Wymzee Art Friends Showcase

Past and Present

2011-11-29T10:17:00.000-08:00

Wymzee Art is proud to present...

A present look at a few of our past spotlights…

Paula Nerhus
aRt dOlLs, pHoTogRapHy, aNd DeSiGn

The art moth doll- is about 29" tall. She is free standing in a wooden base. To see additional photos of her please visit her FLICKER
Available to purchase on Etsy

Bonnie Jones
One of A Kind (OOAK) Figurative Sculptures

This tiny 7" Figure is sculpted from paper clay over a strong wire armature. She is dressed in hand dyed silk and antique lace; her headdress is an antique silver piece. The wings are mixed media and her base is paper clay decorated with silver leaf. She is OOAK never to be created again.
Available to purchase on Etsy

Laurence of Feltoohlala
Needle felted dolls with love

DREAM is an art doll, needle felted over an armature which allows different poses, one of a kind and my own design ,and won't be reproduced. She stands at 16 inches, 40cm on a wooden square base of 7x7 inches (18 cm).
Her dogs are about 8 inches tall top of the head...one black the other white. Their eyes are resin and paper clay and made by me.
Layaway and international shipping.
Available to purchase on Etsy

Marinart
By Marina

This decorative doll is 13 inches tall, jointed legs, shelf sitter. Her arms can take any pose. Sculpted out of Paperclay and painted with acrylic paints. She is a ooak. Her dress is not removable and her hair is soft tibetan mohair permanently attached to her head. Freshwater pearls adorn her hair and glass beads are her knees. Her legs are dangling. She can stand only with an appropriate doll stand.
I will make one for her for free if you request it.
"There will be only one of her"
Available to purchase on Etsy

Abi Monroe
OOAK Clay Art Dolls

A custom doll for you…The doll will be made from Paperclay and Puppen Fimo, painted with Golden acrylics, with a Gesso undercoat, and finished with Perfix Coloulress Fixative, for long lasting protection. The doll will be between 12-14" tall. The rest is up to you. Layaway is available.
Available to purchase on Etsy

Tirelessartist

I have made this doll in a spirit of steampunk thinking of how simple and at the same time complicated we are.
Sometimes we are happy, sometimes we are sad. One day we see just bright colors and the other it seems that the whole world is sinking in the darkness… Actually the world is always the same, and it has nothing to do with how we feel. We get confused, and we seek for the reasons, because we simply forget, that all we are just biological machines with thousands of chemical and physical processes in us. We can be affected by something, or we can break without any obvious reason – the most important is to understand that and to try to repair us as soon as possible.
Available for purchase on Etsy

Sarah Dressler

2011-10-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

Wymzee Art proudly presents
Sarah Dressler
AKA
ToadstoolsNTreestump

Sarah lives in St. Georges, Delaware, USA. She teaches mixed media/art exploration classes for children & teens, part-time. An extraordinary amount of her time is occupied by duties as a "band mom." That will make sense to anyone with a history or present involvement with a school marching band. It is teaching Sarah a lot about organization, fitting uniforms, sewing flags, feeding large groups of kids quickly and a hint of general parenting to 80+ teenagers.

Sarah told me she has been making, drawing, and painting things, for as long as she can remember. In 1989 she earned a BFA from The University of the Arts, in Philadelphia, PA in Metals/Jewelry. She has been painting and doing calligraphy for the SCA for about a decade – and feels there is something satisfying about painting miniatures and the attention to tiny details such work requires.

I asked her what kind of crafts or art she purchases for herself and Sarah told me…
“There is no one category of craft/art that I purchase for myself, though fantasy and woodsy/earthy stuff often tempts me. My home was built in the 1860s and is decorated in an eclectic mix of styles that all seem to work with each other pretty harmoniously. So, a wide variety of art is on my walls and shelves.

Sarah doesn’t really have a favorite season to create and she says she dabbles in a variety of mediums when she is working. When she starts to feel blocked in one medium she will shift to another, sometimes the different disciplines inform each other and inspire ideas that work for multiple projects. Miniature paintings offer details that work for costumes or character ideas in my art dolls. Jewelry can get scaled back to fit a doll. A doll's colors or aesthetic may inspire a painting or even jewelry.”

"Each season has its own sources of inspiration. During the summer I find myself thinking about sea creatures - mermaids and the like. This summer I decided to make a collection of the four seasons. One doll for each season, and in the middle of the heat wave it was lovely to be making a doll inspired by snow. There is something magical about spring and fall, those times of transition when you cannot predict the weather or what kinds of colors you may discover in unexpected places are probably my favorites, if I were to narrow it down."

Sarah says her husband is very supportive of her artistic endeavors - he even helps with her bookkeeping. Sarah thinks her kids are not only supportive but are occasionally helpful. When her daughter was about 6, she was my initial incentive to start making dolls. She wanted a small cloth faerie doll she had seen at a friend’s house. We could not get one like it, as they had been discontinued, so Sarah thought she could make something similar. It had simple tube shaped limbs given definition by tying thread tightly around joints. Her daughter was thrilled with her first attempts but Sarah got bored working on such simple ideas and it felt like cheating using a commercial doll as her source of inspiration. Soon after that, she started drawing her own more lifelike patterns with shaped limbs. Eventually Sarah opted to start playing with realistic and more fantastical proportions. Her son got tired of her making "girl" dolls and requested something for boys - to be specific a brachiosaurus. Sarah made him one but was not inspired to make more dinosaurs, but trolls, goblins, brownies and spirit dolls grew out of that gentle nudge out of her comfortable box. Nearly a decade later, Sarah keeps pushing herself to learn new techniques and how to work with other materials. Needle felting is one of her newest areas of experimentation. Her son was thrilled and subsequently requested some dragons and alligators... Sarah feels his enthusiasm is about as good as family support can get. I think so too.

Sarah’s newest project is making dolls with their own settings. Until recently she had been photographing her dolls in a diorama, a woodland scene to give them a sense of place. She told me, ” I can't sell my photo backdrop so I have started providing some of my dolls with a small set piece - a nest, a chunk of bark, a mossy platform covered in leaves... I am about to start some household brownies - dolls sitting on mini chest of drawers, on a jewelry box, lanterns and maybe even a small bird cage.”

Along with teaching art classes, Sarah is looking into teaching doll making workshops. She has donated dolls, jewelry, calligraphy and paintings to a variety of organizations and causes that were looking for items for auctions or fundraising events. Sarah feels it is a wonderful feeling to be able to contribute something that will be appreciated in a variety of ways. She feels the monies raised are good but she loves to see/hear about the reactions of people who wanted some of her work and won a piece while donating money to a good cause.

Sarah sells on Etsy her only online shop, but she does occasional craft shows and is looking forward to her third year as a vendor at Faerie Con.

I asked Sarah what tools and supplies do you most use in your work?
“For my dolls, my favorite fabrics are quilter’s cottons. I am particularly fond of batik cottons. I love the sense of freedom in the colors those techniques produce. For doll wings, I love playing with Angelina films and fibers, sometimes incorporating wires, sequins and beads as well. My dolls’ hair is usually either Yadeno Mohair, or a combination of eyelash yarns. I use a technique called needle felting to attach the hair. Until sometime in the last a couple of years, all my dolls were completely hand sewn. I have finally made peace with my sewing machine and most of the seams on the dolls bodies are machine sewn. I use John James long darning needles for the rest of the hand sewing. My favorite materials in my jewelry making are pearls, every color and shape. I love the ethereal quality of the light they reflect. I also love moonstone, garnets and amethysts, among others. I generally use accuflex 49 strand beading wire. It’s as flexible as thread but is made of steel, so it is very strong and it means I never have to thread a beading needle again.”

I get inspired by listening to music and wanted to know if Sarah did also. “Sometimes I have music on (jazz, classical, world, movie soundtracks, celtic, and the occasional pop or rock song), especially if I am doing calligraphy, it's less distracting and less likely to invite wording mistakes. When I am sewing or painting I love to listen to audio books. It's the favorite way to multitask. The local library has a fair selection of audio books but some I loved so much I've slowly started collecting my own. So far it is a pretty eclectic mix of classic literature and fantasy, as well as a few chick-lit books. It is fun to get lost in stories while working on the more tedious aspects of my work; like cutting out, turning, stuffing doll body parts, stringing beads after the design of a necklace is completed, or needle felting dolls.”

Sarah gets inspiration from a lot of places, but a few seem to factor more heavily in her work. “For example the paintings of Brian Froud and the astonishingly beautiful dolls of his wife Wendy Froud never fail to inspire me. Looking at one of Brian Froud's books was what gave me license to break free of the expected proportions of human inspired dolls. Suddenly I felt free to give them enormous noses, giant heads and tiny bodies, super long limbs, feet and hands, and more modest torsos or heads. I frequently work free of patterns altogether and just draw doll parts onto the fabric and start sewing eager to see exactly what will come of such freedom from planning.”

I always wonder what information each artist would share to help others who are trying to be successful in an online business.
Sarah told me, “While I have yet to learn the secret to doing it successfully, promotion seems to be the key to success. You can make the most exquisite art in the world, and have a very well organized office and bookkeeping system to track sales and lovely packaging to ship things in, but if no one knows of your work or how to find it you will never make enough sales to be successful. Promotion on and off of the internet will get your name and images of your work out to the larger population and working to target your potential fans will help grow your following and your work will sell.”

I like to know what each artist collects and Sarah says she’s been known to collect hedge hog items, as they are just so adorable. When my family goes for walks in the woods or camping I often take a bag with me to collect occasional pine cones, acorns, bits of lichen or some bits of mossy bark on the forest floor. Many of them find their way into my work”.

Sarah has been published with 5 dolls in Art Doll Quarterly a few years ago. She has submitted her Four Season dolls for possible inclusion in a magazine but she won’t say which one. (She doesn’t want to jinx them, so I won't say anymore.)
To see and read more about Sarah join her on facebook.

Cheyanne Payne

2011-09-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

Wymzee Art proudly presents
Miss Oblivious
AKA
Paynecreation Dolls
who now works under the name
KOOK Teflon

Miss Oblivious, is a California native living in Seattle since 2006, yet striving for a residency in Louisiana. She left her heart in New Orleans! Miss Oblivious is a doll-maker, photographer, painter, zine publisher, writer, film-maker, promoter, producer, and art instructor. She also takes time out to be a Pike Place Market Ghost Tour guide. Miss Oblivious is inspired by people and events that embody the underbelly of society, including, but not limited to, the dust-bowl glamour of traveling sideshows, circuses, the dark history of the French Quarter and the unacknowledged icons of queer culture.

She’s been with the same man for almost 12 years and has 2 children (8 yrs& 14 yrs old). All of them are very supportive and her husband supports her in any way possible to make her dreams come true.

Miss Oblivious went to school for graphic arts in 1991 and has been a zine publisher since 1994. She fronted a band from 1999-2003, NAG. She has been making dolls since 2005.

Her favorite crafts to buy, sell or make are dark historical and fictional folk art. When asked what is her favorite season to create for, she answered, “Damp, cold, Halloween season, of course!”

She loves to collect vintage prostitution books, old dolls, sock garters and her sons’ artwork.

Her newest project is a book, centered around a fictional town she created in Louisiana. This is based on different doll collections and is called "Bereavement Louisiana". She is also working on a collection for the second annual "Carnival of Saints".

Miss Oblivious sells her items on:
Etsy
Ragin Daisy
Gargoyles

She also vends at various art and gallery shows in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland and (of course) New Orleans. She was also teaching from 2008-2010, but had to put it aside due to a full schedule.

She gets inspiration from Dame Darcy , citing her full time (24/7) dedication to her art.
Her biggest influence in art, after Dame Darcy is Madame Talbot; Claude Cahun; turn of the century Mardi Gras; Anita Berber; Marie Laveau; Haunted (United States) History; and frequent visits to the Big Easy.

She loves recreating or creating historical persons. The dolls bodies are all hand-stitched from new cotton or felt. She normally strides to use as much vintage fabrics for her dolls as possible. Most of the time the fabrics she uses will come from antique dresses, doilies/hankies, or household items which she reforms into the dolls attire. She also places a eucalyptus nut in most of her dolls. These nuts come from 19th century trees planted in the San Francisco estate of former New Orleans resident and voodoo priestess, civil rights advocate, Mary Ellen Pleasant.

If she could live anywhere in the world, I ask for her first choice. She answered, not surprisingly, “New Orleans of course, inside of a big decrepit home in the French quarter, with my husband and children. “I find inspiration from the air, streets, sounds, religion and stories of the quarter. My one year goal is to have all my travel paid for and my book finished. My book is based on a few different collections of dolls I have created.
In five years, I plan on being a full time Louisiana resident. Within ten years, I can think only of New Orleans, and living in a world of perpetual ruinous glamour. I'd love to own a specialty doll/art curio shop/gallery in the quarter, maybe a house on Esplanade.
I dream of making dolls all day & night and owning a pet goat.”

I always ask what info you’d like to share to help other be successful in an online business and she told me to be consistent and passionate with your work. The rest will follow.

Her inspiring art work was the subject of a March 2010 feature article in New Orleans’ Cue magazine. She has also been seen in METRO, SEATTLE SINNER and Stretched Canvas Art Mag. Miss Oblivious has had her dolls and photographs exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. She is a regular participant in art and photography exhibits in New Orleans, including Poets Gallery,
Ragin Daisy, The Darkroom and RHINO.

To learn more about this talented artist You can find her online at:
Her Blog
Facebook

Kandi Ali-Watkins

2011-09-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

Wymzee Art is proud to present
Kandi Ali-Watkins
(in the art world she goes by Kali)
AKA
Water Scissors Paper

Kali is a California girl originally from Northern California and still considers the Bay Area her home. She now resides in El Segundo, California. Kali says to think of Mayberry as an example. It is a very small town where everybody knows your name.

Kali has been an artist since middle school where she would write little stories and illustrate them. She also took a drawing class in 9th grade and loved it. Unfortunately, after high school she says she didn't do anything artistic again for about 10 years. Kali loves anything that is visually stimulating. She loves to cook, read, watch movies, and paint with her fingers.

Kali loves to make primitive and whimsical pieces and she is usually drawn to the same in her liking of items. Kali likes to collect angels, old books and teacups. Her favorite season to create for is winter/Christmas. She told me her second son was born on Dec. 26th. She loves everything about Winter.

Kali is currently a stay at home mom to 4 sons, ages 6-16, but worked as a social worker in her other life. She and her husband originally met as Freshman at UC Berkeley and have been together ever since. Her husband and kids are her cheerleaders. Kali often asks them for their opinion on what she’s making, and will often go with their suggestions.

Currently she is working on inspirational ornaments and wall art. She told me “I like my art to say things that are thought provoking and not always polite. One piece that I especially love is a bird ornament that reads, "dear fear, i am ending this affair". She loves it because she thinks a lot of people, especially artists, struggle with fear. Kali says life really does open up when you let fear go. Selling your art/craft is such a vulnerable thing to do. It can bring up a lot of "issues” about acceptance and rejection. Kali has just started designing a line of rubber stamps and hopes they make their debut around Christmas.

Kali currently sells all her clay creations on etsy. She also sells paintings on etsy and ebay. She would love to teach a class someday, but hasn’t done so yet and she often donates items for charity.

Kali told me she is inspired by so many people. Words inspire her the most. Poetry (all) and the bible are her favorites. One artist who is inspiring her lately is Anahata Katkin. Her work is fearless. Kandi also a big fan of Yoshimoto Nara.

I asked her what information she would like to share to help other be successful in an online business. Kali told me, “ I would like to tell anyone starting out in an online business to take their time. It can be a slow process but well worth it. In the beginning, I stalked my favorite artists and people who do well in the business. By stalk I mean I followed their blogs, signed up for online classes that they offered, and watched how they promoted themselves. I would also suggest researching anything and everything on pricing. Check books out from your local library, read and take notes. It does not happen over night. And lastly, be yourself.”

Two of Kali's dolls were featured in the winter issue(Jan. 2011) of Art Dolls Quarterly. One collage and two brooches will be in the Christmas edition of Somerset Studios 2011.

Please visit Kali's blog and flickr to see more of this wonderful talented artist!
Blog
Flickr

Kandra Niagra

2011-08-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

Wymzee art is proud to present
Kandra Niagra
AKA
Wee People Dolls

Kandra was raised on the shores of eastern Long Island and went to college on the plateaus of western New York State, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. Kandra now lives in Smithville, Texas, or Podunk Ville, as she calls it.

She is not married, has one grown daughter and lives by herself in complete bliss and freedom. Kandra lives in the country with two chickens, three cats and one dog. All her life she had been afraid to live alone. Now, she says “what on earth was I thinking“. She LOVEs having everything her own way. Having supported herself and raised her daughter and making dolls for 31 years. She estimates 8000+ dolls over those years.

