Humblearts Journal

Another Doll WIP

Here is a smaller doll I have been working on, she was the first pancake.  (So if I mess her up, I won't feel too attached.)  Although crude, things are going pretty well.  She is just practice after all.  Her head, hands & feet are polymer clay.  I did her feet in white stockings.  She's 9" tall, why do I keep thinking making smaller things are easier? I'm sure they are not! 

Her hair is wool roving, thanks to some tips on creating a hair part from doll-maker, Antonette Cely.  Don't you just love google?  I glue on the under layers, the part is sewn together and then separated.  Very easy to do.  Her face is done with oil paint and liquid sculpey.

I did a button-joint body, so that she bends at the shoulders, hips and knees.  I fizzled out on the elbows, but now I wish I had!  I ordered this doll-making book last night.  Anyone have any good book recommendations or websites I need to see?  Please share. 

Now I need to think about clothing.  I'm just learning to sew, I can handle some simple things.  I'm in love with this doll-maker's work and her clothing.  Wish me luck!

The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants

Here is what my heart has been set on for the month of December, dolls!  Why?  I have no idea.  I am not a frou-frou type person, I've never been a doll person.  I guess it started last month when I was searching for an alternative to American Girl Dolls.  Because I could not justify paying $90 for a toy for my daughters.  So that led me to this site, which led me to Magic Attic Dolls.  My mom and I bought two, Heather & Megan for my girls.  I have had so much fun making clothes for them, I can't even begin to tell you.  I kept seeing the name Sasha turn up when I was looking at the Magic Attic Dolls and not being a doll person, I had no idea.  So now I'm smitten with Sasha dolls, but can not even fathom paying that much money for a doll for myself.  Someone very generous is going to have to gift me one, because I can't justify paying $150 when I have real children to feed and clothe.  Rats.  And I have no interest in any other type of doll on the market.  There is just something about the Sasha's that appeal to my long forgotten inner-child. 

So Saturday I got up and had the idea that I would try my hand at making dolls.  After all, polymer clay has it's roots in doll-making and I am a polymer clay artist.  I have never sculpted anything before and had no idea what I has doing.  It took a few failed attempts, a few hints on some websites later and the girl above appeared in my hands.  Oh my, I love it.  I want to make more and more and more.  I have no idea why or how they will turn out, but I am just going to follow my muse and see where she takes me.  If nothing else, it makes me happy!

The one above will be a button-jointed doll with a fabric body, her feet and hands are polymer clay.  I need to figure out hair for her.  I have wool roving and need to experiment.  I'll show the results when she is finished.  Happy Creating!

Tis the Season

I've been enjoying a very long week off from work. 

We have been a crafty little family lately.  I've spent the last two weeks sewing clothes for dolls.  I love it.  I spent days and days sewing, learning how to read patterns and piece everything together.  I even made little leather shoes and fleece slippers.  They were a big hit with the girls.

Jess has been a crafting maniac too.  Working into the wee hours of the night on collages for microscope slide pendants.  I promise to share when he finishes them.  They are brilliant. 

He went crazy making ornaments for the tree.  I started out with this idea from Martha Stewart using old greeting cards.  Jess then out-crafted me and decided to recycle art history books.  I love these ornaments so much I wish I could show you everyone of them. 

I think he made 40 of them.  Each one is a beautiful little homage to  art historical works, paired up in surprising ways. 

Easter Holiday

Eggcellent...okay back from the Bead Cruise, which I will blog all about after the weekend.  The Bead Cruise was great and I would have had the time of my life if my mom hadn't become deathly ill.  Literally.  It was a scary week and she ended up in the hospital for 5 days.  She is heading home today and now I can breath a sigh of relief.  And she is just happy to be breathing!

So now, I'm doing something completely out of character and skipping any family celebrations this Easter weekend.  We are heading back to Galveston for the day to enjoy a little sand, surf and shopping.  I need to relax, a vacation from my vacation.  Which was anything but a vacation!!!  I'll ignore my little pangs of guilt for taking off during the holiday, but sometimes you just have to do something off the wall.

I know I always feel more at peace near the water.  And Galveston reminds me so much of home. 

       Deep calls to deep
       in the roar of your waterfalls;
       all your waves and breakers
       have swept over me.

       By day the LORD directs his love,
       at night his song is with me—
       a prayer to the God of my life.

-from Psalm 42

Polymer Clay Musings

Here are some polymer clay links for you:

A nice polymer clay blog, devoted to the subject.

Polymer clay that is art.

