Flea Hoppin', Skeeter Chompin', Tick Tockin' Summer Is Here ...?!!

After just rolling out of a winter post-holiday hibernation, awakening bleary-eyed and bed-tosseled, we have been pitched head-on into summer sizzlin', storm-rippin', tornado twistin' weather patterns.  It is a bug-tussle holiday ... already so much buzzin' and bumpin' and entirely too much itching and chewing ... enough to drive one to Poe-ian levels of  snaggle-toothed dementia and raging madness.

Aaaahhhhhh! The perfect setting for Halloween creating!  "Halloween", you say!  But yes, of course, my pretties ... check your calendars and count on those chubby little fingers ... Halloween is just 7 months and 6 days away (that's 220 days to be exact and less than that if you want to create and share your art with the Halloween celebrators of the world).  I envy our Australian cousins now delighting in the fiery lusty colors of fall and soon to be crunching through crispy heaps of fallen leaves and inhaling the snap of fall into their lungs!!

So, I say, in order to inspire all of you lovers of the Autumn/Winter chill and long to delight in those sparkling magical holidays filled with the perfumes of smoky fireplaces, apples, cinnamon and cozy cocoas, take heart ... lift your paintbrushes, threaded needles and fantasy papers and toast the coming of Halloween in your creation of Halloween fantasies of glimmer, and glitz, mystery and madness ... your inspirations of Christmas sparkle and homespun.

Let the celebration creation begin!!

Just Couldn't Bear to Say Good-Bye

Christmas was somewhat anti-climatic for me this year.  I was swept up in creating inventory for Halloween and Christmas sales since early last spring 2011 that by the time Christmas arrived, the only icon I could muster was my little pre-lit 3-foot Christmas tree.  There it stands, twinkling every evening since mid-December, trying its best to brighten my spirits.  It has become such a wonderful, comforting friend as I sunk in the bog of post-holiday doldrums.

Well, here it is late January and I can't bear to part with my little friend.  We are expecting the entire neighborhood in for an HOA meeting this week and I had to think fast about what I needed to do to save my little friend from any embarrassment.  Sooooo .... I decided to make some little Valentine decorations by taking wooden circles and decoupaging mini vintage ephemera of Old Valentine's Day cards on one side and little glittered hearts on the other side.  I wired the ornaments after sugar-coating them with a glistening of diamond dust glitter.  The little tree already had mini red glass balls and little angels.  I grabbed two favorite sweet rag dolls and placed them side by side in doll chairs.

Next I quickly wrapped a miniature box of Russell Stover chocolates with 1/8" red ribbon and placed an ephemera Valentine envelope in the little boy doll's hands and a miniature Valentine card in the little girl's hands for a romantic gift exchange by the now Sweetheart Tree. 

Now my little tree can continue to bring me joy every evening when at 5 p.m. it blinks awake and sparkles throughout the rest of my evenings and I can change out the decorations for celebrating every upcoming holiday.

Sooooo ... wishing you a romantic, Love-ly and Happy Wintering .....

Sweetheart Tree

Heart Ornament

     

Sweetheart Valentine Exchange

Sweets for my Sweetie

With All My Love

Mini Vintage Valentine Ornament


 

A Christmas Gift -- A Tale for A Winter's Eve

With special love for this Holiday season, I give you the Story of Little Gregory. 

Little Gregory

The Story of a Snow Urchin Winterling

Little Gregory

Winterlings -- The Snow Urchins

                              Snow Urchins are tiny creatures that come to live in the woodlands during the winter snows.  They live in the underground caves and caverns in the mountain country where it is very cool all year round, emerging to play above ground in the winter when the first snows sugar the countryside.

               Snow Urchins have an important job as caretakers of the tiny and helpless wildlife of the woodlands.  They perform various important tasks which include feeding seeds and nuts to the winter birds, field mice and other fragile creatures.  They also protect animal babies such as bunnies, opossums and yearling fawns who may have become orphaned by hungry foxes, bobcats or hunters.  The Snow Urchins keep them warm, fed and loved in special burrows and hidden caves through the worst of winter weather.  Some Urchins carry bags of seeds and nibbles as they move silently through the underbrush at night.

               Snow Urchins have very strong healing powers and should an injured or sick animal be found during the daily rounds, a Snow Urchin will carry the little animal back to the caverns where herbal broths and concoctions are ministered to the little patient in order to restore it to good health.   

