Found her!!

Well, in actuality, I found two "hers". I was originally looking for Katy Keene when I happened on the other paper doll blog .... because she was my pin up paper doll as a kid. I had mentioned her on a few occasions and absolutely nobody had ever heard of her! How can that be? I was sure she was not a figment of my vivid imagination, so I went searching. I can't understand why, in the past, when I searched, I could find nothing about her ..... but this time ... hahahha ... found plenty. This time I Googled her; and, here she is!

Miss Katy Keene .... we used to buy comic books with her in and cut them up... there were also some uncolured outfits for her, which we did to our own tastes ... and we even designed more outfits for her from our imagination. I haven't a clue what I really did with her except walk her around on the kitchen table as though it were a fashion runway .... wearing "my" creations.

So, then on my bloghopping ... and I admit I went searching, because it bugs me that I found something once and can't find it again! Yes .. it does! The other night, I was on a paper crafting type blog, because I also like to do things with pretty papers ... .... and noticed in the sidebar list of blogs that 3 appeared in a different colour font. Hmmm.. never really noticed that before. Okay, so learned something else ... I must be a bit slow with the 'puter end of things. Well, I am and I freely admit it. so, anyway, back to my story .... I clicked on one and recognized it immediately as a site I had looked at previously. So, went back to the blog again and visited another called Georgia Peachez
Instantly recognized it as the one I was searching for. Hah! Don't ya love when it all falls into place? Even if it is just a bit of blog sleuthing. Check out all the little dresses they made.

Here's looking at you kid.....

I love to draw eyes ..... not that I am any good at drawing .... but I do love eyes for some reason.

Anyway.... I am looking for something. Am putting out an APB here. I know that you are out there people....and I need some help.

Two days ago I stumbled onto a blog from some other blog. I am like a frog ..... what am I saying? I am a frog. A blogfrog. LOL. I often go to a blog; see the blog list they visit; pick an interesting looking name and go to that one also ... and on ...and on ... til I have absolutely no clue how I found something I thought was interesting. Sometimes I am clever enough to remember to Bookmark the page ... but mostly..... not. I often think I will easily be able to find my way back there as I usually visit several fav blogs from time to time to catch up...and expect the "found" blog to be visible...... but, again....NOT! Darn it.

Okay...so...any sleuths out there? I stumbled upon a blog that was a crafter, of course.... and she had been making these nifty little outfits from scraps of fabric...but were kind of like little outfits for paper dolls. I think she was making them for a swap but can't remember for sure... her first one was a little pink and black creation... then she said she had no inspiration for a second...so pulled out some old patterns...and she had made a great little collection emulating the pic on the cover of each. I wanted to find my way back to her blog.....waaahhhhh no luck yet. Any of you been to this particular blog and remember the post? Anybody ????

Well, it is definitely not May today! Last night we had what I call the first "real" frost. I mean it was down on the ground .... frost on the pumpkin, so to speak .... not just on the roof tops. We have had some on the roofs for several days .... but this ... is more or less the real thing. Guess we know what's next...but I ain't sayin' ....

I love when the Golden Flame Spirea turn ... some fresh pale golden leaves amongst the old, but still green ... and the burnt orange, pale and deep burgundy...

Awww, look. This is MY garden gnome. I call him Gardener. Looks like he is telling me it is almost time to bring him in for hibernation. Yesterday, he was in the front garden. Today he is in the backyard. I hope whoever is playing musical gnomes with him doesn't drop him ... 'specially on their foot .... he is cement and heavy .... about 50 lbs.!









The trees are in various stages of colour .... and against a crystal clear blue sky... beautiful.














Ooops... this is not the recipe blog ... hhahah ... okay, just messing with ya! but .. it won't be long before we will be thinking of hearty grain breads and steaming bowls of home made soup will it? Actually, I confess ... I did not bake this delicious loaf. It is Pecan Raisin Muesli and I love it. Get it from a little shop in a little shopping centre about 2 minutes from my house. Absolutely yummy, especially toasted.

Mayday Madness !!

