In Progress: Beaded Evening Gown

This poor doll has been so patient. She's been in progress for well over a year now, watching as Penny People, Dolled Up Photo Frames, and other projects spring up around her. She will get finished, though, and hopefully soon.
See the fringe on her gown? Well, that thing is one reason she's sat on the shelf for so long. See, each strand in that intricate fringe is beaded separately and individually glued in place to ensure that perfectly even edge that rises up to a point in front. If she weren't so particular about the placement of those tiny little beads, she might be finished by now. But she is, and so she's not.
Her bodice separates her from other dolls I've done in the past as well. It's covered in several pieces of black lace, carefully cut & placed to show off the floral motif. Between that, her satin gown & her beaded fringe, she may be waiting just a little longer until I have both the time & energy to finish her toilette. But then again, aren't all sophisticated ladies entitled to be fashionably late?

Yarrrr! It's Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Arrrgh!

Pull out your eyepatch, dust off your tri-corner hat, & practice that swagger. It's Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Need to brush up on your lingo? Forgot the difference between Arrrrgh & Yarrrr? Never fear! Try a Pirate Dictionary.

Here are a few samples to get you started:

Ahoy! - "Hello!"

Avast! - derived from "hold fast". Stop and give attention.

Aye! - "Yes!"
Aye aye! - "I understand what you said and I will carry out your order!"

Having trouble getting into character? How about turning your name into a Pirate Name with a Pirate Name Generator? I'm Lady Felula the Forgetful. Hmmm...can I try that again?

Why, you may ask, should we bother with Talk Like A Pirate Day? Silly question! Why not?

Now, straighten that hat, wake up your parrot & have fun!

(The photos are from picture frames made exclusively to celebrate this silly day! Check them out at www.AngelaMichelleDolls.Etsy.com)

Rapunzel's Blonde Highlights

By the time I finished making Rapunzel, I wanted to give her a haircut in the worst way. Personally, I'd think she'd be gorgeous bald. Ok, maybe not. But all that hair was definitely a challenge! Usually, I make curly hair by wrapping thread around a toothpick, soaking it, & removing it when it's dry. Of course, that wasn't good enough for Rapunzel. She was a high-maintenance gal. To get her look, I wrapped the thread around wire that was slightly smaller in diameter than a toothpick, to get smaller curls that would look better in volume. I wrapped thread around those wires for close to an hour to get enough curls, using two different colors of blonde to give her a more natural look.

If you look closely, you'll see that the curly tendrils that frame her face are smaller than the rest of her curls. I love that wispy look when small fly-away pieces escape and frame the face (clarification: I love it on dolls; I hate it when it happens on me!). To get that look, I made MORE curls, this time with a much smaller size of wire. Each of these curls had to be placed individually in particular spots to get that "the wind just did it" look.

To see more pictures of Rapunzel, stop by to visit her! It does get lonely in that tower...

Have you seen a doll on this blog or on my website that you'd like to know more about? Let me know! I'll feature her in a future post.

Could you use free kids craft projects?

I know, I know. Miniature art dolls and free kids crafts projects don't normally combine. But in my world, there's nothing more natural. I grew up doing crafts. Plastic beads, pom-poms, construction paper - we had a loot of craft supplies that made sure the doors of our imaginations were always open. The result? You get used to a world of color, creativity, & possibility. Get kids creating, and who knows what they'll be able to come up with? For me, it led to the craft of dollmaking.

Need a free kids project? About once a month, I send out the Angela Michelle Dolls newsletter, an email newlsetter that contains a free kids craft project, fun trivia, and even an article on a behind-the-scenes technique for the Elegant Toothpick dolls (see image below in the post below). If you're looking for fun & low-budget kids' craft ideas, sign up! It's a free newsletter, and easy to join. Come by www.AngelaMichelleDolls.com, enter your name & email, and you're good to go.

Tomorrow (Tuesday), I'll be sending out July's newsletter, with the instructions for these fun foam door hangers. If you miss the newsletter & want the craft project, email me or leave a comment here & I'll shoot the instructions to you.

Why 'The Elegant Toothpick'?

I am a dollmaker. You can make dolls out of all sorts of things - clay, cloth & porcelain are the usual suspects. I use toothpicks. Look closely at Rapunzel here. Imagine the head stripped down to a single toothpick. Under the dress are two spindly little toothpick legs (thank goodness for floor-length skirts). Each arm is two pieces of toothpick, attached to look bent at the elbow. Everything added to the toothpick skeleton: the head, the body structure, the gown, the hair, the flowers, is all embroidery floss, or thread. Yes, I'm nuts; yes, I love it.

I've been making toothpick dolls for about 15 years now, & would love to share some of the techniques I've come up with. Got a trace of insanity running through you? It really does help. If you'd like to learn, stick around. Toothpick dolls are tiny, fiddly, exasperating, & oh-so-fun.

Oh, by the way, there is an easier version. Toothpick Doll Lite. A little more basic, but with just as much personality. I teach this version to girls at Birthday Parties & other get-togethers. If you want to learn, this is what you start out with. Someday I'll post a photo of the first doll I ever made. The sad little thing. In the meantime, check out more photos of both kinds of dolls at http://www.angelamichelledolls.com/

Do you ever grow out of creativity?

I love doing crafts with kids. One kid, a group of kids, the joy's the same. When a child finishes a craft project, and holds in her (or his!) hands something she's made herself, you can't beat that look. Do we ever grow out of that? That desire to make something, or the feeling you get when you finish a project? Teach a grown woman how to bead a necklace, and you'd think you were looking into the face of that child again.
Creativity builds self confidence - that pull to create is written into us. After all, we're made in the image of our Creator; is it any wonder we like to create?
So go make...something! Learn to bead, pull out the macrame from the waaay back of the closet, take a cake decorating class, sit down with some kids & color - just get creatin'!
And then send me a picture. This, I gotta see!