Catching !

August 18th, 2018

Schoodic Arts for All in Maine:

 

  

Quinlan Artist Doll and Teddy Bear Convention in Philly:

 

Hi All,

Looks like I’m finally catching up! I had the pleasure of teaching two fun workshops this year and the opportunity to spend the time with wonderfully creative people! First, my Fun Medallion workshop,  shown on the bottom, was at the Quinlan Artist Doll and Teddy Bear Convention in the Philly area. Maria, Judy, Jo-Ann and I all had a fun time.  The conversation flowed as each of the ladies worked continuously to create an eye and mouth medallion. Above, at the Schoodic Arts for All annual festival in Maine, Janis, Jane and I had fun creating as well as discussing politics, life and the beauty of Maine…it was great! Thank you to all you ladies for your interest in my work and for the pleasure of your company!

Happy Doll making!

 

July 16th, 2018

Hi All,

Just three more weeks to go for the Schoodic Arts for All Festival to commence! I’ll be teaching my Red Riding Hood pin workshop shown above. If you happen to be in the Winter Harbor area in Maine, check out the festival and all the great programs they’ll be offering from dancing, live entertainment, basket weaving, painting, singing and too many more to mention! Click on the link for more info: https://schoodicartsforall.org/ Hope to see you there!

 

What’s New?

October 18th, 2017

Hi All,

I just wanted to share pictures of The Medallion Workshop I’ll be offering at the Quinlan Conference next spring. What: Quinlan Artist Doll & Teddy Bear Convention. When: April 12-14, 2018. Where: Clarion Hotel Philadelphia International Airport. If you’re interested in the workshop, please contact me directly! Happy Doll Making!

 

Updated…

July 14, 2017

Hi All,

I decided to update a shadow box that I did years ago which is currently…but not for long…up on my website. I have always loved the Hey Diddle-Diddle theme and decided to make this new version more intricate. Above are the new pics..:)

My daughter and I were talking about nursery rhymes and she told me that the Humpty-Dumpty story if in fact a Mandela Effect. A Mandela Effect is a false memory…a psychological phenomenon wherein a person recalls something that did not happen. In this case, we’ve all heard the Humpty-Dumpty story and believe that he’s an egg that fell off the wall, yet nowhere in the story does it states that he’s an egg at all…lol!

Happy Doll Making!

Creative Juices

  

  

Hi All,

I was very excited when I returned home from the Quinlan Convention last month. Before I knew it, the creative Juices started flowing and I had so many ideas filling my head that I immediately got started! I decided to create more of my Story Book Poppets. I am currently working on “Red Riding Hood,” “Goldilocks,” “Princess & the Pea.” and “The Little Matchstick Girl.” They are all currently works in progress but I just wanted to share a glimpse of how they are coming along. Above  are “Red” & “Goldie”  and their painted “story” bases. As you can see (bottom pic)  “Red” is finished. I’m nearly done with Goldie.   I’ll post more as I finish them…

Happy Doll Making!

Home Again!

Thursday May 4th

Group picture:  Linda, Judy,  me, Joanne &  Joyce with finished “Fairy Babies”

Hi All,

Well the Quinlan’s Art Doll & Teddy Bear Convention is over and it  was yet, another success! The events were fun, the food was great and the opportunity to catch-up with old friends and make new ones is always wonderful 🙂

I did very well in sales…I was very excited that my matchboxes sold…yeah! I’ll be busy making more of these this summer. Hmm, let’s see…how about a “Bunny Mermaid”…lol! I also taught a workshop at the convention for the first time. It went very well. Above are pictures of the gals learning the techniques for the “Fairy Baby” Workshop. We all had such a nice time..it was a pleasure meeting them 🙂 The great thing about teaching is that I learn from the students as well…it becomes a fun exchange of doll-making tips picked up over years of creating.

  

A glimpse of my sales table (above)

I had been working on my “Mother Goose” doll for a while; I’d start her up and then put her away and so on. Well, the weekend just before the convention I decided to finish her. Needless to say I had feathers flying all over the place! I finished her the night before setting out to Philly and packed her up. During the convention, all attendees are invited to display their works in the ballroom to be judged by all other attendees for awards. The awards are 1st thru 3rd prizes for the Art Doll or Teddy Bear categories.  Later, during Saturday’s closing ceremony dinner,  the winners names would be called. Well, to my surprise, my “Mother Goose” Doll sold and, to my astonishment, at Saturday’s closing ceremony dinner, I was awarded the “Helen Bullard Award for Excellence”…1st prize in the Art Doll category! Needless to say I was quite thrilled!

