As sweet as she can BEE!

My dotee has been improving as I tweak my pattern for making them. I have started making one seam and it goes to the back of the doll while at the bottom, instead of sewing across by machine or by hand, I am now making a drawstring enclosure and like it much better. (If need be, I can do a tutoral.
I decided to do a bee as one of my swaps was a stripe theme. While others were thinking what kind of colorful stripes and if they should do it with ribbon and such, I had critters and bugs in mind. I even have some small zebra fabric and some tiger striped minis in my stash! While I didn't have yellow and black stripe, I used a yellow fabrico marker to fill as I needed. I couldn't help but think of one of Ann Geddes babies when I got her finished! Just way too cute! I thought of different wing options and finally decided to settle on this one as I rummaged through my stash. Now I can see doing a hummingbird dotee too! I named this little bee, Honey!

Two Dots and a Dash

I know it sounds like morse code but let me explain...
I have been working with Dotees lately and I must say that they are quite addicting! Just think of a theme and away you go making these little dolls that range from 4 to 6 inches. They were first started in Australia by a woman who came up with the idea and seems they have become wide spread via the internet. With one, I decided to do a flapper doll themed one for trade. I pondered just how I was going to do it and decided to make my own face and hair style compared to the other dotees. So was this breaking tradition? I am one that usually defies the rules and create my own thing anyway but I must say I really did enjoy figuring out how to do this and was pleased with the results.



Well, knowing me, I always hunt in the most unlikely places for arts and crafts supplies. I went to a Latin American festival last weekend in Columbus. I found my self getting earrings from one vendor. Then other interest groups also had their advertisements, brochures and such. Planned Parent Hood had a nice big bowl of condoms and immediately I saw a Dotee in the making! What better way to promote safe sex! Instead of taking one, they encouraged me to taking as many different colors as I wanted in spite of me telling me what I had planned to do! The dolls already lent themselves to the shape as well as the ever so popular eyes shut and smile on their faces! Who says you can only have fun in the bedroom with them. I find him quite handsome and dashing. I have named him Happy Harry!



Here's another, this one was the first one, but it wasn't fat enough to wear the condom, so while the other is naughty, this one is more heavenly!

Fish and Chips

Well, I just couldn't wait! Last night I sketched my jointed paper doll and just couldn't quit until she was finished! She is made from the back of a notebook with the undertones glued on with a page from a magazine. AARP to be exact, if that should matter. LOL I then painted her translucently with acrylics and metallics. Her hair was from a hot pink scrap book paper. I burnished the edge with a burnt umber deco paint and floated it on with a flat brush. I picked up some cool star brads that I absolutely love! I used fusable stars and crystals on her body and picked up other embellishments to suit her. I love going through the clearance bin in crafts and fabric stores with nothing in mind but looks like fun for that someday project if I don't loose it in my studio somewhere in the process!

So why did I entitle this fish and chips you may ask? When we lived in England in the 80's, we quite often went to a great fish and chips place that served them in wrapped newsprint!



I wanted to try a different background that seems more sea worthy, but for some reason the golden colors of the sun and the memories of the newsprint had me drawn more to it. Perhaps if this would have had a more Caribbean blue to it. it would have been just right.

Isn't she a doll?

Woo Hoo!!! I am in a doll craze lately of flat ones, fluffy ones, with joints, with or without limbs, they are all wonderful to me! I also just finished my first dottee, an icicle doll. I found it was hard to photograph red, but did a better job today to upload. I had these cool polymer clay shoes and couldn't resist adding to them. Don't you just love her knobby knees? She can dance all day! Now for a name. Scarlet or Garnet come to mind! The mermaid is another in the Out of the blue theme. The requirement.... recycled plastic was actually a Meow Mix container that I made the crown and starfish from. The plastic net from a produce bag. The requirement of something round to use.... well I guess you can see that! lol They were plastic buttons painted. In fact I ended up painting the whole skin tone so that it would be uniform. The fabrics are a knit fabric. I painted her fish tail with Pebeo set-a-color macre'. I fused on crystals with my heat setting tool and it left circle impressions, gasp! It worked to my advantage and I made slightly burnt in impressions of scallops!

Out of the Blue!

Last week I had another "Out of the Blue" experience to ponder on an art piece. The requirements of the theme was to use recycled plastic, something round, something blue and something inspired by nature. (I chose to chalk one up for mother nature!) The fact that I am aging and my biological clock winding down, had my cycle so off that "Out of the Blue", Aunt Flo made a surprise visit 5 weeks late. Hormones change, so The mood swings played an important part of the facial expression in the piece as I sketched raised eyebrows, flared nostrils and an evil grin, all the while playing " Evil Woman" that I added to my favorite sound tracks. lol I then marked off the face in increments of 12, much like a clock with the main markings at 12,3,6 and 9. I wanted to use a recognizable portion of the tampon applicators , so I incorporated both parts easily without altercations. The hard part was deciding how they would be attached. I ended up using kabob skewers and cloth covered florist's wire. It was coming out nicely, but still lacking something! I need contrast and variety and it was then that I heard the familiar words in my head from the fearless leader of an online art group of a woman being in" full bristle"! And so bristle spikes it would be!!!! I added some" hot flashes" of fusing crystals (which was quite a touchy subject in itself )to melt them onto the plastic applicators. Luckily I only had( lit one fuse) to replace one. In spite of this one taking much longer than expected to construct, it was quite a humorous experience. This project will remain in my studio to be the controversial conversation piece to those who enter and view her . I couldn't help but name her AUNT FLO. Perhaps it will be a new trend on saving even the smallest product of all for the land fill. Women CAN make a difference! (Oh, and if anyone asks where this woman is from.... we can just say.... Tampon Bay! lol)

A Star is Born

THE STARS.... AUVA, CHARA and STELLA

One of the themes for an online fiberart group was "Out of the blue". I came up with several interpretations . One of which when I was playing the song "When Stars Go Blue". It's one of my favorite songs and I love it sung best by Tim McGraw and also by Blake Lewis. I made a star out of 12 4" squares folded and interlocked together. In the center, I added a fabric painted face to give it a personality. A coat of high luster modge podge and some glitter paint made it twinkle. I may make one in reds and yellows just to reflect the sun. Now to find a sunshine song to play! I would be dating myself as the first things that came to mind were Sunshine of your love by Cream and Sunshine on my shoulders by John Denver! I did run across one that was fresh and new to me entitled Pocketful of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingfield. I will have to see if I can find it to add to my playlist later, but for now, while the stars are still blue, I am heading for dreamland under the stars.