Kandra is also a wonderful painter! You can see her paintings on this blog.

She loves folk art and Whimsy too and has seen the Mona Lisa in the Louvre in Paris. With that said, she is totally NOT into stuffy old Fine Art. Exceptions: the Impressionists (Van Gogh's paintings hit her in the chest and nearly knocked the breath out of her) and of course, her life-long love, Leonardo DaVinci. He inspires her and she loves Leonardo Da Vinci for his eyes.

Other people who inspire her are anyone who thinks outside the box. There is so much inspiration out there online, Kandra says she couldn't possibly mention every person, but Nick Cave is at the top of her very long list.

Her favorite season to create for? Hands down: Halloween.

Kandra has a Doll Teaching Studio at her home in Smithville, Texas. She teaches Dollmaking Classes in the summers and winters. Check out her newsletter You can see her last newsletter for the story on the Red Hatters Dollmaking Class in July.

Kandra was published in Texas Highways Magazine back in 1983 (December Issue) and Wee Peeple were the cover story for the Hill Country Reporter in October of 2004.
Currently, She can be seen at her Wee Peeple Newsletter.

In her Newsletters you will always find what is new for her each month. The links to the Newsletters are all on the left-hand side on her Homepage .

Kandra’s newest project is “The Doll Arbors: Portals to the Unknown” These Arbors have themes, like "Rose Garden" "Steampunk" "Ivy Trellis" etc. Each archway is a one-of-a-kind construction, just like each of her dolls. They frame the dolls and create an "Environment" around them. Go here
and scroll down to view them.

Kandra sells at 2 Renaissance Festival Shops in Texas, works out of her studio, where she also has classes and publishes the “Wee Peeple Newsletter” each month. That goes out to about 1000 customers each time. Her main two locations are: (in the Spring) Scarborough Faire (a Renaissance Festival) in Waxahachie, Texas, and (in the Fall), The Texas Renaissance Festival in Plantersville, Texas .

Each one of these shows run for 8 weekends (April-May and October-November). She also uses ETSY and sells dolls listed on her own website, http://weepeeple.com/ . She also does a Woman's Conference, one weekend in February. She hosts this in a different city, each year.

For her own facebook page and for the Wee Peeple Doll Constructions.

She is also super into creating her own Online Graphics, animations and comic strips.

As always, I want to know what, if any, information or advise she would share with others trying to be successful in an online business.

Kandra told me “ I give a ten percent repeat customer discount to every single person who has ever bought a doll from me at one of my shops and comes back for more. I don't know much about online sales, but I know that the 10% repeat customer discount is a successful action. There are certain days at the Festivals when 90% of my customers are repeat customers. I know this because I make a note of the discounts I give them. I have also been known to give a free doll to anyone who has purchased 20 dolls from me. My best customer ever currently owns 93 of my dolls.”

I think it is fun to find out what artists collect for themselves and I asked Kandra what she collects. Her replay, “Oh boy, lots of things. Holey stones, fossils, crystals (I don't purchase them, but I do hunt for them). Any stone that has a naturally occurring concentric circle pattern in it.. Also, I do collect miniature teapots, red hats, books by my favorite authors, vases with faces in them. Really, all sorts of things, but mostly I collect odds and ends that can be used in doll making, including metal things that look like they could be used to make anything “Steampunk“. I love that stuff and just about anything with wheels and gadgets that have cranks.”

To see more of this wonderfully talented artist visit any of her links for ….
Kandra Niagra, a Dollmaker and Painter.

Jessie Lawson

2011-08-06T19:42:00.000-07:00

Wymzee Art is proud to present
Jessie Lawson
AKA
Flying Cat Arthouse

Jessie Lawson recently moved from Columbia, Missouri to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jessie had planned on living in Missouri to retire, but sometimes plans change. Her son lives in Minneapolis and Jessie loves Minneapolis. Basically, she considers herself a city girl, as she grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area (hey, that’s where my hubby works). Jessie says there is a lot of art activity in Minneapolis that she is just beginning to explore.

Jessie finally retired and recently turned 70 (should we all be so lucky). The retired thing really only applies to stuff other than making art. She says she plans to continue that for as long as she lives. Jessie earned a Ph.D. in English literature and was involved in higher education for years. She moved to Missouri where she continued teaching and opened two art galleries. Jessie, along with her partners, wanted to focus on local talent, so they pushed local art and crafts to the forefront.

Jessie started working in visual arts, first as a painter. She really did not expand to other venues until her mid-50s and is basically self-taught. She never went to art school, but really, isn’t everyone basically self-taught? We all follow our dream and go where our talent takes us. Jessie learned from the years she spent looking at art.

Jessie feels her art is very much based on her own imaginative vision of what you might call another reality. You will see the same characters (hybrid beings: cat people, bird people, etc.) appearing in paintings, in collages, in mixed media pieces, and as art dolls. Jessie says she guesses her imaginary beings are best described as "fantasy” and her favorite season to create? You name it, she is game for all of them!

The Flying Cat Arthouse specializes in cat people, and other hybrid beings, in fancy dress. You will find original, one of a kind art, ranging from collages, digital reproductions and other skills too numerous to mention.

Jessie recently became co-owner of an old, two-story duplex; with her son, his partner,and their dogs and cats who live downstairs and her three cats and she live upstairs. They are really living the dream. A big garden, lots of companionship, plenty of privacy, coupled with her living environment being supportive of all of her creative endeavors.

I asked about her newest project and was told she is generally working on several projects. For example, right now she is working on a number of dolls who are in the process. Their heads and hands are awaiting appropriate bodies.
But the project that's foremost in her mind is a medieval cat calendar. She is painting twelve 12" x 16" canvases. One for each month of the year, which she will then reproduce in a calendar format. Hopefully she will have this ready for release in time for the holidays.”

Jessie sells on Etsy, and in various small galleries. She hopes to expand her local sales as she settles into her new home. Look for her at the following locations. Plus, Jessie sells fabric on Spoonflower and below is an example of her fabric.

Her Etsy site:
Her Spoonflower site:

I asked if she teach classes, or donates her time and work to support other groups or people. Jessie told me she has taught courses in collage-making, developing your creative potential. This is in addition to University-level courses in her academic field.
Jessie also has donated alot of her work to various organizations for fund-raising. By and large, she has donated everything from postcards to paintings.

I asked Jessie about her inspiration that she uses in her work. She says Matisse and Picasso are the painters who have inspired her the most, but goes beyond these limits and says she has learned from and gained inspiration from so many artists that she can't really count them all. Jessie says medieval art has a big influence on her. She did as series of “Vermeercats“, based on the 17th century paintings of Johannes Vermeer. Jessie has done paintings that are influenced by German Expressionists of the late 19th-early 20th century and the list goes on and on.

I asked her what she would share with others seeking to be successful in an online business. Jessie told me to always do art because you love it and have a vision to follow. Follow your vision, not the popular trends of others. Believe in what you do and success will find you. Great advice!

Jessie doesn’t collect things for herself. She does acquire things that speak to her imagination. She says she has been in the local newspaper quite a lot over the past ten years (this would be in Columbia--the Columbia Daily Tribune). Why don’t I find that hard to believe. I think this is one very talented lady and artist that will be fun and inspiring to follow.

Visit Jessie’s Flying Cat Arthouse page on facebook, and "like" it (in the official Facebook way). There you'll be able to see more of her work. If you see anything of interest, send her a message.

Jessie says…
“Every piece of art I create, regardless of the medium in which I'm working, represents a special, slightly weird world, inhabited by hybrid human/animal creatures that are generally having a good time. That's the place that my imagination inhabits, and it's the source of all my inspiration.”

See you next time for another spotlight on an inspiring artist. If you like what you read, let me know.

Marina Lenzino

2011-07-25T07:37:00.001-07:00

We are proud to present
Marina Lenzino
AKA
Marina's Art Dolls
and
Cherry Pie Art Stamps

Marina says she is an Italian artist residing in Largo, FL (Tampa Bay) since 2001. Her main occupation is designing and manufacturing rubber stamps for her own company Cherry Pie Art Stamps since 1991.

Marina draws, manufactures, packages and ships each rubber stamp. She is her own webmaster and she does anything a full fledged business needs to do. The business is now only online www.cherrypieartstamps.com. Marina used to travel a lot around Europe and the US for stamp shows but, says she is now retired from that nomadic life and uses the internet alone.

I asked her how long she had been an artist and she told me
“ Since I could sit straight and hold a pencil in my hand. My mom told me that I was 9 months old and sitting on my high chair and being noisy (probably from boredom) so she gave me a piece of paper and a pencil and I immediately grabbed it and started scribbling on the paper. I stopped bothering right away“.

Her earlier memories are of drawing and coloring for hours. In her teens she started painting and has never stopped. Although, lately she has been sculpting a lot more.

Marina thinks art dolls are her top 1 interest and she caught the bug in the summer of 2008. She’s a gal with many interests and hobbies but dolls are taking over as number one!

She likes many kinds of dolls, but has a soft spot for those with movable parts like ball jointed dolls or other simpler jointed parts. She likes to pose them. If they don't move, she doesn’t consider them dolls. They're figurines to her.

Marina says she doesn’t create seasonal items but since she has a special inclination to magic, witches and fantasy, you could say she could be a Halloween artist if she had to really choose a season.

Marina is married with one son......She says she is the only girl there so she doesn’t get a lot of inspiration from them!

Her cat Misty (the other girl in the family) inspired her lately to making some miniature dolls that she calls Mistydolls :-)
They're little dressed kitties and so cute.

I asked what her newest project is and she told me..
“Right now I just finished making a winter princess (go figure, a winter princess in Florida's July!).” (I can tell she is longing already for the cooler days). This doll is a sitter doll with dangling legs that I so love making.

Her next project is to start working on a Ball jointed doll. Possibly one she wants to reproduce with molds. She recently purchased a kiln and is learning to make porcelain dolls and molds. There is a lot of technique involved so Marina says she is still far from ready to go into business but eventually she will get there!

Marina sells her dolls on
etsy
She also sells Paperclay on Etsy and on Ebay.
her ebay ID marinainflorida
blog
flickr

I wanted to know if she teaches any classes but she said she doesn’t teach classes as she feels she is still learning herself. She recently made a tutorial for making doll eyes that she posted on her blog for free and told me she might make more photo tutorials in the future.

Marina often gets asked how to do this or that and she said “I'm always happy to share and help. I have no secret techniques“.
Marina doesn’t have a special group she supports but she does donate now and then for good causes and especially when animals are involved.

I’m always interested to know who inspires them and Marina said she couldn’t mention one and she can't even mention ten. She told me “I am in daily awe at the wealth of artists I find online“.
She loves looking around on etsy and flickr any time she has a minute to spare. She says it’s like going to an infinite number of art galleries and she goes crazy at all the fantastic ideas and styles and art she sees there.
Each one is inspiring her and pushing her to do more and better.

I always like to know what info she would share to help other be successful in an online business and she said:
“Being out there a lot is sure useful to get your name around, but I think you also have to offer an original product. Something special and unique. Something with your own style at a fair price....... easier said than done!”

I wanted to know what she likes to collect for herself and she said “officially nothing....... LOL so why do I have so much stuff around??? I guess I don't collect anything specific but I buy pretty things. I used to collect tea pots and cat figurines so I have quite a few of them. Now I've been buying vintage Charlotte dolls and I've already filled a shelf of my china cabinet..... I like miniatures and I make dollhouses too“.

Marina was the featured doll artist in Art Doll Quarterly Autumn 2010. She told me it was a bit crazy and premature for me to be featured. She confessed to me that she didn't understand it was such an important feature otherwise she would have probably asked to postpone the honor because she had made only a few dolls at that time and not even such good ones.

Then her BJD Alice was published again on ADQ spring of 2011 and her little witch Nina is coming up in the next issue Aug 2011.

I couldn't wait to see how the article turned out in the August 2011 issue so off I went looking and found it. Good luck to Marina in all that she does!

Kim Matheny

2011-07-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

We are proud to present
Kim Matheny
Aka
HomespunDolls

Kim lives in Pocahontas, Arkansas USA. She is a self-taught doll artist and her other job is owning a Hair Salon.
All hair stylists are artists you know!

Kim has sketched and painted since she was a little girl, her aunt remembers her drawing clothes designs when she was 4 or 5. Kim started needle-felting dolls in June 2010 after her mother was diagnosed with cancer, it was a way to de-stress and clear her head.

A few months later she started sculpting dolls from clay. She loves to make OOAK sculpted dolls and use wool fibers, polymer clay, fabric and embellishments. She's heard her dolls described as so ugly they are cute!
They love to frown, scowl, and pout...
sometimes, though rarely they do smile.

Kim’s art dolls are all fantasy, little elves, ogres and goblins they are her creations. She likes them to be a bit on the ugly cute side and to look like they found their clothing and props around the house and in the nature all around them.When possible she uses vintage fabrics and trim on their outfits.

Her favorite crafts to buy are old Victorian arts and crafts. She also collects Books and Zombie anything! She recently re-did her living room with a vintage zombie steampunk look.
Kim also likes to collect the old cabinet card photos, the more bizarre facial expressions and outfits the better she likes them.

Kim and her mom would always discuss the newest elf when she went with her mom on her trips to chemo. Her mother always supported Kim’s creating.
Kim also gets her husbands opinion when she finishes a dolls face and at their final completion. Her Auntie, (Aunt Diane) is one of her biggest supporters, she has encouraged Kim from the beginning. Kim has another Aunt, (Aunt Marilyn) who has given her some of the most beautiful vintage trims she has found while "thrifting". Kim told me she has been encouraged by everyone in her family to continue.

Kim is married to J and she has two wonderful boys, Tyler 20 and Kanyon 11. She also has 2 dogs who are like kids named Angus and JooJoo.

Her newest project she just finished is Belladona a Acrobatic elf and she recently started another goblin. She’s seeing him with all his little warts and a very ragtag but fancy outfit, in a goblinish sort of way.

You can find Kim on
Etsy
facebook
Her Twitter id @HomespunDolls
and her blog

When Kim first started learning she told me she looked online for videos and tutorials and still does. She hasn’t taught any classes but if someone is interested and asks how to do something she begins to tell them what she knows and encourages them as much as she can. She donated a doll to one of the Relay for Life teams auctions recently and was so honored they asked her to do it.

Her favorite designer who inspires her is
Kamila Mlynarczk of WoodedWoods,
FairyStudioKallies,
Lorell Lehman,
Brian Froud.
Kim says she gets inspiration from the books she reads too, ( she really loves young adult paranormal fiction). Sometimes she gets inspired from a vintage finding that she just knows would make great elf clothing or props. Her favorite season to create for is Fall. The colors and the cool weather just make her want to create.

I always want to know what information people would share to help others be successful in an online business and Kim told me…
“Make sure your pictures of your items are as clear and un-cluttered as possible ( this is something I'm still working on). Promote your work, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs. And remember it takes time, it will happen be persistent.”

One of Kim's needle-felted elves was featured in the 2010 Winter issue of "Celebrate 365".

Kim is a very proud member of Team ugly cute, Creating the Hive, the OOAK Guild, and Art Dolls Only Etsy team. I know we will see a lot more of her in the future after all who can resist those faces!

Jasmoon butterfly

2011-06-26T22:28:00.000-07:00

We are proud to present
Tracey-anne McCartney
AKA
Jasmoon butterfly 'Castles in her hair'

Trace lives in SW London, In the UK . She loves Jasmine , the magical moon and delicate butterflies. She is also a mixed media artist... Who loves Dolls, Bos pages, Hand-made books, Beeswax canvas, pyrography( art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks) and Jewelry.

Trace’s favorite mediums to work with are :
Clay, fabric, wood & paper...not to forget she loves paint and water colours! Trace has always expressed her minds day dreaming via art. Whether it be a few words, a sketch or a fully formed creation. Her personal interests are mythology ... lore, renaissance and mixed media.

Trace has always had a stirring within her, but she would say the visual form started with short fairy stories & pictures while growing up. As a child she always created a story, or sketches of other worlds.

She was fascinated with nature and its ancient lore. As she grew older she continued drawing & painting mainly on paper and some wood panels. It was not until she got older that she realized that there were more materials and mediums to play with …yay! :0)

Trace started creating dolls around two years ago and finally built up the courage to list them on Etsy. Prior to that she was nervous and apprehensive about her art, & wondered how she would feel if they did not sell. When her first doll sold she was overjoyed, her trial piece, the dipping of her toe in the water so to speak.

Upon seeing one of her creations in a magazine was just amazing! She was jumping for joy all over the place! This gave her the courage she required to self submit her work as an artist rather than a mum with a hobby.

