LOVE WHO YOU ARE

The week between Christmas and New Years, still feels like Christmas is in the air,
Finishing up all the Christmas goodies, Daniel, the chocolate covered strawberries, and the choc caramel apple was amazing! 
Margaret, we all, including the boys, really enjoyed Christmas breakfast, at 2:00. pm
                                             I went out and searched for the "great bargains"  the after Christmas sales, found some really nice, beaded, and embroidered fabric, 50% off - Thank you very much!  Bought myself a  pair of Ugg slippers,  "The Greatest" slipper ever made. Worth the $$.  Also bought a piece of art, However I don't know if  an image on chipboard, qualifies as art, but, it's art to me, I LOVE IT! The photo above.
I want to try and sculpt her.

 One of my Intentions for the new year, is to really figure out. how to blog.  It never comes out, like I want it to.  By the time I am finished, I'm  frustrated with not knowing what the H-- I'm doin, I'm just glad there is text & and image. I finally have come to realize, I'm going to have to, actually read/study this thing!

The above photo, my best Christmas present ever, was the trims, lace, and hankies Peggy -my mother-in-law sent me- that were  her  mother's.   really cool, huh! I'm not giving anyone's age up here, let's just say, they are "old". The trim that is.
                                                              So, continue to embrace the Holiday Spirit folks, it's not over yet!
                                                     

Immanuel

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel - which means, "God with us" Wishing you a Merry Christmas, and praying that we recognize his presence with us, now, and through out the year to come.
Peace be with you,
Jan

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Christmas Memories
Decorating the tree, finding the perfect gift,
taking great care & pride
in wrapping each gift,
The fresh smell of pine,
Itching from angel hair as you passed by the tree,
Stringing popcorn and cranberries,
Mom's cinnamon rolls, , oranges studded with cloves,
Christmas carols, singing & listening,, the jingle of bells,
A Sleigh Ride, Socks,
the neighbors lighted houses,
the hustle and bustle of stores,
Miracle on 34th Street, It's a Wonderful Life,
Scrooge, Charlie Brown Christmas, going to church at
midnight, staying up late,
Reba, Lucy, and Velma singing, and laughing,
Vicki and Jonn, and all those little ones,
Don,
Harvey Wallbangers, playing pokino, mom's fudge,
Gladys,"s first Christmas, The Christmas Bell Pull
on the bathroom door, Kiddles, Kiddles doll house,
Rigatoni and meatballs, Vicki's cheeseball,
Reba on the piano, Velma-Ringy Christmas Bells,
Socks,
Our Savior and Lord

Show me your ways O Lord, teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways; according to your love
remember me, for you are good, O Lord. Psalms 25: 4-7

Ready for the show!

First, my sweetheart,
who has been severely neglected
in the last two months while
I was consumed in doll
making. Very understanding, and supportive!
Thank you, Honey!


Two new ladies, a fairie, and a snowman.
I was going to take just one photo of my ladies and fairie. But there was much to much protest and complaining. After all, they know the other dolls, each had their own page. They are a little competitive and each want "their time" in the spotlight. So, without further ado, I introduce you to my newest ladies. The fairie. And a snowman.

The craft fair is this Thursday. I'll be ready. I won't do any more "shows" too much stress. I don't like to create under pressure. Now, I'll be back to creating at my leisure. I have a shop in Maple Grove who want to sell my pod dolls. There are a few shops, I may consider putting the dolls in, but, this sounds wierd (I know) I don't want people touching them.
I really don't expect anybody to buy one of my ladies, they are on the high side (price wise")
I really am just looking for exposure and possible networking .
Thanks for your comments, they mean a lot to me.



Updated version of "Grouchy Old Snowman"
I used all recycled materials, old sweaters,
socks, etc. Here he is outside, he seems
happier now.


Flower Fairie.
Made from an old silk
flower, I took a part. Face and body
painted with watercolors.

She is sitting in a nest she found while playing in the garden
out back. I will be adding a small bottle filled with fairie dust
to sit in her lap.

Don't have her name yet, she is very put out.

Her hair is made from alpaca wool. She
has a delicate pale pink hair adornment
made from a vintage earring.

Her dress is made from vintage fabrics,
laces, and trims.

Collette

One of my favorites. Her hair was made
from an old wig I took a part.
Her dress is recycled from an under petticoat
from a little girls fancy dress.

