Finally! You should feel quite special. The Toothpick Princesses have finally consented to allow their picture to be taken. We have, in order of appearance, Madeline Lily, Isabella Rose, & Alyssa Violet.
These dainty ladies are part of a kit I'm developing, which will be available in June. The kit will include instructions & materials to make the three characters above, provided you're willing to put up with these picky princesses on your crafting table! I've promised my kit testers that I would give them a teaser of the dolls they're going to be testing in April. I'm working on a Pirate kit (see previous posting).
Want to know more about these kits, & when they'll be available for purchase? Sign up for the free Angela Michelle Dolls newsletter by going to http://www.angelamichelledolls.com/.
Now, if I may, allow me to introduce the Princesses in a more befitting manner:
Isabella Rose will be your guide to making these dolls. All of the instructions will be given in her point of view, and she will ask that you kindly pay special attention when constructing her hat. And when you arrange her hair, be sure to give it the proper length. If it worked for Rapunzel...
Years ago, Madeline Lily read in Princess Perfection that princes who run afoul of the local swamp witch frequently end up as frogs. Enter Ferdinand, the friendly green frog. He may not be a prince, but he sure can write sonnets!
Alyssa Violet has a head on her shoulders - one she hopes is the fairest in the land. To assure her of her status on the Prettiest Princess list, Alyssa obtained a Magic Mirror. Although in addition to giving Alyssa her current ranking (right now, she's number 4), this Mirror also alerts her to any local sales, and provides the quickest route, among other things.
Keep on eye out for more stories & introductions for both the Princesses & Pirates!
Monday, March 30, 2009
The Toothpick Princesses Arrive, Fashionably Late
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Attack of the Toothpick Pirates!
They've landed! Captain James Kelly, center. His first (& only) mate, Lucky Pete. Stowaway, Calico Anne.
These swashbuckling adventurers are part of a kit I'm developing, which will be available in June. The kit will include instructions & materials to make the three characters above, provided you're brave enough to allow these rogues onto your crafting table! I've promised my kit testers that I would give them a teaser of the dolls they're going to be testing in April. I'm working on a Princess kit as well, but the royal ladies are still fixing their hair and were mortified at the thought of getting their pictures taken yet. Hopefully we'll see them next week!
Want to know more about these kits, & when they'll be available for purchase? Sign up for the free Angela Michelle Dolls newsletter by going to www.AngelaMichelleDolls.com.
Without further ado, a quick introduction to our band of Pirates:
Captain James Kelly is in command, or tries to be. I hope you like the looks of him, because he will be your narrator as you craft these toothpick pirates. The instructions will be from his perspective, pirate slang and all. I did convince him to be family friendly, I promise! From his sword to his jaunty tri-corner hat, he'll teach you everything you need to know (with side comments!).
First Mate Lucky Pete & his pet parrot, Percy, work their hardest to keep the Captain's ship afloat, minus a few leaks here & there. Percy is always ready to point out which spots Lucky Pete has missed. Even with his eye-patch & peg leg, this pirate is a faithful hand at the mast!
Calico Anne has had such trouble living out her dream to sail the open seas. No one wants a girl on their ship, so Anne snuck on to Captain Kelly's ship - after all, she only had to sneak past two people! She was soon discovered, but the fact that she brings along a treasure map helps make her company a little more bearable. Of course, it would be nice if she weren't such a clutz - she's slipped and dropped that map over the side of the ship more times than anyone cares to count!
That's all for now!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Mini Calories Don't Count!
Miniature Artist Blue Kitty Miniatures
Bet you never knew that you desperately wanted a miniature herbal book with a goggle-eyed plant creature peeking out, huh? You do now. One of my all-time favorites - I've been fighting the temptation to buy a dollhouse just so I could house this little guy. Resolve...failing...
Do you remember getting cakes like this when you were a kid? No? Then make up for it by providing them for your dollhouse children! Their permanent smiles will thank you. Friday, March 20, 2009
Toothpick Dolls from Yesteryear
If you're looking for the Advanced Toothpick Doll Tutorial advertised in the Angela Michelle Dolls Newsletter, click here. If you don't receive the Angela Michelle Dolls Newsletter & feel hopelessly out of the loop, click here.
A few of the typical dolls I used to do (typical other than martians & Star Wars, I mean).
A stylin' curlytop with an oh-so-chic butt skirt. About the same time I picked up on toothpick dolls, someone gave me a little container of various felt shapes - circles, hearts, ovals, flowers, etc. This, along with some lace scraps, became my accessories of choice when fashion designing for the toothpick community (a highly overlooked demographic group, by the way).
This Lady in Blue models a green felt flower folded in half for her purse, & a black felt oval draped over her head in something that hopefully resembles a hat. The decoration on the hat is a piece cut out from a strip of lace. The innovation of a 13-year-old - something I wish I had back, at times!
When fashion supercedes function, you know you've hit high design. This look features a huge pink felt heart draped across the arm & accented with bits of lace. Not sure she can move that arm, but toothpick dolls have never really clamored for ease of movement, luckily. Her hair is set in a style that was supposed to make it look like her bangs were draping down over one eye, but instead kind of makes her look like she forever has her head turned to the side. Looking at...?
Ah, one of my first attempts at a full skirt & other drape-y things. I was quite proud of this Princess-Lady when I made her so many years ago. She had looong hair (down to her feet) and a little crown-tiara thing going on. Unfortunately, she met the fate that a few dolls met during those beginning years - she had her neck broken while I was carrying her around in my jeans pocket at school. I did learn...
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
A Toothpick Galaxy Far, Far Away...