Trace loves to buy Pretties!… Something that will catch her eye especially an unusual craft item. Usually it has a story to tell such as folk or whimsy. However, she loves grungy pieces...favorites are candles!!! Items with a distressed, aged feel always appeal to her.
She loves to sell folk, whimsy (with an old lore feel) or with some message to share via her pieces.

Trace's partner & children are fabulous! Often she will sit down with her partner & youngest son & they all create together...such a wonderful experience. It fills her heart with love.

I wanted to know what her newest projects were and she said... Les petite dolls - almost complete - the smallest cloth clay dolls she has made so far. Her B.O.O.K - Book Of Open Knowledge - Pyrography mixed media codex type books and decorate pages. Beeswax canvas - again mixed media. She will be selling prints in her soon Etsy/Folksy shop…with sketches/art very soon.

Tracie sells on:
Folksy
Etsy
Website
Wip site
Blog

Facebook
Flickr
Twitter

Trace told me…
“My heart sings when I read or see an inspiring piece of art.”
For that reason she luv's blog hopping! Go check hers out and get to know her better because we are going to see a lot more of this talented artist.
Trace believes in
♥
Love & light

Jan Conwell

2011-06-12T20:47:00.000-07:00

We are proud to present
Jan Conwell
Fondly known as
JDConwell

Jan is from San Antonio, Texas in the good old USA. She runs a real estate investment business off line. Jan told me she has Four kids, four kid-in-laws, and nine grandchildren which provides LOTS of opportunity to make hand-made gifts.

Her husband is incredibly supportive, pushing her when she might hang back. But he’s an artist in his own right (leather work) and they have spent many an hour in their own work rooms, to make things to sell through their company, "Hermits’ Garden".

Jan says she has drawn, painted, crocheted, sewn, weaved, sculpted and made cloth dolls and toys since she was about ten years old. But she has only been making art dolls (i.e. dolls not meant to be toys) for a year and a half.

She started making lots of Halloween dolls, and a few for Christmas, but her work has grown less and less holiday related now. Altho, Autumn is her favorite season.

Jan loves to collect Vintage Christmas Elves, dolls…and, um, fabric. (oh boy fabric...we all like fabric right?)

I asked Jan what her favorite kind of crafts to buy, sell or make were... whimsical, fantasy, grungy, country, folk art or primitive? She told me she had to laugh when I asked that question because her answer was: YES. But if she had to pick a favorite, she would say quirky folk art, shabby chic, and primitive. She would really like to see her work become a blend of those three.

Jan’s newest project are some little odd hybrids- wooden, jointed dolls with paper clay faces. She thinks someday she might even like to teach classes.

Jan has two online shops and a blog and she also sells at the local area art fairs.
Check her out here....

Etsy
Artfire
and her
blog

Jan told me her favorite inspiration comes from Izanna Walker ... she was a rock star. Her very favorite dolls, though, are the 19th century Kathy Kruse, the old paper mache' head cloth dolls, and just about any old, clumsy, lumpy Mom-made rag doll.

As usual I had to know what she would like to share to help others be successful in an online business?
Jan told me “In a word? Professional presentation! Few of us are professional photographers, (nor can we afford them) but don’t let that excuse you. Learn your camera, learn lighting, learn how to set up a nice backdrop. Don’t settle for bad photos, because the customer sure won’t. And in that same vein; listing descriptions need to be polished and professional. Regardless of your style (i.e. cute, sparse, detailed and factual…) a description full of punctuation, spelling, and grammar errors add up to bad image. Sounds like I’m harping, but it’s amazing how fast preventable sloppiness in presentation can sour a sale!“

Jan told me she has a gourd doll entered in the Art Doll Quarterly’s autumn challenge. Maybe its even hiding among these. I hope we get to see it in the magazine.

Jan says "I'm a self-taught outsider in love with old souls. My joy is to create tomorrow's heirlooms out of yesterday's treasures: mixed media dolls and folk art, made of new and recycled materials, thrift shop finds, and a crow's nest hoard."

With her Master of Arts in Archetypal Mythology, and along with her love of history and storytelling, you can tell it influences what Jan creates.
We are going to see a lot more of Jan in the future.

Cindy Celusta

2011-05-29T08:17:00.000-07:00

We are proud to present
Cindy Celusta
Fondly known as
Oops!
or
Oopsie to some friends

Cindy lives in Waterville, Ohio USA and taught school for 13 years in 2 different states. She is a teacher, designer and artist.
When her youngest son was born she became a stay at home Mom and has done that for 19 years now. From 2000 to 2006 she worked for a leading polymer clay company. She traveled around in 4 states demonstrating clay techniques, teaching classes and designing push molds. The molds are still sold at craft stores and online.
sculpey.com
Michaels.com

Cindy says she has no formal art background, but about 18 years ago she found polymer clay. At the same time she found the internet. She met a delightful soul (who is no longer with us) named Pat Krumm or affectionately known as “KrismasElf “ online. She talked Cindy into traveling to Arizona to take a class with Jodi and Richard Creager. It was magic. They went twice and Cindy has never been the same since. A brand new door opened, and she jumped in.

Cindy is inspired by the average person who does extraordinary things. And survivors...which is anybody if you dig deep enough! There are many people she admires, but Jodi and Richard Creager are at the top of her list of doll artists. Cindy says not only do they produce world class art dolls, but they are genuinely outstanding people. She also admires Marie Segal for her work and contributions to the polymer clay world.

Cindy would have to say she loves whimsical. She has always been drawn to humor in life. Cindy would love to create serious art, one that makes a real statement, but alas.... what comes out she says is usually playful.
She loves to create for Christmas, with Halloween being a close second.

Cindy has three children(one daughter and 2 sons) who are the absolute loves of her life. Her daughter and son in law have blessed her with a grandson who will be 2 in a couple of weeks and just gave her a beautiful little granddaughter, born on May 12th. Cindy says she did not know it was possible to love this deeply! Her daughter and mother are Cindy’s biggest fans. The men in her life just want her to be happy in her own space...not letting it spill out into their spaces. Apparently, it is embarrassing to have "body parts" strewn about!

Cindy just finished a piece for the ADO Framed dolls challenge. She is also working on two pieces to be auctioned off at charitable events.

Cindy has an etsy http://www.etsy.com/people/cindycelusta store and she does two or three art shows a year. She has taught classes to art guilds and in local schools and donates items for causes that she finds important all the time.

I always have to know what information people would pass on to someone just getting started in an internet business and Cindy told me.
“My advice to people who are trying to sell is to be true to yourself...it shows in your work!”

I also asked her what does she love to
collect? Cindy loves books. “I cannot help myself and I can't part with them!”

Speaking of books…Cindy has
2 pieces of her art in the Lark book "400 Polymer Clay Designs".
She wrote a book for Design Originals titled "Polymer Clay Dolls and Faces".
She has also been published in Polymer Cafe.
You can see her art work and read all about her on her blog:
Etsy shop:
Her website which she is working on:
and
Facebook:

Cindy can be summed up like this:

“My love of polymer clay leads me. It has enriched my life with good friends, lots of laughter and “Aha moments“. My dolls are from someplace within that has always wanted to make sure that I was a happy "older" person. As the years go by, I'm becoming... older and happier. :-) Hope you enjoy my creations.”

Polymer clay = Love at first squeeze

Zan Asha

2011-05-01T21:09:00.000-07:00

We are proud to present
Zan Asha
AKA (also known as)
Vagabond Creations

Zan lives in New York City, NY in the USA. She has several off line jobs. During the day Zan works with animals and is also a beekeeper (scared of that), writer, speaker and sometimes an urban farm manager. Well whatever it takes to pay the bills Zan says. Zan strives to be as organic, earth friendly, original and old fashioned as possible!

Zan has worked with art since she was a small child. She told me she can remember entering art contests when she was ten. However, her true love was in performing arts, and Zan was a theater and film major at NYU. For awhile she was working in theater, and was the director of a dance and theater company. Eventually she moved to illustrative arts and now, here she is a folk artist! Her favorite art is whimsical folk art. Art that is inspired by older times and techniques, but with a slightly more modern feel.

Zan told me her family has always encouraged her art-making, which started when she was a wee lass. She was always drawing, painting, and telling stories. She wasn’t sure that they always UNDERSTOOD what I was doing, but she always felt like she could do whatever she wanted in regards to art. Zan is lucky in that her fiance has always encouraged and helped her pursue her art career as well. She is one lucky woman, she feels!

I was interested to know about her latest project (back to those bees). She is working with beeswax to make ornaments and has several forest fox dolls that she is working on perfecting. She sells mostly on Etsy under Vagabond Creations: and off-line, via word of mouth.

Zan loves Halloween. She thinks she’s not the only one that feels there is a sort of magic and mystery to the whole season! Zan says “there is so much potential in creating dolls, and other artworks for this holiday. There is so much to love about fall, in general. The thought that this was a season of harvest can be used as allegory for art--there is much to harvest, creatively, as well”.

Most of her works are inspired by old Slavic folk art, influenced by fairy tales from her Hungarian mother. She loves old medieval carvings, as well. Zan isn’t sure why , but there seems to be something about ancient lives that has always drawn her, even when she used to do performing arts. She loved mythos, fables, and legends. Something about the creation of stories to teach lessons and explain the unexplainable always fascinated her.

Other then that, she says she is a pattern fiend. She loves heavy detailing in her work. Folks like Mary Engelbreit and Tasha Tudor are favorites of hers for this reason, all the little details in their work.

In keeping with her love of old things, she’s sort of an antique junkie. Zan loves collecting old (and new tea pots), aprons, old linens and old dolls. Because she is also this farmer-at-heart, she also loves anything to do with farm kitchens and implements, and because she works with bees, she likes antique beekeeper equipment, too. She said to me “Wow, I guess I have a lot of interests, huh“?

I asked Zan what info would you like to share to help other be successful in an online business .
She said she doesn’t think she is really an expert in being successful. But, she said “ I guess for me what worked is to really look at your art and try to see if you can make it as unique as possible. Does your art stand out? Is it different, interesting? Because if your art looks like so much other art, it will get lost in a HUGE shuffle of artists who also want to be successful. Really try to find a specific audience, or a feel of your art (is it fantasy? does it have a particular look? Is there a mystery or curiosity factor about it?) which will make it appealing to others. I find this helps to, at least, gain INTEREST in your work. And be sure to use all online avenues to advertise it: facebook, twitter, etc, etc.”

You can find Zan on her Vagabond Creations blog
Beyond Vagabond Blog
Etsy
Renegade Farmer Blog

Facebook

Zan is a Dreamer...just like us whose life has been a collision of art, animals and agriculture. Vagabond Creations will remind you of the sort of old-world, mysterious gifts made by some tiny hermit, living in an ancient tree hollow, in an equally ancient and forgotten magic forest.

Visit Zan and her Vagabond Creations a place for her folk art and art dolls on Etsy because we all need a bit of magic in our lives, don't you think?

Cate Avery

2011-04-17T20:52:00.001-07:00

We are proud to present
Cate Avery
AKA (also known as)
Cate Avery Art Dolls

Wander through the studio of Cate Avery and you will meet the fantasy figures she has manipulated into existence from a lump of clay, an old metal nut pick, and a vivid imagination.

Cate Avery is from Dover, New Hampshire. She met her husband in the late 70’s, at an US Air Force Base near Portsmouth, NH and in 1991, following his retirement, they returned to the scene of the crime.

Cate is now a “Lady of Leisure”, lucky enough not to work for someone else anymore, so she can use her time to create. She’s always been artistic. Art was always her favorite subject in high school. She loves to draw. Tole painting was her first experience with brushes and pigment. Cate went on to take many painting classes and found that she preferred oils to acrylics. She now uses oils (primarily) to bring her figures to life.

Cate is also crazy about quilting, making jewelry, using vintage jewelry components and creating fashioned jewelry from wired ribbon and bits of vintage trims and buttons. She has a separate Etsy store for her jewelry, named Madeline in Moonlight.

Cate is an avid flea marketer/antique buff. She has a fantastic array of vintage beading, laces, and bits and bobs that she has collected over the years. She told me she adores the costume making part of doll creating, although sometimes it “hurts” to use her precious stash of goodies because she knows they can not be replaced.

Cate’s favorite season to create for is Christmas. She feels her Santas are her best work. We are all so glad she loves Christmas, because her Santas are truly wonderful! She told me costuming them (her Santas) isn’t as exciting or rewarding to her as costuming for her female dolls. She loves using luscious vintage silks, ribbons and beading.

Cate has a very supportive husband and beautiful daughter. He does all the grunt work, like getting her to a couple of local shows she participates in each year. Her daughter is her honest critic. Sometimes, Cate told me she knows when something is not quite right and when asked, her daughter, Bethany, can tell her exactly what it is that needs some more work or help. Cate says if she had to support herself with her art she’d be dead by now, but I doubt that, since she is so very talented. She believes it is a great luxury to be able to make whatever she wants, not what she thinks will sell.

Recently she has begun to incorporate her love of antiques into her sculpted figures. Her creation, “The Fortune Teller” sits on top of a lovely old clock case and her “Bird in a Gilded Cage” started with a vintage metal lampshade frame. She can’t wait to incorporate more “old stuff” into her work.

I asked Cate who inspires her and she told me one of her favorite doll artists is Forrest Rogers. She really loves her offbeat pieces.

I wanted to know what she collects for herself and found out rhinestone jewelry and she uses it to decorate a Christmas Tree, She keeps the Christmas Tree in her bedroom and, at this point, that tree is really quite stunning! She also likes all things miniature, beautiful carved gilt frames, vintage bead work, Japanese celluloid figures, and the list goes on...Cate thinks she sounds like a refined hoarder!!

Cate is not limited just to doll making, as she has been dabbling in salvaged/recycled art. She is not sure of the term for this art, but it sounds good and she loves it anyway.

Cate’s dolls have been featured in The Contemporary Doll Collector Magazine, and if you want to take a peek, you can see more of her dolls, or purchase them, in her Etsy shop:

Etsy
Flickr
You can check out her jewelry at Madeline's jewelry box, full of romantic flowering brooches and spectacular statement pieces.
Madeline's Jewelry Box Etsy

I know we are going to see more of Cate in the future
she is very talented.

Dorote Zaukaite Villela

2011-04-03T20:49:00.000-07:00

We proudly present
Dorote Zaukaite Villela
Known as
Tirelessartist

Dorote lives in Kaunas, Lithuania and is a full time artist. She spent her care free childhood surrounded by love and fairy tales.

She was lucky to have two wonderful grandmothers, a grandfather, and a great grandfather, who would take her to their worlds of beautiful memories from their childhood. They introduced her to worlds of magic and fairy tales, and the worlds of plants and animals that magically could feel and understand just like us ... humans.

Dorote has been a creative child for as long as she can remember. She studied art at an art college. She studied sculpting, painting, drawing and anatomy lessons.

Dorote told me sculpting and anatomy were her least favorite subjects, having no way to know that, one day, they would become the most useful subjects for her.

She worked as a graphic designer and interior designer for around 7 years. At one point, she discovered art dolls and fell in love with this art form. Inspired by works of many fabulous doll artists, she started sculpting and has been professionally making dolls ever since.

Dorote can get inspired by many, many things, like a beautiful misty morning, some person, a phrase, a feeling, or just about anything else. She loves the Gothic and Baroque eras, particularly for their costumes. She loves the Renaissance era, well, just because it was the renaissance (been there, still there). She is very interested in history. Sometimes she wants to talk about the roots of humanity, so she will create an African doll.

She believes in making sketches and taking notes in preparation for putting all the ideas together for her art dolls. She says she keeps it handy for reminders of where she is headed in the whole doll making process.

When it comes to her sculpting, she will keep cutting, sanding and sculpting until that moment, when she sees it is what she wants. Then, on to painting. What a celebration for the eyes, when a colorless face becomes a face of a truly living being.

Then the hair and the outfit come. She loves inventing new techniques, combining the unobtainable, playing with colors and textures, making bead work and embroidering. Dorote believes that a real peace of art must have lots and lots of hand work. Sometimes, the amount of patience and persistence surprises even her.

When Dorote isn’t making dolls, she spends her time drawing or making beautiful OOAK things.

One of her recently finished projects is “The Little Mermaid“, the doll with a sad and heartbreaking story behind her.

When asked what her latest project was, she just smiled and said, well, now, that is still a secret. I guess we will just have to wait, but we all know it will be worth the wait.

Dorote favorite online market is Etsy and you can buy her items there. Or, you can just go to her shop and enjoy looking at her art:
Etsy

Her blog
and her
facebook page

Dorote has been seen in BJD magazine

I asked her what information/advice she would share with others to help them be more successful in an online business. She said to be original, that is the key. You can be making the most beautiful items, but if someone else has already made them before you, it will be much harder to be successful. Be creative, and let yourself express your most unusual ideas. Attempt to do what no one else has done before, and give it your best efforts.

