Sunday, May 31, 2015

Sunday

A tiny girl in a big woods--Clarimonde explores her world.



 

Friday, May 29, 2015

The Heart Wants what the Heart Wants...........


Today my little girl came home.  With her tear stained face, and her tremulous,  brave little half-smile, she immediately stole my heart.  (Not the part of my heart that belongs to my Evie, of course!)  When I unwrapped her, I was so overwhelmed that I started to cry.  Have you heard of people saying they found their "Holy Grail doll"?  The doll that they never thought they would get?  Well, I have found my SOUL DOLL.  She speaks to me in ways I have never heard before, from ANY doll.  Yes, she does have a soul.  She seems eerily human--hauntingly so.
Now I know there are many people who will not like her--that's ok.  I don't expect anyone else to see what I see in her, because you were not meant to.
Her name is Clarimonde.  And we begin our journey together!

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Every Now and Then--You Lose your Head Over a Doll!

This has not happened to me for YEARS, but most doll lovers will have a similar story--
Your eyes fall on a certain doll, and the world just disappears--you become consumed, obsessed with the image of a certain face, a small presence.  Even while your mind is racing, telling you practical things like "She is too expensive"  and "You really do NOT need another doll", the other part of your brain is thinking of names for her and planning her wardrobe.  You KNOW you're a goner.  You KNOW you are going to hit that Buy It button--because hey, life is short, shouldn't we have things we love??

Such was the case last night, when I saw this hand carved, wooden doll on Etsy.

I LOVE unusual dolls, and wooden dolls, and when those two elements are combined--BAM!  A little ghost girl will be coming to live with me.  Made in the Queen Anne style by "The Old Wooden Sisters".  Of course I blew my doll budget for the rest of the year, but I would rather have ONE very special doll than ten that I just sort of like.
It's very appropriate that she is a ghost child, because her face is haunting me---

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Cherish and..............Delphine


The paint on Cherish is barely dry, and I am working on her first sister.  I am determined to make a Queen Anne reproduction doll that could pass as an antique.  I think I have the carving down--but the painting, not so much.  These dolls had various skin tones, from warm white (Cherish) to peach to warm ivory (Delphine).  I think part of the problem is that most of them have red lips--and I do NOT like red!  I don't even have any red paint in my huge paint bin!  So in order to continue, I think I will have to break down and get some red paint. 

Delphine will be about 16" tall, the same as Cherish. I will do one more this size, and then I want to try a bigger one--20" to 28" or so.

No clothes yet, I ordered some silk brocade for gowns, and it hasn't arrived yet--so, carve on!

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Backtracking--The Twitter Prisoners of Jodi Arias #jodiarias

Yes, I said before I would not mention her name again--and I did not intend to, but I have one more observation.  Not about HER--but about the people on Twitter.

While the trial was going on, I subscribed to Twitter so I could follow the latest developments.  So she is gone and sent to prison for life, and yes she has appeals (that won't go anywhere.)  So what is going on with Twitter???!!?

It seems that people cannot let go.  They are just as much prisoners as SHE is--they are all prisoners of Jodi Arias.  I looked at Twitter and was amazed by all the losers who WILL NOT LET GO.  It is very sad that the only way these people can feel good about their own lives is by comparing their lives to the life of Jodi Arias.  You see, they can do things she cannot, so that makes them "better" than her, and apparently they like to reiterate this numerous times a day, like a mantra.  Statements like "I can eat this and #jodiarias can't".  "I can go here and #jodiarias can't."  Ad nauseum.

Well to all you people like this, I hope you enjoy spending your time as her prisoner.  I hope you love thinking about a murderer constantly, and that this somehow enriches your pathetic lives.  God forbid I should EVER feel a need to compare MY life to that of a convicted murderer in order to feel good about myself.  I tried to point this out, and one woman actually responded that "free people can do what they want."  Yes they can, ma'm, but YOU are not free.  And the really sad part is, you don't even see it.  You are exactly where #jodiarias wants you to be, thinking about her constantly and talking about her to no end.  You give her mountains of the attention she wants, although she is likely not even aware of it from her cell.  Are YOU aware of things from YOUR cell?? How's the view from there?

Don't bother trying to point any of this out to the Twitter Twits, either--they have a "mob attitude" and will attack you from every angle.  Which is why I deleted my account.  Quite honestly, I have a life to live, and do not want to sit at a computer all day "tweeting" about it instead of living it.  Buh Bye!


Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Miss Cherish gets arms



Cherish, my very first "real" Queen Anne doll, gets closer to completion.  Today she got her arms.  Tomorrow I will work on her legs and feet.  I gave her some temporary clothes, because it is COLD here today--48 degrees for a high!


Monday, May 11, 2015

Why Do We Save Things for "Good"?

When my Grandma died, many years ago, we were packing up her things and found, tucked away in a drawer, all the pretty nightgowns we had given her over the years.  She LOVED pretty nightgowns, so we gave them to her for Christmas, her birthday, Valentines Day--
and she never wore them.  She thought they were SO special she kept them "for good".  For that elusive "someday" she never lived to see.  

This happened again when my Mother died--I found so many things that we had given her as gifts, and they were kept unused because they were "special".  This made me unbearably sad.

Flash forward to present time--I am doing my spring cleaning, and I see the box stashed away that has our "good" dishes in--you know, the ones I never use.  And in a flash, I have them out of the box and I am making a sink full of hot soapy water, washing the dishes, and putting them--in the cupboard.  NOT back in the box--the box goes into the recycling.  We are using these every day now, because EVERY day is "special", because our lives are good and we are happy and healthy and that is something to celebrate!   So USE your antique dishes--your silver--your pretty things that have been passed down to you or given as gifts.  This is what they were intended for, to be used and loved.
 Of course we have special days in our lives--but the majority of our lives are made up of just "regular" days. So celebrate them all, because every day is a gift--that's why it's called the present.

Saturday, May 9, 2015

More Queen Anne dolls!

This is Bess--she will have traditional, cloth upper armsShe will be tiny, about 6 1/2" in height.

 This is Cherish, who will be 16" tall.  I am working on her limbs right now, and she will have jointed ankles--just because it seemed like it would be fun to do!  Her hair will be very dark brown, human hair.

I am working quite slowly on these dolls, not because they are hard, but because there is just too many other things I have to do right now.  I am very much enjoying making them, and am super happy with how they are turning out.  After all these years, I think I may have found my true carving passion!!

My next one--yes, I am always thinking ahead--will be bigger than Cherish, and more of a lady than a child.