               Because they are very clever at moving about unnoticed through the snowy woodlands, Snow Urchins have rarely been seen by human beings.  They are masters of disguise.  However, on very rare occasions, and especially on Christmas Eve if it snows, the little Snow Urchins will allow themselves to be seen by children and the very young-at-heart.

Little Gregory

               Little Gregory is a Snow Urchin and a very special Snow Urchin.  He has one regular-sized arm and one arm that is only a half-arm or what Gregory calls his “stump.”  Now most Snow Urchins felt really sad that Gregory had only a “stump” instead of a full-sized arm but Gregory learned to use his stump just like a regular arm.  When he was a baby and was learning how to walk, Gregory used a specially carved tree branch to help him balance until his legs were strong enough to carry him.

               Sometimes the other young Urchins would tease Gregory or would leave him in the caves and not tell him when they chose teams to go into the woodlands to learn to hunt for baby animals to rescue.  When Gregory was left behind, he wouldn’t cry but would go to his workshop deep inside the caves and learn to whittle wood and to use his stump to balance the wood.  With much practice and patience, Gregory became a master carver of beautiful wooden animals and woodland creatures.  However, he still wanted to join the others and learn to slip unnoticed through the underbrush.  He loved the little animals and yearned to help them.

A  Dangerous Stranger in the Woodlands

               One day a very clever, greedy fur trapper named Dirty Jack came to the woodlands.  Dirty Jack was one of the most famous hunters and trackers ever known.  He was given lots of money for tracking and trapping animals and killing them for their beautiful fur.  Dirty Jack delighted in the abundance of furry animals here in these new woods and tracked long hours in search of the best furs so the sale of them would fill his pockets.

               On a sparkling crisp winter’s morning, a band of snow Urchins frantically returned early from their daily woodland feeding routine.  The caves and caverns echoed with shouting and cries for help.  Gregory hustled up from his workshop to see what all the excitement was about.  The Urchins had gathered in a circle around the leader to hear the news.

               The lead Urchin, Seamus, was flushed and nearly out of breath as he told how one of the little Urchins had strayed from the band to answer the cries for help from a trapped young fox.  Her leg had been clamped in the sharp jaws of one of Dirty Jack’s traps and she was frightened and in much pain.  The young Urchin named Peter had slipped away to help her.  Peter cleverly released the trap and was bandaging the vixen’s injured leg when….. WHOOSH!! … A large burlap bag swooped down over him.   EVERYTHING WENT DARK!  Peter could hear the husky evil laugh of Dirty Jack as he snatched up the bag in delight and wobbled off to his cabin with his precious prize, Peter inside!!   The little injured vixen hid in the thick underbrush until the Urchin band found her and she told them what had happened.   Peter must be rescued and they must make a plan to get rid of Dirty Jack!

Little Gregory Has a Plan

               As Gregory stepped forward to the center of the circle of Urchins, everyone became quiet.  “I think I have a plan to help.  I will go to speak with the Great Bear Warrior, Artos, who lives in the caves nearby.  We have become friends and he will know what to do.”

               So Gregory gathered his carving tools and his sack of seeds and nuts and some gifts for Artos in his pack and started out to find the great bear.  About noon, Gregory discovered Artos sitting outside his cave feasting on berries and sweet roots.  Artos was a huge bear, three times larger than most black bears and his gorgeous black fur glistened in the warm sunlight.  Artos woofed a friendly hello when he saw Gregory and they sat and he listened as Gregory explained the kidnapping and the greedy killings Dirty Jack had done to the woodland animals.  With a gruffly growl Artos agreed he would help the Urchins and would rid the woodlands of Dirty Jack.

The Secret Mission Begins

               With the details of their secret plan carefully memorized, Gregory hurried back to his cave home and workshop.  He called a meeting of all the Urchins and explained the plan to them.  Gregory quickly got to work carving his greatest masterpiece.  The Urchins scurried to the woodlands and brought back bundles and bundles of wood for Gregory to carve.  Gregory worked diligently into the night by candlelight and by midnight all was ready.  Gregory sent a message by the Snowy Owl, Sebastian, to Artos that all was ready.