When looking at her work one just cant help but notice that Dorote lives by her own advice!

Dolores Marple

2011-03-21T15:07:00.000-07:00

We proudly present
Dolores Marple
Of
Trolltracks
Fantasy Creatures of Hob Knobby Hollow

Her name is actually Dolores Lorraine Marple, but she informed me she was changing it, on the first day of spring, to Lori. So her name is now Lori which is also short for Lorikeet, a colorful bird that drinks nectar. She says that’s much better than a name that means sad with rain in the middle name. Until it becomes official I’m going to just call her Dolores!

Dolores lives in the southeastern corner of Indiana, just across the river from Kentucky and Cincinnati Ohio. USA. She lives in a town called Versailles where they actually pronounce the L's. She lives next to Versailles Park, that she renamed Hob Knobby Hollow, where fantasy creatures live. A place within the heart, where trolls and fairies are real. She writes about them, sometimes in rhyme. She illustrates them all the time and makes little sculptures to tell the tale! Then, she offers them up for sale!

Dolores worked hard her entire life at jobs she thinks are not worth mentioning. When she became unemployed with the masses in March of 2008, she decided to try creating for a living and does pretty well selling what she calls her silly fantasy creatures! I call her talented.

Dolores has dabbled with art, in one form or another, her entire life. Now where have I heard that before? In between all the other demands of life, she tried to keep creative. Now she creates every day. In fact she told me her little fantasy world is almost all she thinks about, but she doesn’t know if that is a good thing.

About a year ago she made pocket pets as seen above….then all of a sudden she thought what about all those little animals at the Goodwill store that just need a little personality! Below is an example of her quest to turn an ordinary little mass produced stuffed animal into a true one of a kind! I think she succeeded and what a great idea!

Dolores has tried to do other types of art forms like scary monster dolls, country primitive, etc, but she always comes back to her natural sculpting of what she calls silly fantasy. She also used to make realistic animals in wood, but now she likes to exaggerate, and play making cute and silly animals and fairies, trolls and Nobbins of all kinds.

Right now she is working on colorful spring inspired fairy pendants, little peepers that look like flower buds, silly little birds, and what ever else comes into her mind on any given day.

Her entire family totally supports what she does and always encourages her. Her husband also helps by taking care of the bookkeeping and doing the pdf part of the tutorials.

Dolores only sells online…it’s just easier for her that way she told me. She did do some craft shows in the past, and even owned a craft shop, before the days of the internet, but she much prefers to sell online now.

You can find her trolls and all here:
Etsy
Artfire

Dolores doesn’t teach classes, but she does teach, by making tutorials that can be downloaded. She shows you how to make something in a step-by step- manner. She feels she has learned everything she knows from books and experimentation, so she believes that tutorials are a great way to learn. She will also offer support for any questions people have as well.

Dolores Marple, self-taught woodcarver and polymer clay artist, says she has tried so many things, but why not, life is short and getting shorter.

If your out and about stop and say hey to her on facebook…

Visit her blog to see the unfolding story of her creative journey into a world you will love to follow… a special place called Hob Knobby Hollow where she tells the stories of the trolls and fantasy creatures that are lurking in her head. Start at the beginning by going back in the archives or you will definitely miss a treat of how they all evolve and why. It‘s a great read!

Dolores believes every artist should have the freedom to follow their muse.

Dawn M Schiller

2011-03-07T08:27:00.000-08:00

We proudly present
Dawn M Schiller
internationally collected artist, sculptor, and class clown
Aka…oddfae

We call her Dee and she's from Santa Clarita in Southern California in the good old USA.

Dee has been an Artist all her life she’s sculpted, made dolls or drawn since she can remember. I asked her really how long she had been making dolls (I mean it really does look like all her life) but she told me 12 years. Wow!
She has also been a graphic designer for 20 years now.

Dee's work has appeared in books and magazines worldwide. She has been seen in FAE magazine and Art Doll Quarterly many times. You can find her under the name Odd Fae and Autumn Things.

Dee’s art leans to the whimsical fantasy and Halloween/creepy-funny world. She choose to work in the fantastical realm so she can give the figures that little extra "push" into Odd...

Among her creations you'll find treefolk and witches, merfolk and wizards...fugitives from fairy tales; Figments of the Imagination, Odd Fae, the slightly-off-center, Autumn Things, the Green Man and Others....all having very little to do with the real world and everything to do with giggles 'n' snickers and Things that go Bump in the Night.

She loves to create for Autumn of course and her favorite things to collect for herself are are Skelanimals, BJDs, witches, creepy dolls, bones, hats and whatever strikes her fancy!

Her Dear Husband science teacher/fencer/coach Greg is the major breadwinner, and always encourages her in her art. She told me they have three kittykids, three snakes, two tarantulas, one gecko and a partridge in a pear tree.

"O, wait she said...we ate the partridge for dinner".
Well that’s Dee for you!

Her newest project is a "Jackman"…, but we have to stay tuned to hear more about that one. You can bet it's going to be great!

Dee teaches online at Doll Street and has 4 classes running at the moment. She also sells at retreats, private and group classes. She"ll also donate to a worthy cause if she has time to create something she is proud of. No sloppy work for this gal!

Dee gets inspiration from Brian Froud, of course and also Brom, Arthur Rackham, John Bauer, and Michael Parkes. There are so many....

You can find her wonderful items on
eBay = autumnthings,
Etsy
Her website
and
Artfire
You can also connect with Dee on facebook at facebook

Want to take a class from Odd Fae? Try signing up right now for this one on Doll Street.

I had to ask my favorite questions about what she would tell someone just starting out in an online business and she told me “Get yourself out there EVERYWHERE”.
Sounds like fantastic advice to me!

For the latest in what is happening in the world of One-of-a-Kind Fantastical Figures, Odd Dolls and Masks Handmade by Oddfae.

Check out her blog.

Like Dee told me
“I'm an artist because I can't imagine being or doing anything else...and because art is BIG FUN! “

Well that's it in a nut shell!

Eva Buchala

2011-02-20T20:47:00.000-08:00

We proudly present
Eva Buchala
The Lady Artisan

Eva, also known as “Lady Artisan“, lives in Schertz, Texas, in the good ole USA.

Eva enjoys making books and dolls. She also does some production work for her mom’s mail order business.

Eva has always done creative things but never really got to “indulge”, until after the birth of her first child. She stayed home to be with her baby, rather than working outside her home. Eva first started using polymer clay in 2001. For quite some time, she sculpted small whimsical figures, business card holders, jewelry and vessels. In 2004, a friend taught her how to do Coptic stitch binding on a book and she immediately started incorporating polymer clay and bookbinding. Eva worked almost exclusively in polymer clay until 2008 when she developed an allergy to it, she switched to air-dry clay for her sculpting. She also began using apoxie sculpt and started working with leather for her bookbinding. She says its been about 10 years that she’s called herself an artist.

I asked her about getting support from her family. She told me that her husband is supportive, although she doesn’t think he fully comprehends a lot of what (or why) she does what she does. Her kids are delightfully encouraging and quite an inspiration with their confidence that they can do just about anything when given the right materials and just a little guidance.

When asked what kinds of crafts she likes to buy, sell or make, she told me she loves all kinds. Her favorite, at any given time, is largely dependent on her mood. Her favorite to create is Steampunk, grungy, antique-looking pieces. She finds herself doing a lot of whimsical stuff, but not always by plan. Her favorites to buy are all of the above, with Steampunk, grungy or primitive topping her list.

Eva says she has lots of projects needing to be finished. She has three current bookbinding projects in various stages of completion. She has a Steampunk sketchbook/journal, called a Temporal Displacement Book. (reportedly #6 of eventually her series of 7) She's only done one series and the book she is working on is the 3rd one, but she's calling it the 6th book in the series. She thinks it's a bit confusing, but after all we ARE talking about time travel here.
She is also working on a Mechanical Book and a Steampunk rebinding of a vintage book (Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural from 1944).
She is also working on some new ideas with dolls and sculptures. Some interesting concepts involving ball-jointed dolls and such. Keep an eye out for that.

In the past Eva has donated items in support or a cause she believes in or thinks is important. She has donated books for a literacy charity, items for the Haiti flood victims and occasionally simply donates an item to a guild or team she is on to help promote the team.

I asked about her favorite designer or who inspires her. Eva said she gets inspired by so many things and a huge variety of artists, both visual, writers and performers. Music frequently inspires her with ideas for sculptures and/or story ideas. She really can’t pick a specific person but some of her favorites include Vermeer, da Vinci, Loreena McKennitt, Michael deMeng, George Stuart, Trent Jamieson, Isaac Asimov, Patricia Veryan, The Dreaming, Rosie Rojas and many others.

I asked her for advise or what information she would share with a beginning artist that is starting an online business. Eva told me “patience and promotion”. You can’t be afraid or embarrassed to promote yourself. Do your research into SEO techniques, online marketing, social networking and other internet opportunities. Be willing to give and help others. The more people who see your work and feel comfortable with you, the more likely you are to find the right buyer for your work. Don’t give up. It really does take patience to build your brand and sell yourself. Just keep creating and putting yourself out there.”

Eva gets a lot of her ideas from history and ancient cultures. She frequently spends time researching a culture or design idea before making a piece. It’s a way for her to explore ancient cultures and themes and gives her an excuse for researching various interests of hers. There are only a few clay artists who use ancient culture themes and Eva loves ancient pieces for their beauty and the history they represent. She tries to express that in her work.

Her goals and aspirations as an artist are to share her love of history, ancient cultures, other people and their motivations for what they do. She wants to share with other artists and help, if possible, those who are interested in similar art forms. If she can make a living at the same time, so much the better. We think this shows in Eva’s wonderful art.

You can see her creations and follow her work on her
website
Etsy
Etsy dolls
and
Artfire
Stay tuned for her new Etsy site sculptures and dolls ....

You can also follow her on facebook

We are definitely going to see a lot more of Lady Artisan!

Jessica Schleicher

2011-02-06T20:02:00.000-08:00

We proudly present
Knot By Gran'ma
Crocheted Art Dolls
by
Jessica Schleicher

Jessica, aka jess, lives in the Hudson Valley in NY in the good old USA. She has
2 kids and is fortunate enough to be a work at home mom. Jess finds crocheting very relaxing and great therapy. Jess likes to say she crochets stuff our grandmas probably wouldn't have done during their time.

Her Knot By Gran’ma (KBG) journey started when she had her first child (kiddo #1), 8 years ago. She started with hats, soon moving to hideous crocheted flower things, crocheted jewelry, until finally, she found doll making and loved it. She found she was able to take her sketches and bring them to life.

Jess feels her work gets tagged as bizarre or weird a lot, but in a cute way. She just makes what she likes, with all her designs starting as sketches and she goes from there.

For herself, she tends to buy things that she likes at the time. She really doesn’t have a style on that one. As for collecting, you can bet she is into yarn. She has plenty on hand. She definitely collects it.

When asked how her family supports or inspires her, she says her baby seems to steal the dolls he likes and that's always a good thing. She also bounces ideas off Hubs (her husband). She says he is so very supportive, but he might secretly suspect she is a little silly. Then there is kiddo (remember child #1) who's 8. He's totally into stuff and when asked, “What do you think about this?", he will always answer honestly. He will ask for it if he really likes it.”

Jess is working on a line of kid friendly dolls right now, along with some new crochet patterns. She is in the midst of a great art doll, Tentacle Ballet Monster. Sometimes, she thinks she has the attention span of a 4 year old. To help, she likes to work on lots of stuff at once. She also has been known to draw and paint when she isn’t busy doing other things.

Jess sells on Etsy and Ravelry for now. She also sells her patterns there. She has a website, but she hasn’t figured out how to sell from it, yet. She is also getting back into doing craft shows more this year.

In the future Jess told me she would love to host more crochet parties, which is basically a class in your home for your family and friends. She doesn’t think it has caught on as well as she had hoped, yet. :) In the meantime, she teaches private music lessons on the weekends. Along with her other talents, Jess teaches flute, clarinet and alto sax, beginner to intermediate skill levels. She sees herself as a classical sax player. The piano and she have a love/hate relationship. She loves her old, antique, upright in her living room.

One of my favorite questions to artists is always what information would you pass on to other artists just getting started in an on line business. Jess told me, “it's been said before, but do what you love, have patience and work your butt off“. That pretty well sums it up.
Until next time, …

* Visit Jessica’s blog for updates and news -

* Wanna Twitter? -

* Jess is also a member of Hudson Valley Team and
The ADO Team and of course...

Facebook: http://facebook.com/knotbygranma

Lorraine Gerbi

2011-01-23T19:21:00.000-08:00

We proudly present
PIECAKE PRIMITIVes
Handmade Folk Art Dolls
by
Lorraine Gerbi

Lorraine lives in in North Versailles, Pennsylvania, located about 30 minutes East of Pittsburgh. She works a few weekday mornings at Express (sounds cool) in our local mall. One day she hopes to create on a full-time basis. Until then, hey, she is having fun helping others be fashionable!

Lorraine has liked to make things and draw ever since she was young.   She graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, but majored in Fashion Merchandising. Lorraine spent many years in retail management before her son was born in 1999.

About 10 years ago Lorraine’s mom gave her a sewing machine. It had belonged to her late Gram. She had lived with them all her life, so Gram was a great inspiration to Lorraine. When her son was about a year old and she was not working full-time, she started to make simple things like pillows and very simple animals to give as gifts and for decorating her own home. About a year or so later, she ventured into on-line selling. She started on Ebay, and has been selling her own line of primitive dolls, with a touch of whimsy, ever since!

I asked about how her family supports her talent. She says she is very fortunate to have a very supportive family!   Her husband and son (now 11 years old) are pretty good about finding sparkles, fabric, etc all over the floors. When her son has his friends sleep over, she thinks they get a little freaked out with all the dolls around the house.

Lorraine sells her dolls on Ebay, Etsy, and one of my favorite places Queens Castle Bootique, a very cool site that she belongs to with all her Halloween Art-loving friends!

I asked about her inspiration. Lorraine says her inspiration comes from the world around her. It could be something from the garden, a fairy tale, a painting, a piece of fabric, or something she finds at the flea market.   She is a member of Art Dolls Only, and she gets so inspired by all the other members’ dolls. Each doll maker has their own unique style!

Her favorite style to create for is Halloween! She also likes Summer, when she can make Americana pieces. Lorraine also loves to make bug dolls. Lorraine’s favorite personal collectible is bowls. Whether Primitive wooden bowls or Yellow ware bowls, she just loves bowls.

I asked her if she had any tips to help others be successful in an online business .
She thinks that when we first start out, it is especially important to just get our name out there. Just sell on Ebay user id: piecakeprim, open an Etsy shop, join Facebook, build a mailing list, etc. We also need to keep offering new things to keep your customers interested. Most shoppers don’t come back if they have not seen something new recently.
Also, be patient and believe in yourself!

Lorraine’s dolls have been seen in the Fall 2007 issue of Mercantile Gatherings. You can also find them in the Spring 2010 issue of Art Doll Quarterly, the Spring 2010 and Fall 2010 issues of Prims, and also the April/May issue of Soft Dolls and Animals. One of her patterns was featured in the July 2010 Soft Dolls and Animals. She has not done too many patterns, but maybe one day she will offer more for sale.

Be sure to stop by Lorraine's blog often for all the latest news.

Helen Fern

2010-12-12T20:33:00.000-08:00

We proudly present
Helen Fern
Of
Helen Fern Originals - HFO

I’m proud to present Helen Fern as my last interview for the year 2010.
Helen lives in the beautiful pacific northwest, in the town of
Woodburn, Oregon, located in the central Willamette Valley. She lives there with her husband and two very spoiled cats.

Helen worked full time in Child Care Administration until she was laid off in August. She currently works 5-7 hours a week as a "Mad Scientist", teaching science to elementary students. Part of an enrichment program offered for after school students. She is also enrolled part-time in school. After 30 years Helen has decided to finish her bachelor's degree. She is currently in her junior year, majoring in Human Studies.

I asked about her career as an artist, doll maker or designer. She told me she has been making dolls since she was a child. In the early 1980’s she decided to try her hand at porcelain dolls. She enjoyed the process and wondered if she could sculpt on her own. Her first efforts at sculpture looked more like the monsters in an alien movie than the children she was trying to create. Yikes! Helen collected photos of children, dividing the faces into groups and kept trying to perfect her newly developing skills. She eventually discovered her passion for faeries!

Helen started selling her dolls on eBay in the 1990’s. She told me she learned, the hard way, how important it is to take photos of all of them. Once they are gone you have no record! If you are just beginning your business, please heed that excellent advise.

