A new Greiner style doll!

Well, I've finally finished this poor Greiner papier mache inspired repro doll!  I've been purty busy lately so she's been simmering on the back burner and what not.  I did take lots of photos of some other projects I've been working on, unfortunately I took them on my phone and my phone is currently not on speaking terms with my computer, which accounts for the lack of posts here on my poor neglected blog!

Anyhoos, this gal is made of liquid papier mache and is 21 inches tall.  As always her clothing is completely handsewn in the period correct manner.

She's currently looking for a new home on ebay, where more information is listed about her! Please feel free to pop by for a visit and a chance to get to know her better!


Having a problem getting the link here, my ebay user name:  robinseggbleu

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat....

It's that time of year!  I've been awfully busy, though you wouldn't know it from this blog.  You know me...I mean well, just keep procrastinating.   I did manage to get my Christmas Izannah off to a fabulous new home, and I imagine she's quite happy there.  I made Mr. Whaley a smoking/lounge cap for the Whaley House Museum, an item that had been on my 'to do' list for quite awhile.  Also finished up that reproduction papier mache doll I made for the museum, specifically to wear a dress that I made from the innards of Mrs. Whaley's supposed wedding dress. The gown disintegrated in my hands this summer while cataloging it, and the only parts salvageable were the lace and polished cotton lining.  It lent itself to an 1850's style of wedding dress, so that's what I made out of it. Thomas and Anna Whaley wed in 1853. So I figured it was appropo. Originally, it was a late 1880's early '90's gown...so we know it wasn't really Mrs. Whaleys, nor that of her daughters.  Just too late a period and besides, the gown was for someone at least 4 inches taller than I am...and I'm about 4 inches taller than any of the Whaley women.  So no way could they have worn it.  Just a donation from the '60s to the museum and touted as something it wasn't.  But...the doll dress came out great.  Dolly and dress are under a little Victorian tree swathed in strung popcorn at present.

We got the Whaley House and Marston House museums all dandied up for Christmas, had our big SOHO Holiday Party.  Did some Christmassy this'n'that events.  Currently I'm awash in pink and green glitter.  The two little angels in my life asked Santa for a pink princess gown and a Tinkerbell costume.  I'm 'almost' done with the princess gown, just finishing up the lining.  Next comes the Tinkerbell costume.

Now, I know...I haven't taken any photos but I swear I will.  Hopefully Friday I'll get pictures of at least Whaley House all decorated, along with the smoking cap and the papier mache repro doll in the 1850's wedding gown.  And by next week, some pretty girls wearing glittery pink and green costumes!

It's been an eventful year, particularly the last few months.  Some losses...the good kind and the bad kind.  Lost 3 friends to cancer in the last month.  But there's more angels in Heaven to look after us.  Lost 60 pounds since September, so I feel much better, that's for sure.

Trying to keep up momentum of creative activities.  Working on another doll, but not sure when she'll see the light of day!  Hopefully by the end of January at the latest.  Will sure try and get some photos posted on here of my handiwork.  Till then, if I don't make it back on here before...

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Izannah redo

Well, I went shopping in my cupboards for some more festive fabric and made my Christmas/Holiday Izannah a little...okay, a LOT happier by sewing a new frock for her.  I must say, her demeanor has miraculously improved.  She just needed a little color, poor thing!  At any rate, I finally got her unmentionables finished too, and she's a very happy camper and has been a dreamboat to live with.  I almost wish I could keep her....almost.  I put her up for adoption this evening on ebay, you can pay her a little visit if you wish!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180764192959

New Christmas Izannah!

A New Christmas Izannah In The Works!

She's not quite done yet, still working on trimming her unmentionables, which she's angry at me for mentioning.  She's very embarrassed that it's taking me so long to finish her, that I've dilly dallied on finding just the right antique fabrics for her foundation garments (talk about ungrateful).  She found out the hard way that I am a first class procrastinator.  But hey...I've been busy.  Really super busy.  She's new, so she doesn't realize that we're smack dab in the middle of the Holiday Season and... I have things to do. 

Hopefully, I'll get her undies done by Sunday so she can quit giving me the stink eye.  I hate when they do that to me and it just furthers my resolve to sell them right out from under myself.

