Art Dolls are taking over the house!

I love making art dolls.  The problem is I keep selling them and I don't get to keep many, so I make more for me, then sell them too.  This is a problem for an obsessive doll maker!

Fairies Fly About in the Day

Fairies Fly About in the Day Mixed media necklace.  I used vintage seam bindings, antique lace and tatting, old bells, buttons and beads. A slice of wood with a collaged picture and a tag made with many layers of papers,ephemera, then sealed and tipped with gold paint. A pewter pendent with a Celtic symbol for protection is sewn into the mix. The closure is a giant vintage button with a loop to hold it securely. Glass beads are strung throughout the length.

Interesting note about the necklace: Farmgirlrocks, found on etsy, made some of beads, they look like giant turquoise nuggets. She used potatoes that she dehydrated, then sanded, painted and sealed. The funniest things I ever saw in a bead, BUT! they're fabulous. I love the colors and texture. They add such a new and different dimension to this piece. When I find interesting items

 to include in my jewelry it's like finding a treasure. Farmgirlrocks 

Pink Flamingo 61

Pink Flamingo 61

Pink Supply

Pink Sewing Room

Yacht Stock~6 hours listening to bands and painting

Yesterday the weather in Philadelphia was like a dream. No humidity, sunny, big puffy clouds and the temperature was perfect for sitting outside, under an umbrella, listening to bands along the Delaware River. I attended Yacht Stock at my husband's boat club. It's a huge event every year to raise money for local families in need. There were 15 bands on multiple stages, vendors, food and my favorite~Margaritas, hold the salt, please. Knowing I would be there for hours I packed my traveling art bag, just in case! I have a little bit of a hyper personality, even though I was having a great time!! I still need to do something with my hands. Having hundreds of people walking around near my table was just too good an opportunity to let pass. All of those different shapes! and types of people, me behind my dark glasses, a perfect situation for a painter of people. I had a small watercolor notebook with me and a compact travel box of colors, one brush and a glass of water. All I need for a wonderful afternoon. The hours went by so fast. I talked, laughed, sang!! drank Margaritas and painted the people around me. They were just quick sketch paintings, everyone was moving around, dancing, leaving for other areas, so speed is essential . Fast is my favorite way to work, just putting down little pieces, enough information to remind you of the event later. Not serious artwork, that's for a day in the studio. These were just snapshots. Many of the pictures were amalgams, different moments all compiled into a single picture. Someone walks away, just start on someone or something else on the same page. When I work like this the memories are so much clearer, even with the big drinks. Vacation moments are cemented in my head from sketches I've done. I think the level of observation when doing a sketch wakes your brain up to your surroundings, making a more lasting impression. The picture above is one of the sketches I did. I gave it away to a girl sitting near me. Some of my pictures I turned into note cards in my shop: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28046252

Miss Arabella STEAMPUNK NECKLACE

Miss Arabella can't find a husband, it's such a shame. She's so smart and insists on wearing men's trousers and hats. Does she think a man would ever be interested in her inventions? Doesn't she realize that math and formulas are not for wives? Pity, she has a nice figure and good wide hips. Watch parts, rusted bobbin, gears, vintage jewelry parts which have been deconstructed, a sun in the eye and a ruffled collar. original design, one of a kind jewelry SRAJD self representing artist jewelry designer Thank you for supporting independent artists.

Captured Brownie Fairy

An antique bronze clock bezel and glass were just begging for something fun to be placed inside. My friend and I were out antiquing one day and we found two little Brownie Fairies. We both wanted them, so we compromised, each of us got one. He's wearing the funniest clothes, complete with a FEZ hat! On his belt I've attached an old watch gear. Behind are lovely filigree brass wings, to help him flit around, doing his best to cause mischief! Little Brownies are known for the mischief they get into! I've trapped him under glass to keep the mayhem (chaos) under control. Only when you're ready to keep him in line, may you open the glass door and let him wander~! but be forewarned! they do get into things. An antique clock gear is behind him upon a collage of papers from magazines, and an old children's book. The words "In the Air" are back there too, to remind you to keep him under control. A transparent watch face with a vintage glass watch crystal, with the tag still attached, is floating above him, warning you to keep his time free strictly governed. Nestled in the case is an old watchmaker's glass vial, with cork, and the number 147 on the tag. That's how many tricks he has up his sleeve. Inside is a teeny, tiny, little watch hand. This is not attached to the assemblage, allowing you the chance to roll a piece of paper, with a secret wish, inside the canister. There is also a bit of room for another little addition of your own. Just keep in mind he's very powerful, so be careful what you allow him to have access. 

Making art dolls without all the sewing!

Making art dolls is just fun!  Sewing the little arms and legs, turning them, ironing them~I can live without that!  Embellishing, dressing, making faces, hats, wings:  that's where the fun starts.  Turning the long legs is pure torture.  I do it because I want to make dolls.  

A wonderful woman that loves to sew has agreed to make some body blanks for me.  She does the cutting, sewing and turning, mails them to me and I get to stuff, paint and go crazy on them.  This is just the perfect way to work.  I've proven that, YES, I know how to sew, but I don't want to.  Now I don't have to.  Dolls are a relaxing, creative time for me.  I felt guilty the first time, I've gotten over that completely!  Each one still comes out with their own unique personality, looking at them you'd never know they all started out with the same shape piece.  

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6119594&section_id=5576110