Looking forward to Portland!

Now that the toddler head is finished and the eye setting went well AND the body is weighted and assembled AND for sure one of the mini silicones will be going with me,

I am really looking forward to the Portland Oregon show!

I have all day to work today and then I can do final assembly and photo shoots tomorrow night.

I probably won't get anything posted before I leave early on Friday morning but I'll catch up on all of that next week.

Next week, this sweet prototype will be started on:

That picture is courtesy of Samantha Gregory, her sculpting artist.

Since I could not get to Joy this week, Samantha kept her and has been playing with her.

She said that it is SO hard to send her away!  

I can't wait.  What a bundle of perfect chubbiness! 

Hugs!

I did it! Toddler head is rooted!

Just to refresh your memory of what he looks like:

And here are quick, and I mean QUICK shots of the back and side of his hair.

I'm not yet fully sure how I will style it and these pictures have "bed head" as I just grabbed the head

from where it had been drying all night (I sealed it just before bed).

 Now to set those full, round glass eyes.  

THAT will be work!

I think I'll make it!

For some strange reason, rooting the big toddler head went so much better yesterday than it did the last week that I worked on it.  

I do believe I will be finished rooting it by bedtime tonight!

That means I'll have two Master Artist Series dolls to take to the show,

one Little Bit Series doll and 

one Create a Babies...Created doll.  

I am still going to try to get two mini full-bodied silicones painted as well.

Not sure I can though.

Away I go!

Back to work...did you miss me?!?!

The 10 days that we took off just flew by!

But I'm ready to be back to work and to attempt to get ready for the 

PORTLAND CROSSROADS DOLL AND TEDDY BEAR SHOW

that is this Saturday, August 31st.

The first task at hand...finishing this big toddler head!

Here are just a few pictures from our wonderful camping trip.

We celebrated Yuumei's FIRST birthday!

(Hahahahaha...always have more fun than should be legal!!)

I took this picture at home on the actual date of her birth...

But we waited until our son and his girlfriend visited us at camp to light the candle and enjoy the cake.

"I will help you blow it out Yuumei!"

Look at her tongue!  She is ready for cake!  LOL

 

 Yummei was excited to learn that she had horses!  

(from inside our little camp trailer)

 5 year old Ruger and I out on the trail taking a break.  

 We brought three horses so I switched off between my 5 year old, Ruger, and my 31 yr old, Toby.

Here Toby and I took a picture of husband, Calvin, on his 8 yr old horse, Scout.

 We saw elk in the woods  :)

 Riding Ruger.

 I love the mornings in camp, especially when the horses come to visit...

 Grandson Jarrod came to visit.  

He says, "I wuv my gwampa".

He is 6 months old already!

 He got to meet and "ride" Toby for the first time!

 And he thought Ruger was really cool.

 

 Fun times!

Now...back to work!

Hugs!

Sharing my collection Friday~New silicone to reborn...for ME!

Just after the Down East Doll Show I jumped on the opportunity to purchase a 

silicone doll that Jorja Pigott (from Pigott's Playpen) had decided to sell.

Jorja intended to reborn the doll that was created by Nellie Beardslee

who is Bonnie Chyle's sister  :)

These are Jorja's pictures that she took to advertise the doll that she prepped for reborning by taking her apart, stripping her paint off and removing her hair.

 This picture is the original silicone doll as Nellie created it (before Jorja took her apart):

 And I believe that this is am image of the OOAK sculpt before she was produced into silicone

which is the picture on the COA:

I am so very excited and honored to have this doll join my collection.  

I love Bonnie's dolls and to have a very limited doll of Nellie's 

(Bonnie's sister) just thrills me to no end.

Nellie commented on my post that I wrote when Bonnie had left this world.  

That touched my heart so much.  Nellie herself is a charming and warm person.

I am THE luckiest girl!

And my quite big Nellie Rose just may find herself to be a darling BOY when I finally get to reborning him.

XXOO

 

~On Vacation~

It is VACATION time!

I will taking the next 10 days off for vacation.

We aren't going anywhere big, like Hawaii, but we'll be doing some camping, horseback riding and home projects.  :)

I may pop in on the two Friday's to share from my collection

so don't totally forget about me!

Enjoy your August.  Summer is coming to a close...

Hugs!

Silicone madness!