Not "May" day as in it being spring or anything ... as a matter of fact it is just the opposite. But, these are the last few days when the robins are going crazy in the Mayday tree. The berries are fully ripe now and they absolutely MUST get every single one off there before they head south. I think it is some kind of robin karmic law. They just know they must .... and quickly. They are so silly that I have to close blinds and curtains to protect them from themselves. Either they can't see properly or are just plain goofy from berry nectar. They are totally giddy .... I think they are actually drunk! There is one lurching around on the shed roof right now ...... then he just sits there for a while... trying to decide if he can make it to the tree from the shed .... makes an attempt.. swoops down too low and does about a 4 point landing on the lawn..under the tree. Then, ... tries to make it look like he did it on purpose and staggers around on the ground checking for dropped berries. There are robins swooping and diving in all directions ... barely avoiding mid air collisions ... last second pull-ups before they hit the windows or the house... it is deadly out there today. The van and the sides of the house are showing definite signs of some over indulgence on fruit!! They are making a right royal mess.

wow..... where did my week go? Got plenty done, as was my plan ... but come on .... it is over already? I did a lot of baking which I really wanted to do. Stole this pic from my recipe blog; Chocolate Date Loaf. Oh, YUM! made a second one yesterday. This is a great recipe that you should definitely give a try.


Here are some of the pics of little things I "challenged" myself with while making my Lotus lady.

After cutting some polyester "silk" off my chunk ... I noticed the frayed edge ... and thought ... why not?.... so I rolled it up with the frayed edge out and stitched it together and voila ... a beautiful little fluffy pom for her neck area. Adds a bit more interest to the neckline along with the gauzy rolled ribbon into which I laced some gold threads ... and the organza covered silk of her undergarment.



This stuff frays too.... so I was playing with my new machine ... which I know nothing about yet ... ( I am still waiting for the shop to set up my 18 hours of free lessons that came with it ) and did managed to get a ziggy zag working .... hahahha ..... after stitching my little tube of gold ... I even zigged it to keep it together nicely. Then just like the colour tube of brocade for the collar and front detail ..... I turned it with a safety pin. Mom showed me how to do that when I was about 12 and she was hand stitching our skating costumes ... with spaghetti straps. Thanks Mom.





I wanted to line the bottom of the hem with some "silk" that matched the collar area so it would draw the colours together ... but it was wrinkling and creasing .. so I made a tube and then lightly stuffed it so it is a bit puffy and kinda cute .... then attached it by hand.






Then .... the selvedge of the turquoise had a band of solid colour.... I definitely wanted to use that for the edge of the cuff of the sleeve. I couldn't quite figure out how to make a cuff, and the inside of the sleeve was too messy and fraying of course, at the seam allowance ... couldn't leave it visible .... so... I just added my own version later. Stitched on a strip with edges turned under; stitched it down along the edge of the selvedge and managed to capture a strip of the golden silk in there too, then made a tube for a sleeve. Pretty pleased with myself on that one .... lol ....




I think it looks just like I almost knew what I was
doing .... hahahah, but I may be slightly prejudiced.






Here is my little Lotus slipper. I used some black fabric that quite honestly looks very smooth in real life but the camera sees a heavy grain. Wish my eyes were that great! I have not done much embroidery for years...but loved making my own little flowers and design .... again I owe it to my Mom ... she used to sit for hours and embroider with us kids.

As a matter of fact .... here is a little gift I made for her when I was about 12 to 14 ...



P.S... I am a bit disappointed that my Lotus Lady did not manage to place in the challenge ...... but, c'est la vie. You may see the entries on the Doll Street site .. but to this date, they have not posted the list of winners or their placement in the scheme of the whole thing.

Hey...looka that!

I managed to get my Flickr "badge" over here...hahahhahahah .... only took all day. ....lol

Honestly, some days I wonder how the heck I ever managed to get this blog up and running.

Ta Daaaa !!...

Finally! Man, am I slow or what? Plus ... as usual, I procrastinate a bit ... okay, more than just a bit ... and then ... before I know it... down to the final few weeks...and then all of a sudden there is just tooooo much to do at the end. I don't want to see any beads, fraying fabric or invisible stitching for a long time. Oh, alright, I will just give my head and eyes a rest and I will be looking for another project in a week. But...for the time being, I just want to bake, clean and do some lovely mundane things.....aahhhhhh ...........

So... no more yakking...this is my doll for the Song of the Lotus Challenge at Doll Street. Yes...today is the deadline. You can see the other entries here.










































This is the size of her hands so you can see how teeny the little Lotus slippers are.

