email.  I never received one of those before!  So I cautiously opened the email to discover that my "Cat" doll was included in a Treasury titled "Tormented Souls" by a fellow seller, "Soul in Chains"!  How cool is that?  I was so excited I think I actually jumped up out of my chair!  Thank you Soul in Chains!

Who Goes There

Awakened in the night, with his prison pajamas and midnight cloak, his lantern guiding the way through the darkness, this is the keeper of the gate.

This is my latest.  "The Gatekeeper"  He is a freestanding paperclay figure approximately 10 inches tall, with polymer hands, boots and lantern.   I'll be introducing him in my Etsy shop soon.

At It Again

So I'm up to it again....making heads for my new dolls at the kitchen counter. Mr D. is questioning why aliens keep frequenting our kitchen.

Although I haven't been looking for aliens, I have been looking up into the sky a lot lately. I don't know about other places in the country or the world for that matter, but in Arizona the sky starts to turn a beautiful blue in late summer, indicting that autumn is not too far off. Seeing that sky, although it is still 104 degrees, turns my thoughts to Halloween. I love Halloween art and really admire artists who work year round on their ghouls and goblins. You can see many of these artists at http://www.spookytimejingles.com/ and http://ghoultidegathering.blogspot.com/

Maybe someday I'll devote more time specifically to Halloween but I'll start with these two for now and see how it goes.

If Only You Could Tell Me

I've been a bit quiet on the creative front this week. Our poor little Molly has been ill! Molly is 10 years old. About 4 years ago she had hip surgery, a year later (almost to the day) she blew out her ACL requiring another surgery and since then has had countless ear and skin infections. This week it appears to be her liver. Poor baby! So we've been nursing her back to herself. She has been through so much, yet she is more than happy to go to the vet, greeting the staff with a snuggle and wag of the tail. She never complains. I wish she could speak words to me so I'd know where it hurts, but I guess in her own way she does speak to me with those big brown eyes. Oh, how we love our furry friends!

Feel the Rain

Feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in

No one else, no one else

Can speak the words on your lips

Drench yourself in words unspoken

Live your Life with arms wide open

Today is where your book begins

The rest is still unwritten

- Natasha Bedingfield

Acrylic over paper collage on canvas by Kitty D

Too Many Ideas / Not Enough Time

Have you ever had so many creative ideas swimming around in your head that you can't focus long enough to fish one out? That's what happens to me after I've finished creating a doll. I have so many ideas for the next doll, that I can't focus.

That's when I turn to painting. With my studio time limited as it is, working on a small painting takes my mind away from the dolls for a little while and allows me to slow the flow. Most of my paintings start with a collage of paper, creating the background for my subject. Not only does this allow me to use the closet of scrapbook paper I own but it also allows me to complete the painting faster since I don't have to worry about a background. Plus....it's fun! I just cut, or tear, the paper and arrange it on a board or canvas (depending on what's around) and paste it down with some soft gel medium. Next I'll give it a light top coat of the gel medium (haven't reached this step yet in the photo), then I'm ready to paint. More to follow on this project.

Hitting the Streets

I've finished my "Street Kids"! Yes! I'm so excited about them. From left is "Cat" (her necklace says 'Help Me'), "Lil' Ricky" (with his key around his neck), "JoJo" and "Dot" (in her found tutu). They are made of clay, with glass eyes and sport 100% upcycled clothing. (They are hanging out on a crown.) I'm going to drop them in my Etsy shop as soon as I get all the photos organized. Then I'll get started on the next group of Kids!

Totally Tangled Up

Today is studio day but I was completely sidetracked from my dolls. I got tangled up with a Zentangle. Wow! I love doing this. Totally gets the creative juices flowing and allows my brain to be in the moment! You must try it! Pick up Sandy Steen Bartholomew's book "Totally Tangled". It's so much fun! I think I'll use this as a background when I photograph my new dolls. First I need to put the pen down and get back to sewing the kids.

Waiting to be Heard

I know this will sound strange to some but sometimes my dolls tell me who they are and how they should be dressed or accessorized; even their names. Then there are times, like this, when they just look at me, waiting to be heard. They are so serene, aren't they?

Who Shall He/She Be?

I'm not sure where this is going because he/she is a still a work in progress....and he/she hasn't told me yet. I've never used glass eyes on my dolls and am having fun playing with this new technique. I usually paint the eyes. I'll keep you posted on his/her progress.

Well.....here we go girls! I'm new to this blogging stuff so please excuse me while I work my way through it. I know girls, you're wondering why I'm home so early. It hit 115 degrees outside today causing a "brown out" in our building so home I came. A couple days of this extreme heat then we'll start to "cool" down a bit. Don't worry, you can still go swimming!