doll face bracelet.

At last my doll face bracelet is done. I had started this in India and then couldn't get round to finishing it.But at last I found the clasps so I finished it. I have used lots of Sharowski crystal beads so it looks really nice. Unfortunately for me it has become a bit too big for my wrists so I don't think I will ever be able to wear it.

Beautiful gifts

Close up of embroidary
Today I got a parcel from Isabelle which had these lovely gifts for me from her. Isabelle had made these for me for Christmas but sent them only now since I was away for Christmas. The pictures don't do it justice. Thank you Isabelle for your lovely gift. You are so kind and generous. As I have always said you do some beautiful exquisite embroidary work. I will hang the towel on my oven handle once all the work is finished in the kitchen. Thank you sooo much once again.

Reporting on my gourd

I left my gourd to dry in the glass house before Christmas. Went and checked it up this weekend to see if there was any progress. I found it still sitting quite happily and looking as if to say well what am I supposed to do now that you have left me here LOL! Tell me do I need to bring it in to get the process of drying started? I am thinking that it might be too cold out there so it looks as fresh as spring still LOL!!

I took a picture of this fox fast asleep in my neighbours garden in the middle of the day. I have never seen one sleeping in broad daylight like this. He is quite a nuisance as he keeps bringing rubbish into our garden and leaving poops everywhere.
The other day my husband stepped right into one. It really made him mad LOL!

Browsing again

Nothing much to post today so I thought I would browse the net a bit and see what new projects I can find. Actually I was looking for a source in UK for this wonderful thing called Powertex textile hardner which Patti Culea mentioned in DollStreet. I was disappointed that there is no one who sells this stuff UK. But I did find a company in Belgium and Netherlands who do this wonderful stuff. Sigh! I want to try this stuff out so much.

Here are some links that might interest some of you. I especially loved the needle case project in the last link.
http://cranstonvillage.com/projects/projectList.aspx
http://www.creationsbyjenmarie.com/
http://www.freepatternsonline.com/xspatterns.htm
http://www.whitesewing.com/projects.asp

Some good news

At last my house is begining to look that we can live in it LOL! I will have to take some pictures and post if I can find my camera that is. However the kitchen has still bits and pieces to be finished and the builder is avoiding it. That is a typical about builders all over the world I think grrrr..   Amidst of all this I am trying to finish Judi's Bella and send her on her way. She is almost done. Perhaps tomorrow I will be able to post her. I also managed to almost finish a bracelet just need some clasps for it which I can't find in the chaos that exists at home at the moment. So the pictures will have to wait.

Your Japanese Name

Your Japanese name should be

'Sora'

which means "sky".

You're a real

day-dreamer. You wish you could just fly away

from it all to explore the world... You love

to explore and travel, and if that's not

possible in reality, you'll just think and

day-dream about it. You're probably very

curious.


Which Japanese name fits you best? [females, 9 results + absolutely stunning ANIME pictures!]
brought to you by Quizilla

Bella's adventures in India

I haven't posted for a while much so I thought I should let you all have a little peek of what Bella Judi's little flattie or not so flattie did with me in India. Just fill you up with the back ground to this. We are doing a round robin with a Flat doll and journal. I have Judi's with me at the moment so I took her to India. Here are some pictures of her that I took in India with her


Ooh la la I am so tired I need to catch up on my beauty sleep!





Meeting the family. They love me they love me!!!



Going for a shopping spree.




A pity I don't have a dime on me. Otherwise I would have bought the whole shop up.



Ah it is good to get recharged with some lovely food and refreshements! And what fun I had being the centre of attraction!

My pupils dolls

Hello. I am back and now I can share a few pictures of the dolls my pupils made in my class.

They were very talented and I hope to see more dolls by them. 

busy sewing and enjoying it


No dilly dallying just getting on with it


Tea break? What tea break? Dollmaking is serious business.


Isn't she lovely?


Another beauty!


Well done ladies!

Life is rough

They say bad things come in threes well I have to hope and pray they don't. In a space of a few days we have had 2 tragedies in the family. 2 of my close cousins passed away in two different road accidents. I feel really low at the moment. Want to get back home to my space and curl up.

My classes went off well although the attendance was poor. The ladies who came were very enthusiastic and thrilled to have made a doll. If I am able to get even one person to start making dolls I will consider it a success. But at the present moment I am having second thoughts about teaching in Madras. I think people are still not ready for this kind of art. There is no desire in the part of people to make the effort to come to a class like this and they seem to take it very lightly.

