Break from the Lady

Quick break from the Lady of Toothpicks (see previous post) to bring word of some toothpick folks who were rather insistent at having their pictures shown.

The Nutcracker. Charming as all princes should be, except when you shove a nut in his mouth. Please refrain.

St. Nicholas. Not to be confused with his rather chubbier counterpart. Will sing old English Christmas Carols when no one is listening.

Ah, the angel! Taking a break from her normal angelic duties to grace your Christmas tree. Has also been spotted with blonde, brown, or black hair.

These are my toothpick doll ornaments of the season! Travel to the Angela Michelle Dolls online shop on Etsy to see more variations and invite one home to your tree.

Merry Christmas to you!

Birth of a Toothpick Doll

I've been having fun lately...

While I was making Emeline, the toothpick doll of the decade from me, I took pictures obsessively. I wanted to show them in a way that wouldn't seem too "family vacation slideshow night," so...I started playing.

This is as far as I've gotten so far, let me know what you think! If you have trouble viewing the "movie," let me know so I can improve the file size or speed.

Oh, and I promise - I'll get the wigging photos up soon! She won't stay bald.

Emeline, Lady de Couer-dents

I write about not getting work done and then disappear for 3 months. Accidental Master of Irony, here.

I have been getting work done, though - a project that began to eat up every spare minute until it grew so big it crowded out all other projects.

Introducing...

Emeline, Lady de Couer-dents (Lady of Toothpicks)

She was a competition piece, 70+ hours of work in one month. I was so sick of satin & feathers & wigs...

No, I did not win the competition, but I am pleased it gave me the deadline to produce this piece. I think she may be my favorite to date.

More pictures (of the finished doll & the process behind her) coming soon!

Yard + Art = YART Sale!

Been by Etsy.com yet? If not, please don't go until after you're finished reading here. I'll never get you back. More than one unwary browser has been lost for weeks amongst the stash of goodness that exists on Etsy.

Etsy is hosting a 5-day sale called the Yart Sale! (Yard Sale + Art. Just go with it!)

To join in the Yart Adventure, I've set aside all of the Doll Frames, Clips & Pins in a special section (quite cleverly named "Yart Sale"). Click for Yart Sale Section.

Between now & Sunday, June 14, shipping is free (reduced for international folks) on all Doll Frames, Clips, & Pins.

Stop by and browse! The laundry will wait.

Clip a Doll

I'm always trying to come up with excuses to have dolls around (like you need one). I have:

- put dolls on photo frames

- displayed them in hoity-toity glass domes (not recommended if the doll already has an overblown ego - this really sends them into diva mode)

- turned them into earrings (a much smaller 1" version of them - not quite sure anyone would want a 3" doll earring, although I could be wrong. Maybe.)

- hung them as Christmas ornaments (clarification: attached a hanger to the back of the doll. I do not hang dolls.)

Now, toothpick dolls find themselves in two new places to help them better see the world:

As a pin...

And attached to a clothespin (with a magnet on the back)...

The world is always interesting when seen from a miniature doll's perspective. Now that toothpick dolls are even more portable, we'll have to see what new stories they come back with. Sure beats carrying them around in your jeans pocket. I did this when young and stupid and soon learned what a wretched sight a toothpick doll with a broken neck makes.

Want to see more pins & clips? www.AngelaMichelleDolls.etsy.com

Toothpick Bodies Galore

An awful thing happened last week. I ran out of bodies. Toothpick bodies, that is, for toothpick dolls. I like to have a fairly good stash on hand. So I cranked up the body-making factory & went to work. Two evenings of work later, I am once again amply supplied.

It's ok, folks - crisis averted.

Queen usurped by a Treasury

The Queen and I aren't speaking to each other.

We were doing so well for a while there, and I thought I might finish her without incident. Naive, foolish notion. I should have known it woudn't be quite that easy working with her.

Now, she wants this diamond pattern on her sleeves. I thought it would be easy enough, so I drew it into the original design. Then I started working on it. Blasted, fiddly, confounded thing. That diamond pattern has given me more grief...

I have figured out how to do it, but it's going to be very tedious & tiny. So, rather than working on it, the Queen and I have simply stopped speaking to each other.

There are two ways to resolve this. Either she consents to a simpler design, or I relent. Hmm... Considering the likelihood of the first option...I'd better get back to work.

On another note, I'm currently featured in a treasury on Etsy.com, curated by MoodyandSanguine. Check it out - lots of cool items there! My personal favorite is the Snow White locket.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=57128

From Princess to Queen

I'm so excited. After a long day at work, I get to come home & spend the evening working on an incredibly difficult 3-inch tall doll that has proven to be one of the most stressful projects I've ever designed. I think I need help.

The Queen of Hearts has been waiting, with surprising patience, as I set her aside to work on the Princesses and Pirates for the toothpick doll kits I'll be selling this summer. She has no head, and so far the lower half of her arms is nothing more than a half-inch cut of toothpick.

Time for that to change. I need a break, and she needs a diamond pattern on her sleeves. Now, how I'm going to do that...well, maybe I'll figure it out by the end of the evening.

Happy doll-making!

The Toothpick Princesses Arrive, Fashionably Late

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!

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!

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.

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...

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...

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...

Queen of Hearts - I've finally started her!

One of my goals this year is to finish a doll about every other month. My schedule says I should have one finished by the end of February. So maybe it's time I got started :)

Remember my original Queen of Hearts sketch? This lady scares me, honestly. I don't know what I was thinking when I drew that design, but now I'm paying for it - this is a difficult project!