I love this jewelry/bead designers take on polymer clay, very nice.  She has a great mix of silver and other beads with her work.  I like it.

My all time favorite polymer clay artist: Cynthia Toops and a few links to see her amazing work: here, here and here.

And then there is this, which is just a big whole hunk of clay.  goodness sakes.  Which oddly enough makes me want to tackle a large cane.  It would make my life so much easier.  Maybe I'll give one a try this week, but more like a size of a Swiss cake, not a layer cake for crying out loud!

Come back tomorrow for my monthly to-do list and other beady news.

Prints for sale!

Today is the day!  I spent some time putting up a few prints for sale on my website.  Some of my favorites are up along with the mermaid that will be on HGTV. 

So many new things are up on my site, you just need to go check it out, while you are waiting for the show to start! (Amy!!!)  Including my transition from jewelry and beads to mostly beads.  Which is scary, change can be scary.  So the dragonfly and matching earrings are the only jewelry left.  Humblebeads is now a bead shop!

I think I'm going to go crawl under the blankets, drink a cup of tea and enjoy a book until the show airs.  I earned a little time off today! 

Ready, set, re-run!

In case you missed it the first time, here is your chance to see my national television debut again.  My episode on HGTV will re-air this Wednesday.  Check your local listings for the time. 

So behind the scenes I'm trying to get new work up.  New beads, some one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces and even a few prints.

It will be a fun week.  I feel much more relaxed about the whole thing this time around, knowing that they didn't make me look goofy! 

Take care of yourself today. Celebrate in your successes, whether big or small.  And if you are doing anything today to live your dream as an artist, take a minute and reflect that you are living your dream life, right now!   (That's a message for myself, maybe to you too, but something I need to remember today.)

A few felted gifts

I thought I should show you my other felted gifts, now that I'm all rested up from the holiday.  Hosting Christmas at our house, I find is very draining.  Between all the cooking and cleaning, I keep thanking God that we are so blessed to have a house that can accommodate my husbands growing family!  (All my gang are in Michigan.) 

Speaking of houses, this little squirrel family has been enjoying their crocheted tree home.  I'm such a nut, aren't I?  I just starting crocheting until it looked like a tree and then added some buttons for leaves.  It opens up in the front for the family to snuggle inside.  This was for my youngest daughter.  The mom has a little apron on and the kids' scarves, made from a striped t-shirt that I've been cutting up.  When E. opened the present she was completely silent.  I asked her if she liked it and she said, "I just can't believe it's real."  Needle felting is a simple process, but very tedious and time consuming.  I didn't do nearly as much as I had wanted to.  But that's the thing with time, there is never enough to finish all the projects I have planned!

I also wet felted two balls for my baby nephews.  After I had felted them into their basic shape, I cut them open, inserted a bell and needle felted it to cover up the hole and to apply the design.  Next, I put them in little socks, tied them up and threw them in the washing machine and dryer.  They were a hit. 

I hope you had a very enjoyable holiday and that you are looking forward to the New Year!

The Ghost of Christmas Presents

Don't you just love the movie Scrooged?   I've been enjoying watching every holiday movie that they have played on cable this week, while I worked away at gifts that have been shipped off to Michigan.  I thought I'd share a few of my latest creations with you.

Yo, ho, ho, a pirate's life for me!  Sings this wee little bear, who is just 2 inches high.  I gave him a tiny eye patch, vest and pirate hat.  Then made a little boat for him to sail away in.  This goes to my nephew.  The bear is needle felted, his accessories are felt.  (The cheap kind!)

Next we have his first mate, little Kitty, who is sporting an apron and her own carrying case/purse.  This is going to my niece.

And to my other niece, a little purse with a matching horse and a few beaded hair pins.  I also sent along a fun little scarf with 2 felted balls on the end.  Cute, cute, cute!  I tried to needle felt a horse, not so cute. 

Now I only have a family of squirrels and kittens to needle felt, 2 felted "jingle" balls for the babies in our family and matter of 7 penguins to create.  Can you tell I'm having way too much! 

Advent Calendar

Here is my simple little advent calendar for this year.  I cut the paper stockings out using a template that I made.  It's just scrapbooking paper.  I printed the numbers on vellum.  Cut them out along with another square and used my little tiny craft sewing machine to stitch the squares to the stockings.  On the back of each day is an activity that the girls want to do.  We made the list a few days before December.  I printed them on a large label and cut them out.   

My favorite advent calendar has to be from Jenny.  Too cute!  Want to make one, but feel like it's too late?  I made an advent calendar last year for the 12 days before Christmas.  So you still have time!