Back to school.

a new kind of sweetness.

I am very fortunate to have friends in the right places. These fabrics come from a friend's mom in Japan and the pattern is from a book from a pal in Hong Kong. The Lego props, of course, are mine.

jolly jars.

Coming soon!


And more goodness....

yummy!

Irresistibly sweet!

Go ahead, you deserve a treat!

peg dolls.

Bobbin gals.

After seeing a few clever and cute embroidery floss bobbins, I definitely wanted some of my own. Really, I just wanted to make them, but as most of these are laser cut wood, I thought initially I was doomed. Looked into laser cutting, and boy, it's expensive so I figured I'd cut out my shapes from a flat sheet of clay instead. I toyed with this for a bit, then pictured myself covered with a crumbly mess in desperation. I had to give it a rest.

Would you believe it? The sages are right again. Good things come to those who wait. (A pocket full of change, I mean large bills, of course would be nice.) After some time, the more usual dowel version of the bobbin came to mind, you know, the wooden stick with caps on both ends. Well, I proceeded to make these with 1" wooden balls at one end so I can paint them as doll heads. They took almost a day to finish but they're well worth the time! I just loOoOve them! They're perfect in my Japanese ribbon collection. Finally, I've made my very own bobbins!

coming soon....

Mykyn and Winka - spool dolls.

Dinah and Vendela - bunned and starry eyed spool dolls.

Jack.O.lynn - the pumpkin.

Handmade or mass produced?

Morgan.

Getting pretty good at making these. I made Morgan in a few hours last night. Not that I had to but I mixed her swampy green skin. I was playing with the small bottle of paint, when it occurred to me today that if you want to reproduce an item, you have to mix a lot of paint. Of course, it also brings up the subject of mixing paint vs. buying all ready tinted paint. Using paint straight out of their bottles ensures consistency but I think it's kinda fun mixing your own. I just love her skin!!!

something wicked this way comes...

Not too freakish but very cute indeed. Get your BOO on!

wip.

Matryoshka needle cases.


Almond eyes.

evolution.

After practicing on over a dozen squinty eyed spool dolls, I finally acquired enough skills to move on to wide eyed dolls. Although it seems trivial, the number of white reflective dots in their eyes makes a difference in capturing expression. Actually the length of eyelids also matters. This first doll looks fierce and mean with the furrowed, almost mono-brow.

Softer with eyelids trimmed and more white dots, Dahlia now radiates with glee.

Safira and Dahlia, bright and wide eyed!

eggs?

As much as I aspire to become Martha Stewart-esque, I just don't have enough egg parties. I was looking for a place to set these dolls upside down while their bottoms dry, when I came upon this egg tray on my shelf. I've been trying to find a regular use for it so I can justify hoarding yet another item with a singular purpose. Definitely won't be chucking this any time soon.

Whipped up a couple origami purses yesterday. If you're into instant gratification, this is the project for you. They're super easy, quick and fun to make and I just love the simplicity of their shape.

Fabrics and ribbons!

My sister has returned from Japan, finally, I was getting a bit lost there without her (was missing her a lot). She brought home these fantastic fabrics and ribbons, which was really awesome of her to do considering her full and hectic schedule. She has over 900 pictures of places and things. Can't wait to get started on these! Yay!

Griffin and Finch.

Thank you Sophia for making Griffin and Finch a part of your wonderful celebration and giving them a fine new home.

what a quack!

Finally got the Japanese book (ISBN483476348x) I've been coveting for 2 weeks from a local Mitsuwa. I really only wanted it for its duckie pattern.

I had to modify a bit the original pattern since the gargantuan head made him just a bit puffy and alien-y for me. I also had to soften its ridiculously angular wings and it looks like I might need to make smaller his feet just a tad. Overall I think the quack came out pretty darling.

Winka, Anika, Rane.

Spools dolls a la silver, buns and pigtails.

how to pluck a kokeshi's eyebrows.

Here are some tricks to painting clean thin lines, especially for those delicate facial features on your small figurines.

Before painting on the bushy eyebrows below, I sealed the face with two coats of non-toxic varnish* and then lightly drew the features with a pencil.


With the paint dry and a damp pointed wooden tool (like a toothpick), carefully trim away rough edges of eyebrows. Keep scraping until you achieve the desired shape and use a damp cloth to wipe away smudges. You can use this subtractive technique for all the facial details. After completing the face, apply several more coats of varnish to seal your work but remember to erase first all your pencil marks. Viola! Now your gal's got the prettiest brows!

*Sealing the face with varnish makes the removal of paint possible since this prevents paint from seeping into the wood.