Helen took a break from doll making for awhile, but she felt like she had an empty hole and needed to fill it, so here she is, back in the game and working harder than ever!

I asked about her favorite items to buy or collect for herself. Helen told me she has always loved fantasy. She has a pretty good collection of faerie art dolls she has purchased from other artists. Helen also likes folk art and primitives. Her sister does some amazing primitive work, some of which are also part of her collection. Lately she is finding herself drawn to some of the more whimsical, goth and monster pieces, adding some faeries, dragons and dragonflies to her collection. When she was a little girl her dad would tell her the moths were faeries. He would sing the song "thumbelina dance" while they fluttered in the lights. He also did sketches of leprechauns. Her father undoubtedly played a major role in her of fantasy being ingrained in her heart.

Helen’s work is primarily caricatures and fantasy. She tries to capture the essence of the personality as she develops the actual look. She currently sells on Etsy. All of you should check her work out.

I wanted to know what role her family plays in supporting her and inspiring her art. Helen told me her daughter-in-law challenged her to make portraits of herself and her husband. It was fun and a challenge (Helen has agreed to will it to her). Helen’s husband is also creative. They spend a lot of time sitting, chatting and working on their art. He is her best friend who inspires, encourages and totally supports her endeavors. Helen’s sister and father are also artists. Her Dad likes to do very realistic paintings, so their styles are very different from one another. Her sister on the other hand really pushes for authenticity, who believes that if its not from within you, it's merely a copy of someone else's work. She has taught Helen to really listen to her own muse and still be able to honestly admire other styles and works.

Helen told me she has two cats that can be rather challenging. They love to "help" in the process. Helen still has the remnants of a paper clay leg that was ground into her hardwood floor. It was still wet and their kitten, Boudicca, must of been feeling creative. Bucky is a bit older and simply crushes things when he sleeps on them.

Helen told me her grandson (age 13) simply thinks she’s weird. LOL, I think all artists hear that a lot for some reason.

I asked about Helen’s newest project and was told she is currently trying to finish the swaps she signed up for. She also volunteered to donate a piece for a fundraiser and is working nonstop to finish that on time. Once she gets her Christmas dolls listed, she’s been mulling an idea of an anthropomorphic cat series and the zodiac signs. Sometimes she has to toss an idea around in her head for awhile before it actually comes to fruition.

Helen has sold on ebay in the past, but currently prefers selling on Etsy. She also promotes her dolls on facebook, twitter, The Hive, and her blog. She is thinking about doing some shows next year but she is unsure of what types of shows she wants to do.

You can also see her on Twitter and ArtFire

Helen made original cloth doll patterns and marketed them in the early 1990’s. They were obviously almost ooak, as she has not remade any since those sold out. She has donated several pieces to charity auctions, the most recent being a mermaid. She is thinking about teaching in the future and thinks she would enjoy that activity.

When asked about her favorite designer and who inspires her. Helen told me she has lots. She says her absolute favorite is Lisa Lichtenfels. Helen says Lisa’s work is fascinating. Helen’s sister gave her the book, “Figures in Cloth”. In the book, Lichtenfel's work is chronicled. Helen has scoured it, cover to cover, many times!

Her inspiration? Helen says there are many people with a variety of styles. The exuberance of other artists and their passion for their work is inspirational. When she sees a new artist who is still struggling with their own "style", she is inspired. In some ways Helen thinks she is still struggling. She also believes she has finally found her place and her place includes a variety of styles! Helen simply loves to look at other people's work.

Winter is her favorite months to create for. She loves winter. She has an idea for an Ice Queen. One of her earlier dolls is the Ice Princess. She was inspired by her first Oregon ice storm. It was beautiful!

Helen also thinks summer is really fun. Each season has its own unique inspirations so I bet she really likes them all. Maybe she just likes to create from her “current world”.

I asked Helen to share some insight for a new artist trying to be successful on the internet. She says…Don't give up! Network with others that share your passion, meet other artists and be true to yourself. The more experienced, professional artists are always willing to share marketing techniques and give honest, constructive criticism. She also learned to leave some criticism at the door. She was once turned down for a doll guild because her dolls "did not accurately reflect the human figure." At first she was crushed! Then she realized, my creations are faeries! They aren't supposed to look human! Once gaining that insight, she was able to create even more "strange" little pieces without fear of rejection.

I asked Helen if she had ever been in a magazine. she said, in the late 1980’s she did a little girl she had seen on the cover of Victoria magazine. She submitted her piece to the contemporary Doll Collector Magazine and it was published in a "show and tell" section they used to have. Lately she was involved in the Art Dolls only Traveling Art Doll project. Doll Collector Magazine published some of the pieces she had worked on.

Helen is looking forward to Doll Collectors Magazine, Feb/March issue. One of her faeries will be in the article on Fairies and Fantasy. This will be her first time being selected to be in an article! (Bet it won’t be her last…)

Helen loves the quiet of the forest and the serenity of the beach. Nature is her muse, particularly the water. She loves to sit on the beach and just let her feelings flow. She is inspired by nature and nurture. Children bring images to her head as do the aged. People have a certain quality - a spark or an aura - as children. The aged seem to rekindle that at some point. Sadly, somewhere in the middle it seems to get lost.
Helen just has so much to offer all of us...just look at these magnetic paper dolls!

See all of you back here in January...Merry Christmas and may you all have the best New Year Yet!

Bonnie Jones

2010-11-28T20:42:00.000-08:00

We proudly present
Bonnie Jones
From the
Studio of Bonnie Jones

Bonnie Jones lives high above the Mississippi River on the bluffs in Natchez, MS.
She and her husband have been retired for 10 years now and they are loving life.

Bonnie started making cloth dolls back in the 1980's which included her own line of doll patterns. Largely because of people illegally copying her patterns, she eventually ceased the pattern line. In the meantime, she discovered clay, started sculpting and never looked back. She has taken a few classes, but Bonnie is really self-taught, learning her craft the hard way...trial and error.

Bonnie is not sure what category her work falls in. She admits to getting bored easily, but says she really loves to make figures for Christmas and Halloween. She also loves to make Fantasy figures, including wizards, mermaids and faeries (really cool stuff).

Bonnie’s family has always supported and inspired her to pursue her dream. She told me her husband has always been supportive, especially when she and her daughter were doing shows. When Bonnie and her daughter retired 10 years ago from the show business, he helped design a studio for her and had it built onto the back of her home. It is her favorite place to be. Bonnie has her supplies, computer, TV and Stereo and everything basically at her fingertips.

Her daughter, Linda Kennon, aka The Gourdqueen, is another very well known and talented artist. They are inspirational to each other and love to bounce ideas off of one another, although they are pretty far apart when it comes to their own creations.

When asked about her latest project, Bonnie said she is working on a new piece called “Holiday March“. She decoupaged vintage sheet music onto a wooden base which will hold three figures, all marching and playing musical instruments. Bonnie says she is really having fun with this one. (Can’t wait to see it finished)

Bonnie has taught classes in her studio, but because they like to travel, she discontinued the classes some time ago. Bonnie doesn’t really have any secrets in her art. She receives many e-mails asking how she does certain things. She willingly shares her techniques and answers those emails.

I was wondering who inspires Bonnie in her work. She told me that there are just too many wonderful, figurative artists out there to just name one. She is inspired by all art. Years ago when she purchased her first home computer, she was surfing the web and found Marilyn Radzat's website. At the time, she had never heard of an "Art Doll" and when she saw Marilyn’s work she was completely blown away. She knew then and there that was what she wanted to do.

Christmas is definitely her favorite season to create for. She used to create only Santas and Christmas figures. The doll shows she participated in were usually Christmas shows, so she spent most of the year working up inventory for those shows. Of course she was also taking commissions for special order Santas. Bonnie finally got to the point she never wanted to make another Santa. She thinks they call it "burn out".

She needed some variety and moved to the fantasy world. She started making mermaids and faeries. She also began to sculpt smaller figures (anywhere from 5" to 12"), which meant, she had to learn all over again. She says Christmas is still her favorite season, she just does not make that many Christmas items and mixes it up with the Fantasy World art.

I asked her what advice she would like to share in helping other artists to be successful in an online business. Bonnie told me we must be consistent in keeping our art on Etsy and E-bay, or the collectors (buyers) will eventually forget you. Notify all collectors, by e-mail, when you have new work available. Join Facebook and let people know what you are doing and where your work is being sold. Keep your
blog up to date. (Do as I say, not as I do)

Another tip to artists:
Over the years, Bonnie has kept a folder with letters, e-mails and comments made from her collectors telling her of the joy her work has brought to them. When she has a "love/hate" relationship with a figure she is working on and feels really down about what she is creating, Bonnie pulls out that folder and it makes her smile. Inspiration I say.

I always like to know what an artist collects for themselves and Bonnie told me she loves antique Christmas ornaments, bottle brush trees, glass picks, tinsel, etc. Sounds like a lot of us eh?

Bonnie has been seen recently in the following magazines…
"Art Doll Quarterly"
"Contemporary Doll Collector"
"Dolls"
"Doll Crafter & Costuming"
"Doll Reader"
"Country Roads"
"The Craft Report"
"Natchez Democrat"
"Christmas Dolls"

You can visit Bonnie on her Blogs at:
Studio of Bonnie Jones
Bonnie Jones typepad

You can see and buy her items on
Etsy:
Her E-bay:
ID: bonnieoriginals

Visit Bonnie and the other talented Halloween artists on
Halloween Queens Castle Bootique (Linda Kennon's wonderful group)

You can also see more of Bonnie's art on
Bonnie's picturetrail

Bonnie just added a lot of her Christmas figures to Facebook, check them out here

I asked Bonnie to give me an Artist Statement and she said

"I am passionate about creating one of a kind figurative art dolls. My love of art and music gave me the desire to create my own art, and the art doll gives me an arena to create pieces of art that evoke emotion. When I see someone smile or shed a tear while looking at my figures I know I have accomplished my endeavor. My journey in doll making or figurative sculpture has been so very satisfying, and I hope to continue along this path, improving my skills and hopefully transferring my love of
this art form to the person who decides to have one of my pieces in their life.

I am a member of two juried organizations: Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi
and Original Doll Artist Council of America (ODACA) My work has been
published in numerous publications."

Oh yeah we are going to see a lot more of Bonnie, that’s for sure!

Ayala Art

2010-11-14T21:41:00.000-08:00

We proudly present
Ayala Art

Known as Ayala Art her real name is Martha and she lives in a very dusty part of the central valley in sunny California. She is a part-time translator and full-time mom. Years ago, she also had a graphic design business.

Art has always been part of her life, one way or another. She has loved art since her first time drawing a long magical line that continued from her paper, to the table and from the table to a wall. Her first love was drawing on her Grandma's wall, and acting. She was always in school plays and always wanted to grow up and be a grandiose opera singer... She had it all planned from the top of her little chair. Her plans dramatically changed after she discovered mud and sculpting with ceramics. She enjoyed digging it out of a hole, cleaning the clay, then sculpting, firing and painting it. It was all so much fun! Later on, after she became a mom, she had to put the clay away (One of her kids was eating it and other was smearing it on the walls...) Martha started painting with oils and acrylics, going to smaller formats each time until she ended up making ACEO's (Art Cards, Editions and Originals).

Later, while working on a series of girls paintings, she wanted to make them in 3D, resulting in her entry into making dolls. Making dolls is where her energy and efforts have been for the past few years. She is learning about materials and techniques for doll making, trying to do with polymer and paper clay what she can do with a pencil. It's not that easy she says!

Martha enjoys working with all kinds of media, but mainly acrylics and water-mix oils. She also loves sculpting and making "One of a Kind Art Dolls". If she doesn’t get to work on art, she isn't happy. Martha known as "Ayala Art" has been selling on line, since the year 2000. Thanks to the Internet, her work is now collected in many different countries.

I wanted to know what kind of art she likes to buy, make or collect. She told me that because she is a very curious person, she likes pretty much everything. She can see the beauty in folk and primitive, as much as in realistic sculpting. She tends to like smaller size work, mostly because that way she can gather
more! ;o) She loves making tiny fairies with movable arms and legs. She also loves cloth dolls with folksy clothing. Basically, she likes "cute" and whimsical, not scary and she actually collects skeleton keys and ACEO's.

I asked her about her inspiration from others. Being interested in so many things, her list is very long... Basically, she loves people who enjoy their creativity, and show others how to archive their craft skills. You know, she says, friendly people, all over the world, with a passion for creating their art, being a doll, a painting, or some other creation.

Of course, I asked how her family inspires and supports her love of art. She told me her husband is a wonderful man. He puts up with her mess when she gets the creative bug for days to no end! Her daughter likes to sit with her and draw, sculpt and whatever. She has her own art space for her work (not far from mom‘s). She is very creative and her style is completely different than Martha‘s, but she knows that she has to do homework first ;o). She and her brother are a great source of inspiration for Martha's paintings of babies and children.

I wanted to know all about her latest project and she told me she always has several projects going at the same time. Sometimes that is not exactly a good idea and can be a real problem. At the moment, she is working on cloth dolls and art cards. She just finished producing a slide show of a collection of mini paintings that she has made through the years. She just uploaded it to you tube. Check it out.

Martha likes to create for all seasons and does not really have a favorite. For the most part, she doesn’t follow the holidays with her craft too closely. She likes Dia de los Muertos and she loves Angels for Christmas.

Ayala Art sells on Etsy and she also tries to keep a couple of things on ebay, her Ebay ID is passion4coloUr, you can find her often on her her blog: and
flickr:

She does not teach classes, but she posts tips and tutorials on her blog, mostly about dolls, painting and a few other online things of interest, like working on a “blog look“, etc. She recently donated two paintings for a show in Norway, where all the proceeds go to a library for children books.

I asked what she would like to share with others seeking success with an online business. She recounted that she was once told that 75% of the time is for marketing and 25% for working on your craft. She also cautioned all of us to be careful that the 75% doesn't turn into a 100% of online time! It is not necessary to be in every site and network, but it helps to be in a couple of mayor sites. She also encourages artists to have nice business cards to give out, in person, and to include with every item we sell. Be patient if we just started to sculpt or paint, and keep practicing! Enjoy the process. Other people will notice eventually and will come to visit your shop or blog.

Ayala Art was published last spring in "Doll Collector magazine", with her
"Luna doll" in the “Traveling Doll Project” article. She is also in the new January issue page 44 with her "Luna doll".

I know you are going to see a lot more of Ayala Art. She's an artist with "ACEO passion" in her email addy, so we know she is real serious about her passion for art!

Cynthia Toy

2010-10-31T18:52:00.000-07:00

We proudly present
Cynthia Toy
of
The Fairies' Nest

Cyn is from the hot and steamy South, more commonly known as Greensboro, North Carolina, in the good ole USA.
Cyn happily says Woo Hoo…. she doesn’t work another job (off line) anymore! She has been making dolls since she was a child, having made her first one at age 6. Professionally, she has been at it for about 20 years.

She thinks her doll making developed from an acute fiber addiction that she inherited from her mom. Plus she seems to suffer from an overactive imagination from reading lots of Fantasy books. She just loves to play with dolls. What can we say?

Cyn loves Fantasy Art and has an extreme “Corvidae addiction” ( A family of large birds in the order Passeriformes having stout, long beaks; includes the crows, jays, and magpies). Most of her art purchases are fairies or crows.

But anything tiny is fair game, especially tiny animals and tea sets. She loves original funky pottery too and you could say she has a pretty eclectic collection.

Cyn makes cloth dolls, mostly fantasy, fairies, pixies, gnomes, two headed rats and the magical folk who inhabit her brain. (She told me that. Honest!)
She has also always been interested in needle crafts of all kinds and has spent many years experimenting and learning how to manipulate cloth and fibers, i.e., sewing, knitting, spinning and whatever you can name. She wanted to learn all of it and this love of fibers has translated wonderfully into doll making.

Cyn told me her family is very supportive! She is married to the most amazing, patient man and they have 3 grown sons who, aside from calling me a geek for loving graphic novels and anime movies, are also proud and supportive of her work. Her family also includes 3 cats and a very geriatric Welsh Corgi.

Cyn would really like to learn to make patterns. She gets many requests for patterns to make her dolls but right now she just don't know quite how to make that possible. She told herself that this is something she just will have to learn next year...we'll see how that goes. She would also like to incorporate fantasy animals with her dolls in the future. All she needs now is a few more hours in the day! She sells strictly on Etsy, her only store, for now.
Her DA gallery is the best place for a comprehensive view of her work.

I wanted to know who her favorite designer is or who really inspires her. She told me Wendy Froud is her very favorite doll artist and that her work is simply amazing. But Cyn said she is also inspired by many artists, the works of illustrators such as Dulac and Rackham and Wendy's husband Brain Froud; writers like Elizabeth Bear, Terry Windling, and Neil Gaiman; all sorts of music ... art in general is a huge part of her inspiration.