...... sneak peek.......

My eyes are too tired to do any more tonight .... my Lotus Lady is almost done .... here are the teensy little shoes I embroidered today...

arrggghhhhh.......

This stuff is terrible to work with .... it frays .......

No time for postings now that I am busy trying to finish up Lotus Lady ......and I think I have become snub nosed from a week of keeping it firmly against the doll making grindstone. I know there were many hours and, yes, even days when I could have spent more time on her during the past two months. But...no...why would I do that? Here I am again.... down to the last week of time. Although..having said that, I am glad that I did not just whip up some clothing during the first few weeks or I would not have had the great ideas I now have swirling 'round in my head. It is only in the last two days that it is really beginning to come together and I am able to "see" how I want her to look. Now... can I take it from in there to out here and make her as I imagine her?

At least her body now has arms and legs....her head is well secured....

I am using paper towels for draping and making patterns for clothing.

Still deciding on trims, complementing colours, fabric for shoes etc ... .... It is great to look through all the lovely trims, ribbons and other goodies .... I always forget what I actually do have in between dolls.




May I also say that those shelves are not "bowed" like they look in the photo ... those are sturdy shelves and those boxes are pretty lightweight.


Here is an idea for 66 metres of beautiful Indian ribbon .... have fun untangling it and then..roll it onto a paper towel roll ..... keeps it nice and tidy.

'nighty night...........zzzzzzzzzzzzz

It's Monday ... already!

ahem....well, now it is Tuesday! arrgghhh........ how time flies when you are having fun ... or even when you're just busy doing whatever!

... the mini Dahlia

and Portulaca surrounded by a Million Bells


The weekend was a total loss doll-wise ...but. ... got some window washing and frame painting accomplished. That was imperative as the wood on the lower sill was begging for some help.

Lotus Doll is not nearly done ... but hopefully she will be by the Sept. 14 deadline. Still working on how to pose her... getting legs the right size for her body.... etc. I always seem to be flying by the seat of my pants with designing anything of my own. Actually, even when I use a pattern, it seems I tend to do that. I always want to change things and then of course, don't really know what I am doing with most of it, so it is a bit of a guessing game. Also, I like my dolls to be sort of slim looking and tall enough not to appear "squat" once I dress them. So.. it does take a bit of fiddling to get it right. I prolly mentioned somewhere along the way, I am painfully slow at bears and dolls. Well ... I have decided I must be pretty "picky" .. but I have to do things a certain way and therefore... it takes me a long time. I love to play with pretty trims too ... so..lots of time choosing just the right colours, textures, shapes, etc...for final adornment. What can a person say...it is just the way I am. Popeye's favourite...I am what I am... or is it, I yam what I yam?

Here is a beauty from the Chiu Chow opera cast....if only I could make a doll as beautiful as she........

I have been taking plenty of pics too, because I want to eventually show the progression of how I made her. The funny thing is that I wanted to do a bit on finger turning, but Judy Wellnitz beat me to it just last week .........my little blurb will not offer any more than Judi said or did because her video said it all......but sometimes even a few more pics can help somebody. My hands are ultra tiny compared to the ones she did...so I will also include some extra encouragement...hahhaha..... or maybe just some new swear words.

I checked on the site for colours that have been used for the Lotus entries so far and even though there are only two...they are both red. I, too, initially bought some beautiful red and gold brocade...but when I saw that ... well, I went right out and looked for a different colour. Now...my colours are turquoise and gold ~~~ the least I can do is add a bit to the artful showing of the entries by offering my lady in a different colour.

ACEO's... ATC's..........

If you find a little gem that you wish to display rather than stuffing it into a box or putting it in a seldom viewed album.... here is an answer.

Find a pretty frame ... it does not even need to be an expensive one .... mine is a special find that makes me grin .... a deep burgundy with a hint of brown..rubbed with gold on the raised ribbing. I really like it and it fits perfectly with other decor in the room where I display this little girl. The outside measurement is 7 X 9 ..... the inside is 5 X 7 .....

If you are into paper things, I bet you have literally pounds of paper hanging around to choose from ... as a matter of fact ... it is sold by the pound at scrapbooking shops .. Michaels'... etc.

