Not too much new...

Not much new to talk about, it's hotter that heck out today. I mailed my golf club head cover to it's owner and went to get groceries just so I could cool off.

I had an interview downtown yesterday, just as I got to the ticket booth, they tell me the Yonge St. line is closed. I wonder what makes people so despondent that they throw themselves in front of a subway car... it's so horrible... I said a prayer for the person as I walked the extra four blocks to where I had to go.

I am working on a new pair of doll shoes, which I might blog... so check back... I also need to finish one more puppet I have on the go before I start anything new.
Hope you enjoy your day!
Nancy

Doll Artists need a home on Etsy: Please Help!

I signed a petition "Dolls and Miniatures Need a Real Home on Etsy". I'm asking you to sign this petition to help us reach our goal of 1,000 signatures. I care deeply about this cause, and I hope you will support our efforts. You can find the petition here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/add-a-dolls-category-on-Etsy

Nancy Perennec
CDAA Member
http:littlebitwired.blogspot.com
http://www.littlebitwired.etsy.com

Working on a commission - Golf Club HEAD Cover

For those of you who haven't seen them, I make custom club covers to look like people. They are caricature style, with a wide grinning mouth as my signature.

I received a request for a custom golf club head cover from a buyer on etsy a couple of days ago and yesterday I got the go ahead on pricing and received the final profile shot.

I worked day and night... well almost... because I was excited to see what it would turn out like. Here's where I'm at so far. the Head is done but I still need to make the club cover and attach the head to it.

Hope you enjoy the process... just click on the photo for a larger view.

Domestic Goddess I am not...

I've had the whole weekend to get my house in order but alas, I've found a good book to read, watched a movie with my sister... (P.S. I Love You ... I went through half a box of kleenex... no kidding!), today I was committed to finishing another puppet and alas I have been at the computer for about 4 hours now! YIKES! is that the time?

I got caught up in a forum discussion on etsy about a Doll Artist category which I've been hoping for for two years now... I'm hoping that they'll get the message!

Well, at least I got my laundry done while watching the movie... and my kitchen is clean... now if only I can motivate myself to get away from the mouse and keyboard....
soon...

Meet Mookie a Caffeinated Hand Puppet

I'm still working on clearing away some projects that I started but haven't finished.... just in case I have to move! Last week was a bust on the job hunt front... though I have a couple interviews this week... in the meantime, I search the web for the illusive perfect job and break for puppets... lol

I created Mookie after I added a puppet tutorial to my blog last week. You can see Mookie's brother Murple's creation a few posts back.

Mookie is Murple's biggest fan and often tags along on Murple's Karaoke adventures. Mookie's a little wired because he is a barrista at the local coffee shop. He can lead you into in-depth discussions about the best temperate regions for coffee bean growth and swears he's close personal friends with Juan Valdez. I don't know about that Mookie, but I bet there is some Columbian in your circle of close personal friends.

hee, hee!

Half the fun in a hand-puppet is making up a story to go with them.
HAVE A BLAST!

Peeps

I finished off my Peeps and listed them in my etsy shop today. They're very cute aren't they?

In Case you don't remember seeing them earlier on in my blog...
These are small egg gourds transformed into a Peeps.

Peeps are funny little egg shaped creatures similar to a wee chick but no wings and no feathers.

They are a wee weirdy found hidden in the undergrowth of the faery world. Only 3" tall.

Very cute! You know you want one!!

Murple Puppet Project Part Six

Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of how I did these steps...

I sewed on Murples Feathery hair with a couching stitch (you come out from inside the puppets head where you want the hair to start, then come out and over the feathers and back into the head and out the other side you keep doing this until you have captured all the feather boas core, but be careful you don't catch up too many of the fluffy feathers... try to pull them out form under the thread as you go.)

Then I decided Murple needed a nose and ears. For the nose I cut out an egg shape out of felt pinched it together a bit at the small end and sewed it in place between the eyes. the whole nose isn't sewn down. I wanted it to stick up a bit.

