A challenge winner!

Re-Imagine History Challenge on Doll Street Dreamers.

I'm so thrilled to announce that my doll, Origami, won Best Overall Doll in this challenge!

Congrats to all the entrants and the winners!

Skill level: Advanced/Professional

The Concept Behind Your Doll:During the great Exhibition at the Crystal palace in London in 1851, the Japanese Pavilion drew a lot of attention. The Japanese delegates were similarly enchanted with England and many remained there following the Exhibition. Their influence began to be seen in London fashion, with the wearing of kimono for the boudoir. This fashion began to creep into daily life, along with the following of the Japanese Shinto faith. By 1890, the two cultures had become well blended, and this fashion is the result. Origami wears a kimono bodice, with obi and a bustle and a full skirt over her petticoat. Origami is a devotee of Shintoism, revealed here by wearing a completely white outfit. The braid of white hair indicates her devotion. Devotees wear white for one year, as a testament to their faith and dedication

Describe your doll:My own design, this doll is a fusion of 1890 Victorian fashion and the Japanese aesthetic. The doll has a polymer clay head, hands and feet. The costume is created with crepe paper as homage to the Japanese art of paper folding, origami. The hat is an origami folded shape. 14″ high

The Historical Period You’ve Used:1890 Victorian England, blended with Japanese kimono

Wordless Wednesday

New York  fire escapes

Beat the Heat

It's a hot Friday here in Ottawa. I am playing hooky and getting some work done at home. Mostly watering the garden, which is not really hard work. Then the bookkeeping, which is!

I am aiming to get back to this figure I began some weeks ago. It's a Paverpol figure, which perfectly reflects life as it was the day I sculpted him. I designed it to be a companion piece to this one:

They will each sit on their own shelf, but face away from each other. The sentiments being of "Go Away" and "Stay."

Have I got it right?

Meanwhile, I'm hoping to see the Van Gogh show that is in town this summer. Plus, my online classes are starting to teach Yvette ( at A for Artistic) and Dance With the Stars (at Doll Street). Won't you join me? Click the images to register.

Yvette online class. Click here.

Dance With The Stars online class. Click here.

Wordless Wednesday

New York news

1812 dress

Last month I delivered this dress to Fort Wellington in Prescott, Ontario. Emily's dress was made using an Indian cotton sari. Based on an original dress design from 1812.

The wrap bodice is a nice variation from the usual square front neckline. In the second image, you can see the detachable under-sleeves. These snap onto the sleeve lining and give an option for varying the style and for cold days.

Forgive the boring background, but our fittings took place in their storage facility. When I get more clever with Photoshop, I'll fix the background. Anyone offering to help?

 

Online classes start soon!

I'm super excited to be teaching online again. I have two classes coming up this month - Yvette and Dance With The Stars.

I'm teaching Yvette online at A for Artistic. Yvette starts June 20th and costs $45. In this class we'll be making a cloth doll, then creating a costume for her reminiscent of the 18th century (think "Dangerous Liaisons!"), complete with corset. This 3 lesson class covers all you need to know to create Yvette, plus some variations to make a slightly different, country woman doll.

This class is being hosted by Doll Street Dreamers. Dance With The Stars and learn how to make not one, but two dolsl! We'll be exploring male and female caharcateristics, playing with air drying clay, needle sclupting, costuming and more!! It starts June 29th and costs $35. Click the high lighted words to go to Doll Street!

Fairy Doors

Deep in West Dorset, England, lies a magical hill. The woods and trees are old, the trunks covered in moss. If you look carefully among the trunks of the trees, you will spy the fairy doors. I am enchanted by fairy doors. the mystic portals into the realm of faerie.

Children are drawn to the doors and leave little presents and notes for the fairies. Sometimes they leave a wish. Some of these are poignant in their innocence "I wish my mummy and daddy lived together again." They brought tears to my eyes. Magic and mystery in the woods.

Can you resist the magic? Have you found fairy doors?