Petticoats

Today on the table I have so many little dolls in petticoats that I just had to share a picture. Aren't they cute?

So much beautiful lace but these three are my favorites. The middle slip is one of my vintage pieces...so lovely!

Snow White

A commission that I just finished. Doesn't she look like she could burst into song at any moment? "I'm wishing... for the one I love.."

Little Red Redux

When last we met I gave you a sneak peek at the doll I was working on. It was another Little Red Riding Hood and here she is...




Red is already on her way to her new home, a fact which I have to admit makes me a tiny bit sad, I was so happy with how she turned out. But there's always a new doll on the table and I have a commission Snow White this size in the works so stay tuned to see how that turns out.

Sneak Peek Thursday

Here's a peek at what I've been working on the past couple of days...

I'm loving those boots and all that vintage lace! Can you guess who this will be? A hint, she is not fond of wolves...

And I finished my Arctic Merfae earlier this week.

You can find her in my shop now. Enjoy! :)

Cream or Sugar?

Let me introduce you to my newest Fae, Josephine the coffee fairy.


I've had coffee on my mind a lot lately. I've had to cut back to a very small cup (in my opinion anyway) due to stomach issues and it's been ridiculously hard! As one of my favorite authors says,
"The voodoo priest and all his powders were as nothing compared to espresso, cappuccino, and mocha, which are stronger than all the religions of the world combined, and perhaps stronger than the human soul itself." ~Mark Helprin, Memoir from Antproof Case, 1995

So you can see that of course it's not an easy task. ;) But Joe with her cuppa will have to do the coffee drinking for now. Doesn't she look comfortable hanging out, sipping some cafe in her favorite tree?

Listening to Fabric

The other day I was talking to my sister on the phone and she said ”fabric speaks to you”. That really caught my attention; my first thought was, well that sounds kind of crazy..and my second was, but it’s absolutely true! That started me thinking about how I choose the fabrics for my dolls and I thought you might be interested in the process.

When I go fabric shopping I’m always on the lookout for the piece that seems to just call my name...one that I can not leave the store without buying. Sometimes the fabric will immediately inspire a doll to me...when I saw this piece I knew exactly what doll I was going to create with it.

It just shouts summer pixie, right?

Other times I will find one that I know I need but I just won’t “see” the doll for it yet. Eventually though it will be exactly what’s called for. I’ve had this little piece for ages, I loved it but never quite saw who it was for.


Then recently I came across it in my stash...while looking for something else...and knew right away that it was destined for an Alice. I mean look at those Wonderland-esque tea cups!


It’s not always as easy as those two examples though. Most of the time finding the perfect fabrics for a doll I have in my head is one of the hardest parts of the process. I’m actually kind of fanatical about it, it’s one of the only times I have to have complete quiet. I’ll start by just pulling out the boxes with the colors I think I’ll be using , but before long they’re all out and the room is covered in fabrics. Eventually, after trying many different permutations of color, I’ll come up with a few fabric groups that I think will work. Then I sit down and I guess “listen” to which ones really seem to speak for that doll. I know, kind of crazy, right? But it works for me!
So how do you choose your materials?

And last I'll leave you with a bit of comic relief. This doesn't look like a comfy place to sleep to me...but of course it's right in the middle of all the action!

Mermaids and Hans

As a child Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales were not my favorites, I was much more drawn to the simplicities of Grimm and Perrault, but as an adult I found his strange complex tales much more interesting. Of course my appreciation for his lovely writing was engaged as well...

“Far out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it is very, very deep; so deep, indeed, that no cable could fathom it: many church steeples, piled one upon another, would not reach from the ground beneath to the surface of the water above. There dwell the Sea King and his subjects. We must not imagine that there is nothing at the bottom of the sea but bare yellow sand. No, indeed; the most singular flowers and plants grow there; the leaves and stems of which are so pliant, that the slightest agitation of the water causes them to stir as if they had life. Fishes, both large and small, glide between the branches, as birds fly among the trees here upon land. In the deepest spot of all, stands the castle of the Sea King. Its walls are built of coral, and the long, gothic windows are of the clearest amber. The roof is formed of shells, that open and close as the water flows over them. Their appearance is very beautiful, for in each lies a glittering pearl, which would be fit for the diadem of a queen.” - "The Little Mermaid"

I've just added a couple of little mer-children to my Etsy shop...fresh from the briny deep via Mr. Andersen and me!



I want to say a big thank you to everyone for their support of my last post. I'm looking into some ways to make my tutorials into PDF files and to improve them so I can eventually make them available in my shop. A silver lining perhaps to the whole episode. Thanks to all my amazing readers here and at Facebook ...you all rock!