The clock is ticking down to the Porltand OR show!

And I am nearing ready!

Yesterday I put together little Katharine who ended up being 14 inches long. She is such a sweetheart!

The 5" Berenguer almost lost her "Sweetie" name yesterday when it took me more than an hour and a half to apply her lashes! Notice that I changed the name spelling from Sweettee to Sweetie. It just makes more sense. She is ready for pictures now and I suppose still sweet~and adorable. I will recover.

Last night at 1:30 am (or shall I say this morning??), I finished rooting the big Berenguer, Lisa. I'll trim her hair this morning, seal it and apply her lashes and gloss. My hind end is sore from sitting so very much this week and I am behind on my exercising. ~sigh~ Too bad that rooting, processing mohair and painting dolls does not burn 500 calories an hour.

This afternoon I hope to finish painting Sweet and Sassy. IF that happens, I will quickly put her together and take her to the show for display~hairless. LOL

Tonight I'll take pics of everyone and get the birth certificates and take-home bags all ready. That should give me some time to relax on my "day off" tomorrow. But then there is laundry and food prep for a husband who does not cook. I can't let him starve while I am gone...I need a nap!

Oh, did I tell you what all I have packed into my 99 Subaru Outback? Well, since I had to take down the Gallery window display the other day, I decided to just take those display items to Portland and use to set up my show. In my car, I have a full size crib and mattress, full size changing table, full size wooden high chair (it does not fold down at all), a pad for the changing table and two very large totes! The totes are large enough to fit an 8-10 yr old child in~they are that big! AND....I have room to spare so if I find any treasures at the show, I can bring them home :)

I'll probably pop in tomorrow morning to post a few pics of the new babies that will be traveling with me for the show. Fun times!

Hugs!

Using acid dyes vs human hair dyes to color mohair

There have been several posts on the forums I belong to lately about bleeding mohair.
I've seen bleeding mohair before and recently, faded mohair.

This discrepancy comes from using human hair dyes to color mohair instead of acid dyes made for mohair fibers. (I will note that some mohair processors have said that if you heat the hair that is dyed with human hair dye that the dye will set but I've never tried it myself.)

If human hair dye bleeds into your vinyl, it is very difficult to get it of as it is a dye and does stain. As far as staining the hair for a long period of time, well, it does not. Just like your own hair, human hair dye fades and diminishes over time~that is why you have to redye your hair. I am not sure if the dye would fade off of the vinyl over time.

I had the babies down at the gallery for 2 months in the window display. Most of the babies down there were babies that I made for myself and are in my personal collection. One of the babies, Beata, is a baby that I made using hair that was dyed with human hair dye. (When I first began coloring angora hair, I did use human hair dye until I learned the facts). She was in the light for many hours a day, laying on her back. The front of her hair is now very faded where the back is not. None of the other babies hair faded (Nor did the paints for those who wonder about the lasting effects of LDC and Genesis paints) as they were either dyed with acid dyes or tea. Tea is an acid and the hair is cooked in it so of course it will hold.

Buyers of angora mohair that is processed for dolls should ask the seller what the process is for dying the hair. I have this information on my WEBSITE and am always available to answer questions.

Just thinking about processed mohair today!

XXOO

Makin' MANY babies/sleep deprived!

Well....babies and sleep deprivation go together, right??
Maybe it is the upcoming show, the fact that I really wanted to get the sweet Dimples "Simple Treasures" baby headed to her new home or the fact that I began work on the Sweet and Sassy prototype...but the night before last, I just could not sleep! So, I got out of bed and made babies!

Dimples is a custom order "Simple Treasures" line baby who is headed home today. I'll post more about her later and also comparison pics between my Master Artist Series and Simple Treasures Series lines.

Isn't Dimples just so sweet??

Little miss Katharine (Sullivan Quad) is ready for her assemble and headed to the Portland Show this Saturday! Oh I love this little one! Click on her picture to see it big~she has the sweetest eyes!

This little 5" all vinyl Berenguer is almost ready for the show too! She needs her lashes and gloss:

She will have a lemon yellow dress set along with this little set. I am thinking of calling her Sweetee~pronounced "Sweet Tea" with accent on the SWEET! I love making these little dollies.

And look who is a work in progress! It's Sweet and Sassy! I am IN LOVE!