Fall is her favorite time to design for she loves everything about Autumn...the amazing colors, the smoky scent of decaying leaves, the cooler temperatures...it's a magical time of year.

Asking what she would tell someone starting out on the internet with a new business, she told me if she were to ever become successful she’d let me know. :-) Right now she thinks the main thing is to be persistent...get yourself out there as much as you can to connect to potential customers.

I was interested to know if she has ever been published or in a magazine. Cyn is a Froud Artist of the month (May '07) and her dolls have been featured in the Fall and Winter 2006 issues of "Art Doll Quarterly" magazine.

Cyn's a proud member of The Etsy teams: NaturalKids, ADO (Art Dolls Only), EGADS, and FAE.

Visit Cynthia's Blog and her Etsy shop “The Fairies' Nest “, home of original cloth art dolls and miniatures, Waldorf toys, and fairy doll treasures from the Lands of Enchantment. Follow Cyn on Twitter and Facebook.

All of Cynthia's dolls are designed and handmade using her own designs and eco-friendly natural fibers and fabrics.

We think Cyn is pretty special and we know you will too!
Visit her soon to see her Textile Treasures from the Lands of Enchantment.

Laurence Bergeot-Veréb

2010-10-17T18:32:00.001-07:00

We proudly present
Laurence Bergeot-Veréb
from
FELT OOHLALA

Laurence is French, but lives in Budapest, Hungary with her Hungarian husband. She is a stay-at-home mom (or “mumy”), as her younger daughter does not attend school yet. Laurence’s background is in animation as a film director and just started “felting” about a year and a half ago.

In Budapest it is a very ancient tradition that wool, felted wool in particular, is used. This comes from when Hungarians had a nomadic way of life and "jurták" were their homes.(Those are tents made from felt fixed on a light wood structure, and proved being perfect in terms of lightness and isolation, and some could even reach relatively great sizes!)Laurence used to see felted objects(mostly wet felted) at market fairs or museum feasts. She always got excited about how you could obtain an object so different from its origins with nothing else than skill and time(lots of time). An ecological process for a sustainable object.

Laurence does not consider herself a “real” doll maker because she has so much to learn yet. She describes her dolls as having rather simple forms, like a “matrioshka“ (say what???), most of the time. She finds this shape great for holding and manipulating the doll, as she works the needle felting. It all seems very practical.

She is now experimenting into new areas of her art, which is always exciting for her.
I wanted to know what kind of crafts she would look for to buy, sell, or make. She told me she likes pieces with a bit of whimsy, not any particular style, but not too rich or busy either.

Her husband (he is an architect) is very supportive of her (of course) and often says she has volumes more sense than he. Laurence trusts her daughters’ advice also. The eldest has such a good eye, and her small one expresses big personality for things she likes or dislikes. Laurence always likes to share with them what she is doing.

I asked her what her newest project was and she said in doll making, she is trying to create a more realistic looking doll. This means armatures, limbs, specific facial expressions, etc. She told me it is a challenge to succeed using wool. The technique is time consuming and hard sustained work, but she thinks its worth giving life to a woolly doll. She could stand for a more serious one and mostly one which can feel animated, as it is poseable. Also, she can only felt 3-D and she would love to deal more seriously with other kinds, like nuno felting ( a fabric felting technique developed by Polly Stirling, a fiber artist from New South Wales, Australia), so that she could arrange the clothing on her dolls so that clothing could be removable.

Right now Laurence only sells on Etsy, but she feels it is not enough to meet people. She will be trying other means of exposure soon. As a mumy, fully at home for a year, her time is tight and she reserves it for creating and getting experiments. She also feels a bit guilty, as she does not want to stop making or participating in film making. Her big challenge of next year will be to combine her energies.

Wondering who inspires her, she told me she can’t tell me where her inspiration comes from. In ADO (Art Dolls Only) lots of people do inspiring works, and she meets other inspiring people, as well. It gives her a lot of energy. She says she is inspired, not by a particular style, but rather by an "attitude" in the work. The attitude toward the work and toward others. She says, "it is complicated and fascinating to see others work. I love team work as well, for this reason. It's very stimulating, but I never try to make or reinterpret others". Its just a kind of feeling and she thinks techniques is just a means. Character goes through something more. She feels techniques have to be shared to progress. There are so many different answers to the world. Of course, there are people she admires most, and usually for different reasons including their techniques, their communication skills and, also for a personal taste, close to hers. Like she said, it is the attitude which appeals to her most.

Wondering what season she likes to create for, she told me she loves all seasons. Wool is a wonderful fiber, always pleasant to touch and feel, but it is warm to work with, particularly during their hot summers. She told me "I really love doing it, for the contact of the wool and even its smell, and the special noise of the needle when I insert it in the wool. It is like stepping in the snow to me, millions and millions of steps, in the quiet and virgin snow ahead, but also something warm and soft...and yet full of the possibilities of forms and shapes your mind decides".

To remain on the short term thinking, needle felting is great also in the way she can stop the process and restart whenever. It is great help with a small child on your side. It does not make a mess, well, almost.:)

I wondered what info she would like to share to help others be successful in an online business. But Laurence thinks she is in very BIG need of help herself, especially as to the commercial aspect. She feels communication is very important and should spare more time and imagination for it.

Tweedle Dee and Dum two felt robots

Laurence doesn’t like the idea of collecting objects and doesn’t do too much of that. Probably because she used to travel a lot as a child and did not collect a large amount of things, for practical reasons. She does collect friends and memories easily, which are quite diverse. Laurence is the type to risk herself at new things and enjoys the challenge.

Each doll is like a present to her, that should bring warmth and wonder for those to whom it is destined. She puts much care and love in her creations and always tries her best to conduct the process with sincerity and honesty.
That is why she says “My dolls are always my own design, and one of a kind. Their story comes from the interaction of the long hours I spend forming something which at the end is always unexpected, and feels right".
I think we will remember Laurence for a long time and her wonderful outlook on her art.

Vania Cruz-Perez

2010-10-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

We proudly present
Vania Cruz-Perez
Of
Fantasy Whispers
Also known as

The art of Vania Cruz-Perez

Vania lives in Palm Bay, Florida …the Space Coast of the USA. At the moment, she is a Phlebotomy Student and just finished her classes. She will start her clinical in October at the Hospital.

I asked Vania how long she had been an artist. She told me she has been inclined to create as long as she can remember. So, I guess its safe to say Vania has been an artist all of her life. She told me she’s been creating digitally for almost ten years. About six years ago, she started making art dolls and loves it. She really enjoys creating one of a kind (OOAK) art dolls and sharing them with people all over the world.

She doesn’t have a specific style of art doll that she creates. She loves to fashion dolls that are usually associated with magic, or the old world, as it was known in the past. She also loves the fantasy world.

She enjoys making Folkart and Whimsical items. Vania doesn’t have a specific type of art that she buys. She says she is very diverse when it comes to art. She loves everything that the human hand can make. Vania personally likes to create both Christmas and Halloween so Fall and Winter must be her favorite seasons. Her newest project now is a series of Ornaments called Cuddled Dreams which come in all sort of themes.

I was interested to know if Vania had a favorite designer or someone else who inspires her work. She said that to have a favorite designer, would be like saying she only likes roses. In reality she loves all flowers, so to have a favorite is very hard for her to just choose one. She told me her family is very supportive of her art and inspires her to do her best at all times. She’s been married to her husband Ren for 14 years and they have a 10 year old son named Angel.

Tutorial

I was interested to know if she teaches others. She doesn’t teach classes, per se, but she does come up with a tutorial once in a while. Vania likes to help in any way she can, so she donates to and supports various special groups and charities.

I’ve seen Vania in magazines a lot, so I asked her where she is published and she told me

“Faerie Magazine”
"Polymer Café Magazine"
"Lifelike Dolls Magazine"
"DOLL Magazine"
"DOLLS Magazine"
"The Fairy Society Magazine"
"Frills & Fancy Online Magazine"
"The Sun Coast News"

She has also appeared in these books…
"100 Contemporary International Artists" and "Contemporary Women Artists 2010".

Vania doesn’t sell patterns or kits, but she told me the thought has crossed her mind.
Currently, Vania sells on these sites:
Website:
Blog:
Etsy:
eBay:
Flikr:

I asked Vania what she likes to personally collect. She told me she is a Historical Romance addict, so she is always looking for a good read. Vania has over 500 books in her collection. She continually expands her imagination through reading and music. Some of her interests include Classical Music, European History, Monarchies, Greek Mythology and the Fantasy World. These varied interests channel her imagination with artistic visions which she then transforms into sculpted artworks. She also finds a sense of freedom through her visions and the resulting creations.

Vania belongs to several groups, to include
Professional Doll Makers Art Guild; FeaTeam ;
Art Dolls Only;
Magical Holiday Artists;
and
American Holiday Artists
Vania is also a "Hive Member".

You can be sure we will see a lot more of Vania and her artwork. For the latest information on Vania and her activities, visit her blog.

In the mean time…
Escape your reality as you tour the galleries of Fantasy Whispers and allow yourself to enjoy the mystical beauty of each piece of artwork on display.

Sally Hutson

2010-09-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

We proudly present
Sally Hutson
aka
StitchyWooWoo
Maker of all things textile

They call her StitchyWooWoo and its a name that makes people smile and giggle. It was a nick name for a very special dog that Sally had the honor of sharing her life with for a few short years. It’s been just perfect as her business name.
Sally lives in a small town named Stony Stratford. It is located in Buckinghamshire, UK, not far from the big new city of Milton Keynes. She says she is very lucky to live in the countryside, among the fields and trees around her. Being just 40 minutes from London (where she originally hails from) makes her frequent visits less of a burden.

Sally has been a college lecturer for the past 18 years. Most of this time she spent as a Deputy Head of Art and Design, having the responsibility of setting up art courses and managing students and staff. Last year she decided to stop the management role and concentrate on teaching. Now Sally teaches 3 days a week. She specializes in the History of Textiles and Applied Textiles. This also allows her more time to concentrate on her own art work.

Sally has had the good fortune to experience a vast range of jobs over the years from Pub and Restaurant Manager, Residential Child Care Officer, Laura Ashley Window Stylist, underwriter for a mortgage company and a few others. She believes all of her life experiences has added to her skills and talents. She told me she has no regrets from any of her life’s endeavors. Eventually, she ended up in Art and Design. Sally believes this is what she should have been doing all along! Sally received a Master of Arts in 2005. She feels it kind of makes her an ‘official artist’. Like the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz she feels she needed the piece of paper to prove it!

First doll made from a vest and pipe cleaners

I asked her how long she had been an artist, doll maker, designer, painter, graphic designer, etc.?
She thinks she has been doing this sort of art forever.. She can remember making things as a child, always sewing, drawing and painting. Sally made her first doll with her Mum (don’t you just love that word?) when she was five. She still has the tiny doll tucked safely away in the draw with her childhood teddy bear. She doesn’t think it is worth anything in money, but it means so much to her. Hang onto it long enough and it might just be worth a lot (you just never know….).

Her Bernina sewing machine it is one of her most important possessions.. She told me she has been making dolls seriously for the past 4 years. Before that she made Mohair teddy bears for many years and still have loads of mohair fabric left. Her need to make bears had changed into making dolls because she can use a greater range of materials on them. Sally has always loved sewing and machine embroidery. She has that “NEED to sew “ like so many of us.

Sally’s dolls tend to be of primitive/ country/ folk. She still loves quilting and has made many Art Quilts.

I asked if her family supports or inspires what she makes. Sally told me she is
married to “the most wonderful husband“. For the past 38 years,they have worked together to make a happy home filled with treasure (well she says her mother-in-law calls it junk) and laughter. Her husband, Trevor, has always supported her in everything she does and is her greatest fan!

Her children, both grown up and on their own, are also supportive and admire all her work. She misses them terribly, but believes sometimes they just don’t get it. Although Sally taught them both to sew when they were small, they don’t, of course. If Mum can make it why bother (been there, done that.) ? We can all identify with that.

Sally’s newest project, Art doll wise, is polymer and paper clay. She says she seems to be surrounded by so many arms and legs! She has four BIG doll shows coming up in the next few months so she thinks she needs to complete quite a few new dolls. She also has a solo exhibition of her art textile work coming up in November. Sally says she needs to complete about 35 pieces for that. It sounds like Sally is going to be quite busy for a while!!!! Sally also has a few other things in the pipeline that are adding to her busy-ness and her business.

On-line selling is fairly new to Sally and she says she is still trying to learn. Sally is on Etsy and Zazzle and a few others but can’t always remember the passwords to get in. (LOL, been there done that, too.) Sally told me she has a website that needs changing and a blog which she tries to keep up. All is fun and her blog seems to be the site that most interested buyers go to. She loves being a member of ADO - Art Dolls Only because she enjoys working with like-minded people who are very supportive and friendly. Sally sells through direct selling at shows and shops in the UK.

Sally says she is inspired by so many things from the past and the present. Klimt, Pre Ralphaelites – anything decorative . Shiny things – she loves shine. Patterns and embellishment. She is not a minimalist! She likes the work of many doll artists from ADO. Abi Monroe, Paula Nerhus, Anna Zueva, Rosa Greuso and Christina Alvardo are just a few to mention. Sally wishes she could make ‘pretty‘ faced dolls like they do.

I asked Sally what would she share to help others be successful in an online business. I laughed when she said “I think I need that help“! There seems to be so many ways to sell on the web but she said she is still learning. She thinks she needs a manager to do all that for her. Sally came through with a really good suggestion to get a good and exciting display, including a range of sales prices and a friendly manner would help you to sell at shows. Sally thinks the same conditions should apply to online sales.

Sally says "she collects all kinds of things, including vintage silk scarves (have about 1000 of them); antique and vintage handbags and purses (lost count of how many);Textiles, both printed and embroidered (masses of the stuff); ribbons and
lace (again masses, including some highly prized 16th century Venetian Lace); and anything small and interesting really, Object d’art ! A word of advice (and maybe caution)… NEVER, EVER collect full size antique costumes – they take up way too much space . Sally uses lots of her collections to teach others. She has a big collection of national costume dolls – again, very textiley (is that a word?) stuff".

Sally says she needs to create a museum – that would be her ultimate goal in life, I think. Her son and she have always wanted to own a junk shop, but since they never want to sell anything, a museum would be better.

Sally is hoping to make up some kits and patterns to sell in the future when she get the time. She also has a dolls clothes book that is half written and hope to get published.

Sally hasn’t been in any magazines, yet, but she has had work on television. She is in the process of
interviewing with several magazines in the UK right now And would like to be published in the US magazines also.

Sally has always been a busy person, never really sitting still for long and always making something. She is never really bored and, like many of us, have a need to create, make, pass on skills, and ‘play’. It is such a part of her life! Thank goodness for the pleasure and honor of being an ‘artist’.

Visit Sally at her Etsy shop where she sells wonderful items or have a rummage in her other shop at
where you can find unusual exciting supplies, vintage/antique goodies.

She also has a great website
Sally sells on Zazzle

Please have a look at Sallys blog it's a lot of fun to check out!

Frida inspired art doll

Or Follow the ADO Traveling Doll Project. Lots of dolls in progress and the journals that travel with them.

Sally really does have lots of fun and passion playing with fabrics and we all love the textiles she creates.

Sally says Explore, Experiment, Play...Every Single Day!

Donna Dolci Cooper

2010-09-05T20:59:00.001-07:00

We proudly present
Cooperdolls
handcrafted art dolls
by
Donna Dolci Cooper

Donna Dolci Cooper lives in Peotone, Illinois. A very small, quiet country town, surrounded by corn fields. A great community and wonderful place to raise children! Sometimes she is embarrassed to admit how much she loves the boring life, in a town like this. There's not much excitement...and, from what she tells me, that's why she loves it so.

Donna has been a hairdresser for the last 25 years. She worked for a salon for 18 years, and has continued to service her clients in her own home since she officially ended her years in the salon. It has been a gift for her to be able to work from home, while raising children. Donna believes most women who give up their careers to stay home, have to give it all up. Donna believes she has the best of both worlds. Most important, to be home with her children and to be able to work and have the interaction with people and the outside world. A little non-anticipated benefit is the opportunity for a little “spare time”, which she has given to her creative side.

Donna told me she has always loved creating...and has dabbled in just about everything! She stumbled into doll making around 3 years ago. Never having sewn before then, now she sews almost everyday. It can be strange how things work out, but sometimes it opens a lot of doors Doll making is great fun, and it can be captivating and even addictive. To Donna’s surprise, it has been a wonderful new way to meet people. Donna finds a similar passion in most of the doll makers that she has come to know. I guess there is a small thrill that we all receive after creating this new piece of work when it takes on a personality of its own. Donna loves making the dolls and looking at other artists’ are dolls too. Donna never really appreciated the awesome talent of the other artists until she joined Etsy. It really is amazing !

