Relaxed Round Robin

Blogger seems to be cooperating for the time being, so here goes...
I belong to an internet doll club called Doll Street Dreamers, and I'm participating in the Relaxed Round Robin. Why Relaxed? There's NO rules - and if life gets in the way, no one is going to sweat the deadlines. I LOVE THIS GROUP! Not only is everyone really sweet and fun to talk to, but we're all playing really nice together!
Which is a good thing, because I am one of the ones holding up the show so to speak.
Anyway, this week - I managed to finish TWO of the dolls!
This doll belongs to Mary. I'm not that talented and really, really, really was nervous putting the face on someone else's doll. I even tried a new technique - cloth over, and shading with pastel pencils ala the fabulously talented Natalie Hamade.
Here is Mary's doll, complete with face, hair and red velvet turban:

She's off to Connie now!

Then onto Peggy's wild and colorful baby!

She didn't have much in the way of clothes, so I decided to add a skirt. There are 2 layers of tulle (turquoise and purple) and a turquoise embroidered overskirt. There are 2 ribbons for the waistband AND I added colorful ribbons around the waist. She decided to take over the throne to pose for her picture, and here she is:

She''ll be on her way to Connie's shortly.

I have one last doll belonging to Velia. I haven't opened the box yet, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do to her.

If you ever have the chance to do a Round Robin - grab it! This is FUN!

Blogger's At It Again...

Been trying to post - this @(#*&$^ website won't let me upload pix. I have alot to share with you - please stay tuned...

Pam Grose

OK, now that work is done sidetracking me for the week, on to more of Magic, Mischief and Mayhem...
Pam Grose has got to be one of the hardest working teachers in dollmaking! OMG, she will go from sun up to midnight and help every single whiny one of us with a smile on her face. She has more talent in her little finger than I have in my whole body and she can absolutely craft the most gorgeous things out of NOTHING.
The first weekend, we had our choice of making a Lil Monster or a cat. Being owned by multiple felines (see earlier blog post) I opted for the cat.
Here is a picture of my (almost) finished kitty:

And here is a picture of a cat Pam made for the silent auction:

Isn't this AWESOME?

Just to show you the other side of the coin, here is a picture of the Lil Monster's that one of my classmates did: Aren't they CUTE?!?! I really need to try this next.

The final weekend, we took cardboard, masking tape, newspaper and paper mache and made a throne. Here's mine with the first basecoat on it (metallic gold):

Can't wait to finish it!

See you tomorrow!

The Party's Over...

I am home (and exhausted).
Magic, Mischief and Mayhem was all that and more! If you have never attended a doll event - you owe it to yourself to go. The energy, the camraderie, the caring and the talent is just amazing! The artists from Australia that shared a tiny piece of their talents (and lives) with us is something not to be forgotten. I can't possibly show you everything at once, so I'll show you in bits and pieces.
I took two workshops with Di McDonald. Di is a mixed media artist that can take bits of NOTHING and turn in into something fun and fabulous! I actually finished BOTH pieces from my classes with Di!
Here's Di in all her glory showing Julie how to make a tyvek bead for her cuff:

And here is my beaded cuff:

Isn't this AWESOME?!?!?

In Di's workshop on the second weekend, we created a mixed media doll titled "I'm All Heart". When I first saw the doll, I immediately thought of how heart disease had affected my family. As I was making the doll, I turned it into a tribute for my Grandfather, who died at the age of 69 from Rheumatic Heart Disease. Poppy (that's what we called him) had ALWAYS been very active. When he retired, the extent of the disease that ravaged his body as a child showed it's ugly head. We tried to get him on a list for a heart transplant - but his doctors told him he wasn't a good candidate (ie - he was too old). He succumbed just a month before his 70th birthday in 1986. I still miss him!

Here's my doll: And here's a close up of her face:

She is VERY special because Di did the face for me! She was the demo doll for the class and she's MINE!

As much fun as the workshops were, I think the very bestest part was meeting all the people! I got to spend time with some old friends (Julie, Belinda, Annie and Judy) and I met new friends (Marcy, Leslie, Diane, Karol, Kimber, Rae, Kathleen) and so many others. AND I actually got to meet and hug my blog buddy, Natalie! Hi, Nat! It was SO good to meet you!

You all made the weekends SO special. I can't wait until next year!

Speaking of next year, there will be a Magic, Mischief and Mayhem AMERICAN Style in April. There are only a limited number of seats, so if you are thinking of coming - get that deposit in soon. The teachers will include Barbara Schoenoff and none other than my blog buddy, Natalie Hamade. I got to see one of Natalie's famous faces up close and personal at MM&M. Pictures do NOT do them justice! They positively GLOW! Natalie will be showing us her technique next April - you do NOT want to miss it.

For details, visit Annie's website at: http://www.anniedolls.com/mmmtrial2-07.htm

More pictures tomorrow!