Fairy CSI - The Conclusion

In case you missed the exciting Part I episode of Fairy CSI, scroll down one post past. In my attempt to make miniature (as in one inch) fairies, I littered my work desk with fairy parts - heads on sticks, legs, random bodies - quite a sight.

Productivity did come from the wreckage, as it (sometimes) does, and I ended up with...

You'd never know of her sordid past. Of course, it would help if I photoshoppped out all the fairy parts behind her - evidence of those that did not make it this far. Practice makes perfect.

Now the only question remains...what do I do with her?

Fairy CSI

I've been experimenting. I like tiny things and I'm addicted to thread, but Penny People just take so darn long! So I wondered if I could make a tiny doll from clay instead of thread.

I like clay. In particular, I like making heads from clay. Pop some eyes in, stick a nose on, pull out a grin, and you've got such a cute little sucker, disembodied as it is. For me, the challenge comes in making bodies for the heads, as I'm told that just a pile of heads is a little disturbing.

So, back to the experimenting...

My work desk now resembles a Fairy Crime Scene Investigation. Tiny body parts everywhere, random heads on sticks - who knew the world of miniature doll-making was thus?

I have one of the original thread Penny People (princess in blue, above, 10 o'clock) watching from the corner. She seems to have thrown her hands up hopelessly. I kept reminding her that as I did make her, I just might know what I'm doing. She was not convinced. Clay and thread are two very different mediums.

Fairy CSI: To be continued...

Do You Flickr?

WARNING: Browsing the many fascinating pages of Flickr can lead to the sudden loss of your entire afternoon and/or evening. Particularly when stumbling upon such photostreams as this one by Etsy's Team Miniatures in Dollhouse Scale. Grab a beverage first!

Do you like the toothpick dolls & Penny People you've seen on The Elegant Toothpick? Want to see more? When I've got new pictures to post, the first place they show up is on my photostream at Flickr. Works in progress, finished characters, and experimental projects all seem to end here, where they get along quite nicely.

This is Nereida, a 1-inch tall mermaid in a frame box. Find her & others like her in my photostream.

Have a Flickr account? Add me as a contact! I'm always looking for more photostream paths to wander down...

The Herald of Spring is complete!

He's painted, he's primed, he's grinning & he's ready for Spring! Too bad winter is just starting!

The Herald of Spring was a Round Robin Collaboration with doll artist KyEliza, from Etsy. She made the Herald himself, on his vintage spice tin. I made the Herald's mechanical insides, & the three little elves. We are both so proud of our little guy!


Here's a close-up of the three elves. Their job is to fix up the Herald after the long winter so he's ready to announce the Coming of Spring. Unfortunately, only one of them is actually working! Green Hat on the left here takes his job very seriously. He's found a gear that has popped off & lugging it back to its spot. Pink Hat over on the right tries, but he's rather clumsy! He was trying to fix a spring, & it popped off! So now he's stuck, dangling until someone can help him. That someone won't be little miss Yellow Hat in the center - there's a certain question she's been asking the daisies, & I'm afraid we're not going to get any work out of her for awhile!

So what happens to the Herald now? Well, he was only one of many collaborations going on this fall, in a challenge held by the Etsy Dolls & Miniatures Team. The other sets of partners have been busy combining their styles into one doll as well. As the challenge is wrapping up, I'll round up some photos of the other pieces. There are some creative partnerships going on! Stay tuned!

Elf 3's Grand Entrance

For Round Robin Collaboration: All 3 elves are here!

Here's the third member of the worker elves' party. The prince has stepped out of the shot for this one & no wonder - her hat isn't finished yet! It still looks a little odd, & the prince is a little too worried about bad press to be seen with her quite yet.

There! Hat done, shoes tipped, she's ready for work, if you can convince her to leave her flowers for a moment. There's a certain question she's been asking the daisies for a while now, & I'm afraid we're not going to get any work out of her just yet! Oh, look - the Prince has come back. You may want to cover your ears, though - as he may begin to serenade, as he's heard that all princes are supposed to do.

Next up: all three elves in place around the Herald's mechanical innards.

Day 2 of Elf-making

For Round Robin Collaboration with KyEliza:

The final day (hopefully!) of Elf-making begins. I'm all set with my tools, a huge stack of candy corn (the kind with the pumpkins) & a massive Beijing Starbucks mug of Awake Tea (yes, it's legal!).

Well, the Princess & Jester have wandered off (so hard to keep their interest), but the Prince has hopped over to watch. Probably because this third little elf is a she - and a very opinionated she, too. I was going to dress her all in pink, but apparently this is not a pink sort of elf. I think I've convinced her to have a pink collar & belt, but we'll see.

Elf 2 in Full Costume

For Round Robin Collaboration: The second Elf has arrived! He's a bit of a clumsy one - he'll be hanging off the end of a spring that has popped loose. Poor guy...he tries so hard to help!



Oh, the Jester is back! No doubt drawn out by the kind & caring nature of the Princess, or the fact that she has been known to whop him upside the head if he doesn't come when called. Ah, friendship. How sweet.
Stay tuned to meet the third little member of this elf party - coming up soon!

Elf 2 Peeks In

For Round Robin Collaboration:

The second little elf in the series is making his way tentatively into the world. You'll notice the Jester has wandered off. Don't worry, he's not still sulking, his memory isn't that long (tiny head, tiny brain, tiny attention span). But the Penny Princess has been lured out to watch the proceedings, no doubt by this elf's cultured fashion sense (his use of pink).
The little green sticks are his legs, & the wee pink dots are his shoes (he'd better not lose one - I'm not making him another!). The string I'm holding in the photo is the beginning of his arms. It's actually 3 strands of 6-ply embroidery floss. One end is taped to the table, & I hold the other end while I glue a thin piece of wire to the strands. Can you see the wire? (Ok, squint!) I'll cover it with another 3 strands of floss, then roll it to form a circular tube. Presto! Arms.

Elf 1 Makes an Appearance

Today is Elf Day for me - I'm making the three elves that will go into the Herald of Spring (see earlier posts to catch up!), & I'll be posting my progress all day long. Check back often! You never know what trouble a 1-inch elf can get into!
Here's the start of the 3 little elves who will be repairing the Herald of Spring (Round Robin collaboration with Kyeliza). Another little Jester I'm using for scale is looking rather disdainfully at the 3 heads before him. He doesn't remember that at one point he was just a head, too!

We're getting farther...the Jester has stuck around long enough to see this wee one get dressed in his purple & green striped tunic. Arms & legs are beginning, too. But it seems the Jester does still have reason to laugh - this elf is bald, & has no cap! Elves without hat or hair are often laughed at in the world of Penny People, I'm afraid. I've yet to teach them otherwise.

Aha! Hair, real arms & legs, pointed shoes, and...well, the beginnings of a cap. Apparently the elf doesn't feel quite presentable yet - you'll see he's turned away from the prying eyes of the camera, & is staying out of eyesight of that opinionated Jester.

He's here, he's here! Now, where did that Jester go? Probably off sulking because he doesn't have a daisy belt buckle. Oh, well - One elf, ready to work! He's all set with a tiny gear he's trying to find the perfect spot for. Unfortunately, he's the only elf that will actually be working, as you'll see. His two companions to come may be more trouble than help in getting the Herald of Spring oiled & primed to make his big announcement!