Grouchy Old Sno Men

Been working every chance I get, to create some dolls, for the show I have coming up. That's not actually true. It is always on my mind, but I sometimes don't even get started till 3:00 pm. When I awake, the computer calls out my name in the AM. While sitting, watching "Good Morning America", drinking my tea, in my p j's. I am lured, of course, to first check my emails. Then, go to my favorite blogs, to see what everyone is up to, and remind me, of what I should be doing. Then the dogs need fed, and left outside. Then, in the back of my mind, I know there is some bill to be paid, or the dog hair at my feet, is begging to be swept away. Black Dust Bunnies. They drive me crazy. Eventually, I get to it. And boy oh boy, do I enjoy it. I have three ladies, waiting to be dressed. I am planning on having their outfits made before the 4th of December. The date of the show. So, before actually getting started today, I sketched out, what their adornments would look like, kinda, my sketching is rough, only I could decifer what I am intending the garment to look like.
Then the fun came, where, I go down to my studio, with my sketches, and open all my plastic containers, of fabric, vintage embroidered tatting-lace. And getting into the Zone begins. Sitting on the floor, with all my "stuff" around me. My sketches looking at me, the fabrics, trims, etc, all displayed before me. I start to categorize color schemes. Then, out of what I have collected over time, the fabrics, laces, embellishments, buttons, are displayed. I lump all the pieces I like, in a pile. Three piles, one white, two ecru. In the next few days, you will see what has evolved from the piles. I can't wait to see how they turn out! In the mean time, this weeks photo is of my little grouchy sno men, he's not really grouchy, he just kinda looks that way. I like him. if I have time, I have some ideas of making more, to place in the craft show. Did I tell you, there is a trendy cool shop in Maple Grove, that wants to sell my pod dolls, pretty cool!

December Craft Fair

I learned this techique from Barb Kobe a couple weeks ago.
They are really fun to make. You just wrap strips of torn
fabric, and wrap them around a stick.

Here are some in the process of being created. I took the
photo to include my new eight foot counter top, I bought at
Menards for $25.00, Pretty awesome! I placed two cabinets
on each side of the counter top...yeah, more storage.


You can see some faces, waiting for me to paint them,
then they will come to life. Haven't decided what I want
to call them yet.



Ya Know, I'm still trying to get familiar with blogging. I see other people's blog posts, and I ohh and ahh, over how they post. I am just pluggin a long, happy to even get my images posted.
I'm preparing to be in our hospitals craft fair. I'm posting some of my newer little "Inner Goddess" dolls. I even have a shop who wants to sell them. I was shocked, and excited. Here is a few I have made, and a few in progress.
Their wings are made from a pod, from the rain forest, called Elephant Ear, the touch of nature is cool. i wish, I could figure out, how to have my text-description, come up, before the photos. But, like I said, i am lucky, just to get it all to post at all.
I had a wonderful Saturday, John took me to four boutiques in the cities. I had a blast. Then we went to the Galleria, and ate at "The Good Earth" It was an awesome day.

Anna, the British Governess

Anna, a British governess is hired by the King to teach his many children about the world. She is a strong willed intelligent women, and does not submit to the King as his many wives do. She is as the King wanted her to be, "a scientific person". The children and the many wives call her "Sir" because she is scientific, not lowly, like the women at that time. She eventually wins the Kings approval, even love. She did so with her womanly charm, rather than her scientific logic.
Anna's Story is based on The King and I.

Happy November

Oh Goodie, November is here. Now we will be bobbarded with Holiday images and messages about, what you need to buy, what you need to do, what you need to bake, and cook. Pictures you will need to take, for memories of a lifetime, of course. Then there is decorating your home, inside and out. Which consists of, moving decorative everyday objects, and replacing them with the Holiday Decorations. In this process, when you move the everyday decorative objects, you realize how long it's been since you last dusted. Let the cleaning begin. !.. You'll want to remember your friends that you won't see, sending them a card, and now that the copied "news worthy" letter is now looked down upon, you must write "something" personal in each card. And for friends that are near and dear, having them over for an evening of food, entertainment, and fun is the thing you won't want to miss. More decorating, more cooking, and cleaning. You won't want to feel bad if someone gets you a gift, and you didn't get them one. So, now you have a special little stasch of nice little generic gifts, you know what I'm talking about, yes, the candles and lotions you found for a good bargain, bought them, for such a time like this.
I just heard my first Holiday commercial.
"Give Glitter"
"Give Sparkle"
"Give Shine"
"Spend Wisely"
"Give Wildly"
"Tis the Season to Glow"
"Tis the Season to Glow" ??? Oh yeah, we're expected to also look good.

