A lot of people used number generators for their draws but that sounded scary to technophobic me (even though I'm sure it's probably very easy) so I did it the old-fashioned way...I put all the names on a piece of paper, cut them up, put them in a bowl and got my husband to draw one (with his eyes closed, of course!) And the winner is Rachael.
Thank you so much to everyone who entered and left great doll-related comments! I loved reading them, and I will be getting back to people (slowly, most likely.)
I'm going out of town for ten days, but I'll be back with pictures and some new commissions to work on. Bye for now!
I have been inspired by the generosity of some of my sister bloggers and am joining the one world one heart event. I will be giving away Nanette on Valentine's Day! You can enter up until midnight of February 13th (Eastern time) and I will draw and announce the winner on the evening of the 14th. Then I'll put her in the mail and send her off to the winner. (You can see the official site here, and check out the other participants as well.) All you have to do is leave me a comment with a brief observation or anecdote about dolls...maybe you love them, maybe they give you the creeps (but you still love them) maybe when you were a kid you would have to say goodnight to each one you had individually so as not to upset them and you were always convinced they were having a party in your room when you weren't there so you would open the door really quickly and try to catch them in the act but never could! (or maybe that was just me??)
Nanette is one of my ornament dolls, so while she has no limbs, she does come with a lovely ribbon and hanger and is happiest on a wall or Christmas tree. She is entirely handmade from polymer clay, hand-painted a wearing a hand-made dress. Her hair is mohair. She is truly one of a kind!
I'm really looking forward to hearing people's doll-tales! (And if you want to make it up, that's fine too.)
Here are my latest ladies, Kate and Lola. Kate is a modern dancer and singer who composes music about heroes from the only novel by Emily Bronte (sorry - no patience for figuring out the keyboard witchcraft required for oomlots!) If that sounds familiar to you, then hopefully you are a Kate Bush fan and might agree with me that this dollie looks a bit like her? My husband guessed, but he knows I'm a huge fan so maybe he was just being kind!
I made her parasol from cotton, card-stock and lace...I think it makes her look very elegant!
Her skirt is dupioni silk, which is still my all-time favourite material.
This is Lola, who is holding a small heart in honour of Valentine's day. Someday soon I will make another anatomically correct heart like I did for my first big doll, Bridget (there are photos of it my 'large doll' photo album.)
Lola's skirt is also dupioni silk. I certainly dress the dolls better than myself!
Also: Wheee! I finally got my new book about making ball-jointed dolls, Yoshida Style, all the way from Japan.
It is indeed in Japanese, which I don't speak or read, but it has so many great pictures that it has already given me tons of great ideas. I don't think I'll actually have time to attempt a ball-jointed doll (very complex!) until summer when my course load lightens, but I can still apply some of his instructions to my regular doll-making.
And because I love Kate Bush so much, and because she is such a good companion to me as I make my dolls, I found this video for her song "Wuthering Heights." It's rare that one comes across mainstream cultural figures as truly odd and eccentric as Kate Bush...watch this video and you'll see what a delightfully freaky lady she is. People always talk about how cheezy and commercial the 80s were, but they hold a special place in my heart because I really wonder if someone as bizarre as Kate Bush or Robert Smith could be 'famous' today. Not that being famous matters much, but it's pretty cool that these people were ever as popular as they were. Well, enough of my ranting...here she is in all her oddball glory!
I'm taking an amazing graduate course right now in Fin-de-Siecle literature called "Aestheticism, Decadence and Degeneration" (how could I resist?) We reading a lot of fascinating theory, but also some great novels and plays (The Time Machine, Dracula, "The Ghosts".) So yet again I find Victorianism creeping into my dolls (the clothes, Oh! the clothes!) Here are my two most recent works, both a little decadent...
This is the Barefoot Contessa.She is from a very wealthy family, but due to some
unmentionable (and unjust!) scandals must now dance for her dinner. She
is famous for her mastery of the fan dance, her different-coloured eyes
and for never wearing shoes. Her only friend is the tiny bird, Minou,
who lives in her hair.(The Contessa knows that 'minou' is a French term
of endearment for a cat, but she is an melancholy ironist.)
My first bouffant! Surprisingly secure...(some day I want to try one of those crazy Marie Antoinette towers of hair.)
I made the fan from bonded satin and lace.
Ah, Quelle triste Mademoiselle!
This is Sebastian; a lovely aesthete who likes to read Oscar Wilde while drinking Port and smoking only the best cigars. He always has a clean ascot around his neck, a dab of black nail polish on his fingers, and a witty riposte on the tip of his tongue.
I will certainly be using more buttons in my clothes from now on (well, they are really tiny seed beads, but how cute?!?)
The Contessa is in the shop, and I'll be listing Sebastian this evening.
And finally, here is the trailer a movie I'm dying to see: Madame Tutli Putli, a Canadian animated short that was just nominated for an oscar. You can see more about it/ buy the dvd here.
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