tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42808226451672374892024-02-06T22:58:02.126-06:00DragonflyDreams-art dollsThis is my place to share my expressions of creativity.stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12591989673454759256noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4280822645167237489.post-12470048874595734312008-06-06T13:59:00.002-06:002008-06-06T14:11:33.051-06:00wild week<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#006600;">The weather this week has been quixotic, with a full mix of sun and wind and rain. Temperments, and energy levels have seemed to match. I have been working on a doll that was just not working for over a year. we have finally come an agreement on exactly what she should be wearing, down to her black with lace applique undies. lots of hand-sewing, and I had to paint the lace as I didn't have any black lace.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#006600;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#006600;">I finished another pincushion this week, another cake that is pink and cream, with multiple shades of pink embroidery, my youngest dd loves it, now I just need to get a decent pic of it.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#006600;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#006600;">also this week, the youngest dd stuck a tic-tac up her nose, and had to go the ER during the worst rain storm of the week, and the next day my youngest son got into a fight with the cat and the cat scratched his eye. Luckily now one was seriously hurt, and mom can start to breath again.</span>stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12591989673454759256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4280822645167237489.post-72097733555420943932008-05-30T13:03:00.002-06:002008-05-30T13:10:47.904-06:00an awesome class<span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;color:#000066;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-MftmfuNQR7ZFhbMPRVgV-QO6TDbDKMPPEPLXX4aX2pVRb_vqS7tQTGkneZSSusT6KG1A6Ec1y1EUJuTkZu91-4G70qUJI6eTDLTr7UZHPZ8SOXKaGdMqYpYB8kb2hHs5gGGvMzkIKVs/s1600-h/pheonix+mask.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206249644949359826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-MftmfuNQR7ZFhbMPRVgV-QO6TDbDKMPPEPLXX4aX2pVRb_vqS7tQTGkneZSSusT6KG1A6Ec1y1EUJuTkZu91-4G70qUJI6eTDLTr7UZHPZ8SOXKaGdMqYpYB8kb2hHs5gGGvMzkIKVs/s320/pheonix+mask.JPG" border="0" /></a>I was truly privledged to get to take an online class with Julia McCullough at Joggles.com. It was a mask class and I learned alot.<br /><br />The picture above is of my first finished mask from the class. It is a pheonix head. The mask is all cloth, with a simple wire frame. It is wearable, and easy to see out off. The embelishment techniques included tyvek, using angelina film, and free motion embrodiery.<br /><div></div>stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12591989673454759256noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4280822645167237489.post-76171023984774951462008-05-30T10:12:00.002-06:002008-05-30T10:16:32.859-06:00Sunny days<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#663366;">Today the weather is lovely. After several days of grey and rain, everything looks clean and clear and bright. The flowers are budding, the trees are in full leaf, and the grass looks so healthy. I think I may set aside all the projects I have been working on, and make a little bird or some mice out of felt. I found a blog today, by someone whose talents I have long admired. <a href="http://nunoruno.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html">http://nunoruno.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html</a> If you get a chance check it out, and her website stuff. very inspiring.</span>stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12591989673454759256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4280822645167237489.post-48715979782025720082008-05-08T09:52:00.002-06:002008-05-08T10:03:42.170-06:00coming out of hibernation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkY8gloQHx2mJDKO9VsL-a7AT8DdIG_oaDjpHfzdbPkBvB6VhpbruUZuGgud8DDstQI9SiNczzGmjgMegKk6PKruO8FHGZlklszNpJdUWR99ObAD12obuBeYv0p-RL-k1PSa2hKaG_wpQ/s1600-h/inchies.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198038353773406994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkY8gloQHx2mJDKO9VsL-a7AT8DdIG_oaDjpHfzdbPkBvB6VhpbruUZuGgud8DDstQI9SiNczzGmjgMegKk6PKruO8FHGZlklszNpJdUWR99ObAD12obuBeYv0p-RL-k1PSa2hKaG_wpQ/s320/inchies.