Try several sheets of coloured paper behind your treasure... Of course, you may use any colour you like ...but I suggest some of the actual colours used in the painting ...different hues but still the same colour often make colours within the work itself really "pop". I have one of those small cutters (they call them personal cutters... lol) .... and just place the piece of coloured paper behind my little ACEO... place it onto the cutter and decide how much of a margin I want to see .......... then, cut. Sometimes it takes a few tries for me to decide on which colours I like best on a particular small painting, but paper is pretty cheap compared to matting and actually having it framed professionally ..... so, no big deal.

On this little gem by Tatiana Oles ...I used two small pieces directly behind ... one of deep forest green and the other of the brightest mustard gold; then placed the whole thing onto a sheet of the palest custard colour . Sadly, the pale colour does not show as well as it could on this pic and therefore does not look as good here as in "the flesh". Trust me ...it is lovely... and by the time you are done... yours will be lovely as well. It will look almost like it was triple matted. It gets a lot of attention from everyone who sees it, which is a surprise to me and therefore the reason I am letting you in on my little secret. It is such a shame to have these little beauties and not be able to showcase them, but who wants to pay to have them framed?

I don't like to put glue on my originals .....so I use tiny bits of double sided tape. It holds it perfectly flat. For the other sheets I just use a glue stick. Surprisingly, it stays put really well. If you want to change colours at a later date.... just take it out of the frame and play with different colours!

Love and leave you tonight I am afraid....





Here are some clouds ...



and some new rocks that I planted .... yep...was actually planting rocks trying to get my rock garden looking more like a rock garden . ...












more clouds.... who doesn't like clouds? ... some days I take a few pics of thems.... some days they go by and I forget til just that second too late and they have changed already .........

Some toe info for a friend......

Here it is Allison,....... with a few simple pics and my own pretty simple explanation ....... ( I am a pretty simple person...so I don't want to confuse myself if possible !!) some people call them sculpted toes...some call them "pulled" toes. I can't even say for sure what they are, but here are Leonard's toes as promised.

Thread a needle with a length of upholstery or button thread in choice of colour;..knot on the end. Insert the needle into the foot somewhere near the heel.. sort of below the ankle bone area...then exit the needle on the same side of the foot a bit higher up toward the arch area but still out a bit away from the actual footpad. Gently pull the thread ...by grasping the thread (not using the needle to pull the thread as it could break the thread after awhile from sawing on the rough inside of the eye of a needle) until the knot disappears inside the fabric. Reinsert the needle almost in the same hole... and exit at the top of the foot at the spot that you want to use for the size and number of toes you have planned. I like to do big toes first and then do smaller ones. Take a large (external )stitch on top of the fabric..out over the tip of the foot..down to where on the footpad you want to make the base of the big toe……..insert needle and go back up (fairly deep inside the fabric.).to the top of the foot for the second stitch (mine will come out where the orange pin head is) Gently but firmly push the top of foot down a bit and almost roll it toward the sole of the foot.. (kind of tucking the toes under a bit) ....now… gently pull on the thread where you exited… pushing down with the other hand..till it holds the shape you are looking for...take the thread down to the space on the foot where you want the second toe crevice/base …... inserting the needle there and again going back up to the top of the foot inside the fabric. Just those two stitches will give you three toes .. so .. go back into the fabric almost where you exited and now go down to the side of the foot near the big or little toe and you can begin the creases if you want some. A longer piece of thread will be plenty to do creases as well … but if not … anchor it off and get a new piece of thread.



















Do a couple of discreet stitches that will hold the pressure of the stitches...then, bury the end of the thread by cutting it close while pressing firmly on the foot or leg where you end.























Sometimes I put stitches horizontally for creases as well ... but mostly I just use a bit of shading and because you pulled and tucked them a bit .. sometimes that is plenty and almost appears as creases.

This little guy has been around on my blog before...because he has a boo boo....... yep. At the point where I turned the leg and foot...I poked a hole in the fabric...yikes! Poor, poor Leonard! I didn't want to toss his leg...so, instead I repaired the tiny hole.... with some invisible mending and then... glued on his ladybug. Since he is my own..I don't mind that he has a slight imperfection.... he is still really cute to me!!

Let me know how it works for you.