I showed you the other day that I would be doing the prototype for 

Debbie DeGraaf's new silicone doll Rio, right?

Well since then, I have signed on with another artist to do her 

artist proof/prototype~yay!

This one is for Rachelle Ferrell (Chelle) and it is Preston!

Rachelle has completed the first 2 AP/PT's and I'll be doing another.

Here are her pictures of Preston:

 

Preston is a 20 inch solid silicone with full limbs :)

But not only will I be doing one of the AP/PT's, I will be getting another Preston 

to offer up to my collectors.  I will do one a boy and one a girl  :)

And not only that!

I will be completely reborning one of Chelle's  Dawson silicone kits for her 

AND

I am getting another Dawson silicone kit to reborn to offer to my collectors.

Yep, silicone MADNESS...and JOY!  

Let's talk about prototypes and eBay

Last night, my Sally prototype by Bonnie Brown sold for $1700.00 on eBay.

WOW!  I had no idea that she would go that high! 

For me, that is a new sale record for a newborn sized doll and that is exciting!

The last record was for Jayden by Natalie Scholl in 2010 at $1475.00:

I recently contacted Jayden's "mommy" who said that she still has him and always will.  

She LOVES that boy.

I should be on cloud 9 about Sally's sale, right?  

Well, I am, but then again, I am not.  

With success sometimes comes pain.

No, not that I have to send Sally away~I am thrilled to be sending her to one of my best customers, and I will be doing that today.  :)  I receive great joy when that new "mommy" receives her doll and is pleased, even touched.  So all of that is GREAT!!

My heart aches a little because of feedback from people who are either just critical or miserable in general.  

I don't know which.  

There was a gal that visited a couple of my social areas yesterday who found it necessary to comment about Sally's price.  Even stating that I only loved Sally because she was bringing me a lot of money.

How unfair and rude is that?

Those who know me know that I am passionate about the dolls that I make.

I work long hours every day, just like any other working person.

I should get paid but another point of the matter is, 

Sally's reserve was set at $800.  I did not set her price at the ending bid price, the collectors did.

So, why do I find it necessary to put her on eBay where she might go for more than a price that I would put on her and make it so that my collectors cannot just buy that prototype outright?

Because I am a prototype artist and that is a part of my job.  It is my job to advertise the kit for the sculpting artist in every avenue that I have available to me.

eBay is the best arena for advertising, and the artists expect that their prototype be advertised there.

Being a prototype artist brings a lot of responsibility.

I am responsible for doing a very good job on the prototype kit so that other reborners and collectors are attracted to the kit.  The artwork alone takes weeks to accomplish.

The auction must be tasteful and attractive.

I am responsible to make the world know that the kit is available through every social avenue that I belong to.

I am responsible to answer specific questions about the kit as well as know where it can be ordered/pre-ordered.  People want to know eye size, how to insert the eyes (front or back), body style, size and where to get a body, and sometimes what size of clothes and shoes the kit wears.  

 My non-prototype dolls are available direct from my website and also live shows, where prototypes that do not find a home on eBay end up as well.  

I do not put all of my dolls on eBay, just the prototypes and soon the silicones that I will be doing.  

Why the silicones?  

Because silicones are limited editions and I find that eBay is the best way to allow more people access to that particular doll.  I feel that it is a fair way to offer them.  It has nothing to do with the amount of money they may bring in.

But why should I feel bad about making money on my artwork?  

I have a family, animals and a home that NEED money to survive and be kept up.  

And besides, this is what I REALLY was paid for Sally:

Ending auction bid:     $1700.00

eBay auction fee:               11.25

eBay Final Value Fee     173.89

PayPal fee                        50.73

Sally's net sale:            $1464.13

That does not include what I spent on her in the form of paint, supplies, clothing and accessories, and products to ship her safely home in.  And the hours that I work.  

Those who think an artist should not be paid for the hours of work that go into the artwork are silly.

Everyone should be paid for the time that they invest of themselves.  

Even people at McDonald's get paid. 

I just felt that I had to say this today. 

Maybe that person who felt it necessary to go to several of my social areas yesterday will find this post and get an education.  

Now I am off to kiss Sally and get her ready to go home  :)  

Everyone have a glorious Tuesday!!

 

 

Monday!

I don't have much to share this Monday morning, at least not in pictures.

I have begun rooting the toddler boy.   You are going to love his hair!  