However I am not going to give up. I am hoping to do an exhibition in Bombay and Delhi sometime this year. Hope to teach there I am told people are artistically more mature over there we shall see! I perhaps will also do an on line class but I am going to have to start putting a price for all of it as it is really not worth my while as I have to put so much of effort and time and money into a dollmaking class and people don't seem to appreciate that.

Thanks for all your comments and Heera good to see that you have a blog now as well. I hope you will show some of your dolls soon. I see how you are growing in your dollmaking. It is so amazing isn't it when you look back to see where you started and where you are now.

Zoanna, please do whatever you want to with the fabrics I don't mind. Whatever project you do with them will be fine with me after all they still are going to a charity.

Frapper Map

You will find my Frapper Map on the left hand side of the page. Scroll down it is just above the Weather pixie.

More response today

Had more enquiries about my class and I am hoping they will all turn up. Trouble in India is people say they will come but then don't turn up. It is all very frustrating. I guess dollartistry is still a very new art here. As it used to be in UK earlier people look at you as if you are a bit weird when I say I make dolls or they think it is an old women's pass time.
I see several comments from Indian bloggers. It is nice to see that there are some young people getting into fabric arts. Also if there are any gentlemen browsing through please don't think this is an art for women only. Hey after all some of the great fashion designers are men, so why not be a doll artist as well.
I see dolls as fabric sculptures rather than just play dolls that one finds in side street shops and stalls. Of course there is a place for play dolls as well. But dolls have also moved on to become very sophisticated works of art.
OK I am off my soap box now. Talking about men making dolls I just enrolled a man student in my beginners class hurray!!!! Have I made HISTORY?

You know Judi it did cross my mind that Bella might have had something to do with my baggages. The little missy makes big eyes at everyone and wins their hearts.

Isabelle, there was no need for you to send me anything. Not that I wouldn't love to have it because I know you work is so exquisite. I look forward to it. Thank you soooo much.

I would like it very much if you all could put yourself on my Frapper map thanks.

Happy New Year From India

Hello all I thought I must get to my blog today somehow. I am getting withdrawl symphtoms LOL.

Well had a very eventful journey to India so what is new! They diverted the plane in Dubai because of fog now that is a familiar word! You might say fog in Dubai? Yes they do get fog there and our plane was diverted to some other town so we missed our connecting flight. When we did eventually land in Dubai the airport was in chaos. The information boards were not up dated and there was no ground staff to help us and direct us to the correct counters. When we got there eventually there was almost an anarchy at the counters as the que was more than a mile long and only 2 people dealing with all the delayed flights!! The scene was chaotic and on top of that there were people who thought they were more important than others and tried to elbow to the front of the que even though they could see they had to take their place in the que! Well eventually after nearly 2 hrs standing in the que our turn came and we were given another flight to get to Madras. We were assured the baggages would be automatically transferred to the other aircraft. They sent us to a nice hotel to get refreshed. Eventually when we returned to board our flight things seemed to have calmed down and we got on board smoothly. Ha! that was short lived though. We landed in Madras only to find our baggages never made it! We were tired irritated and totally disgusted so I have to excuse my Dh here as when we filled up the lost baggage claim form he entered the wrong tag nos sheesh!. So we waited and we waited and waited and we kept chasing them at the airlines for the bags but ofcourse they couldn't find it. Then Dh for some reason looked again at the tickets and realised that he had given the wrong numbers of a previous ticket! One would have thought thy would have spotted it but such is our luck. We got our bags eventually after 10 days.
Judi I think your Bella donna enjoyed all the comotion. I could almost see the glee on her face to say hey I had a good time what is worrying you? I really was very worried thinking she had got lost and cursing myself for taking her along. But ofcourse I know she wouldn't have had it any other way. She is really enjoying herself and she insists on going everywhere with me.

Today I have been checking up on everybodies blogs. Love your creative adventures Judi as always. Isabelle I never ceased to be amazed by your projects.

I am also at the moment trying to organise my dollmaking classes. Not very happy with the response yet. Maybe I will get more enquiries towards the end of the day. I have arranged to give a 2 day class for beginners and a 2 day class for more advanced dollmaking. I have not really been feeling too well since I arrived. Can't get rid of the cough which I developed so I am on antibiotics now which is making me feel really yuk! I hope i will be fully well for my classes.

Merry Christmas to one and all

Wishing you all a
Very Merry Christmas.
Have a wonderful time with your near and dear ones.