               The Urchins gathered in Gregory’s workshop and one by one they were each given a beautifully carved pair of rabbit footprint snowshoes which they would later attach to the bottoms of their red curly-toed boots.  When night came and the lights in Dirty Jack’s cabin had been put out, the Urchin bands gathered outside, laced on their rabbit footprint snowshoes and began laying tracks that led from the cabin out into the woodlands to a special spot where Artos would be waiting.

               When morning light came and Dirty Jack came outside to draw water from his well, he discovered hundreds of the largest Jack rabbit tracks he had ever seen!!  Without even eating breakfast, Dirty Jack raced back into the cabin, grabbed his gun and as many traps as he could carry and dashed off into the woods following the tracks and dreaming of all the money he would receive for these hundreds of giant Jack rabbit pelts.  Once he killed them and skinned them, he would sell them and he would be the richest trapper ever!!!!

               As he lumbered along in the snow, Dirty Jack was so amazed at the size and number of tracks …. Hundreds ….. Thousands!!!  They went on and on – he couldn’t stop because someone else might find this trail and then he would have to share the wealth ….

No, no, NOOOOOO!!!! 

Deeper and deeper into the mountain country and higher and higher he trudged through the deep snow.  Dirty Jack soon became tired and had to stop for a short rest to catch his breath.  He sat down on a flat rock right outside the entrance to a large cave.    “These huge rabbits must have a warren or burrow in the cave,” he thought.  As he sat and rested, he imagined what a trapper’s paradise he had discovered.  He closed his eyes to picture himself as a rich man.

               Suddenly he realized he felt a cloud of warm breath on the back of his neck and then heard a great snort.  His eyes snapped open and he spun around.  There was Artos, his large teeth gleaming in the sun as he rose up behind Dirty Jack and stood like a giant black furry, growling tower.  That was the last anyone ever saw or heard from Dirty Jack.

A Celebration and a New Beginning

               Peter was found shivering with cold and frightened but safe and sound in a cage in Dirty Jack’s cabin.  The Urchin rescue team bundled him up in warm woven blankets and carried him home to the mountain caverns.  He was given some warm broth and put to bed in a warm nest of fluffy quilts.

               The Snow Urchins celebrated their grand victory over the evil Dirty Jack in the great cavern hall with Gregory as the guest of honor and now their Great Hero!!  After that day, Gregory was never teased again and was always asked out on daily feeding rounds in the woodlands.  However, he didn’t go out very often because he was very happy and very busy carving special rabbit track snowshoes and bunny trail skis for all the Urchins to wear through the mountain woodlands.

*****************************

Merry Christmas and the Happiest Blessings of the New Year

to

You and Yours!!

                

              

A Special Christmas Story

As a Grandma, I find it difficult to select a "special" gift for a 4-1/2 year old grandson who is incredibly "techie" gifted and has a vivid imagination and curiosity about life and his own world.  Sounds like typical grandma-speak but he is very special to me.  Well, I decided to give him (and my son-in-law) a little tribute in appreciation of all they mean to me and my daughter.

Greg, my son-in-law, was born with a condition known as  ... get ready ... a Left, Below the Elbow, Congenital Amputation ... (phew!)  which left him with one arm slightly underdeveloped  and only half the normal length with "nubbins" for fingers on that arm.  With an abundance of energy and pluck, Greg has grown into a delightful young man, husband and father and constantly amazes me with his creativity and sparkle in moving through life, ignoring his physical difference and rising to any challenge as if it were routine fare.  Greg plays the piano, and uses any keyboard device with speed, accuracy and ease and would put to shame anyone who had the advantage of ten fingers and the manual dexterity of Van Cliburn.  He loves all aspects of the restaurant business and orchestrates culinary masterpieces both at home and at work, hoping one day soon of opening his own restaurant with all the skills he has learned.

My grandson, Seamus, of course, realizes that Dad has one arm that Dad calls his "stump," but in everyday routine, he is no different than any other loving father of a bright and active 4-1/2 year old son.  So in tribute to these special individuals, I wrote a story of "Little Gregory - the Snow Urchin" and created the doll that is featured in the story.

Briefly, Snow Urchins are tiny creatures who live in the mountain country in caves and caverns and search the woodlands in winter for sick or injured animals, who they nuture, feed and bring back to health with their special healing powers.  They are rarely seen by human beings except children and the young-at-heart.  Little Gregory is a special Snow Urchin who has one whole arm and one half arm which he lovingly calls his "stump."  The younger Snow Urchins tease him and sometimes slip out on routine rescue missions, leaving Little Gregory behind.  Gregory didn't cry but went deep into the caves to his workshop and practiced diligently on learning how to whittle and carve.  He finally taught himself to be a master carver.