Look at that little scrunched up nose! She is such a STINKER!

I've a lot of work to do on her yet but I am hoping that I can get her painted and put on her body to take to the show, just to show off this darling kit by Dee Stastny. She won't have her hair yet, I'll just put a big bow on her head~LOL

I've got the big Berenguer, Lisa, rooted about 1/2 way. I think I am in line with my goal of finishing her hair tomorrow night before bed.

Since I'll be at the Gallery today, I'll be working on mohair!
Hugs!

Started rooting the big Berenguer head!

I feel like I got a lot done on her last night but oh my do I have a long ways to go! I MUST have her rooted by Tuesday night so that I can finish her lashes and glosses in time for all to air out and be dry for the show on Saturday. Wish me luck! I'll be painting on Sweet and Sassy in the day and rooting at night.

As you can see, she has her brown eyes now :) And I've named her Lisa.

The little 5" mini is rooted and waiting final assembly and lashes. With these little all vinyl darlings, one must put the head on first before giving them lashes and gloss as it takes a lot of pressure to get the head on and one might pop the gloss out.

Tomorrow I will share updates on Sweet and Sassy!

And then the final pictures on the Simple Treasures Dimples will come sometime soon as well as the pics of Katharine (Sullivan~I am keeping her given name) and the 5". I can't guarantee any of this will happen before the show as I am running out of time. Tomorrow is my day at the Gallery and it's time to take down the window display which will prepare me even further for the show.

Hugs!!

Productful day yesterday!

I feel bad that I've not had time for tutorials and overly interesting items to blog about, but I can tell you how my days are! (Thrilling, right?)

Yesterday was a very productive day. I worked on my website some, washed and colored about 5 ounces of mohair, prepped and matte varnished my Sweet and Sassy prototype kit, glued in several sets of eyes for not only my own reborn dolls but also for a manufactured doll that I am changing the eyes on for one of my customers. I applied several sets of lashes and glossed eyes, lips and noses. I even finished rooting the hair on that little 12" Stephanie Sullivan sculpt I am making for the Portland show! Wow, it took me over 12 hours to root that tiny little head and about an hour to trim her hair just right.

Today will find me finishing up that colored mohair and beginning paint on Sweet and Sassy. I really love her spirited face!

And I get to get my own hair cut! Whooo!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!!

Angelica's photo shoot!

Aren't they just precious together? I am not sure that I mentioned that when Angelica went home, she would be joining her little sister, Arianna. Both girls have kept their given names by exceptional sculpting artist, Reva Schick.

The picture below is of this precious girl in her special room in her new home.

The rest of these photos are taken at my home:

More pictures are available on my WEBSITE.

I simply MUST make an Angelica for me as I have deeply loved both of the ones I've done!

Hugs for the day!

Granddaughters are the BEST!

I spent a most enjoyable weekend with my Mom, my kids and my grand girls!

We played at the water park and fed the ducks and swang on swings! We read books and sang songs and simply enjoyed each other!

I am refreshed and ready to roar! With only 7 working days until the Portland show, this is a good thing!

Off to work I go~

XXOO

Aurora WIP day 2 progress

Aurora is gaining some depth and richness to her tone. I've applied the matte varnish and am ready to move onto finishing her with LDC paints. Did I ever mention that I love LDC paints?!?!
I just have not totally mastered the color mixing for ethnic babies so for now, until I really have time to "play", I start out the tones with Genesis paints which frustrate me! Ahhh...LDC, here I come :)

But little Aurora will have to be set aside for a bit as Sweet and Sassy, Prototype #3 will be back in the nursery today. I'm not working today and I'm taking Sunday off and I'll be at the Gallery on Monday so I won't get to start S&S until Tuesday.

And, I'm feeling better less stressed today. I knew it would pass~it's just the worse case of feeling overwhelmed that I've had in a long time. I'll be traveling today to spend time with my mom, kids and grand kids. I've not seen most of them since March so I'm excited!

Hugs until Monday or Tuesday!
XXOO

Old RDK Aurora kit~WIP

I've had this kit for a while now and decided to finally paint her up. She is a tiny little thing, manufactured by RDK~that horrible company that finally got shut down.

