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.

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 give you my homage to a galaxy far, far away...

OK, let's have some fun. Can you guess who these characters are? I could tell you the name of the movie(s), but I'm really hoping I don't have to. I know these were made years ago before I was really any good at toothpick doll-making, but come on! Help out my ego & tell me you can recognize these dolls. It's a good cause, really...

#1. We have the obligatory mentor, both older & wiser than our hot-headed hero. And also with an apparently crummy movie contract, as he only lasted for the first half of the first one of six movies.

#2. Aforementioned hot-headed hero. What do you get when you mix a restless whippersnapper who just happens to be a natural talent and a nefarious villain with a shocking secret about said whippersnapper's true origins? A franchise.

#3. Damsel in Distress. Just don't tell her that.

#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!

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...

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 :)

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...

The Perfectly Landscaped Dollhouse

Etsy Team MIDS (Miniatures in Dollhouse Scale) Feature:

Miniature Artist Golden Unicorn Minis

Is your dollhouse lacking curb appeal? Do your 1/12 scale dolls stay in their chambers & avoid lounging on the terrace, even on the best of days?

Let me recommend you to Golden Unicorn Minis, THE Dollhouse Landscaper whose name is in every fashionable doll's mini-rolodex.

Don't worry! You can still catch up with the styles of the dollhouse elite. Check out some of the pieces that could spruce up your dollhouse's tired exterior:
(Click on any of the pictures below to go directly to the item listing)

Start with the front door. Place one planter on either side of the entrance & have instant grandness (grandeur?). Whatever the word, you'll have it!


Climbing roses. How much more romantic can you get? Put some of these winding their way up the dollhouse facade, & I can practically guarantee a miniature Clark Gable will come strolling round the corner.


Does the lady of your dollhouse have a green thumb? Even if she doesn't, just put this out by the back garden, and all of her neighbors will be convinced she really does know the difference between a rose & a tulip!


I know you're going for prettiest castle on the block, but can your really hope to compete with the Tudors without a lion's head wall planter?


As the centerpiece of a garden or the focal point of the grand foyer, this wonderfully intricate statue & bowl of flowers completes your mini layout.

Well, I hope you (& your dollhouse!) have profited from this little lesson in mini curb appeal. To continue your look through the catalog of mini landscaping, be sure to visit Golden Unicorn Minis on Etsy.

Happy Chocolate Day!

That is what Valentine's is all about, right? You mean I have it wrong?!


Enjoy these very Valentine-y finds from the talented artists on Etsy.com...

Ok, first things first. Need a card? Running out of time? Behold the solution. This card is emailed to you for you to print out immediately. Forget the store! You've got Valentine's Day covered.

By moderninkstudio




I'm all for jewelry, but make it handmade! Ethereal & charming, this is the perfect ring.

By jessicavanneste


Don't ask me why a little knitted heart with eyes gets me, but this is just adorable. Instant smile. You'll be remembered for this one.

By Zantie




Want a fun fact? This cake is 2 inches tall. Don't believe me? Go ahead, buy it! You'll see. Valentine's Day comes even to dollhouses.

By BlueKittyMiniatures

The name of this temptation? Orange Twist Oreo Truffle. Click on the picture & see if you can read the description without drooling. I dare you.

By sugarsmitten


Hope you enjoyed the show! By the way, you now have no excuses to meet Valentine's Day unprepared - sorry! Oh, and if you don't have someone special to buy for, I'm sure yourself wouldn't mind getting one of these from you.

Out of the Project Tube...

I work in miniature. What would be a pile of scraps for one person could become an entire project for me. So I always have tiny pieces of STUFF left over that I don't want to throw away, because my next mini masterpiece might call for it! My solution? Pill containers. Grand, I know.

I use tiny containers, like the kind you can buy that have 7 small stackable containers for you to keep a week's worth of pills in. These become my great & wondrous Project Tubes. Seriously, one tube of containers could hold everything I need for an entire project.

So, what's in my latest Project Tube? A bouquet of a dozen red roses! Seems perfectly normal to me...

I make these roses as accents for my toothpick dolls, & decided to let them have the spotlight all to themselves for once. Each rose is handmade, formed on the tip of a toothpick. The bouquets have three different sizes of rose - a bud, a normal size, & a fully opened rose.

I have to admit, the hardest part about these bouquets is wrapping them in that iridescent film! Fiddly stuff. But the end result so charms me that I put up with it. Having chocolate within reach helps, too.

These rose bouquets are available in my Etsy shop.

Happy Valentine's Day!