Introducing Jeanne

Almost finished with this doll made of recycled items, before finishing her hair, I painted her lips. Then proceeded to touch and smear the paint. I thought of giving her the lipstick and claim that she had done it all by herself!! But then I just painted over the entire face and re-did her features, and gave her a whole new hairstyle. And a handbag.   She is 24 inches tall.

Her dress is a jeans leg, her arms and head cut from a ladies lingeree, her blouse and purse are an old handkerchief. Her skirt is stuffed with plastic grocery bags. Her hair is wool roving. Her name is Jeanne. I think Carole Jeanne would have been good, too. 

Spring Housecleaning

I've been sprucing up the blogs (this one, and Photos) today, giving them fresh templates....new drapery, so-to-speak. Please leave a comment. Do you find them easier to view?  Any comments are always appreciated. To do that, click on the post heading (Spring housecleaning) or the word 'comment'. Write your comment, sign it if you wish, then under 'profile' you can select 'anonymous' if you don't have a 'profile'. 

Spot and Company

Spot now has his very own blog.
http://spotandcompany.blogspot.com/

April in color

Not much doll-making happening this month. Time out for visiting with guests. See another photo on http://photosbyvmw.blogspot.com/ .

One of The joys of Spring! 

Spring is here!

A beautiful spring day in Central Kentucky, and here I am fooling around on the computer, instead of playing in the sunshine!  I've finished a doll this month and created a pattern for her, which is rather time-consuming. Amazing how many corrections and little additions one has to make. After a dozen revisions, in the midst of printing a few copies, I find a letter missing or detail left out. Urg!  But it's done, and I have contacted a couple of pattern market site. http://www.clothdollpatterns.com/ has placed a small initial order, and will carry it on their website, among the hundred or so other artists' patterns. That's an honor to be among such talented company!! They should have it online soon.

Also, I have listed the pattern for Candice on http://www.etsy.com/  under Clothdollsbyvada2, and my own http://www.clothdollsbyvada.com/ . (See pictures of her at these last two places.)

Also, this winter I have been playing with a new graphics program, http://www.inkscape.com/ which was a free download. I love free things, don't you? I created this little graphic with it.



Out of Hibernation

Hello to everyone. Is it Spring YET?
I have done very little dollmaking this winter, and all of my latest activity is posted on my other blog....http://clothdollsbyvada.com/ where I have posted a few pictures now and then, and today added a pair of  patterns.  (Betty Anne and Bitsy) These were online 'freebies', but I can no longer find them there.
 So I will share them, Sweet Raggedy Ann style dolls, easy to make. Enjoy. (as seen in a much earlier post, betty-anne-and-bitsy)

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

I now also have another blog titled: Cloth Dolls By Vada with it's own domain:  Check out http://www.clothdollsbyvada.com/
I have set that one up with pages for my dolls, dolls for sale directly from me, free patterns (pdf files), my photography, stories, etc., and other miscellaneous nonsense.  The pages there will support the pdf files, as well as many other types, so you can easily download any patterns I post there. I hope to have some ready in the near future. 
Be sure to visit all the pages listed in the menu.

Merry  Christmas, everyone!

All dressed up and ready to go....

 Ready to be delivered.
Final touches included a new hairdo for one, and handbags for both.  

Just in time for Christmas...gifts, that is.

At last,  I've completed the two dolls I've been doing on comission. These have been a challenge, as my creativity was making a great effort to take a vacation. I started with the pattern, Contessa, by Michelle Munzone, from the November issue of Soft Dolls and Animals. I made several tops for the one in pink, before settling on this one, but knew I wanted to use the pink dotted for her skirt. The black and white fabric and dotted ribbon were an easy choice. I made the shoes out of polymer clay, glued on the ribbons, adding an insole to cover them. They were fun to make.
These two lovely ladies, Donna and Maria, have a gift shop here in Versailles,  full of colorful, unique and fun things: Pretty In Pink.

All dolled up and somewhere to go !!

Wow, Those red and green 'silks' provided a real thrill yesterday! (Saturday)  Pluck won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (for two-year-old colts). Watch it here:

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dco5DvqQ89yY&h=54846

And, they're off!.....

Well, perhaps a 'horse of a different color'!

 PLUCK, 

Team Valor's entry in the Juvenile Turf  is very dark bay-nearly black.  His race will be run at 1:50 pm Eastern time, Saturday, Nov. 6th.
The Breeders' Cup World Championships 2010 takes place at Churchill Downs, in Louisville, KY. Nov 5 and 6.
 You can watch them on ABC and/or ESPN.  Pick your favorites, and enjoy a day at the races, from your living room, because it's going to be a very cold weekend !!  We're expecting our first frost on Friday night.

The derby display (below) featured the horse and some of my dolls, in spring, 2006. All the jockeys (fifty of them!) were a special order and became corporate Christmas gifts for select clients! They were a real challenge, and never again will I commit to more than one of anything. Ha! But they were fun, too, and each had his own personality.

One Hundred and Two !!

I made this doll a few years ago, and he reminded me so much of (step-?) uncle Ard, that I named him "Old Mr. Ardmore".

Seemed a logical  subject for a Birthday Card on the occasion of Ard's ONE HUNDRED AND SECOND birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ARD STEPHENS!!!