Some more fobs

I am enjoying making these as I can do it whenever I feel like it or if I find even a few minutes. Several have gone out as gifts already.

A bit of sadness today

Today is my dad's first death anniversary.So the day is tinged with sadness. I couldn't see him before he went and couldn't be there for the funeral either. I spoke to mum and she said she had invited close family members for dinner and a short prayer gathering and I can't be there for that either. Such is life.

Some fobs

First of all thank you all for the lovely comments you gave about my doll. Some of you might have noticed I changed her eyes. I just did not like her earlier eyes. Had to paint the eyes with acrylics and boy oh boy it was tricky. I never paint with acrylics, as I find I don't have enough control but had to do it. It took me at least an hour to repaint those eyes to get them to my liking.



Here are some of those fobs I have been making. Not as nice as yours Judi but they are fun to make and nice little things to include with gifts

Not so good weekend

Isabelle thank you so much for the suggestions. They are great only problem is my mum doesn't entertain anymore and my mother in law I know will store it away in her cupboard and say oh it is too lovely to be used LOL!   I think I will have to  think of something more practical. Thanks for the suggestion Well the start to my weekend has not been very good. On Friday while returning from work someone knocked our car from behind while we were stationary. Then on Saturday someone reversed into our car  in the supermarket car park! They say trouble comes in threes. I sincerely hope not. But luckily both the times the knock wasn't too bad but still there are a couple of dents to the car what a pain!
Kitchen is still not complete but at least it is workable now.





The good news is I have actually finished my fairy. Haven't got a name for her yet. But she is fairy of the undergrowth. She has emerged to the light to see for herself what the above the undergrowth world is like. She has heard that there are lovely beautiful things above. She doesn't have pretty cloths and her cloths keep getting caught in the undergrowth hence her cloths are tattered and she has bit of folliage clinging to her. The fairies above the undergrowth sprinkle her with fairy dust to make her look presentable as she certainly can't visit the Fairy Queen in tattered cloths. I think she is not at home in the new look she has got hence that rather lost look on her face

On going saga of kitchen

Judi I can't give the wings another coat because I have already stuck rhinestone on the veins and painted it with glitter. I only wish I had painted it with a different shade of gold. Didn't get to finish the doll last night as when I returned from work there was no water at home. The plumber had turned off everything and gone so we couldn't have a shower or wash anything. What a paingrrr !  Had to get the builder back he came around 10 O'clock at night and got the system working again. but I was so exhausted that I just wanted to curl up and sleep. Infact I did just that while we waited for the man to come. So had a late shower and guess what all my sleep had disappeared, so I sat in bed and made some scissor fobs. Sorry haven't taken any pictures perhaps I will do them today. They are cool and so easy to make aren't they. Thanks for giving some lovely ideas Judi.  I am going to make some to give as gifts. Perhaps I will make heaps while I am in the plane. Must remember to take beads and the bits in my handbag

Wings and cap done

Finally I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have finished my fairy's wings. Tried out Jean Bernard's technique. I am not completely satisfied but it will do. I am still learning to handle any sort of clay. Her cap is a plastic bit I salvaged from a flower which I had shred to bits. Thought it might come in use sometime and kept it with my other junk that I have collected,so it came in handy as a cap for the fairy. I have decorated the wings with lots of accent beads and glitter and stones and beads. Can't see any of it in the picture. I wish I had used a different gold paint for the viens as this one looks a bit too yellow but can't help it now that its done. My fairy will have to live with it LOL I have done the hair on the doll but have to add a bit more to the costume. Will take a picture perhaps tomorrow and show.

I don't feel settled with so much of work going on and I have to pack away everything for the workmen to do the work while we are away. Wanted to make a doll for a friend but looks like I will have to do it in the new year. Time is running away. The kitchen is nearing completion. I am hoping the workmen will clear out by Friday at least as we are getting guests on Sunday.

Today Jey went and bought a Christmas tree. He said we must have a tree at least even if it is for only a few days. Then we will have to pack it away before we go to India. Every year we give something to our friend's kids when they come home. It will be nice if we can have a tree for them to take the pressies from under it as always. Feels a bit odd not having any decorations or a tree this year. It will be first time ever when we have not had any decorations up for Christmas. A pity as I love to do the decorations. But at least I got my fairy made for Christmas. I went and did some Christmas shopping today. Had to get those gifts to take home. Still need to buy for my mum and my mother in law. I am scratching my head I have run out of ideas as what to get for them. Have you any suggestions?