Donna says her husband is very supportive of her doll making. He has been surrounded by people who have sewn for most of his life. His mother and 2 sisters have always sewn, so to him, Donna’s desire to create is "normal". Thankfully, she doesn’t get much "flack" from her husband! Donna has two (2) teenage daughters. One you couldn't pay a million dollars to make a doll (well, maybe a million dollars)and the other who loves doll-making as much as Donna.

Her teenage daughter made this one...

Her teenage daughter caught the doll making bug...and recently open her own Etsy (supercoopercreations). Donna says her daughter named it that because she thinks her dolls are “more super" and she enjoys the competition with Donna through their dolls.

Donna told me her newest project is changing the name of her Etsy shop. So keep your eyes open for her new doll shop, called Donna Dolci Cooper! Donna has also been working on some of her own doll designs. She says this has been great fun and
admits to great frustration, at times. She thinks that no one really knows the amount of time that actually is spent making those darn little creatures. (Most of us do!)

Donna sell her dolls on Etsy and she also sells her dolls to her hair clients and other people she meets. She has a great built in captive audience in her hair profession!

I wanted to know who inspires her. She told me she doesn’t really have a favorite artist or designer. The type of work that really captures her attention is very diverse. She loves all forms of artistic expressions and is especially drawn to those who reach "excellence" in their chosen mode of expression. Donna feels she is more creative in the fall and winter. Maybe this is because there tends to be more "indoor time” in that time of the year.

As always, I want to know what information they would pass on to someone just getting in the business. Donna is a firm believer in great customer service and communication with those that want to buy from you. She also thinks that very accurate and lengthy descriptions of the items you have for sale helps interested buyers in making their choice. We have to remember that they are unable to "really" see the item or touch it....so the more they know about your item will help with your sales. Great photos don't hurt either ! I can tell you Donna gets that from being a great hairstylist. You have to listen to your clients , really communicate with them and visualize exactly what the client is saying to you in your minds eye, before ever picking up those scissors lol.

At the moment ...it seems that Donna herself is collecting a whole lot of doll-making supplies! The great thing about making dolls is that you don't always need a lot, so you can afford to buy the "good" stuff. It is so funny though....you can have so many things , and you will still not have the "right " thing for that particular doll ! Donna is sometimes amazed at how one little doll can mess up the entire house. It seems you are always digging here and there to find the perfect little something or other...and a few hours later it looks as if a tornado
swept thru ...and she will literally have stuff everywhere! I am sure we have all “been there, done that”.

Donna currently has 2 dolls being displayed, at the San Diego Quilt Show, in Patti Culea's booth, in September. She had the great pleasure of meeting Patti this summer! She told me Patti is a wonderful and interesting lady and so enthusiastic about dolls and doll making ! As it turns out, Patti is thrilled beyond words, that people like Donna are using her patterns and selling dolls. Patti was recently visiting family in Chicago and stopped by for a visit at Donna’s home. The two
dolls that will be in the quilt show are going to be professionally
photographed and submitted to magazines. We will keep you informed when more details are available.

Donna started hand crafting cloth dolls about 2 years ago. She found them rewarding and exciting on a creative level. Each doll is unique, in it's own way and Donna loves the hunt for that “perfect embellishment” to make each one special. Many hours go into the creative process for these dolls and yet, as she finishes each one, She is excited to get the next one started. Donna really loves fibers of all kinds for embellishing her dolls and using these fibers as hair, She has found objects from flea markets and antique shops to use as props or decorations, as well. She loves beads, crystals, glitzy charms, threads and virtually anything with the bling and glitz to make a doll sparkle in its own magical way.

You can watch the wonderful progression of Donna Dolci Cooper Dolls on her Etsy site but I know Donna will be seen everywhere soon! Her dolls are that fabulous!

Cindy Sowers

2010-08-22T10:44:00.001-07:00

We proudly present
Cindy Sowers
Designer of
Dolls and Hats (oh my)

Cindy lives in Burlington, Vermont, in the good ole USA. Cindy resides on a couple of gorgeous acres in rural Vermont with her family. Her background includes college courses in design, draping and pattern drafting; working behind the scenes at fashion runway shows; and writing copy for fashion advertising. Cindy had her own millinery business, designing and making hats for people. Cindy has been doing medical transcription for over 20 years, but she thinks they call it medical editing now. Basically, she works from home transcribing and editing medical reports for hospitals.

I asked how long she has been an artist. Like most of us, she has been creating things most of her life, but actually started doing her work for sale in the 80’s. She began making original dolls in 2000. In 2001 she was “juried” into several galleries in Vermont and began selling her dolls to other people.
She designs her own doll forms and generally drapes the costume onto the doll like a dress form. Each doll is unique, with its own distinct personality. Cindy loves making dolls! Her favorite style to create probably tends to be more whimsical. She also likes things that are a bit "real".

Cindy’s husband is a musician and also a craftsman. They have always supported each other in their creative lives. Her family is big on doing what they love as much as possible.

Cindy’s latest focus has been on making doll hats. Cindy used to be a milliner, back in the late 80s, when she lived in Seattle. She has been an art doll artist for about the last 10 years. She says about 90 percent of the dolls she’s made have hats or head dresses of one sort or another. She believes this has often been their appeal. Cindy loves hats! A well-dressed doll simply cannot be without an interesting, fun or classic hat. She liked making hats so much, that she decided to make them for other peoples' dolls. Cindy has also gotten involved in a community that collects plastic and resin dolls and has been making hats for people who have dolls with fancy outfits that need hats as well. All of her hats are, for the most part, OOAK, though there will be similarities. Her hat sizes vary between 4 to 12 inches in head circumference and each hat will fit a range of dolls.
She really enjoys doing a variety of things. She has been sewing since age 11 or 12. She loves anything that involves sewing and creating new things. She also has a small business making fabric portraits. Cindy plans to continue making dolls, but at the moment she’s not quite sure what direction she will take with that. The hats are fun and keep her busy in the meantime, and it is easy to combine the two endeavors.

Cindy sells predominantly on Etsy. She has had art dolls in galleries for years, but with the recent change in the economy, Etsy currently is working well for her.

I asked Cindy who inspires her. She told me she started out in fashion design. What jazzes her is usually fashion designers. She has always thought Elsa Schiaparelli, the Italian designer popular in the 30s and 40s, was the bomb. Elsa had some rather imaginative hats, sometimes shaped like shoes and things not commonly thought of as head wear.

Cindy likes both fall and spring in terms of colors and themes. With hats, those seasons are nice in terms of coloring, bouquets of flowers, leaves and that sort of thing. In Vermont, Cindy‘s home turf, the fall is the most beautiful of seasons and you can't help but be inspired.

I love to know the information people share to help others be successful in an online business . Cindy told me she seems to just be working that out herself at the moment. She make things because she likes to make them. She enjoys bringing in money for her creations, but that hasn't been her main motivation. Cindy thinks getting involved in Etsy teams and groups is a good start in any case.

Cindy isn’t really a collector. She likes to make things and always has, but she doesn’t keep them around. She doesn’t really have the sort of house for displaying or storing a lot of fancy things. If she were collecting, it would probably be dolls. Most of her dolls she uses for displaying her hats. They are working girls :)

Cindy has a great blog.
Be sure to check it out, especially for hats.
You can see a lot of her past and present dolls and hats at flikr.
Cindy’s website. This is a great place to see a lot of her dolls and fabric portraits.

Cindy has been published in Contemporary Doll Magazine for at least 3 or 4 issues. She also very active in the Art Dolls Only Etsy group. She is responsible for keeping the Traveling Art Doll blog going strong.

In the years to come Cindy plans to continue developing her skills and work toward her particular vision, which is to bring the characters dancing in her head to life in 3-dimension. We can not wait to see more of her in the years to come.

Du Buh Du Designs

2010-08-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

We proudly present
Du Buh Du Designs
Unique handmade dolls
By
Christine Alvarado

I had to immediately know how Christine got the name for her business. She told me "Doobuhdoo" was one of the first nicknames her husband gave to her son when he was born. Christine felt it was a silly term of endearment but she included the name "Du Buh Du Designs" on the back of his birth announcements and when it came time to name her business she figured Du Buh Du was more memorable than just using her name. :) The name is a reference to Christine's son and she liked that her business started out around the same time he did. Christine thinks it should be fun to see how both will grow in the future.

Christine is originally from the small coastal town of Pacific Grove,California. She currently lives in Bend, Oregon (where the Cascade Mountain range meets
the high desert in Central Oregon). She’s a full-time mom to a very active and chatty 4.5 yr old boy and wife to a very active and chatty forty something year old. :)

I asked Christine how long she had been an artist. She told me she had been interested in art from an early age. She was the "artist" in the family or one of the" classroom artists". In school she was often asked to submit drawings for the school newspaper, newsletters, etc. She recalls winning an award for a book she "illustrated and wrote" in elementary school. Christine was a good student in most subjects but she always felt most confident when it came to her art.

Her creativity took a turn towards music as she played the viola for several years, but dropped that when she was only allowed to choose one extra class. Between art and music...she chose art. In high school she enjoyed calligraphy, which came in handy as she began to do wedding invitations and get paid for them. However, high school art classes weren't very structured and she felt she didn't really learn the basics of drawing, painting and design, until college.

Christine was one of those students who was on the "extended" program meaning she
took years of classes before settling on a major. She knew that she wanted to major in graphic design or photography, but deep down Christine felt she wanted to do something else. She just didn't know what that "something else" was. Christine took as many classes as her college(s) had available in the drawing, painting, graphic design, photography, sculpture, print making just about everything but ceramics and watercolor. The last two never interested her but she could see herself learning those mediums and applying that knowledge to her doll making in the future. Christine ultimately received her AA in Graphic Designs and BA in Art.

In 2005, Christine saw artist Dame Darcy on television, one day, and watched her demonstrate how to make simple articulated dolls. Christine memorized her techniques and started creating her first doll the very next day. There was something so wonderful about the primitive, yet modern quality to the dolls. She instantly connected to doll making as another art form. Not in the traditional sense of being a toy, but as another way of expressing ideas. As a side note one of her favorite things is hearing from people that they weren't into dolls, until they saw her work. When she hears that she thinks she understands what they mean, as she felt the same way when she came across Dame Darcy's work a few years back. Christine thinks its a response to seeing a doll as something more than just a child's toy.

In 2007 Christine decided to open up her own business featuring her own style of dolls and started a blog about her work. After years of not knowing what she wanted to do and years of taking classes, she believes they were really just prepping her for life as an artist/doll maker.

The dolls she creates, she considers to be modern primitive dolls. Christine is
not sure if that's an actual term, but that's how she views her work. Christine likes that unique combination of something old and imperfect, mixed with the new and somewhat realistic. She has taken several figurative sculpture classes in college and can sculpt in the traditional/realistic style, but prefers to keep some aspect of her work primitive. Currently Christine is working on a "Frida" inspired art doll for the ADO monthly challenge.

A work in progress

I asked Christine how her family supports her or inspires what she makes and I was amazed. I love the story she told.
Her husband Mark is a math teacher but he also does side jobs with miniature/architectural models of buildings and golf courses. So he has a creative side also and often helps with her work, for example, when she needs pins inserted into her dolls if they happen to be holding something so that the piece is sturdy. He is also the one who built the Gypsy Caravan and other items for some of the Blog Events she has participated in over the past three years. Both her son and husband usually accompany her on a "photo shoot".

Her son will pull a boat by a string while she photographs her dolls in it..or her husband will be out in a marshy pond,taking direction from her on where to stand while holding up a mop with a hot air balloon dangling at the end.

Sometimes Christine and her husband are working their projects at the same time.
She likes that her son gets to see both of his parents as determined, creative people,doing what they love. Christine is amazed at what her son can already build at his age and they will be there to support him in his endeavors always :)

Christine sells her work exclusively on Etsy. Several years ago she was planning on starting a small wedding invitation/announcement business. When she came across several art
blogs, Christine kept seeing the name Etsy and looked into what that was. It was
through the discovery of Art Blogs and Etsy that she decided to go into the business of selling her dolls and starting her own blog. She wasn't sure if either would go anywhere, but after selling her first doll, on her first day, she figured it just might all work out.

Christine has donated several dolls for charity or to help out some who have
experienced some sort of crisis. This was also the second year she participated in the auction to benefit the Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots Organization. Christine also likes to have a few giveaways on her blog~it's a good exercise in giving without expecting anything in return.

I wanted to know if she ever collects anything for herself and she told me she has a small collection of cloth dolls, but she's not much of a collector. She said the older she gets, the less "things" she likes to have around her apart from her books, art and art supplies. If space and money were no option she'd be collecting more artwork of those she admires, for sure.
Christine prefers to spend her money on supplies for her artwork, including
beautiful fabrics, vintage ribbons and things..she told me "I guess you could say
I have a large collection of both". Oh and decorative paper..lots of
that, too.

Under the title "To be a fly on the wall of their studio" on her blog, She has
a short list of artists who inspire her. I asked her what kind of artists inspire her. She told me artists that inspire her, work with the human figure but take it to the next level via the use of 3D illustration, stop-motion animation and automata (kinetic sculpture). Christine is inspired by the film Madam Tutli Puttli, the stop motion animation films of Susie Templeton and the Brothers Quay, automata Artist Tom
Haney and 3D Illustrator and sculptor Chris Sickels.

Aside from that, she is also very inspired by the 1920's and 30's. Christine would love to have been an artist during that time, in Europe or Mexico.
I asked her what her favorite season was to create for. She told me she’s really not into creating for seasons,but does create Christmas ornaments.

If she had to pick a Season/Holiday that she really likes the idea of
making dolls for, would be El Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. This is an important holiday celebrated primarily in Mexico, but also throughout Central and South America. Families welcome back the spirits of their loved ones by building alters for them with food offerings. It's a time to celebrate and share memories of those who have passed. It takes place Nov. 1 and 2nd and has nothing to do with Halloween despite the use of sugar skulls or Skeletons (Calaveras). One of the most popular images associated with this holiday is the Calavera Catrina figure, a skeleton figure of a high society lady (and other characters too). Christine has made a few of her own and looks forward to making more.

I always love it when an artist passes on tips on how to be successful with an online business. Christine told me whatever it is you choose to do make sure it's something you would create for yourself even if you didn't have a shop or were to receive any money for it. I know that's a bit of a cliche but you might as well
love what could very well become your full time job! That is great advice!

Also, Christine said she knows most people would recommend that you follow what other
artists/sellers/bloggers are doing when you are starting out. She thinks
it's helpful to a certain extent, but it can become a hindrance.
Sometimes its best to just put your blinders on and focus on creating your own unique
artwork, blog,etc. Be yourself, don't try and create work that you
think others want to buy or copy what someone else is making or their
style,etc. When you see an artist with their own unique look, remember
it probably took them a few years to get to that place so don't compare your work with theirs. Practice! Practice! Practice!

Do not offer anything less than your best work...ever!

Christine has been published in Art Doll Quarterly and Artful Blogging
and she will be in upcoming issues of Pasticcio and Where Women Create. Be sure to look for her when those come out. You can see her past works gallery on flickr and her facebook page.

I know we will see a lot more of Christine and her wonderful talent. There is a saying on her blog that I really think fits her….

And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

Odd-Dolls

2010-07-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

We proudly present
Pat Graham
of
Odd-Dolls
Maker of
Art Dolls and Oddities

Pat, also known as Pattee, is an Art Doll Artist living in a small town named Bellingham, Washington (USA), 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver B.C. She lives there with her husband, Siamese cat and 6 chickens. Pattee says she’s lucky enough to be able to devote her time to art, gardening and teaching. Like most people that create art we often say we have been creating all our lives... but her first "real" memory of thinking "I'd like to do this all the time" was in the 6th grade. Pattee won first prize for a sculpted "horny" toad in art class. She was very excited and still has that piece sitting on her kitchen window sill. Pattee has been making Art Dolls now for about 13 years. She started with Spirit dolls made with cloth or leather, embellished with no faces. When her son was small she would make whimsical felt dolls, crazy fun ones. Finally she found polymer clay and she loves it! Pattee was hooked.

I asked her what her favorite season is to create for and she told me
definitely the fall, autumn leaves and acorns, and of course, she loves to make
Halloween Art Dolls, Vampires, and other strange creatures of the season.

Pattee likes to buy whimsical and folk art. Anything that makes her smile or gives her pause to think. She also loves to go to thrift stores to see odd things she can pick up. Pattee collects vintage perfume bottles and loves unusual glass objects. Not to mention collecting anything rusty, feathers, skulls and earthy things.