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;color:#009900;">Warm weather is returning to Iowa, the sun is shining, the weeds are growing....</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;color:#009900;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;color:#009900;">I feel like I have more energy. All through the winter, I was creating and then I hit that transition time, feb. when the winter here is it at its greyest, and coldest, and I got the flu, the real flu for the first time in like ten years. Its only been in the last few weeks that I have felt like myself again.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;color:#009900;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;color:#009900;">Projects, priority one now is to clean my studio, I get so overwhelmed by the mess when I walk out, I often end up walking out without getting anything done. I must also learn to say now when people ask to leave stuff in my studio, I have my own junk, I don't need anyone elses cluttering up my space.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;color:#009900;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;color:#009900;">I resolve to not take any projects unless its something I really, really, want to do. I loved making the inchies for a recent swap on artchix, but I am dragging my feet on the current RR I am involved in for my doll club, the theme just doesn't thrill me.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;color:#009900;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;color:#009900;">Slowly I am learning, that if I take on a project that I feel I ough to, instead of wanting to, I feel stiffled creativly, and it makes me not want to create, instead of feeding my spirit. To help me through the doldrums of winter, I made lovely little pincushions some from a book called Kokoro no Te by Kumiko Sudo, working with yummy colored silks and feeling like I was playing brightened my day.</span></div>stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12591989673454759256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4280822645167237489.post-34380939911216186432007-11-20T15:02:00.001-06:002007-11-20T15:02:18.528-06:00stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12591989673454759256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4280822645167237489.post-20909281230275446782007-11-20T14:57:00.000-06:002007-11-20T15:02:57.203-06:00Getting ready for the Holidays!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX98I50d7udSqxuglm5Hguj-sAqBO1aEDF-pmJ6G2KzGiocTNz1gYCFJOBckgiuU3hrugl73k6LMjOUtjg7n03ysTdOC1bqcuLw8kys8V09L1-zvjnoAX6ux74xEYiKSFYK4BFksXHV7w/s1600-h/goldie.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135029995719276498" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX98I50d7udSqxuglm5Hguj-sAqBO1aEDF-pmJ6G2KzGiocTNz1gYCFJOBckgiuU3hrugl73k6LMjOUtjg7n03ysTdOC1bqcuLw8kys8V09L1-zvjnoAX6ux74xEYiKSFYK4BFksXHV7w/s200/goldie.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5Cl-7abhrFoiVFLjMZ89C_5NOhyphenhyphentSMAjWSaMlBj-c-xb74KtkEp6aTmep8HEOuuozxhm3GEpEZnZneytxkPLQgKjWI1ejxnwZC16RU5Jr8rbeDta9RXySm1RHtK1o8pgptVUpfVBV-M/s1600-h/Jessie+Santana.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135030000014243810" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5Cl-7abhrFoiVFLjMZ89C_5NOhyphenhyphentSMAjWSaMlBj-c-xb74KtkEp6aTmep8HEOuuozxhm3GEpEZnZneytxkPLQgKjWI1ejxnwZC16RU5Jr8rbeDta9RXySm1RHtK1o8pgptVUpfVBV-M/s200/Jessie+Santana.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-NcYqn8a7VhjSgCzZenMoF7VTNYMoxb9MRQ3RUljLTAtnMST-bEhoPA1J32mBm7DEhPwtsXDk5y-o1i0doM2wfJr0IZq33e7D2QNxiQHtN2CzvZqLb2aGDM5E6DnzjnP2Nnh2C7B86A/s1600-h/murial+castana.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135030004309211122" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-NcYqn8a7VhjSgCzZenMoF7VTNYMoxb9MRQ3RUljLTAtnMST-bEhoPA1J32mBm7DEhPwtsXDk5y-o1i0doM2wfJr0IZq33e7D2QNxiQHtN2CzvZqLb2aGDM5E6DnzjnP2Nnh2C7B86A/s200/murial+castana.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Three of the dolls I made for the Christmas our doll club decorates at the Dodge House in Council Bluffs.