First, some supplies:

- Various pairs of scissors, reverse pliers, 6-inch ruler, glue

- toothpicks (those do help when making a toothpick doll)

- Thread color catalog

- Impossible sketch (hanging up)

- A mess of embroidery floss (yes, that is the technical term. A herd of sheep, a gaggle of geese, a mess of thread)

- A bowl of fruit (1 navel orange & 1 Fuji apple, chopped into bite-size pieces. Works well when there's no chocolate in the house.)

Humble beginnings, but we all have to start somewhere...

Her design calls for a nice, full skirt. This is layer 3 of a 4-layer petticoat. I start down around her ankles, & keep adding layers until we reach her waist. No, the woman will not be able to move. You'll notice Sleeping Beauty lurking in the background often. She has consented to be my reference model for this project.

Ok, 4 layers of petticoat done. Now we start the tricky process of adding all those decorative skirt layers. She'll end up with the following layers:

- subtle pink & white striped underskirt

- black & white stripe detailing

- black satin overskirt, pulled back to reveal the pink underskirt & black & white stripe

- hot pink over-overskirt (I really should come up with more elegant-sounding names...) with fringe & rose accent

This is the first layer - the sublte stripe underskirt. If you look closely, you can make out the pink & white striping. You'll see this layer is only in the front, for two reasons:

1) The back would be covered up by the black satin skirt.

2) Adding this layer all the way around would add bulk to the back. When you're working in such a tiny scale, even one layer of thread can make a difference. She needs to have a shapely silhouette, without extra bulk.

Ok, the first of 4 decorative skirt layers is finished. Now I'll start the black & white stripe detailing (see the original sketch). But first, I have to outline exactly where this detailing will go. Look closely, & you'll several lines of a single strand of white thread. Now, I just fill this part in with the striping.

I'll post more progress in a few days!

Want to know more of how I've done a certain technique? I'm planning a doll tutorial in the next month - tell me what you'd like to be in it!

Get a Free Doll Kit!

Everything you need to make your very own toothpick doll, except a third hand.

I'm getting ready to launch a new product & I need your help! Toothpick doll kits are themed kits with instructions that are easy to follow & entertaining. They'll include everything you need, from glue to scissors to thread to fun extras. Perfect for an afternoon craft or a project to take on a trip with you.

Want to be a tester?

If you'd like to know how to make a basic toothpick doll, sign up to be a kit tester. I'll send you a sample kit for free in exchange for your feedback (I will send a one-page comment sheet with each kit, or you can fill out a short online comment form). The first two kits offered will be a Pirate kit & a Princess kit.

To sign up, email me (angela@angelamichelledolls.com) with the following information:

Name

Age (Must be 12 years or older. Preference will be given to volunteers age 12-18, but I will be sending sample kits to 18+ as well)

Email

Mailing Address

Theme Preference (Pirate or Princess)

Space is limited, & the list will fill on a first-come basis, so please sign up quickly! If you know of someone (daughter, friend, sister) who would be interested, send 'em on over here!

Deadline to sign up: January 31

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...

Queen of Hearts Toothpick Doll Sketch

I get so excited about starting a new doll. Because so few people make toothpick dolls, it's generally a make-it-up-as-you-go art. I learn something new with every doll I make.

My next over-ambitious project?

The Queen of Hearts - a three-inch study.

Reasons I'm excited about this doll:

~ The way-too-big-for-her-head Marie Antoinette style wig. Still working out the design, but should be fun.

~The large heart on the bodice will be entirely jewelled with teeny tiny glass micro-beads of reds, pinks, & blacks.

~ The crazy stand-out collar. No clue how I'm going to do that.

~ The million layers of skirt this woman will have, from the subtle stripe of the first layer to the heavy pink silk of the top layer.

Now, doll-makers will tell you that as they work, the doll will seem to develop her own personality, even dictating what details she should be given as she is completed. I tell you this in the faint hope you won't consider me too far gone when I say that I can already tell this lady is a snob. I had to rework the above sketch so many times because she didn't like the sleeve detail, or the collar wasn't right, or the skirt wasn't grand enough. You'll notice her head is not yet attached to her body - it's because we're still in negotiations on the exact style of wig.

Want to see how she progresses? Eager to find out which of us will win the battle of wills? (So am I!) Check back often - I'll be posting her progress regularly. You'll get to see photos of a toothpick doll from start to finish - that, or me breaking toothpicks in half if she & I don't get along.

Remember at the beginning, when I said that so few people make toothpick dolls? Want to know what you can do to change that awful truth? Check out the Toothpick Doll Tutorial (see the December 2008 blog archive on the right side of this page) & learn how to make a Toothpick Doll! Then, send me a picture! Together, we can bring the knowledge of toothpick dolls to the world! (End of melodramatic rant.)

Toothpick Feature: Ye Olde Dog Catcher

Show & tell time! This was a custom piece of an old Victorian-style Dog Catcher. And yes, he's made of toothpicks.

Confession. It is so much harder to make a male doll then a female doll. Granted, the ladies have flowing skirts, curly hair, fancy sleeves, & miniature roses, while the men have pants, a jacket & a hat, maybe a mustache. But please tell me how you're supposed to make a thin, spindly toothpick leg look like anything other than a thin, spindly toothpick leg if you can't cover it with a wide skirt! I ended up using an entirely new body structure composed of round & flat toothpicks with him.

Confession #2. I really had fun with this guy. Maybe I just like attitude, but it seems that the dolls that give me the most problems end up being my favorite. When they're finished, that is.

OK, time to play spot the details! This dapper Dog Catcher has a newsboy-style hat - someday I'll have to do a tutorial on that. There's a whole inner structure that goes into hats.

He's got contrasting lapels on his jacket, & orange buckles. His sleeve has a tiny insignia.

See his tiny bowtie? Ok, look harder - it's there!

My favorite - his net. It's entirely hand-knotted. Such fun! Such torture.

See more photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/angelamichelledolls/