Her family is her biggest supporter!!! Both her husband and son love that
she’s a full time doll artist. They love everything Pattee makes : ) What's
better than that?

Pattee’s newest project is making jointed dolls and teaching a class on it.
She teaches classes on a ning site. This site is called Odd-Dolls-Fun. She is also starting another ning. This one called Odd Art Dolls.
Pattee also teaches in town and told me she would love to travel and teach. That would be her ultimate dream job.
Below is a doll Pattee just made in Olga Roehl's class in NIADA. See even Pattee takes classes lol...

Pattee sells her dolls on her blog. She also sells on her Etsy site. She belongs to 2 groups ... Art Dolls Only and Mrs. Blathersby's Orphanage for the Unattractive and Mentally Unsound. Both groups have inspired her very much! The MRSBO group helped her find her Odd-Dolls style.

When asked what inspires her, she told me she gets inspired by looking at people... She is a real people watcher. Sit her down with a cup of coffee and she could watch people for hours. As for the inspirational people, Froud, Gail Lackey are 2 off the top of her head.

Pattee tries to have a giveaway at least, once a month on her blog. So be sure to check out her blog often.

The world is definitely more of a fun place with the addition of Pattee and her wonderful Odd-Dolls.

Art Dolls by Cindee Moyer

2010-07-11T13:30:00.001-07:00

We proudly present
Cindee Moyer
The designer of...
Art Dolls by Cindee Moyer

I want to start my spotlight out this time by letting Cindee talk a little about her mom…Cindee is such a big inspiration to all and I love that her mom gets credit where credit is due.

"As a child, going on summer vacation, my mother would start out the trip by drawing my older sister and me each a paper doll. We rode miles drawing, coloring and cutting out clothes for our dolls. They always had beautiful faces and I’m sure the clothes we made didn't do them justice.
That was my first exposure to designing and creating any kind of doll."
As far as we are concerned Cindee has made that paper doll of long ago come to life.

Cindee lives in Ankeny, Iowa, just north of Des Moines. She grew up in this area and her childhood home is less than five miles away from where she lives today.
Cindee left the corporate world about 4 years ago where she was a human resources manager for a company of 800. Currently she just works on her art and is loving it. Having grown up within an artistic family, her college major, was painting. However, like so many of us, she had to eat, so she worked and did crafts on the side.
Cindee had a cottage industry in the 80's making cornhusk dolls. It was called 'Maiden Harvest". She grew to hate mass production, so this one-of- kind world is perfect for her now!

Cindee’s stepson had been paralyzed in a car accident on his 21st birthday in 2003 and her husband focused on helping him move forward. So in 2004 Cindee attended a workshop with Akira Blount. Cindee needed her own escape and the workshop was perfect. She was so amazed at what she had done that she came home and just kept making more! Cindee continued to fine tune and evolve, but I think that must have been the flame that ignited the fire for her.

Cindee works in fabric primarily because that's what she started in and she told me she absolutely loves collecting beautiful fabrics. She has a really decent sized stash too. The nice part is that she only needs about 1/4 yard of anything, so she’s been able to purchase some really nice pieces that she may not have been able to if larger quantities were needed. $75 a yard isn't so bad if you only need a quarter of a yard!

Cindee loves anything with a face on it.....dishes, vases, paintings, figures, jewelry, clothing. She leans toward whimsical, but loves goth and prims, too. She told me she would love to make a goth or steampunk piece....maybe this year, yet! I cant wait to see what she comes up with!
Cindee has a great pin collection (as seen above). Notice all the faces?
She loves sculpture of all kinds. (it must have a face on it!) She also collects art dolls - and doesn’t think much beyond the fact that she is smitten! She has some fabulous dolls from established artists and has found some absolutely wonderful doll artists on Etsy.

Cindee has been married to her husband Mike for 13 years. He is the one who allows her the freedom from working and is her biggest supporter. Mike hands out her cards to everyone he meets! Together they have five children and soon to be 10 grandchildren. They lost a baby granddaughter to SIDS two years ago and she told me sometimes, the emotion of a loss or tragedy can come through in your work. Those pieces seem to be better at the outcome. They are richer, if only for yourself. Joy comes through as well, but it is a different feel.

I wanted to know all about her newest project and Cindee told me she has been working in paper clay and it's been a nice change. She likes the ability to show more movement than you can with clay vs cloth. But they each have their strong points. The most difficult thing for her is to just sit down and do it. Her favorite seasons are Christmas and Halloween each lend their own magic, but she doesn’t really focus on Holidays for her art.

Cindee says she is a dreadful procrastinator and a call for a Starbucks-run from her daughter takes priority!! I can identify with that … I wonder how many artists are procrastinators.

Cindee sells her art through Etsy and direct e-mail. She has done one art show, but usually doesn't have enough items to display. Cindee does teach regularly on Joggles and she also travels to teach occasionally. She will be going to Ohio in August and Oklahoma in October. How fun! Wish we could all go!

Cindee also designs a line of patterns. If you are interested in checking them out here are some links to her website, Joggles, A Dollmakers Journey, and Cloth Doll Patterns.

I asked Cindee who inspires her and she told me that there are so many wonderful artists out there and each one inspires something. Whether it's their line, color combination or quirky design concept. Her absolute favorite doll artist is Natasha Lopusova-Tomskaya from Russia.

Cindee hosted Natasha a few years ago to teach in Des Moines. She doesn’t believe there is anyone out there that creates more beautifully crafted pieces. Natasha is so amazing... I put up the above picture of a doll by Natasha so you can see what she means. Natasha’s dolls are made entirely of paper mache - the old kind, where you tear strips of paper and glue together. Her costuming is phenomenal as well as her postures.
There are others that inspire Cindee also: Akira Blount, Olga Roehl, Nancy Wiley and she is also intrigued by children's book illustrator Nicoletta Ceccoli.

I asked what she would tell someone to help them get started in their business and Cindee told me that you want to be found easily. Many times, for example, she has found an artist she loves on Etsy only to go bonkers trying to find them again because they had a really cute store front name but it had nothing to do with their name. (simplify, simplify!) I wish someone would of told me that 10 years ago!

Cindee’s doll “Lady Juliana - Voyage of the Courtesans”
will be in the fall issue of ADQ coming out in August.
She has also been published in Dollcrafter and Costuming, Doll Collector, Art Doll Quarterly (the cover Winter 2008), Lark book, 500 Handmade Dolls.

To see alot more of Cindee's dolls and patterns visit her on her website.

Cindee has this wonderful saying by Helen Keller on her website and I think Cindee really takes it to heart because it shows up in her dolls.

"The most beautiful things in the world are not seen or touched. They are felt with the heart."

The Studio at Crow Haven Farm

2010-06-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

We proudly present
Michelle Schafer
Owner of
The Studio at Crow Haven Farm
Designer of
Whimsical, Gothic Art Dolls and Mixed Media Artwork

Michelle has a small studio located in Pennsylvania in the US of A. She is a self-taught, mixed media Artist who has taken workshops with Wendy Froud and other local artists. Michelle began developing her art about 4 years ago, but it wasn't until she took an intensive workshop in New York City, with Wendy, that she really started creating and learning different techniques for her art dolls. She fondly calls her Art Dolls Eclectic Beings or EBs for short. Michelle actually had four of her EBs published in the Winter Issue of Art Doll Quarterly.

When asked if her family supports and inspires what she creates, she told me her family is very supportive and has been behind her from the get go. They’re her biggest Cheerleaders.
Michelle loves to work in her studio and loves spending time with her wonderful husband (who is a drummer). Listening to music, watching DVD's and just hanging out on their porch with a bottle of wine! (Oh boy, I would too!) Michelle gathers ideas from all that, I am sure.
Her favorite style of art is whimsical and gothic. She will often purchase this type of art for herself. Her favorite seasons to design for are fall and winter. They are her absolute two favorite seasons of all.

Currently Michelle is working on her clothing line and a new art doll collections for an exhibition this fall with the Baum Art School. Michelle is also collaborating with Anita Van Hal, a mixed-media artist, on several projects for publication and an online shop.

Michelle's website Crow Haven Farm is being designed by Huckleberry Graphic Arts, a wonderful Graphic Artist named Annette. On her website she will be offering one of kind art
dolls, handmade art journals, art containers, mixed-media pieces, such
as whimsical houses, home decor, and paintings. Annette also designed Michelle's blog.

Michelle will soon debut a new selling blog, which will be offering handmade clothes, spa wash cloths, dish towels, bath towels, hats, scarves, yoga socks, and hand bags. The line is being marketed as Crow Abbey Designs. You can view her designs on this selling blog.

I asked Michelle if she teaches classes, donates her items to support special groups or to help others in special ways and, of course, she does. She is currently working with The Baum Art School on a workshop schedule. It's in the planning stages right now ,however she will be teaching art journaling workshops, doll workshops and mixed-media workshops.

Michelle also donates her time to a knitting group that she belongs to.
They knit washcloths, bags, hats, scarves and other items, for the less fortunate. (I think that is a great idea.)

Michelle told me there are so many people that inspire her that she doesn’t have one favorite designer. However, if she had to choose one, it would be the famous designer Chanel.

Michelle has been published in Art Doll Quarterly and Somerset Studios. She
currently has submissions with Art Doll Quarterly and publications with Stampington Company that are awaiting publication.

Last, but not least, Michelle wanted us to know she is a Proud Member of
ADO - Art Dolls Only. Click on the link to check it out.

You can purchase many wonderful creations from Michelle at her Etsy shop. Be sure to visit The Studio at Crow Haven Farm...
Where Magical Things Happen!

Waxela Sananda SpiritMama

2010-06-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

We proudly present
Waxela (wa-shay-la) Sananda
Unique Doll Artist
And
Sock Monkey Cake Topper Extraordinaire
Known fondly to many of us
as
SpiritMama

Waxela lives at beautiful Lake Okoboji, IA, in the USA. She was always sculpting, painting and crafting as a child and took her first formal sculpting class at age 9 and then she was hooked! She’s been making jewelry and art for as long as she can remember and studied Visual Design at Iowa State University. Waxela owned retail shops for 15 years where she sold her custom jewelry designs, but in 2007 she stopped retail and started selling online and now does it full time adding in some Art shows from time to time. Waxela spends a lot of her days making sock monkey cake toppers and art dolls now and sometimes she still has time for her jewelry she is so famous for.

Waxela is married with a 12 year old daughter and an 18 month old son. Her daughter is her biggest fan and cheers for every piece she makes. She loves to make whimsical items and just started a series of dolls that are all inspired by the wetlands in front of her studio. She told me she has a lot of ideas for wetland characters running through her head. Waxela has also recently completed a White rabbit art doll for the ADO Alice In Wonderland challenge. Which just makes her want to do another Alice again soon...if she can find more time.

I asked Waxela if she teaches classes or donates to help a worthy cause and Yes! Of course she does!
She is working on an art doll charity auction benefiting Haiti through ADO. Many ADO members will donate dolls for this benefit this month, so if any of you like art dolls, watch for the charity auction to be announced on the ADO blog!

Waxela told me there are so many who inspire her. She has always been thrilled by Picasso’s playfulness and manipulation of form, and by Michelangelo’s mastery of realism. Botticelli is one of her favorite classic painters because he was able to present fantasy, gods, and goddesses in whimsical themes in a time where serious religious painting was so common. “Birth of Venus” is probably her all time favorite painting.
Current artists that inspire her are Tim Burton, Gail Lackey, Akira Blount, Marilyn Radzat and Kate Church.
She is also inspired by the ADO members, and loves looking at everyone’s work. If she ever needs a little creative pick me up, she said she goes to the team photo page and looks at all of the pictures and just enjoys the variety of styles and characters created by this talented team.

Waxela finds her inspiration in nature, animals, plants, and beautiful views.
She loves spirituality and is the most aligned with the Native American love of the earth and the Buddhist Zen practice. She is Certified as a Aroma Therapist, an Energy Healer, a Reiki Practitioner, and is studying holistic nutrition through Clayton College of Natural Health.

I am always curious to know what information people would share to help others be successful in an online business so I asked and Waxela told me to
promote yourself every where online. The more places your pictures are posted, the more they will be seen. There is a ton of free advertising out there, you just need to put the time in to get yourself noticed. Once a few prominent bloggers show your work, you’ll gain popularity and you’ll be on your way to a great online business. All that sounds like good advice to me.

Waxela has been published twice this year (in books, not magazines)! She had two dolls pictured in Polymer Artists Showcase by Tejae Floyde and she also had a piece appear in the Regretsy book, by April Winchell. That could be taken as an insult she said, but the piece pictured is one of her “Feti” embryo ornaments made of polymer clay, and the tagline for her Feti shop is “weird but cute”. She got a huge kick out of it and appreciated the attention it has given her weirder side. Be sure to check the ornaments especially the Sarah Palin Ornament on the site... they are just great!

The ADO Team was featured in the June 2010 issue of Doll Collector Magazine for the Traveling Doll Project . This must of felt like a huge success to Waxela because she was the instigator for beginning the TDP (Traveling Doll Project) last year. Now it has become a published annual project and Waxela told me she is so happy to see how it has grown and taken on a life of its own! All of us who are and have been in the TDP are honored and thankful that Waxela got the group going in the first place. I personally was in the first group with Waxela and she was the first one to work on the doll I made, which by the way, turned out wonderful thanks to all the talented artists who worked on her! It’s great to have a little piece of Waxela sitting on my desk .... the face of Miss Kitty!

Waxela says she’s just an artist and a mom,
who gets a kick out of freaky, whimsical, weird and fun!

You can see more of the work of Spiritmama on her Etsy site or one of her “Feti” embryo ornaments at her Feti Etsy Shop
Be sure to catch up with SpiritMama often on her blog she puts all her latest creations on there.
If you looking for more of SpiritMama check out flickr too.

Flora Thompson Bone Head Studio

2010-05-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

We proudly present
Flora Thompson
Who strongly believes
Live Simply, Love Generously, Care Deeply, Speak Kindly
Leave the Rest to God.

We call her Flora Dora…
You've heard her called
Bone *Head* Studio’s

Flora is an artist who loves to make art dolls. A married mother of 4
(3 girls and 1 boy) two girls are married and all on their own and her son
is 15.
Flora has always been creative. She never remembers a day that she has not created something, whether it was drawing, sketching, doodling or sewing.

Ms. Bonehead got pretty handy with sewing and having 3 girls. She learned how to sew, sew, sew and then just to wing it! We all know about winging it don‘t we?

Flora was born and bred in the US of A…now living in Houston, Texas...thank you very much!
A retired LVN who’s other "job" is "per diem", a babysitter for her
4 precious grandies… 2 girls and 2 boys.

When her girls grew up and Flora was left to her own devices, that's about the time computers came into her life. She has had a love/hate relationship with them since 06-07, but for the most part Flora Love’s it!!
About 06-07 was when she first started the journey toward what is now her well known Bone *Head* Creations.

Each creation is handmade, from her own designs, without the use of a mold.
Flora likes to use found objects as well as vintage fabrics.
Her husband William (just call him Bill), has always been her biggest fan.
I know... cliche, but he is.

Flora told me her mind is constantly working on ideas. She can see figures in anything from bathroom tiles to clouds...

Her passion, at the moment, is air dry clay and fabric. The possibilities are endless! Flora describes herself as "a bit eclectic and whimsical“.

Halloween has always been her favorite holiday. Most of her art tends to lean that way, but Christmas is a close second!
I asked about her newest project and got told
something with pumpkins. I'd tell you more about it but....you know..

When asked who inspires her, Flora said there are artists on the net who are very inspiring to me. Some of her favorites are Julien Martinez, Scott Radke and Scott Smith.
I also wondered if Ms. Bonehead collects anything for herself and she said
I LOVE articulated dolls. Since my money tree is just a wee baby tree, I have a small collection of this and that, which caught my eye. Betsy McCall, Riley Kish, Raikes Wooden jointed dolls... American Girl's Hopscotch Hill, just things like that. She recently has been buying some of her fellow artists dolls on STJ and Etsy.

Flora has been seen in the magazines "Cloth, Paper, Scissors", "Celebrate 365"
and an ad in "Art Dolls Quarterly". She hinted their might be a surprise
in the "Art Dolls Quarterly" August issue. Mark that on your calender!

If you would like to see more of Flora's creations, go to:

Art Dolls Only;

Bone*Head*Studios Blog;

SpookyTimeJingles
( check her out on the 13th of every month)
and

Ehag.

Flora is one of those people you really want to get to know better.

I love her creed:

God doesn't give you the people you want, He gives you the people you

NEED, to help you , to hurt you , to leave you, to love you and to make

you into the person you were meant to be...