Off to Florida!

Nah, not me. Just a coupla dolls I sent to an old school friend who lives in Florida now. We've recently reconnected via email. Who knows, tho - I may have to ship myself down there sometime so we can do some thrift shopping together...

This doll is fabric and fibers wrapped on a stick with a poly clay face. Also some feathers, beading, stitching, skewed acorn boobies, copper wire,,, She's about 7 inches tall.


This is one of the goddess dolls I used to sell at the coffee shop. Fabric wrapped stick, nut head, beads and other metal doodads. I think she's about 7 inches not including her extended arms.

Mail Goody

Look what flew into my mailbox! Her name is Scarlet and she was made for me by my internet pal, Susan. Scarlet is only about 3" from the tip of her beak to the tip of her tail feathers. Isn't she a treat? Another tiny treasure for my display case.



Thanks, Susan!

And she came bearing gifts...!

Not only did the Cool-Aberration gals do wonderful work on Bravura and her journal, but some of them also sent tiny gift dolls home with Bravura!



Thanks (left to right) Robyn, Mary Anne, Barb, and Yvonne! Your wee dolls are living in my doll display case and are much appreciated additions to my tiny doll collection.

Gift in the Mail!

Check out this gorgeous beaded bracelet my friend Jeanne sent me! I love this bracelet. I'm keeping it in my new display case when I'm not wearing it. It's too pretty to hide in the jewelry box. Jeanne makes gorgeous beaded dolls, too.




And look at the sweet little matching clasp she used. Perfect!

This is fun!

I bought an old glass front cabinet a year or so ago and I've been meaning to fix it up to display some dolls and other treasures. Well, I never have done anything to the outside of it, but this weekend I did a quicky job on the inside so I can use it. It had a horrible picture of a hot air balloon glued onto the inside back wall. I got rid of it by collaging over it with pages from some old farmers almanacs and sealing with shellac. I had a small open curio shelf that just happened to fit perfectly inside the cabinet.



This morning, I filled it up with treasures. There's still room for more small swap dolls. The cabinet is on my fireplace mantel surrounded by some paintings done by my mom and her father.



It was lots of fun going thru my treasures and organizing some of them in the new display box.

Another Goody in the Mail

Yvonne sent me these Orchid tree seeds from Texas. I just love these things. Great mixed media embellishments. Thanks, Yvonne!

I haven't managed to complete any arts & crafts projects lately, but I'm working on some stuff for Susan's doll, Tabula Rosa. I also ordered and received a new cool book, ethnic dress by Frances Kennett, that Susan told us about. And it happens to have some good pics of Perusian dress - perfect reference for what I'm making for Tabula. Now I'm gonna go page thru it while I eat Stouffers french bread pizzas (my favorite!).

Goodies in the mail!

I got another goody in the mail yesterday. It's a wee journal from MA. Inside it has a favorite quote from each of the nine participants in Art Doll Cool-Aberration 2009. MA made one for each of us in the project. Great idea, huh? Thanks, MA!

Swapped Fortune Doll

This here's the fortune doll I sent to my pal, Yvonne. She sent me one of her sage smudge sticks, remember? Yvonne likes Native American things, so I tried to make hers with a Native American feel to it. The braid is real horse hair from my horse.

Yvonne does all kinds of crafts and art - dolls, journals, fabric paper... - and she's documenting it on her new blog.

More Goodies in the Mail!

I received this teeny, tiny birch bark basket from my pal, Barb, today. I just love it. It's so tiny and perfect. She also sent me the itty bitty pine cones, some hazelnut seed pods, a tiny shell, and the Western Blue Jay feather. (I provided the quarter. :) ) You can see more of Barb's tiny exquisite baskets on her website, along with her art dolls and bobbin lace creations. A very talented lady, she is. Thanks, Barb!

Goodies in the mail!

Got some goodies in the mail this week from a couple of my internet pals. First here's a wonderful wee journal from MA in Canada. It's all handmade especially for me! It is truly a tiny (4X3") treasure and will be displayed proudly in my display case where I keep all my best treasures.
MA filled the journal with inspiring quotations and decorated it in some of my very fave colors - oceanic blue and copper. Thanks MA!!

And I got this very cool smudge stick from Yvonne in Texas. She made it just for me from wild Texas sagebrush which "transforms energy and brings change". When I opened the box, the wonderful subtle fragrance of the sage wafted out - it'll probably make my whole display case smell nice! Thanks Yvonne!!

Okay, so how do I get these great gifts? I ask! I just love treasures handmade by friends, so I just ask them to make them for me. And then I make something special for them, which is the other half of the fun! And don'tcha love getting something good in the mail?

Natural Treasures

I love using things from nature in my doll making. Sticks, seeds, nuts, shells, horsehair, pinestraw... I recently found this cool little cocoon.

Won't it be cool used as some kind of vessel on an art doll? Maybe a tiny quiver holding some itty bitty arrows?

My online pal, Barb, sent me some birch bark from NY.

And Jeanne sent me these natural treasures from Oregon.