Nature's Treasures

I spent an hour or so today sorting thru the beautiful shell fragments I collected at the beach this month. Topsail Island, NC has been restoring their beaches which were eroding badly after numerous storms and high seas. They sucked sand out of the canals and pumped it onto the dunes and beaches. In the process, lots of really old shell fragments were dredged up.

I sorted them into 3 piles - gray toned, cream toned, and pinkish. I plan to do some mosaic art with them.


They're just loaded with color, texture, and pattern. And I betcha a coat of clear sealer will really make the colors pop.

Yippee!

I finally got my copy of the Summer 2011 issue of Art Doll Quarterly magazine. Why is that so exciting? Cos two of my tiny dolls were chosen for the Tiny Doll Challenge feature! So, of course, my issue got lost in the mail. And then the replacement issue took it's own sweet time getting here. But, finally, it's here - my first ever published dolls. Alas, published under the wrong name - Gail Vanderbout as opposed to the real me, Gail VandenBout. But, whatever... they's mine!

Here's a scan of 'my' page:


And... my little fortune doll even made the Table of Contents page! Next up, Cover Girl! Hee hee.

My Last Art Doll Cool-Aberration 2010 Doll

MA's doll, Aneelaw, is a fabulous art doll. So artsy & unique. Can't believe she's my last doll in the project.

Anneelaw was more or less a bust when I recieved her - just a head and shoulders (?) and one hand. I couldn't resist giving her some little out-of-proportion legs. Once I did that, she looked to me like a Society Lady sitting in an ornate wrought iron chair getting ready to take a bite from a finger sandwich. So then I decided a patio table was in order to complete the illusion.




Her legs are Barbie-type legs that I paper mache-ed over. The ankles were moveable, but the knees weren't, so I had to cut the legs in half and paper mache them to the proper angles for crossing. Her capris are painted turquoise to go with her hat and overcoated with a turquoise glitter nail polish. Her shoes are purple to match her glove.


The base of the patio table is a black metal thingie that once housed a glass votive holder. Something I just had in my stash that worked perfectly with her "chair"! The top is simply a paper mache-ed cardboard cutout with the top layer being a design I downloaded off the internet.


The table looked kinda empty, so I made a bouquet of paper mache and wire flowers and placed them in a painted mini liquor bottle.


And here're my journal pages.




Soon Anneelaw will be on her way home to MA in Canada. Go here to see all the dolls and journals in the Art Doll Cool-Aberration 2010 project.

Aliens!

Onoma is another fun doll - my 5th in the Art Doll Cool-Aberration 2010 project. Onoma is an alien with amnesia. Poor thang don't know where she came from or even what species she is...

I thought she needed a bit more "alienating", so I chopped off her feet and replaced them with oyster shells - nice briny-looking alien feet, good for walking on or paddling. She grew matching hands, too.

And what self-respecting alien has no antennae??? So she got those, too - made from copper multi-strand wire and sparkly turquoise fiber.

Lastly, I added a couple ball beads to her head gear. They remind me of planets.











Onoma's journal entry includes drawings of aliens and spaceships done by my brother, Dave, at my request. Alien creatures and spacecraft are subjects he's often doodled thru the years, and I thought it'd be cool to include some of his work in the journal (since I always make him admire our dolls).





Check out our project blog to see the step-by-step evolution of Onoma and 6 more cool dolls.

Poly Clay Magnets

Made these polymer clay magnets for my brother to enclose with the computer boards he's donating for prizes in a contest.

Prince Charming

This cool guy, Prince Charming, was my 4th doll in the Art Doll Cool-Aberration project.

He started out with Robyn in California as just a pair of legs! Talitha added frog feet, removable boots, and britches. Amy gave him a torso, neck and cumberbund. Yvonne made his cool frog head.

I made Frog a paper mache shirt and "hands" and a fabric tunic-thing like they wore in medieval times.




The most fun for me was putting a comb in his shirt pocket (to primp for the ladies) and a tin of tic-tacs in his tunic pocket (to sweeten his breath). Both are made from polymer clay.


And here's my entry in the scroll journal.

Go check out our project blog to see his entire story so far. He'll be leaving me for MA and Arlee in Canada shortly.

Lady S

Lady Sebastian is my third doll in the Art Doll Cool-Aberration project. Go to our project blog to see her step-by-step progress so far.






I added her paper mache dress and feathers. I couldn't decide how to decorate her dress, so I left that for MA or Arlee to decide. Her wings aren't attached yet and her apron is tied on with a ribbon and removable.



I hung a hand charm at the end of her arm, along with a homemade charm that's meant to be the note she found when she awoke in the temple. More can be hung from her wrist loop if anyone is so inclined.


And here's my journal entry with a bit more added to her story.

My part of the story reads:

4 January 1922

Things get stranger and stranger…

I awoke as from a deep sleep - still at the temple, but (as I discovered on my return to the hotel) having lost an entire month. Stranger yet, I found myself clad not in my usual dig clothing, but in a beautiful Egyptian sheath adorned with a wondrous bustle of golden feathers like those in my new wings. In my hand I clutched a penned note saying:

“Fear not, and have faith.
Your father is safe.
As are all who await
your ecclesiastical fate.”

What in the world is going on here?! What more can happen to me as I continue on this journey?

Now to get Lady S mailed off to MA in Canada!