As fate would have it, a fierce and greedy fur trapper named Dirty Jack came to the woodlands seeking new territory in which to trap wild animals and kill them for their beautiful fur.  Dirty Jack wanted to become rich by selling as many beautiful and unusual fur pelts as he could find.  As the adventure moves on, one of the Snow Urchins named Peter is captured by Dirty Jack who now knows he will certainly gain more riches by displaying this incredible strange creature in the circus and the public all over the world.  The Snow Urchins band together to decide on how to rescue Peter and rid the woodlands of Dirty Jack.

Little Gregory steps forward with a solution.  What is it?  ...  Tune in here at my blog on Christmas Eve for the full revelation of the story of Little Gregory ....

Seamus

Little Gregory

Polly, Greg and Seamus

Let It Snow, Let It Snow! They're Ready to Go!!

They're here and ready to find new homes!!!  The Snow Urchins and Snow Angels are now ready to find special homes in snow creature lovers' collections.  Each doll is soft-sculptured and comes with a signed and dated certificate of their individual legends.

Come on over to my Etsy shop and adopt one magical creature for your very own.  They are limited edition dolls and are very popular.  See them in my shop: www.etsy.com/shop/pollywogpatterns.

Snow Angel

Snow Urchin

Winterlings 2 - The Snow Urchins

While the Snow Angel lives among the wishing stars and waits to be summoned to Earth, another Winterling is quite Earthbound and is known as the Snow Urchin.  A Snow Urchin is a tiny creature that comes to live in the woodlands during the winter snows.  They live in the underground caves and caverns in the mountain country where it is very cool all year round but emerge to play above ground in the winter when the first snows sugar the countryside.

Snow Urchins are the caretakers of the tiny and helpless wildlife of the woodlands.  They perform various important tasks which include feeding seeds and nuts to the winter birds, field mice and other fragile creatures.  They also protect animal babies such as bunnies, opossums, and yearling fawns who may have become orphaned by hungry foxes, bobcats or hunters.  The Snow Urchins  keep them warm, fed and loved in special boroughs and hidden caves through the worst of winter weather.  Some Urchins carry bags of seeds and nibbles as they move silently through the underbrush at night. 

The Snow Urchins have very strong healing powers and should they find an injured or sick animal during their daily rounds, the little animal is brought back to the caverns where herbal broths and concoctions are ministered to the little patient in order to restore it to good health.  Because they are very clever at moving about unnoticed through the snowy woodlands, Snow Urchins have rarely been seen by  human beings.  They are masters of disguise and often strap false rabbit footprints to the bottoms of their beautiful red curly-toed boots so that their prints in the snow confuse even the most seasoned of trackers.  However, on very rare occasions, and especially on Christmas Eve if it snows, the little Snow Urchins will allow themselves to be seen by children and the very young-at-heart. 

So, this Christmas Eve, if there is a magical snowfall, peek out your window and you just might see a little Snow Urchin blow you a kiss for Christmas.

Snow Urchin

Snow Urchin





Winterlings 1 - The Legend of the Snow Angel

As children, we knew Snow Angels as magical little snow shadows that were created in the first real snow of winter when the laughter and delight of children filled the air.  If you have forgotten, here is the recipe:

The secret to making an angel in the snow is to drop carefully backwards into the deep snow with arms by your sides

and legs tight together, straight as a board.  Once in the snow, lie there stiffly and carefully create the wings by raising

arms outspread up to the shoulders and back to your sides again, rigidly flapping them up and down again and again

(3 times is the charm).  Then sweep your legs wide apart, out to the sides and back to the center to make the skirt of the

gown.  A friend should help you up gently and then you need to spin back around to see how perfectly your "angel" looks.

Satisfied that the job is complete, it is time to run off across the snow drifts and up the hills with your sled, satisfied that the tradition and ritual were satisfactorily performed.

However, the little snow angel is soon forgotten.

