Something wicked this way comes...

That is something wicked awesome! Since I've been doing a bit of swapping with Susy of the enchanted pumpkin, I now have an enviable collection of her positively adorable, crocheted hats. They have certainly inspired me to develop more animated doll eyes. These gals are just tickled to death with Halloween spirit! He he!

swap.

Wee wonders for the enchanted pumpkin.

been down so long...

but still working! I just finished a new spool doll with new eyes, well, eyelashes. Star bursts! Pop! Pop!

Gwen and Glen - pumpkin spool dolls.

Happy Halloween!!

can't help it...

Perhaps you may be over bobbins but I'm certainly not. I've now found the perfect (no, this time they really are perfect) animals to hold my assortment of twine.

I saw this brilliant idea from Zakka Life way back and have never given up looking for just the right creatures. These doe and deer came from Jupiter's Child, another wonderful Etsian. Check out the shop and perhaps you too would like to adopt a few of their lovely pets. You'll find it hard to say no. I, of course, would still love a giraffe....

Forgot to mention that this obsession did have its reward. My very own bobbin gals made it in the July/August issue of the hip Australian frankie magazine! It was so cooool (still is) and tremendously gratifying. Thank you all who have supported and continue to support me.

My bobbin gals in frankie magazine!

Girls just wanna have fun!!

I love, love the way Marleen has done up these gals! No doubt they're having a blast in Netherlands!

Owlie love.

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?

wip.

Matryoshka needle cases.


Almond eyes.

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!

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.

2.1.

oh snap!

Heads are not secured yet with one coat of varnish. I painted the heads separately from the spools so the varnish doesn't pool around their necks. I also opted not to paint their bodies. I figured with the handling, it's better to leave these au natural. Plus, I kinda fancy the wood grain.

lollipops.

Thought I'd try my hands at painting kokeshis again. It's actually a lot easier to accomplish these fine lines with a soft, long liner brush than a short one. When working on small surfaces, I prefer the more intentional wrist rotation, which makes for steadier strokes. Since the longer brush has a greater span, it works best with this technique. With a short brush, the tendency is to move the hand with the application, which can cause work to get shifty.

Wooden Dolls.

I see so many wonderful creations everywhere, everyday, it's finally time to speak, rave about a few of them...well particularly wooden dolls.

These adorable, giggly girls are handmade by Fabi Sehnem of Joinville, Brazil. Don't you just wanna rub and pinch their cheeks... again... and again.

While these beautiful belles are crafted by Renata of Creating from the Heart. Just the right kind of girls you can bring home to mom, polite, pretty and polished.

Perhaps the best is this brilliant, ultra hip kokeshi couple concocted by talented artist, Pamela Jaeger of San Diego and since she's featured in a gallery just a stone's throw from my home, I've had the pleasure of viewing her dolls in person. The detail work (those big eyes) is fantastic, very impressive!

Enjoy.