That’s all for now…Happy Doll Making!

Ready, Set…Go!

April 29th, 2017

“Medallion” Jewelry Pieces:

  

  

“Matchboxes”:

  

 

Hi All,

Almost ready and very excited about attending the Quinlan’s Art Doll & Teddy Bear Show next week. Above, are just a few things small pieces I’ve been working on for my sales table. First…my completed “Matchboxes”…all of the tiny characters have “jiggly” legs! Last…I did the “Medallion” Jewelry Pieces last year but now I think I’m ready to display them. Well, that’s all for now…next stop…Philadelphia!

Happy Doll Making!

 

Finishing Touches

April 16, 2017

                            Happy Easter!

Just a quick update…I finished the display case for the White Rabbit and Alice. I look forward to placing it and it’s inhabitants on my sales table in Philly!  Speaking of,  Philly, my workshop is filing up…only two openings left.  If you’re going to be in the area, won’t you consider joining us in the fun?

Below: Who said playing with matches can’t be fun? It is when you get rid of all the matches first..lol! I’ve always liked the idea of creating a tiny scene inside a matchbox…well, now I finally have! I’ll post the finished pics next time 🙂 Until then…

  

 

 

Getting Ready…

 

 

making the box from balsam  wood and painting the scene                                           

 

 

Sample of the “Fairy Babies”class I’ll be teaching at the Quinlan Convention!

Hi All,

      I am getting ready for my yearly trek to the Quinlan’s annual Artist Doll & Teddy Bear Convention near Philly. This year, it’s taking place on the May 4-6 weekend. I’m very excited to be offering a class for the first time! I’ll be teaching a 3-hour class on making my “Fairy Babies” shown above. Keep in mind that if you’re considering taking the class, you’re free to make your fairy uniquely yours 🙂

    Also shown above is the new tiny “Alice” that I’ll be offering for sale at my vendors table…the last bunch I made sold like hotcakes in D.C. last summer. This year’s version has Alice hiding the Cheshire cat inside her hat…lol! I also made a few “White Rabbit’s” for Alice to journey with.  They looked so cute together that I decided to create a framed display case showing both enjoying the English country side before falling down the rabbit hole…ha,ha.

Well, that’s all for now…I’ll be posting more as the convention day approaches. Until then…Happy Doll making!

A Good Time Had by All!

July 28th, 2016

                                  

Hi All,

I just got back from Washington, D.C., where I had a wonderful time at the 2016 ODACA Convention.  The atmosphere was fun, the luncheon delicious, and my center piece dolls were well received…all in all…a fabulous event! On Monday, ODACA the members of the standards committee conducted the final review for the five applicants who applied months ago and have already undergone two membership phases. I am happy to announce that all are now new inductees…congratulations to you all! The Committee also voted for new Board Members and I was elected Secretary for the next two years…Yay!

As you already know this year’s convention theme was centered around the delightful story of Alice in Wonderland…who could resist such memorable characters?! With these characters in mind, I decided to make each “Alice” slightly different by having each doll hold a fun character from the book, making each of dolls a one-of-a-kind center piece! I also decided to created a “commemorative” ODACA Day bags to hold the dolls.

Above are pics of each of the dolls…seven total (The Caterpillar, The Cheshire Cat, The Baby, The White Rabbit, The Flamingo, The Door Mouse and The pig)…as well as the bags 🙂  BTW, I sold out of my tiny “Alice” dolls and several of the new fairies managed to find new homes! Several of the visitors to my sales table came from far off places like Mexico and Russia…proving, once again, that dolls are loved by all and still are,  no matter what age,  a big draw!

   

Just a few pictures of the luncheon in progress

On a side note…While in D.C. my childhood friend and fellow artist, Albert Garcia, who now lives there, played tour guide to me and my family. He came to the hotel to help me set up the centerpiece dolls and surprised me with an amazing watercolor he painted from a picture of the my girl when last visited D.C. eight years ago. He is a fantastic artist! See below:

  Albert with my girls

Happy Doll Making!