Sorry~no hints  :)  LOL

I've signed on to do another vinyl prototype by Stephanie Tackett (Sullivan).

This is 21-22" Issac:

I love his peaceful face!

Issac is ready to ship to me but since I am preparing for a show on August 31, plus hubby and I are taking a vacation this month, I won't be able to get to him for quite some time, which is okay with Stephanie.  (I am also waiting for three other prototypes to arrive:  the silicone and two vinyls.)

I guess I have my work cut out for me!

Hugs!

Silicone Prototype Rio by Debbie DeGraaf!

I am just giddy with excitement for signing on to do my 

FIRST silicone prototype!  

This is the project of the Debbies!  

Let me explain. 

Debbie DeGraaf sculpted Rio.

Debbie Moore of Debbie's Reborn Doll Kits is producing the Rio silicone kit.

And me, yours truly, Debbie, is doing a prototype of Rio!

The Rio in the picture is of the prototype of the Rio kit in what is described as 

silicone/vinyl and was reborn by Linda Moore/Dolls2Babies.

The Rio silicone prototype is due to arrive at Debbie's Reborn Doll Kits at the end of August.  

The Rio Solid Silicone kits are available right now for pre-order:

~Pre-Order Rio HERE~

They are a really great price and Rio is beautiful!

I'm so VERY excited and honored!

XXOO

YEARS later, I finally work on this kit. Toddler boy :)

Artists, do you ever buy a kit that you love, then never have time to work on it?

Do you then go through your kits trying to eliminate older sculpts to make room for your newer ones yet keep that one old sculpt that you loved?

Well, recently, I wanted to raise the funds to make a down payment on a silicone reborn kit so I went through my kits.  Some of the kits I selected to sell were:

Saoirse by Bonnie Brown(I know...RIGHT?!?!?!)

Walter by Laura Tuzio Ross

and a few others.  And I DID sell them but, I kept this very old kit from Doll Dreams and Adrie Stoete....Nathalie!

And, I am making him into a boy for the show in Portland later this month.

Here are his WIP pictures.  He is painted.

Back when I bought this kit, I also bought his wardrobe.  I do believe his shirt is too big! LOL

YAY...toddler boy shopping!

Have a good day everyone!

Sweet Sally Prototype all done and listed :)

And her hair color is...

CARROT! 

Oh I just love this little mite!  

She has been my most anticipated kit of 2013.

She is named after one of my dearest friends  :)

What an incredible honor!

I had a WONDERFUL time creating Sally's video!  

It's quite a bit different from the other video's I've made.

ENJOY!

~View Sally's auction here~

~Click here to see where to order the Sally kit~

So what's next??  

I am almost done painting a toddler for the upcoming 

Crossroads Doll and Teddy Bear show in 

Portland, Oregon

on August 31, 2013.

I hope to have a couple of mini, full bodied silicone dolls ready for this show as well.

Hubby and I are taking vacation the week prior so we'll see!

Hugs!

Speaking of Sally...and Bonnie Brown, and Racheal Ambler....

YES!  I will reveal the color of Sally's hair with you,  tomorrow when I have her photo shoot and auction all done, so feel free to keep on guessing.

In the meantime, I'd like to delight you with a video and report on two of my favorite Ausie's as they traveled to America for the Down East Doll Show 2013 in June...

Bonnie Brown (the creator of Sally) and Racheal Ambler.

Bonnie had Racheal reborn one of the Sally prototypes and that is one of the dolls seen in this video and in the pictures.

~CLICK HERE TO BE DELIGHTED~

I guess what I really love about all of this is this is what my friends and I experience when we take our dolls out.  I LOVE making people smile.  I love the shock factor!  LOL  

I love everything about it.  Even the teeny bit of negative that we sometimes get, as it still opens up a doorway for communication and if the person is willing to listen, there is often a softening as they begin to understand what the dolls are all about.  

I adore these two fine ladies.  It is such and honor to work with Bonnie and her amazing art. 

Racheal's reborns are some of the sweetest I've seen and I intend to own one some day.

Enjoy your day! 

Sally has hair! What color is it??

I've not shared any progress pictures of Sally's hair, 

nor have I shared the color of her hair but she DOES have hair now!

Today I will finish her by giving her lashes and glossing and tomorrow she will get her 

photo shoot, video and will be placed on eBay.

Any guesses to what color of hair she has???