If you're looking for the Advanced Toothpick Doll Tutorial advertised in the Angela Michelle Dolls Newsletter, click here. If you don't receive the Angela Michelle Dolls Newsletter & feel hopelessly out of the loop, click here.
#4. Unlikely Good Guy. If you can buy a good guy who makes a living smuggling & has an unnatural fear of carbon-based preservation methods, that is.
There was also a half-finished Chewy running around, but I opted not to photograph him, as he's just not as intimidating without a head. And he will probably never get one at this point...
Next show & tell on Friday!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Toothpick Martians
If you're looking for the Advanced Toothpick Doll Tutorial advertised in the Angela Michelle Dolls Newsletter, click here. If you don't receive the Angela Michelle Dolls Newsletter & feel hopelessly out of the loop, click here.
This week I'm showing off some of my very first dolls (from about 15 years ago), done in the first fledgling years of my career as a teenage doll-maker.
Today I would like you to meet...
Mr. & Mrs. Martian, respectively.
I think Mrs. Martian, who declined to give her first name as it is unintelligible in our tongue, was the very first doll I made to debut the skirt technique. She's quite a happening lady, with her cat's eye glasses (fashion takes awhile to reach her stretch of the galaxy), and her cute little bob.
Mr. Martian, as I remember, has always been quite proud of his bowtie, which was made of several small balls of thread and assembled in something that, at the time I made him, seemed like a bowtie shape. His grin is, you could say, stuck to his face eternally.
The couple features three fingers & toes per appendage, and a somewhat unruly set of eyes that spring out from the top of their forehead. I really shouldn't tell you this, but Mrs. Martian's pink glasses are for show only. She once saw an episode of Mary Tyler Moore, and there was no going back...
When I remember my early dolls, this couple always stands out. I made several sets, but this is the only couple I kept, apparently. For some reason, I thought they made quite appropriate gifts, although I can't recall for what occasion...
Monday, March 16, 2009
My First Doll: Pathetic, Sweet Thing
Want to see the first toothpick doll I ever made (15 long years ago...)? Pictures at the end of this post.
Well, if you subscribe to the Angela Michelle Dolls Newsletter, you probably came looking for the Advanced Toothpick Doll Tutorial. You'll get it, don't worry! There's a link to all the spilled secrets below. I recently taught a tutorial in the Custom Dolls, Houses, & Miniatures forums. We covered the basics, and then delved into how to make a skirt (that will make a doll stand on her own), and how to start adding intricate accents with split-thread detailing.
To access the tutorial:
1 - Head to http://www.cdhm.org/. Click on "Forums" in the top right corner.
2 - If you're not already a member of this forum, scroll down to "CDHM Announcements". Click on the last topic in that section, "CDHM Forum - Registration Benefits". It will show you how to join (it's free, by the way).
3 - Join the forum! It's free, and you'll be able to see my toothpick doll tutorial, as well as a host of other tutorials, tips, & tons of information relating to dolls & miniatures. There are some fabulous artisans there!
4 - Once you've joined, scroll down to the "Tutorials" board & click on "Past Tutorials". Go to "Click here for Past Classes", scroll to the bottom of that list & you'll see "Learn to Make a Toothpick Doll". There you go! Oh, and before you leave there, check out some of those other tutorials - they're so much fun! Bonus if you have free time that's begging to be filled in a creative way.
All of the information in that tutorial will eventually make its way into this blog, but I'm holding off for a couple months, as CDHM is often able to publish its tutorials in publications, & a magazine will decline if the information is freely available on the internet already. Thus, the schedule switch. But you can still access that entire tutorial today if you wish.
So, what to do with the next week? Thought you might like seeing how I started in the Toothpick World...
This was my first doll, made from a flyer my mom picked up in a craft store. That was circa 1994, & I was about 13 years old. We were stationed on an air base in Italy, & toothpicks & thread were some of the few craft supplies I had access to.
The rest of this week I'll pull out some photos of other oooold dolls, including Mr. & Mrs. Martian, & my homage to Star Wars.
Fun, fun :)
Friday, March 13, 2009
The Queen of Hearts, in Toothpick
Remember the Queen of Hearts doll I've been working on? Well, I'm still working, and so far, she's still cooperating. She hasn't raised too many objections about how her costume is turning out, although it probably helps that I haven't given her a head yet...
I just love parts like this, that look so wild. It looks so hideous right now, & I'm the only one who knows just what I'm doing. Feeds my mad scientist alter ego. Bwa Ha Ha! (The laughter sounds much better when it's not in print...)
See? There was a reason for the chaotic pink strings. They all fed into her poofy pink overskirt, which the Queen was undecided on for a long time. Not even the Toothpick Peasant doll looks too convinced, yet. It wasn't until I added a satin waistband & satin ruffles all along the hem that the Queen agreed it was acceptable. This was a good thing, as if a doll doesn't like what she's wearing, it usually means I have to start over completely. Toothpick dolls are stubborn, fair warning.
Starting to resemble her design a touch more. I love the little black bolero jacket. I have to tell you, this lady has turned out to be the most difficult doll I've ever done, hands down! It's practically an engineering project, trying to figure out which layer I should do next, & how to keep the shape of the silhouette right... So much fun, so many meltdowns.
Working on the arms. Confession: I hate doing arms. There are two of them. You spend hours on one arm, getting it just right, and then you have to turn around and do another one, and it has to match the first perfectly. Bleuagh! (I believe that about sums it up)
I've put her aside for a couple weeks now, procrastinating on those arms, but I'm finding I can't stay away for long...
