Halloween is in the air ~

Just finished up the first Halloween doll for "Glitterfest" in May ~ 

Halloween ~ SPOOKEY!!!

Enjoy ~ 

More to come ~ stay tuned ~ 

Much Love ~ Andrea

"The Graphics Fairy" ~ Brag Monday

Brag Monday ~ The Graphics Fairy ~ images 

When I saw this image on the Graphics Fairy ~ I knew I could make a 

eloquent crown for one of my dolls. 

The image is so cute and colorful. 

I down loaded the image onto fabric, the got the beads out ~ 

and started to bead on the outline of the little blue book, 

then a bit on the pink rose. 

After the beading I wanted to highlight the corners in black, 

so I used black glass glitter for that. Once I was done embellishing the image 

I sowed it to the card stock, then I used brads to 

connect the ends of the crown. 

Once the ends were connected ~ I just started to add a couple of little 

ribbon petals then, the white fur was the finishing touch. 

By the way ~ thank you for providing all the unique images 

and freely passing your wonderful findings out to us all ~ here in blog land and beyond ~ 

The Graphics Fairy ~ Rock On ~

Much Love ~ Andrea

Raggedy Ann or Pippie Long Stocking?

My partner Janet Schultz, wanted to collaborate on the 1915 Raggedy Ann doll. 

She wanted to see if we could come up with a modern version and 

still keep ~ the somewhat original look. 

I'm not sure if I was able to attain much of the original look ~ 

however, I did have Raggedy Ann in mind when I finished my version of her ~ 

and I believe "Pippe Long Stocking" got in my head as ~ I was going down this path too.

Here she is ... with her friend "Little Raggedy" ~ 

Rejoice Always ~

Much Love ~

Andrea

Lovely Friends ~

Using the same "Mammy Pattern" from "Raggedy Rhondas" as my last doll creation, 

here is "Lovely Friends" ~ 

She's 26' tall, and she holds her friend "kitty". 

Oh yeah, by the way ~ if you didn't notice Miss Lovely indeed married well ~ 

Check out that left index finger and take a gander at that piece of ice ....

And then the girls and I had a "Studio Day" last week at Piecemakers in Costa Mesa, CA ~ 

Jourdan Fossier, Janet Schultz and me ~ with out latest creations ~ 

"We can see through the eyes of love only when there's love in our eyes. And to be able to see that way while yet we live ~ is the biggest gift of all"

Unknown ~ 

1st Mammy Dolls ~ Love them

Getting ready for two shows in May ~ exciting and busy, 

finding lots of patterns that I've already cut out and 

are currently being sewed. 

Look forward to post in the next couple of weeks. 

Here are a couple of the dolls that I finished on Sunday. 

I'll be sewing all next week ~ Hurray and talk to you soon!

Completed my first Raggedy Doll. Pattern by De Powell called "Itsy Bisty.

Lots of hair aka "yarn"

 I am in love with these ladies ~ my first "Primitive Mammy Dolls" 

Patten by "Raggedy Rhonda"

lots of options for real folk art and modern. 

I really like the "prima cotton" for the body fabric, especially when stuffing.

 The stuffing tool refuses to poke thru the fabric, as well as the paint adheres to the fabric nicely. 

I also took a stab at making a cabbage, a carrots, and a lamb, and a rabbit. 

A friend of mine, Cathy from "Treasures & Junks Antiques", 

where we both have a space ~ she made the doll on the right with the button eyes, 

and I made the doll on the left with the painted eyes. 

Here they are ~ Thank you always for stopping by ~

Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. 

Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, 

the way we live, what is happening. 

~ Coco Chanel 

Much Love to you ~

Andrea

From the Dog Whisperer ~ February 19, 2010

In Memoriam: Daddy the Pit Bull

Cesar Millan, all his family and friends, his staff and volunteers, and dog lovers all around the world today will mourn the passing of one of the most loyal, trusting, well-balanced, and influential pit bull ambassadors the world has ever known. Daddy, Cesar’s longtime friend and partner in canine rehabilitation, died peacefully surrounded by family on Friday the 19th of February. He was sixteen years old.

He lived each day of those sixteen years happy and fulfilled as Cesar’s right-hand-“man,” helping to shape the behavior of entire generations of dogs by showing them the way to balance. He stood as champion for calm-submissive pit bulls everywhere, and was instrumental in helping to repair their image as violent, savage, uncontrollable beasts. He successfully battled cancer and weathered chemotherapy, and even got the opportunity to present at the 56th Annual Creative Arts Emmy Awards!

His name is now added to that honorable roster of dogs gone by whose influence is still felt today, and which includes some of Cesar’s beloved childhood heroes: "Rin-Tin-Tin." "Lassie." … "Daddy."

He has been immortalized by Dog Whisperer fans in all mediums, from painting, to photographs, to charcoal drawings and papier-mâché sculpture. And, of course, he lives on in his work, reflected in the balance and calm-submission of his protégé Junior, the countless animals to whom he was a positive role model, and in the hearts and minds of everyone who knew him as a calm, sweet, and mellow example of a widely misunderstood breed.

In Loving Memory.

If you would like to honor Daddy’s memory and the contribution he made to improve the lives of other animals, you can make a donation to Daddy’s Emergency Animal Rescue Fund, which will provide assistance for dogs who are victims of abuse or violence, man-made disasters (hoarder and puppy mill rescues), and large-scale natural disasters (hurricanes, fires, and other natural catastrophes).

Purple Dress Girl

Lately I've been gravitating to the small size dolls again. 

When I first started to sew small dolls I always hoped to get to make the large dolls. 

Now that I've been making the large size dolls over the last 3 months ~ 

I decided to resize a 28' inch doll pattern down to 50% smaller and here she is. 

Enjoy ~ 

I have surprises coming around the corner shortly ~ see you soon ~ Thank you for visiting

Much Love ~ Andrea 

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him ~ than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, "darkness" on the walls of his cell. 

C.S. Lewis