One thing that was consistent with RDK kits were that they kits were SO PINK! I dislike fighting with pink vinyl so much that I normally just turn them into ethnic babies, which is what I am doing with Aurora.

I'm barely begun and she's mighty shiny (I am using Genesis paints to start her out~I'll matte varnish her then finish her with LDC paints for a beautiful finish to her skin) but I am falling in love with this little one! I think she will be around 16 inches long.

I will continue work on her today as well as process some hair for the chubby 9 month old. I might even finish a tiny head that I'm rooting for the Portland show. Whooo~progress!

I will admit though that I really need some time to do nothing. I "took some time off" last week but that time off was filled with things that I had to "DO". There is not a whole lot I can do about this strong desire to "do nothing" as it's just not realistic. There are always dishes, cooking, laundry, cleaning, shopping, bills, appointments, animal care and all the little tasks of daily living~piled right on top of trying to run a reputable business and help other people out.

However, I am taking off tomorrow after noon to go for an overnight visit with my mom and then for two nights with my son, daughter in law (who is carrying my first grandson!) and both of my darling grand girls. Other than playing with the girls, I don't think I will have to "do" a whole lot of anything. This might just refresh me.

I'll "see" you again on Monday or Tuesday! (well, I might post a progress picture of Aurora tomorrow morning if I have time.)

6-9 month old WIP for Portland show

Isn't she cute? This is a mix and match baby that I've been wanting to reborn for so very long!
I've used a very rare and hard to find 22" Berenguer Lot's to Cuddle head paired with Reva Schick "Melina" limbs.

I've painted her rather rich to help match the different vinyls. She will have dark brown eyes and dark brown hair~not the blue eyes seen here. Her brown eyes are en route to the nursery.

This little darling is wearing a size 6-9 month dress. She's not quite a toddler as I have been calling her but she is an armful!

Today I will start an ethnic baby and will root this chubby girl at night as soon as I am done rooting a mini for the show.

Prototype "Sweet and Sassy" should arrive back to the nursery this week with her new, custom body so I'll have to get to work on her once she arrives.

Dolly Hugs!

Back to work!

Hello everyone!

I have really missed blogging and working on a regular basis!

I am back to it now. Let's see if I can sort out my thoughts of all that I wanted to blog about today.

First off, my youngest step child is married and off on her honeymoon! Here is a picture of the precious couple:

And the cake that I made for them:


~Nursery News~

I had the pleasure of gathering with a group of ladies in Seattle Washington yesterday who were enjoying a dolly day. Oh, HOW did I do this after just having a wedding the day before in Baker City Oregon? Via video chat, of course! It was great meet new friends and reminisce with old friends. Thanks ladies for allowing me to join your special day! XXOO

I will be finishing the paint today on a toddler for the upcoming

~PORTLAND OR SHOW~

This is always a great show so if you are in the surrounding area, I hope you can attend.

I finished rooting hair on the custom order Dimples! I'll share pictures when I can get her put together. I am very behind in putting my nursery name on pictures and sharing. I am so anxious to show Angelica to you but need to "edit".

It's time to enter a yearly/annual contest on one of my guilds and also time for the 2011 Colliii awards entries to be submitted. I will work on those two tasks the next two days.

It's been an amazing past 6 weeks with many, MANY big events tucked into the weekends and beyond. I've taken many days off from "work". These weeks have been very busy and I've had such a good time but, this artist is tired and in need of a little "down/alone" time. I sometimes feel guilty about desiring the down time and the impending need to be alone for a while. Thinking that I am just selfish, I try to push the feeling aside and keep going and doing yet not really feeling fulfilled, refreshed and very much lacking new creative thoughts and dreams. One of my very good reborn friends posted this on Facebook this morning:

An artist must have downtime, time to do nothing... An artist requires the upkeep of creative solitude. An artist requires the time of healing alone. Without this period of recharging, our artist becomes depleted... We strive to be good, to be nice, to be helpful, to be unselfish. We want to be generous, of service... But what we really want is to be left alone. When we can't get others to leave us alone, we eventually abandon ourselves... our true self has gone to ground.
-Julia Cameron

This was so reassuring to me that I am NOT selfish~I am NORMAL in the makeup of who I am....and artist.

I can rest in that.

Hugs!