Enough ranting. I went to an artists home on Saturday, for a day of doll making. Her name is Barb Kobe. I am lucky to have her living so close. If you want to see some incredible dolls with meaning, just google her name. I couldn't believe it, when she told me, she had never been in a magazine. I was shocked. Her work is very distinct and creative.
She is a very good instructor. She encourages one to get outside our box, take risks, have fun with your art. She believes our art dolls are an inner expression of what we are feeling and have experienced or are experiencing now. When I showed her four of my newly sculpted faces, I commented that my husband, John, said, they concern me Jan, they are all sad. Barb replied, "this is your sad series"
There was one other friend there that day. She made a fantastic first doll. It's about 22" tall, and it's body is made of fabric wrapped sticks. Very Cool. I hope she sends me a photo. I'll post it. Here is a photo of my little stick It's called muse because it amuses me.

Happy Hauntoween

Spooky Jan!


A little disturbing...Ay?

Cool mixed media art.

A new twist, decorated pumpkin with hardware, old pot for hat.
Pretty Cool!

Cinderprella

Opps! That's her back.
Cinderprella has been difficult to deal with from the beginning. I decided to use polymer clay instead of paper clay. I have used polymer in the past, and have a lot of it on hand. I chose a fair skin tone. I also decided to use a cloth covered wire for an armature, so she could pose. I also sculpted slender legs and delicate arms with hands. For you doll makers out there, yes, it took a lot of time. She looked good going into the oven. When I took her out, she had air like bubbles on her delicate cheeks... under her skin, so to speak, this happens when the clay is not fully conditioned.
And then the fight started..
I tried painting over the spots, to cover them up, didn't work, couldn't get a close enough color to match her skin tone. So I painted her whole face. And then I remembered why I like paper clay over polymer clay. You could see every little brush stroke, she looked like a bad make-up job. So with a tooth brush, holding my delicate little dollie under the faucet, I scrubbed all the paint off. YEP! Right back where I started. So then the experimenting began. I tried three different types of paint, only to go back to the faucet! Finally, not willing to abandon her,
Here She Is. Perhaps, I 've been influenced by all the Halloween masks in shops now. She is a little goulish. Almost ghostly.

Junk Bonanza in Minnesota

Here are a few photos of the Junk Bonanza we went to in Shakopee, MN. There were venders from MN + from across the U.S. It was fun! I bought 2 bags of old buttons, some vintage lace, and a really cool large bird house.
I'm working on a new doll, I thought I'd try some polymer clay, instead of paper clay.
I used to work with polymer clay years ago. I think I prefer the paper clay. Maybe, because my hands are not as strong as they used to be. Polymer clay takes a lot of kneading to condition the clay. My new doll has a wire armature, and detailed boots.
She'll be ready for your preview, next week. That's all for now.
Love and Peace,
Jan

Junk Bonanza

Annabelle is a darling...

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Annabelle is a young free spirited darling,

Rebellious, but charming.

She labels herself as a fashionista,

and is a trend setter amongst her friends.

She loves wearing stripes with polka dots,

just because "somebody" says you shouldn't.

Darlings are the youngest of Lucy's Baby Art Dolls.

She is an original design, created by me, using

fabric, paper clay, and acrylic paints.

Today - We celebrate Chad

Today - we celebrate Chad. It's his Golden Birthday. He turned 28 years old, on the 28th. This was a new thing for us when we moved to Minnesota. It's kinda cool though. Chad and I met and had lunch. I sat, and learned a little about his band members, the music they are making, the technology involved, and felt his passion, as he explained, how the band composes music, lyrics, why it is important to him. It was great. He's doing great! What more could a mother ask for.

She 's Beautiful To Me

I have spent a considerable amount of time, pondering this intriguing creation. I have asked her, her name, no thought came to mind. I have imagined her in several situations, from a wealthy aristocrat, to a lost soul, who has lost her way, to a poet writing sonnets. I have found no closure.
She speaks to me in mystery. I don't truthfully know her. Each time, I sit, and examine her features, her clothing, the demure expression on her face, especially, her eyes, she remains a mystery to me. so I have borrowed from a song.... She is Beautiful To Me.