For the ears, I cut out an oval and cut it in half. I then folded ear flat side into a little "w" shape and stitched them in place, then stitched them onto the puppet just below ans slightly behind each head dart.

I also decided Murple needed to have tonsils and a tongue so I cut out those from a deep red felt and slightly clued those onto her black mouth.

One last thing I did was add a line of black on her lower eyelids with a sharpie. I really wanted it to look like Murple had bags under it's eyes. hee, hee.

And that's Murple! Now make up a story for your own puppet. Murple is off to an all-night Karaoke bar to show off his lovely singing voice. Too bad all those late nights have him developing a slight tick under his right eye... Makes him look a little crazy when he gets on the subway after his late night.

HAVE A BLAST!!!

Murple Puppet Project Part Five

Now the really fun part...

I sort through my stash of fun stuff, felts feathers etc and pic things that will go with the color of the body of my puppet. Since Murple is purple I picked a lighter shade of purple and some hot pink felt and some marabou feathers that will make great hair.
I apply most of this with a light glue or hand sew them in place depending on how I want it to look, as you'll see in the next steps. Once again click on the photo to see a larger version.

Murple Puppet Project Part Four

This is where the fun begins... just click on the photo to bring up a larger view.

Murple Puppet Project Part Three

The next and most exciting parts of the project are creating your puppets face. You could also costume your puppet making clothes but since Murple won’t be wearing any I won’t be going there.

Simple Hand Puppet - Murple Part Two

Here's the next steps... if you click on the photo below it will load a larger version of it so you can see it much better.

Making a Simple Hand Puppet - Meet Murple

I got intrigued by the personality that comes alive when I make my dolls and often thought it would be amazing if I could make them move. I began investigating puppets and marionettes and while I still haven’t begun my marionette building experiments I have been playing around with simple puppets.

I’ve made several now, and I kind of fly by the seat of my pants and just start with a simple pattern I made based on my arm and hand. I then kind of let the puppet become what it wants to be as I find materials to use and try them on for size. Over the next several entries I’ll show you how I do it in a step by step pictorial. I’ll only be adding simple instructions, but there are lots of references out there including my favorite: http://www.puppetsandstuff.com

So this is how I built Murple.

NEW Fairy Slippers

I've been working on learning how to make shoes with my doll club and I was so happy with the way these turned out that I made a shoe box for them too!
Made with wire mesh, gold mesh ribbon, pink and gold silk lining and sole and royal blue glass beads.
Shoes are not an easy thing to make. These took me about 6 hours. SO pretty though aren't they? And only 3".

Dragon Girl Part VI

Dragon Girl now has a name... meet Amalia, Lia for short. She has just awakened into her powers of change. Her fae family has been disappointed in her, at her age and still not able to change. One day after meeting what she thinks is her true love, her life mate... she was able to turn to smoke. A day later, she could breathe fire. Now she can "turn".

She is just about done... just needs a little final embellishment before she moves on to her new home.

As you can see I changed her wings and added some scales to the base of her tail!
I love the way she turned out!

Still on the job hunt

Boy it's been an interesting week. It's really a full time job looking for work. I've already listed with a half-dozen agencies and recruiters and have been on several interviews. I hate having to turn down a great fit when the money is not right. I've reassessed and manipulated my budget to try to make some of them fit but no such luck.

One of these days, sooner rather than later I hope, something will click. In the meantime I'm getting myself out there. If anyone knows of a company who might be looking for a great Executive Assistant/Marketing person please let me know. I might even post my resume on here so people might bump into me... lol

Dragon Girl is calling to be finished, and I'm itching to get to it. It will be good for me to do something creative and take my mind off my trouble for a little while. Watch for more progress soon.

For those of you who have sent me personal messages .. I thank you for your support! It's great to know I have people all over the world pulling for me!! Thanks for sending your positive vibes!! Keep it up!
Nancy