The Queen of Hearts

The Queen of Hearts she made some tarts all on a summer's day;
The Knave of Hearts he stole the tarts and took them clean away.
The King of Hearts called for the tarts and beat the Knave full sore
The Knave of Hearts brought back the tarts and
vowed he'd steal no more.

A nursery rhyme that we would read as youngsters, found in a book on nursery rhymes and tales from "The Bookshelf For Boys and Girls" set of children's books.  I loved those books so much I got a set for my children, and now have a set for my grandchildren. 
The doll you see above has a rather well traveled history. She was originally meant to be a flower head doll that I started last year. Between the big moves, and hauling unfinished projects from Wendover to Tooele, then Oregon and back, she managed to survive, only to become a Queen of Hearts. She was probably meant to be just that, so she had to wait until I could get my muse on and get her done. You can find her on ebay right now at  Mother's Dream Artworks

Queen of Hearts - Work in Progress

Another mad dash in to say hi! I hope you have a wonderful day. Here's a queen of hearts doll that was converted from a flower head doll I wanted to do last year. I think I will get this one done.
Yes, I do have more than one project going on. It's too hard to get the easel set up in the kitchen. When I came home yesterday I tried to make myself available for chatting with my mother-in-law while I sculpted, but she has been reading a book she couldn't put down. I did make some progress on this though. So glad it's warmer today, so I don't have to be in my studio downstairs freezing my fandango off! Have a great day!

What can you do with a burned out light bulb?

 

Make a White Rabbit of course! I guess you could say he has an inner light ready to come forth, or not...:-) Some day I may stop playing with light bulbs, but probably not until they have been banished into obscurity. Until then, the skies the limit and each light bulb has his own character waiting to shine through. This winsome fellow can be found on EBAY

Possible Dreams... WIPS

Sometimes I jump the gun on creativity and don't plan things out, just dive in and start mushing and mashing clay here and there to get a feel for where I want to go with a piece. The two forms to the right are those sort of soon to be creations. I have an idea, but I will let them play out as I add a bit of clay here and there to bring out their personality.
The bunny to the left was rough sketched to give me some direction, and he's coming along pretty well. Can you see the little vest taking shape? He will have legs and feet, but I'm still trying to decide their shape. I'm thinking I will go a bit pudgy, we shall see. I will be heading back home tonight for a couple of days of respite and to get rejuvenated for the return to the folks home. These are all going with me and I hope to have them ready to paint by Saturday. Wish me luck, I may need it! The biggest challenge will be going home and not looking at the chores that may need to be done. Tomorrow will be an all creative day, Saturday we can clean and get ready to come back. There's probably not much to do anyway but I tend to obsess about those sorts of things. Can you ignore the dust bunnies and still be fully creative? If so, how do you do it????

New Year...new WIPS

 I'm not sure how far I will get on these projects as I'm at the in-laws trying to keep them happy while sneaking away once in awhile to my tiny room to work. Not that my in-laws are hard to please, but Dad is only partly ambulatory and Mom has dementia, so I'm never sure which Mom I get to deal with and whether or not I'm doing all I can to make Dad's last days here comfortable as possible. For now, in keeping with my ever vigilant effort to upcycle as I create I've got a lightbulb bunny in the works.

When I saw this remote I knew exactly what I could do with this, but first I checked to make sure there were no Magnavox TV's here anymore....lol and I've started the project, but will reveal more at a later date. It's amazing the things folks collect, even those who tend to toss everything not nailed down. My in-laws are no exception so I have a treasure trove of goodies to possibly turn into folk art. I've already connived a vintage button collection and Japanese coin away, hopefully that won't count as the inheritance...;-). Anyhew, I must dash off to the dentist for a cleaning and check up. What do you think I will do with this remote?

Heee'sssss Dooooone! Mad Hatter WIP

I'm so tickled with how this fella turned out! Look at those baby blues and that mad grin....heehee!

My husband says he hates to see this one go, but find a new home he must. We don't have the room for him and someone else out there is surely going to be able to find the perfect spot! See more about this Mad Hatter on ebay. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tuesday Preview....hee hee!

Almost done....hubby says he looks like a lunatic, which is good right? Mad? Hatter? Oh yeah, the hat is almost ready....:-)

Monday Madness WIP continues

The second of two hats I ended up creating for this fellow, this is the one I will use. It's created from fastmache, a product I've only used one other time. I had an empty Greek Goddess yogurt container that I used for the armature. It was interesting cutting the container out of the shaped hat after the paper mache set up, but it worked and I shouldn't have any cracks.

So, on to the hair. I have some lovely curly wool that I purchased from Gloria Lowell. She has a great selection if you are looking for different types and colors. Her wool is very clean and odor free so it's wonderful for doll hair. I had two packs of white but, I wanted an orange wool. I used food coloring and water with a bit of vinegar to dye the wool. I followed instructions I found on the internet and it worked! An interesting side note is that once the wool was placed in the hot dye water it soaked up all the dye, and left the water clear. Very cool!

Now I have this lovely orange wool that will be perfect for the Mad Hatter. Now that I know I can do this, I will be trying the dye technique on other creations. I hope to have the hair done tonight, and if the hat is dry, I will paint that tomorrow. A slow process but I think the results will be worth the wait.

Here's Lookin At You Kid.....WIP

The work continues and the face is almost done. I need to seal it and add a light antiquing. While that is drying I will move on to hat and hair. I was up at 5 this morning painting as I couldn't sleep.

I've decided to turn him into a make-do of sorts. I love this old bed spring, found at the old telegraph station site here in town. Who knows if perhaps one or our WWII vets slept on the bed this came from...