When she's fully presentable, I'll post more photos that are taken in decent light.  It's a crappy day here today in what used to be sunny San Diego, and I'm a crappy photographer.  Two crappy scenarios equal really crappy pictures.  For instance, you can't tell from these images that her dress is the identical shade as this carefully selected text color.  Perhaps no one's noticed yet, but I do that a lot.   Her dress doesn't look brownish red.  Just brown.  In fact, now that I focus more clearly on this text color, it pretty much just looks brown too.  Hmmm.............I may have been too hasty in my fabric selection.  It's vintage polished cotton and I thought it'd look so fabulously deep, rich and Christmassy.  Might have miscalculated.  Might change my mind on the dress.  Might take me longer to finish her. 

Ho ho well,  it'll just be a surprise then.  By the way, she's the one in the photos that's bigger than the other.  She's my largest Izannah thus far, and at 25 inches she's what we facetiously refer to as a "big boned gal."  Really, she's her petite little sister's nemesis.  She uses her girth to get her way on the shelf and I have found the little one suspiciously face down on the floor on more than one occasion.  I hate to say it, but this one's a bit of a bully.  Don't let her confident smirk fool you.  Notice the concerned countenance on her little sister?  There's a good reason for that.  You can see from her body language how she's leaning away and doesn't want to get too close.  Poor little thing.  She's very sweet so I'll let her live with me longer (I have to because she's on an extended layaway).  The big one's getting kicked out as soon as I can get rid of her.

You can see in the bottom photo that she's calmly plotting her next move against the little one.  And as you can see...the little one is fully aware of this.

Dia de los Muertos Catrina Doll

For the upcoming Dia de los Muertos Celebration here in Old Town, San Diego, I decided to 'revamp' a few of my  old dolls into "Catrina" characters for altars.

This is the first one I've finished.  She's been reincarnated a couple of times, this is her third manifestation.  Originally, she was an adult Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland.  Got tired of her pretty quick, she had some proportional issues, so she was recreated as Emily Dickinson. 

When I decided to throw Emily under the bus, I chose to Halloween-ize her into a vampire.  That was last year, and she was never finished.  So this year, I am working on a Day of the Dead altar for the Old Town Saloon and I thought...hey, I know what I can do with this dead in the water vampira. 

Truthfully, I was inspired by the absolutely amazing artist, William Bezek.  He is THE master of all things Halloween and Day of the Dead... and I worship him.   Plus, my sister, who also worships him, just purchased his majestic Vampire creation, "Luca" (with his own glass windowed coffin!!!!) and we felt that Luca needed some female companionship from the other side.  So after Catrina is done watching over the souls who've passed on at the Old Town Saloon, she's going to live with Luca.  Whether he likes it or not.

For her costume, I used an antique mantilla that I beaded for my "Vamp" doll (who got reincarnated into Debbie Reynolds), and an antique Victorian cape.  Thank goodness I'm a packrat and save everything.  Because San Diego is an early Spanish settlement, I chose a less "Late Victorian" Catrina look, and went for more of an early California look for her.

As always, I am a lousy photographer,  as particularly evidenced in the second photo.  Nearly every single photo I took of this doll has weird haze and 'orbs' swirling around her.  Normally, I wouldn't appreciate that.  But in this case....'spooky' works for me!

I've got a couple more reincarnations going, and hopefully, I'll be done with them before November 1st. 

San Diego Celebrates Dia de los Muertos!

Old Town San Diego Celebrates

Dia de los Muertos!

If you live in the San Diego region, please do stop by and participate in this amazing two day event!  Dozens of fabulous Memorial Altars,  Food,  Music, Costumes, Face Painting, and our incredible Candle Light Procession!

(Procession takes place Wednesday, Nov. 2nd @ 7:00pm)

The Whaley House Museum is a major participant and will be open for evening tours, offering face painting and fun activities! 

I'm pretty busy right now, painting sugar skulls, converting some of my old dolls into Catrinas for altars, and creating an overhead banner for the Procession!  Also working on an altar for the Old Town Saloon, right across the street from the Whaley House, where one of my Catrina dolls will be keeping her eye on things...so do stop on by for a 'spirited' libation if you are kid-less!  Photos to come!

Couple new project I'm working on!

Here's a couple of dollies I've been working on:  another little Izannah and attempting a papier mache from 1850 for the Whaley House museum.  We're a little low on dollies in the nursery there so I thought I'd try to perk it up.  Alas, the empress as yet has no clothes, just a humble chemise.  A fabulous gown is my next project!