As the sunlight fades and the twilight begins to dim the light of the day, mothers call to their children to come home to dinner and change out of their wet, snowy clothes and warm their tummies with a hot bubbling stew, steaming biscuits and giggles and laughter as the day's adventures are retold around the family dinner table.  After dinner, the children are gently coaxed off to bed to burrow beneath mountains of soft snuggly blankets and quilts and cuddle in nests of pillows and teddy bears.  They soon slip off to sleep after warm kisses and good-night hugs.

Yet the little snow angel lies still and stoically with wings outstretched in a frozen pose.  As the moon slips silently higher and higher into the crisp clear sky, a soft glittery shower of sparkling magical moonbeams float lightly toward the ground, creating a delicate glow in the little depressions of the sleeping snow angels on the ground below.  A soft halo of windblown snow swirls and curls into a cloud of glowing crystals and suddenly all is still and there stands a real Snow Angel in the imprint left by the child earlier in the day.

A newborn Snow Angel wastes no time but immediately begins its appointed rounds.  Its duties are simple ... to collect and safeguard all lost and abandoned as well as new and shiny wishes and dreams of its special child.  These wishes and dreams are placed lovingly in its little bag which it carries over its shoulder.  It will protect them and keep them safe until the day comes when that child needs and is ready to have his or her wishes and dreams fulfilled.  Then, one by one, as each wish or dream is released, the little angel begins to fade.  When its little bag is finally empty, its job on Earth is done.  The Snow Angel goes back to live behind the wishing stars until the next new snowfall.  When it hears that special laughter after a child has pressed a snow angel into the freshly fallen snow, the Snow Angel smiles and on a moonbeam, it returns to collect more wishes to hold safely until its new child's heart has fulfilled its precious dreams.

Snow Angel

Snow Angel



Just Hear Those Sleigh Bells Jingling .....

With Christmas Day only 97 days away (that's three months and a week, Gang!), my studio has been humming away with a combination of Halloween and Christmas projects in all stages of  production.  In preparation of my upcoming Christmas Home show, the usual designing of dolls and doll-related items have been popping off the drawing board and into reality.

However, my Christmas show partner suggested that perhaps there also should be a consideration of making not only one-of-a-kind items but more affordable and stocking stuffer varieties that could be added to my line.  Well, it was hard to shift gears but the challenge was out there and had to be attempted.

So, here is a suggestion (my version) for all you out there who are in a quandry as to what to make that is artistic, classy and yet affordable as well as desirable for all ranges of those holiday shoppers we are all vying to attract.

I love ephemera and especially Christmas ephemera.  So a variation of an art trading card came to mind.  I designed a wooden card that I sawed from 4 foot planks of poplar, painted and decoupaged the beloved ephemera to the wooden card.  With holes drilled in the top and brass jumprings inserted, I added sprinkles of diamond dust glitter, artificial snow and gilt them with gold paint along the edges.  The back of the "card" has a written wish and when sparkled with a Christmas ribbon at the top .... Voila!  A beautiful gift has appeared ... to be used as an ornament for a Christmas tree, wreath or to embellish that very special Christmas gift.  Need a gift for a special teacher or school nurse or a hostess gift?  Here's your answer.

Mind you, they do take a little time with several steps but believe me, it's worth the trip.  I have even started collecting family Christmas pictures, reducing them, labelling them on the back with names and date of the individuals in the pictures and here is a special ornament for the Christmas tree or start your own "Holiday Family Tree."

Here are some examples to help you start brainstorming:







Back side of ornament









If you're still nervous about starting Christmas before Halloween projects have been completed,  just shift gears and use Halloween vintage ephemera and these little ATCs can be delightful dangling from a Halloween garland or dancing in the boughs of a Halloween feather tree!!

Have fun ...  I'll be posting a mini tutorial on how to create these  shortly.

Hail! Hail! The Gang's All Here!!!!

Sugar Babees Polly and Hesther- Sue were introduced in my last blog.  Since then, the boys and two celebrity Sugar Babees have joined the gang.



Daniel

 May I introduce the boys:



Ross



Best Buddies



And now for a special appearance:



Santa Sugar







Santy Man

and here's the Gang:

These dolls are naturally sweet and no artificial sweetners were ever involved in the making of these Babees ... homemade with pure love. 

Part III - Anniversary WIP

Well, this was a busy weekend but good progress was made.  I thought I would catch you up on the designing process.

Here is an engagement photo of the happy couple that I used to set in my mind the facial details for my puppet caricatures:

Now, I'm not that good at capturing details yet but here are the ideas I had.  Doesn't Mike remind you of Waldo in "Where's Waldo"?