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>It has been several busy months around here. I think I definetly bit off more than I could chew, with projects I agreed to. I have been making garb, for friends and family, cooking feasts, making dolls, and trying to find time, to spend cleaning up my constantly in a state of needing repair, house. I hope that the holidays will allow me some time to just focus on things I want to learn, and the time to finish some projects I really want to make.</div>stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12591989673454759256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4280822645167237489.post-87843684820126375942007-03-19T15:44:00.000-06:002007-03-21T10:30:09.709-06:00Sunshine and memories<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytrKDjlMZ6ystuG2iRvoWiGXn6XLRU67rK-30UvWexjpsOIRk-rxUD1rcqe6Gv6Ok6lSMrC0AlWYmU3POfUotkJ-49xxERuz_xNK7zC4vZp4UGEuYK9ubEAifZoI46XqWVXz50Fd9QTE/s1600-h/dianne+in+tissue.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5043755483778115282" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytrKDjlMZ6ystuG2iRvoWiGXn6XLRU67rK-30UvWexjpsOIRk-rxUD1rcqe6Gv6Ok6lSMrC0AlWYmU3POfUotkJ-49xxERuz_xNK7zC4vZp4UGEuYK9ubEAifZoI46XqWVXz50Fd9QTE/s320/dianne+in+tissue.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#000099;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2Q1nH6-Yf_jYWHb81DusGaRymjJSKZaLsvXaBSOTz3RlJOdmWunOF-ICBBmnU6ACEHAWFsHQq5M9IKkFVoCExRxWDr_q3lDaEjBu4me8ompjpTjbTNjDwNcDj2h8xH5M-6SDFt-uBoU/s1600-h/dianne.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5043754976971974338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2Q1nH6-Yf_jYWHb81DusGaRymjJSKZaLsvXaBSOTz3RlJOdmWunOF-ICBBmnU6ACEHAWFsHQq5M9IKkFVoCExRxWDr_q3lDaEjBu4me8ompjpTjbTNjDwNcDj2h8xH5M-6SDFt-uBoU/s320/dianne.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>This is my littlest treasure on her first birthday. and also on her brothers birthday playing in the tissue paper. </div><div>She is quite the little princess. She loves to look at dolls, and run away with my doll parts.</div><div>She loves to be outside and to look out the window and catch the sunshine in her hand.</div></div>stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12591989673454759256noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4280822645167237489.post-6591541115146034162007-03-15T13:59:00.000-06:002007-03-15T15:27:42.429-06:00round robins and trees<em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#993399;">Sunday was my local doll club's Anniversary meeting. The club has been together for 5 years. I have been with them for four, next month. There are currently only two of the original members still attending. We are a very small club, but that has meant we are very supportive of eachother, and we have had the ability to have more intense-or messy-meetings. Its hard to heat tyvek, or paint, or dye fabric with a large group. Last fall I suggested we do a round robin doll, since they hadn't done one since their first year, and I have always wanted to participate in a successful round robin. Everybody picked a pattern and made the doll body. Over the following months we each did something on everybody's doll. The first month it was sculpting the head, and coloring the face. Then costuming, embelishing, props and stands. Hair was done by whichever artist decided it needed done at that time. Every month we would bring the dolls to the meeting and pass them to the next person. Whose ever doll it was would have to leave the room, but the rest of us got to see what had been done. We also did a journal to go with the dolls, in order to tell the dolls story. The end results were varied, colorful, whimsical and fantastic. I will have to post pictures. Two of us were so inspired by the project that we talked our other local doll club into starting a similar project.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#993399;"></span></em><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#009900;">I <span style="font-family:verdana;">have a new project going. part of my new years resolution was to do something artistic everyday. To achieve this I bought a pocket sized sketch book at Dick Blick, and some new pens and pencils. Since purchasing the book, I have been doing a small sketch everyday. My hope is that this will help me refine my face drawing skills, especially for eyes, and expression, and encourage me to trust in my ability to draw other things. Right now my fascination is Trees. The starkness of branches in Winter and the grace of each limb, has captured some piece of my imagination. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#009900;">I wonder where others get their inspiration, and those lovely sparks of creativity.</span>stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12591989673454759256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4280822645167237489.post-12034114671508063782007-03-05T13:21:00.000-06:002007-03-05T13:25:48.866-06:00melting snowThe best laid plans and all that. It has been a week. We had a blizzard on thursday which prevented my husband from coming home from his business trip and left us stuck, with limited resources. Luckily it inspired creativity both in the kitchen and the craft room. After a day spent doing lessons with the kids, including attempting to make a battery, we baked a cake and while it was in the oven everybody made sock puppets. The younger ones got frustrated trying to glue pipe cleaners for the hair they wanted. I showed them that they could put the pipe cleaners through the holes on one of those pin backs, and then pin the hair on. It worked great and I had less messy kids.stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12591989673454759256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4280822645167237489.post-24812415013751961462007-02-20T11:06:00.000-06:002007-02-20T11:10:00.556-06:00InspirationI had to have my gall bladder removed last week, and so I have on some rather strong pain medication. I always seem to get the most ideas then. When I can't immediatly execute them. I keep a notebook beside me and try and write down or sketch my ideas as best I can so that hopefully those visual ideas aren't lost after my recovery.stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12591989673454759256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4280822645167237489.post-10957067092914646052007-02-05T13:37:00.000-06:002007-03-15T17:04:30.155-06:00first blog<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXUf0Kp805T_-q86WLk_9-SNx9Tyzzk9UaHG18jWoQuBeOnfDpjbr6iZ7wLddXKiNAshmZH27W87dU7XahM1eB6wzhzl3gPJHVuP4RSQZQtanuRTt7l1SJIZYITfWPE-8WpbLcbdgKhQ/s1600-h/P1200104.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042290788935901442" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXUf0Kp805T_-q86WLk_9-SNx9Tyzzk9UaHG18jWoQuBeOnfDpjbr6iZ7wLddXKiNAshmZH27W87dU7XahM1eB6wzhzl3gPJHVuP4RSQZQtanuRTt7l1SJIZYITfWPE-8WpbLcbdgKhQ/s320/P1200104.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEgWUh_R91hshui0ENuWnMmWKf1I56sJb6zmdS9wi1NSRfvKL-i9T5Ss-J1Fh3VBD5xVv_rKUA3cAbkgrvDDyvKKdFst2xCAPjqKvmTL9ndu8E2b5QZobbwjlna_G_aMR2Iur1vXlk8Q/s1600-h/P1200105.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042290179050545394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEgWUh_R91hshui0ENuWnMmWKf1I56sJb6zmdS9wi1NSRfvKL-i9T5Ss-J1Fh3VBD5xVv_rKUA3cAbkgrvDDyvKKdFst2xCAPjqKvmTL9ndu8E2b5QZobbwjlna_G_aMR2Iur1vXlk8Q/s320/P1200105.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81tvaD2pJRKXIZzaV29PN7LH2lbepXGz7QeWnNbUc7ttuPo8agAy_9IYALJktSJwsU8ksHylmYR2Zjv2L2cDlmtlvVxrYWivpJ2WMlrspABKcPexi6cjqQTivlrupeU931UQpPM6bQ3M/s1600-h/P1200103.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5028138468345367906" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81tvaD2pJRKXIZzaV29PN7LH2lbepXGz7QeWnNbUc7ttuPo8agAy_9IYALJktSJwsU8ksHylmYR2Zjv2L2cDlmtlvVxrYWivpJ2WMlrspABKcPexi6cjqQTivlrupeU931UQpPM6bQ3M/s320/P1200103.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>This is my first post on my first attempt at a blog. I have been making dolls for about five years now, and beading for only about 6 months. This is my most recent doll. She is an original pattern cloth doll with a painted face. She is a Japanese Geisha, which I made for a friend of mine. I spent about 3 weeks researching Japanese history and costuming. The face is painted with the nape of the neck left flesh, as is traditional. the make-up is limited to the grey and red near the eyes and the red lips. The Kimono has a false color to denote four additional layers. There is a full under kimono. The outer kimon has a padded hem and is lined in vintage kimono fabric. The obi has three layers in is also made of vintage kimono fabric. The hair ornanments are accented with coins, and she holds a fan of origami paper in her hand.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div></div></div>stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12591989673454759256noreply@blogger.com0