WIP an Alice figure?

A gourdeous fella don't you think? Okay, bad pun, but he is a gourd figure for our Alice Challenge with AHA.

This is only the beginning as he needs a body and other "stuff" to finish him off. Now that I'm home I can perhaps work on him some more. Stop back by to see how he evolves. Oh, wait, I need to get the medals done for the CROCK POT OLYMPICS we are having at church....oh yeah!

Alice In Wonderland White Rabbit AHA Challenge Piece

The final unveiling of the White Rabbit! Ta daa! 

His head was created using air dry clay over a foam egg. The stand/base is a vintage textile spool attached to a wood base.

He has several elements that make up his whole. Stop by my ebay listing to learn more about him. A little side note I didn't add to his listing, did you know that the white rabbit Alice saw had pink eyes?

WIP Alice in Wonderland White Rabbit continues

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Here is another teaser on the way to seeing the whole piece finished. I used stamps as well as  polymer clay to create the design and numbers for the clock face. There are card photos applied to the trunk of the piece. I was excited to be able to use the mesh ribbon I have for the collar. The unveiling will come later!

WIP Alice in Wonderland White Rabbit

 

Don't know what is happening with blogger but I will try and post here. I've been working on a white rabbit figure for our AHA Alice In Wonderland Challenge. It took me longer than I wanted because I was torn between making a cloth body for him or just moving ahead with my idea of using a vintage spool as the base. Here's what I gathered together to put this together. I started with a pink layer after gessoing the whole head. Scary huh?!

Then I dry brushed shades of buttermilk and white. I touched up the strokes with some maple syrup to give him some depth. I continued on with layering colors until he was the way I wanted him to be. Blogger is really not cooperating right now so I'm moving on rather waste time. Below you find the finished head. I will unveil more later today. Thanks for stopping by!

American Holiday Artists Alice In Wonderland Challenge

That's right, in honor of the new Tim Burton movie our AHA artists are creating some magical wonders to add to your Alice collection. Stop by our blog, and search AHA on both etsy and ebay to see more of what is up for purchase or auction.

Valentino - Alice in Wonderland White Rabbit

Perhaps you didn't know it but the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland has a name even though it's not well Known. Valentino has worn his heart on his proverbial sleeve for a while now but is ready to find his true love. Are you looking for a special Valentine? Who knows, he may be the one!

WIP Valentines or Alice in Wonderland White Rabbit

Pulling out my illustrative skills to paint this rabbit up in a new and different way. Couldn't decide whether he should be a White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, or a Valentines bunny, so why not both?! He's almost done being dressed, well we couldn't have a naked bunny running around, really now! :-)
Here's a little something to put you in the mood for love......

"Kisses are sweetest under covering hair"

Kisses are sweetest under covering hair,

And whispers in its woven twilight best;

As flowery boughs above the chirping nest

Make sweet and sacred all the darkened air

Wherein abide the soft-secluded pair,

And know in the warm fragrance where they rest

The small heart beating in the downy breast

Each of its mate:--a Paradise they share.

This is a longing of the human heart

After that dream, an Eden all for two,

Some lonely island 'mid the ocean's blue

Where Love may sport, and laugh, and kiss apart.

Therefore it was a moment past I drew

Thine hair about mine eyes, Eve that thou art.

Finally! Got to paint again....

Oh, it felt so good to sit down and paint again! It's been at least 2 weeks, and I so needed to unwind with a paint brush in my hand. The fella on the right was finished before the holiday rush hit, but tonight I finished dressing up the one on the left. He still needs to be antiqued, but I'm very happy with the way his coat turned out. It's funny how you start with one thought on a piece and go in a totally different direction sometimes.
This fella above started out as a simple Santa with no frills, but when I started to paint him, the paint brush took over and before I knew it I was deep into a design that took much longer than I planned. Although the photo is less than stellar I hope you can see the detail. There are several layers of paints for each stripe. He was done with a Christmas ornament in mind, at least the colors are from one I have, but the different patterns were of my own choosing. So simple he ended up not being, but fun to paint in any case.
This Americana Santa has a bit different spin, but I really like the way he turned out. I can't wait to finish the antiquing and get him ready to send off. I still need to do a few more, but these are destined for Reasons to Believe.
It's time to hit the sack for the day, and I know I will have visions of Santa's and Mad Hatters and White Rabbits dancing in my dreams. I'm excited to see what the new year will bring, aren't you?

New WIP"S for PFATT

Okay, I hope Sandy doesn't have heart failure if she sees these, I'm really farther along than it appears here....:-). I'm trying my first cloth and clay doll, who will be a patriotic angel when done.
Another White Rabbit, Alice in Wonderland style. This will be a clock when all done. Check out PFATT Marketplace on the 10th for all the new creations for Spring.

Taa Daa!

Here he is! I was holding my breath all the way with this one, as I have ideas that don't always come to fruition but this little guy sure did.
I sure hope you like him!

Get a sneak peek......

Hee hee...... can't show you the whole creation yet.....he's in the final stages.....but, he's dressed, and looking quite dapper if I do say so myself. He's having an issue with his time piece, so we are waiting for that to get repaired, and then he will be ready to be on his way.......
This little bunny is another of my Go Green Challenge pieces. He was sculpted over a pimiento jar, so he is glass on the inside and clay on the outside. He would be a perfect jelly bean cup, or paper clip holder...or...well you decide. These will be up for auction on ebay starting Monday afternoon and ending Saturday the 28th. Check back for more photos......