So, I made a simple drawing to simulate the face and here is the puppet face in the early stages:

Now, Chris was the challenge but here she is in early stages:

There you go ....  Of course, they will look much better with hair and costumes but we are on the way.  I also painted and sealed the handle rods and attached them to the heads.

So stay tuned for more updates!!

One Wedding Anniversary to Remember - Part II

So to continue with our project, as mentioned in my last post (Part I), I had decided to design a Punch & Judy miniature puppet theme using caricatures of my brother-in-law and sister as the main characters.  I also decided to design a presentation box for the puppets and would decorate it to look like a Victorian puppet theater.

Now, how do we begin?   Designing the puppets will be easy, so I will start with my search for a box to accommodate the puppets both for storage and display.  I had very good luck in my visit to Michaels and found an unfinished wooden shadowbox in the best size for the job (11" x 14") with a glass panel on the front and wonderful hidden magnets which hold the display case door closed.

With that done, I moved on to cutting my main puppet handle rods from a dowel (cut 2 ; one for each character) and painting them with 2 coats of acrylic paint; one red, one blue.  I also painted the finials to match the respective rod.  As you will note, I didn't have anything clever to hold my dowels and finials while they were drying, so I improvised by using a mini cupcake pan.  I wadded up a ball of aluminum foil into a cupcake section and jammed the dowel down into the middle of it.  It held the rod like a charm!  As for the finials, I fit them down on the end of the handle of a sponge applicator brush (which I always have handy) and used these nifty sponge handles to hold my finials as I painted them.  When it was time to let the finials dry, I left the very tip of the finial (which is flat) unpainted and propped the brush up against my twine drying line until they were dry.  By the way, I have included a picture of my twine line which is simply a length of twine tied up to two rather tall candlesticks and stretched.  My pic shows how I hang little doll legs with painted boots up to dry in between paint and sealant applications.  Pretty neat, eh?  If you have longer legs to dry, just raise the candlesticks by setting them up on stacks of books so that the item you are drying does not touch the surface of the table, etc.

As you can tell, I have adapted my dining room table as my studio annex for painting projects, etc.

When the finials were dry enough, I placed craft glue on the bottom of the rod and some into the opening at the end of the finial and carefully pressed them together and let them rest until the glue was completely dry.  Then I coated the rods and finials with at least 2 coats of sealant (I like to use Modge-Podge "Satin finish").

So, I hope these little hints have given you some food for thought as well as letting you assess my progress so far.  Now I must go back to the drawing board and begin assembling the puppet heads and attaching the rod mechanism.

Be back with Part III shortly....

Carlin





One Wedding Anniversary to Remember - Part I

Punch & Judy

Punch and Judy are one of the most beloved and oldest married couples known down through history.  I won't bore you with all the details of their marriage [nothing, of course, like my sister's], but they have been around squabbling and interacting in their relationship since the late 14th century and perhaps even earlier.  That's about the longest ongoing relationship I have ever been familiar with and I love the two characters almost as much as I love puppets and a rollicking puppet show.

So in honor of my sister and brother-in-law's 40th wedding anniversary, I decided to recreate my beloved puppet characters with a caricature of both my b-i-law and sister portrayed as the two characters in a miniaturized rendition of P&J and boxed in a wooden presentation box to look like the Victorian version of the Punch & Judy stage (see photo above).  This piece will be able to be hung on the wall or allowed to sit upright on a mantle-piece or to rest on a coffee table.  The puppets will be miniature rod puppets with tiny wire rods to control the arms.  They will be attached inside the box when it is on display or detached so the puppets can be removed for some fun action.

So now you know "what" I am going to give and "why."  In the next post, I will begin revealing just "how" I plan to execute this project in some wip posts.

So.....until next post ....

Carlin

Fortieth Wedding Anniversary --- the Good News and the Bad News

The Happy Couple

Well, nowadays, a fortieth wedding anniversary is something to be very excited about.  Of course, it is!  My sister and brother-in-law will be celebrating such an event this spring.  Now, the bad news ... what do you give a couple who are very well-established housewares-wise, just got back from a beautiful Hawaiian holiday early last year [both work, so taking leave cannot be done at the drop of a hat], and truly enjoy close friends and family with dinners at home and just relaxing in what free time they may be able to salvage outside of two separate, busy working schedules.

