Crocheting with Mom

Crochet often said as "Crotchity"... which is funny actually, because I've been doing both with mom over the past few weeks. I've only learned how to do this a few months ago. The crochet anyway, the crochety-ness I've kind of evolved over the years.

Anyway...I finally figured out how to hold the work and the hook and figure out that there is a pattern to when and how often you wrap that yarn around the hook and how many hoops you pull through at a time.  Who knew?! I used to pretend I knew what I was doing but now that I actually know what I'm doing it's all coming together.
I totally annoy my mom that I now do it better than her. (I sure wouldn't say that!!) those were her words when I started adding a second colour to my work with this monkey hat. I've even felted it.

She's been working on some snowflakes that she wanted to sell in my shop. She's worked so hard on them and when I told her that I likely wouldn't get more than $3.00 each for them she wasn't phased. So we blocked them and stiffened them with Paverpol, took pictures, wrote copy and put them in my shop. I hope they sell, she'll be so excited!
They can be found in either of my etsy shops.

www.littlebitwired.etsy.com
www.nancyperennec.etsy.com

I also made a cute little lamb hat... couldn't help myself... it reminded me of lamb chop and you know I love puppets!

Heaven's Spectacular Lightshow

The Heaven's must have had one heck of a rock concert tonight. Standing outside on my balcony during tonights thunderstorm was SPECTACULAR! It was exactly like being at a concert with flashes going off constantly. I tried to capture some of the fabulous bolts but got nothing but pictures that looked like I'd taken them at 5pm. It was 9:30 pm when I stood out there. I gave up and just pointed my camera at the lightshow and hoped to capture a couple great strikes. I'm about 20 minutes from the CN tower which attracts lightning like crazy of course. So I pointed in that general direction but the lighting was all over the place. North towards the airport and south over the lake, it was behind me to the west and east of me where I pointed. The lightning when sideways across the sky in streaming bolts and shot down from the heavens like a bolt from Zeus's mighty hand!

Luckily the rain wasn't strong on my side of the apartment building or I wouldn't have been standing out there taking these shots. Here's the few shots I captured. I just wonder what that strange orange trailer is? It's almost like that's the extension cord that plugged the sucker in. See how the lightning is like two streams of blue and then the twisted stream of orange. Click on the photos to see them larger. It appears in two shots. How strange? Does anyone know why this is?

RIP Jack Layton

An important political figure in Canada passed away this week. It's very sad, and seems very sudden inspite of the knowledge of his cancer. God Bless his family at this time.

Jack Layton drew young Canadian's with his interest in their well-being. He brought them into polling stations to cast their vote and changed the political balance in this country. His thoughts on the future of their Canada brought Canadians across the country together. He will be missed.

There is thunder and lightning in the air tonight as live through an impending tornado watch, and I watch the taped proceedings of Jack Layton's lie in state in Ottawa. The ground in front of City Hall here in his home town of Toronto are filled with chalk messages to Jack and his family. His body will return to Toronto on Saturday for a celebration of his life. The CN tower will be flooded with orange light to commemorate Jack.
My condolences to his family, his colleagues and all Canadians on the loss of a man so well respected in Canadian politics.

RIP Jack Layton

Exciting News!! SNEAK PEEK!

Fellow members of ADO  (Art Dolls Only) have been working diligently to complete our first ADO E-zine with a wide variety of articles, tutorials, interviews and tons of lovely photographs. 

They are planning to launch at the end of September but a sneak peek is available! 
Click the photo below to sneak a peek at our much anticipated for e-Zine!

Puppet Pattern

It's been a while since I had a sale on etsy. I'm happy to have sent another puppet pattern to a happy buyer. This time to Ireland. PDF patterns are a easy gratification for the buyer. A buyer receives the pattern to work on within minutes! My puppet pattern is available here.
Puppets are as fun to make as they are educational to play with and children can be entertained for hours. Great for storytime when they're very young and fun playtime as children get older.

Trying to get a jump on Christmas

With my doll, Red up for auction, and off my work bench I thought I'd get a jump on Christmas. I took an extra day off work this weekend to play on some new ornaments. I'm using paper clay. Here's the results so far.
I've got Swine Lake, the Red Queen and a Santa finished.

And I've started working on a Birthday fairy that was inspired by a card my sister gave me for my birthday.. I think two years in a row.. same theme anyway. "The Bitch is Back"... hate birthdays... Here she is in her wet paper clay start. She has a hole to add wings and a wand.

Then I wanted to do the narrator from one of my favourite Christmas shows. The character was voiced by Burl Ives I think. He's the snowman from Rudolph.

That's it so far... time for lunch.

Red Riding Hood Art Doll at auction

I've decided to post here right away to auction. Fresh from the sculpting bench so to speak. I hope she gets lots of views and maybe, if I'm lucky she'll be going to a new home. I love to create art dolls and I learn new things each time I do, but I'm quickly running out of space! It will be sad to pack her up and watch her walk off into someone else's life, but its been fun!

Into the forest

Playing with the photo... obviously I don't have this right. I guess I'll have to take her outside and try it for real.

Well without the wolf!!

Red Riding Hood Completed

I finally got her cookies made and that completes my Red Riding Hood.  Just need to post her in my shop.

Look good enough to eat.

Base for Red Riding Hood Art Doll

Only enough time this weekend to do the base. I still need something to put in Red`s basket. I looked for a little wicker basket, but couldn`t find anything appropriate in scale. I decided I could make one. I crocheted it from cotton and dyed it to look like wicker. I love the way it turned out once it was all shaped up and stiffened.

 The base is wood, with a hole drilled for the leg armature. I added paperclay, gesso, painted it in several coats of paint. Then I added the moss and rocks. Once it has all dried I will add a matte varnish and a felt bottom with my signature tag.

.

Red Riding Hood finally gets some hair

This is the moment... When Red finally gets her hair. Will she look anything like what I envisioned?
 I start with some Tibetan Lamb in a lovely auburn colour. When I look back and think this must have been the plan in my mind because I actually already coloured her brows and bought brown organza ribbon for her eyelashes. Scroll down to see how I did the lashes. But first her hair!

I use either griip glue or contact cement. This time I'm using contact cement as it seems all my Griip is gone. Must order some more! I coat the head first and set it aside to dry. Then I cut tufts of the lamb, pull out any stray hairs and trim the ends so they're all the same on the glue side. While I pinch this in my fingers I add a bit of contact cement to both sides.

I used more tufts of hair than actually shown here.
I took a pic before I got my fingers too messy.

Once the glue has dried, I start applying to the head in small pieces, starting from the back.

The last bunch of hair is placed with the hairs standing straight up. Before I press into place, I gently separate the strands so they go in different directions, then gently press them into place. You don't want your glue to seep through so do this carefully and set aside. Once it's set up a bit more you can press again and then style.

 

Ta-da!

Not sure if I want to put it in a pony or not. But the Tibetan Lamb can be kind of flyaway, and it isn't quite long enough to braid. I've just tied it back in a ribbon for now.

Now onto to how I did the lashes.
Here's the ribbon and how I use it. I cut the side of of the ribbon  and gently pull the threads away that run lengthwise with a pin. then gently pull them out of the cut piece. I trim the ribbon closer to the edge actually so I'm only working with will actually be the lashes. I think you can get the idea from this demo pic.

Then I add a thin line of glue to the lash line and gently coax into place with tweezers and a pin. In this pic the lash just needs another little nudge.