It's a wrestling match. I am now working in my "new" space... and it is still a bit awkward. Forget to take things in there with me and have to trot right back out to get them. So... keep moving a few more things into the room. Seems I had bits and pieces in waaaay too many nooks and crannies and am still finding them as I need to use them..which is a lot of "upping" and "downing" so far. In and out of my chair.

The other thing that is a wrestling match is trying to glue some fabric onto the clay face that I have made for the new doll. I do want it to have a bit of stretch...but too much is not good either... and the only choices I have right now for fabric are ... really stretchy and slightly ribbed T-shirt type material...or ... stretch poplin... feels as strong as the strongest spandex to me. I want to try colouring it a bit...wonder if it will tea dye? Don't know...must give it a try tonight.

I want to have the face ready to draw on by tomorrow.....



Okay...have to tell you about this silly chicken. It is a stuffed toy that was in a huge collection of "stuffies" that my brother gave me when my sis and I visited him in July. He had bags of them that he was going to toss and I said I would be more than happy to take them off his hands as I like to do dozens of Christmas Shoeboxes. I got involved with the shoeboxes years ago and still love to do them each year. Anyway.... remember those little cranes they used to have at the fairgrounds?..... and also it appears in cheesy little hotels...like the one in a tiny town near where he lives...and he got dozens of the toys out of their machine over the years. Now..he is downsizing..... we were looking through them all and he took the chicken over to where his own chickens were pecking around..leaned it against the post and left it. I had to sprint for my camera. They figured it out pretty quickly ........ by the time I got back, only one of 4 chickens was still checking out the new kid on the block...but they looked!

............................ a few pics for your Sunday ...................

my new "fun room"...

In all honesty, it was getting pretty bad. So, when "someone" (you know who) offered to help me get organized ... erm ... or was that ...." get me organized" ... I was more than happy to take him up on his offer.
It really was complete chaos by the night before the Calgary Bear Show. There was doll, bear and paper making supply clutter on every surface of every room in the house !! All I can say is ... I sure am glad he is such a good sport about my hobbies. Some days he has to clear fluff and fur off a space big enough to eat supper ...oh, the shame of it all......sigh.....





















IKEA was definitely the answer. My little used 'sitting room" ... which hardly ever got used for sitting, and had become more of a catch-all ... was transformed over the past two weeks. Yep .. one week turned into two; of tidying and then re-organizing my life. It took that long, cuz I had a lot of "stuff" and it was haphazardly stacked and spread around in that room. Plus, of course, there was furniture to assemble .. things to move ... decisions to be made. We have to add here that we have not previously been big on IKEA furniture because Greg builds things and usually loves to be within 1/6400 tolerances if you get my drift.....but when the first assembling job was complete...and everything was square and even level right off the bat... we changed our minds. He was more than impressed. For the money... it was a bargain. And it matched up nicely with some of the other small furniture in there. The room is only 10 X 12...but still seems large even with all the furniture in there. Just need to paint baseboards and put them on and it will be one of the totally finished rooms in this Reno Project.










So .... my shiny new "bear, doll and paper stuff/craft/making" space. Absolutely not, repeat NOT... moving into it just yet either. I'm just going to feast my eyes on SHINY for at least a day or two ! Maybe even sit in the love seat or chair every so often and take my time deciding where to put things.










Look at that great little rolling set of storage drawers.. .. lovely casters that are kind to the hardwood... and it would even fit under the table if I want..but I am going to put a lamp on it instead for more light and .. hey ..even add a bit more elegance to my "studio" .. la dee dah.... It is creamy coloured... too bad they didn't have black, but if I leave it beside the little love seat..I kinda like the cream better. Even found the perfect display cabinet that has space tall enough to fit my tallest doll. She is 26 inches and too tall for any shelved unit that doesn't have movable shelving. Now they will be dust free and easier to see ...not in plastic baggies...sure hated to have those things draped on my dolls.


























other side of the love seat...a small "bearister" bookcase. Books, dolls, bears safely behind more glass..clean and visible.. easy to get at for show and tell.













looking into the sitting room from the master bedroom... where we cut an archway through the wall to extend into there years ago. There is a fair sized walk in closet on the right hand wall at the edge of the pic... lots of shelving unused..but, now.... there are clear plastic craft cases on it. Easy to find..yet out of the way.
Ooooohhhh I love my new room!