Well, I am so proud that they have had such a beautiful marriage and have such sucessful lives together and individually.  They have two incredible daughters who are both equally successful.  Perhaps you have run up against the dilemna of deciding on a gift that would be special enough for two such special people.  I wracked my brain morning and night for a couple of days and finally came up with an idea that I know won't be duplicated and will be enjoyed by both of them because it is so personal and it is a piece of art that will be personalized and one-of-a-kind.

Can you guess?  It's not a collage of their lives together (that's being done already and not by me), not a sterling silver engraved serving tray ....

Okay ... I am going to keep you in suspense and let you follow me on my ongoing blogs to see my anniversary work in progres as well as to understand that it has to do with my speciality of making 3-D art!  I will also give you hints to how you might adapt such a gift for your special couple's celebration or celebrations in the future.

So ..... hang on out there and catch the next installation in this Anniversary Idea!

See you soon .......

Carlin

Need Inspiration for Creating Doll Characters?

This winter weather has definitely knocked the creative edge out from under many doll artists.  Halloween and Christmas seem so far away and Easter has its perks but not like the Big Two.  Somehow our brains have shriveled up and withered as has any inspiration.

Well, to stoke my fizzling imagination, I first looked back at what I had done in the past year.  One group was particularly outstanding as far as getting very positive reception from doll fans.  The PumpkinHead family had a small group of fans that asked to see more.  In order to help me to design dolls that had that special "kick" to them, I wrote a short story description which lent character, personality and warmth to the family and allowed a connection between the dolls and clients.  By adding depth to the characters, I found that more potential clients were interested in returning to ask questions about them and to "relate."

After receiving requests to write about these PumpkinHeads, I needed for them to have a story, at least one in my own mind, so that I could introduce them to the "public."  They needed more involvement in their own lives (the PumpkinHeads) and therefore, they needed extended family and neighbors to plump up their purpose in life.  In developing another family, I felt I needed to learn more about the particular area in which the PumpkinHeads lived.  The description only mentioned a field in our Virginia mountains; there was no named location.

While having lunch with my hubby in a local family restaurant in Buena Vista (pronounced Bu-na Vista), I picked up on a conversation my husband was having across the table with a BV life-long resident named Red.  Seventy-year-old plus Red was talking about growing up in BV and some of the names of places long gone by, some of the city's past residents and a lot of local color that no tourist guide handbook would ever reveal.  I went home rolling all this "color" around in my head and decided to return the next day and sit down with Red and discuss more about his life.

Well, Red is a storyteller to rival Joel Harris (Uncle Remus stories) and he was delighted to have someone new to soak up his rendition of local history.  It was one of the most fascinating and enlightening afternoons in a local cafe over a salad and tea that I have ever spent.  By the time I got home, my head was bursting with characters, stories and adventures for my entire lifetime (or at least for the lieftime of my dolls.)

I started sketching characters, doing research on gourds, scribbling down names, descriptions and a wealth of rich Virginia history that I would have never been able to capture first-hand had I not taken the time to just listen that one afternoon.  Looking at my beginning effort with the PumpkinHead family, I realized that they were a bit sterile, but now a little man with a twinkle in his eye and a gift of gab has helped to breathe life into my otherwise Plain Janes.

If you find yourself in a creative brain fog, take an afternoon and go to the local cafe for a cup of java or tea, a bowl of homemade soup, piece of pie or a bowl of salad and just listen.  You'll be surprised at what creative gifts and inspirations are waiting for you in the most unlikely places right in your own backyard ... or "thair 'bouts."  You might even walk away having a new friend.

Avoiding the 7 Deadly Sins of Pattern Malpractice

I can't believe that it has been over 35 years since I started designing, teaching and writing patterns for dolls and puppets.  Being an insatiable pattern collector has only served to whet my appetite to create more characters and share the excitement of designing with others.

In my quest to share what I have learned through experience, I have written pattern instructions that I hope have served my clients and students well.  Here are some tips I thought I would share with prospective pattern designers:

1.  Include concise details and measurements where possible.
    
      One thing that has always been the "fingernails on the chalkboard" creepies for me is finding a written pattern that assumes that I am on the same level of sewing, painting, detailing or crafting experience as that of the author and does not instruct me with those finite details which allow me to be more successful in crafting the end product of my desire.  For example, simply stating, "Place front and back of fabrics together, sew, cut out and turn," leaves the beginner with a myriad of questions and hidden secrets of technique such as:  Cut with any seam allowances?  Clip curves?  What size seam allowances?  Smoothe curves?, etc.