Sharing my collection Friday~Jeremy's new outfit

Whoooooooo is this???
It's Jeremy in his new adorable outfit made by Mini Creations.

That is a lot of cuteness packed into a 10 inch outfit!

XXOO

Little check in/status report

Hello everyone!
I've a moment to check in and tell you what has been going on.
First, Angelica has found her way home! Look at her in her beautiful Victorian room!
Her new Mommy (and Daddy) are thrilled with her :)

Prototype Sweet and Sassy has arrived...again! She arrived about 6 weeks ago but there was an issue with her arms and the new ones are GREAT! I've sent her off to have a body custom made by Spearson Doll Bodies, in the meantime, when I can, I'll work on the toddler for the fall shows.

We had a great several days with family and friends as they competed in the Cascade Lakes Relay~just a simple little 216.6 mile relay race! UGH! It was a hard race for most of the runners who competed and we are so proud of our 12 man team for completing...and not even last :)

Tomorrow will find me baking a wedding cake for my youngest step-daughter who is getting married on Saturday. Family is here with us now and we've been having some good times.

Hugs until later!

Busiest time of the year~Taking time off

As much as I am TRYING to "work", it's be so difficult so I've come to the realization that I simply MUST just take some time off from the nursery and the blog~for the most part.

With two major family events that begin tomorrow through August 13th, my time in the nursery will be limited. There is much going on in there though!

Angelica will be assembled and photographed this morning, and will make the trip to her new home on Tuesday the 9th. While she waits to go home, later today I will take her down to the Gallery to be on display through the weekend.

I had to replace a set of limbs for a custom doll that I made last year. They are finished and that baby will be traveling back to her mommy next week. (The limbs were old Berenguer limbs and as some of us have seen, sometimes those Berenguer dolls/parts can do very odd things, like turn orange or yellow and in this case, the vinyl just broke down becoming sticky and causing the paint to break up and change colors).

I'm half way done rooting a custom order Dimples~she is looking SO cute!

I've got two little babies ready for hair rooting who will be going to the fall shows and I began paint on a toddler baby for the fall shows.

So, I am leaving tomorrow for my family's participation in the Cascade Lakes Relay race. On Monday, we'll bring family home with us and prepare for my youngest step daughters wedding! I'm making the cake so that will be fun. I might have a moment or two for myself which I'll post a picture or two of the newest babies being born.

Until then, take care and enjoy the first part of August!
Hugs!

Awesome silicone doll by Claire Taylor

This is the newest release/edition from Claire Taylor:

~Claire Taylor Dolls Video~

Is that not just the neatest silicone baby??

The edition is sold out, which I am not surprised.

Congratulations Claire!

All girls and horses camp out 2011

Yup, that is what an all girls and horses camp looks like...just trucks, trailers, 4-wheelers, horses and a might load of Iron (guns)! Whooo! It was an awesome weekend!

Wonderful moments were spent by the campfire just chatting and doing, well, NOTHING! Ahhhhhhhh....

These are my friends Daiya and Sherri:
Matthew was the only boy slipped into the group (well except for a few male horses!) and he had a delightful time with all his horse loving Aunties. However, we didn't take many pictures of him...

Because you see, we were on a mission. Look at this awesome picture! Does it get any better than this? I am not in this picture as I am taking this one. I have to wait until one of my friends sends me hers with me in the group.
From L-R are Sherri, Debbie (another Debbie, not me), Bobbie, Kate, Daiya and Stacy.

THIS was our mission....

WILD HORSES!

This is a group of stallions we had been following all day. That big black one in the back stole my heart! He was so big and gorgeous!

We had a wonderful time riding miles and miles on our steeds.
We came upon this rock so everyone got a nice picture taken on it. Here I am with my wonderful 29 1/2 yr old gelding, Toby:

I am delighted to report that my old boy had been on vet directed "bed rest" for over a year due to a torn ligament and he is 110% fully healed! (He also had a pretty rough winter last year and lost a lot of weight. With some extra care and supplements, he has put his weight back on very nicely) This was our first real ride out and he was strong, healthy and full of energy. I could not be more pleased!

I'm only home now until we leave again on Thursday for a family relay race event. In the meantime, Angelica's eyes are here and I've got some other dolly projects to finish and start.

Off I go!

XXOO