For the very experienced crafter, anticipating all the problems by leaving out these details would prove to be a slight challenge, but for a novice customer, this would be a disaster and cause much frustration and, of course, a loss for the designer in future sales, not only from that client, but from others with whom she/he would be discussing those frustrations (or with an infinite number of contacts through blogging!).

2.  Include "Figure" drawings to show and visually explain a detail included in your instructions.

     Nothing can be more frustrating than to have a critical detail of the instructions explained in writing and, for the reader, not to have a clue about what the author has just said even though it was fairly well-stated.  Always include drawings to demonstrate and clarify complicated (or even simple) techniques or details.  These can be simple "stick" drawings or cartoon-ish renditions but make sure they are clear to the reader.

3.  Drawings of pattern pieces should be clear, legible and as crisp as possible.

     I hand-draw my pattern pieces and use a very fine Sharpie pen for the initial product.  I then send them to my son who "tweaks" these drawings with his PhotoShop skills and makes the lines clearer, bolder and very concise.  Without my son's expertise, my pattern templates would be perfectly concise enough for use in a pattern, but I prefer the professional look of this technical step-up.

     If you don't have the advantage of the extra fine design step, be sure that your drawings are concise and smear-proof.  Your hand-drawn creation can be accurate enough for production; however, it doesn't hurt to use "White-Out" or white paint, etc., or any other correction products to help smoothe out the little bumps and lumps that might occur in a handwritten pattern.  Always checkout a test run of your template copy before proceeding with copying and assembling your pattern package.

4.  Include an accurate listing of materials needed to create this design.
    
     List appropriate quantities of yardages of fabrics; colors of items used such as flosses for details (even list the colors, color numbers and manufacturing names to help your client to make decisions about their artwork), varieties of metals, etc.

     A listing of alternative items that could be substituted for a material (eg.:  muslin, flannel, cotton, etc.) is very helpful and very appreciated by your client.  A suggestion of detail accessories that may be used to enhance your finished product is also important, especially if the photo of the finished item on the pattern has accessories that are not included in the pattern.

5.  Never, never, never print pattern templates on both sides of the same page!!

     Directions can be printed on two sides of a page (I strongly suggest that pages always be numbered and that you print out a sample page and check if the paper you used is of good enough quality not to allow the printing from one side of the paper to interfere with the legibility of the printing on the opposite side).

     Pattern pieces to be used to cut out fabrics, wood, metals, etc., must be free of any "bleed-through" of other pattern pieces on the backside.  I never cut my original paper patterns out from the original pattern; however, some clients may do this and it would be impossible for them to execute the design with a double-sided pattern.  Do not cut corners here!!!  (No pun intended.)

6.  Number pages of the written instructions (at least).

     Numbering the pages in the Footer of the page is so helpful, especially if the client might be inclined to lay the instructions on the worktable.  One good sneeze or breeze could set a negative tone for the entire day.

     I also number the pattern template and figure pages.  I include the copyright information in the footer on every page and have found that including the name of the pattern in each footer also helps keep things organized.  If the client works like I do, ideas from several different patterns and resources help in the design process.  At the end of the project, it is so easy to reorganize patterns, sources, etc., properly and quickly if they are labelled.  In most word processing programs, once you set up your footer information, it is automatically placed on each page.

7.  Proofread your pattern and check and double-check your pattern templates.

     It is so crucial that you proofread your instructions. If there is time, it is important to do at least two to three proofreading sessions on a pattern for typos and in order to make sure that the instructions make sense.  I find it so valuable to make a doll from one of my patterns by simply following the directions that I have written.  You can't believe some of the interesting things I have found and/or caught and corrected before these went to publication.

     Always double-check that you have included all the pattern template pieces.  This needs no further explanation.  One experience of extreme embarrassment through neglect will be all you need to remember this one!


     So, I hope this has helped you to alleviate the Seven Deadly Sins of Pattern Malpractice.  I haven't included everything in this blog on pattern publishing, but I have saved that for another time!

Happy Designing !!

Carlin
Polly-Wog Patterns