visions of dolls to come

Do you dream of your creations? Last night I had a dream about the next doll I will be working on. It was very detailed in shape and color. Right down to the accessories she will have. In some ways it makes it easier to create, since I have a definite direction. In some ways it hurts because I am trying to "live up to" my imagination, making it just like the picture in my dream. I suppose no one else would ever know if it is close or not, but I do. And I really do think that is all that counts. If I am not pleased with something, if I do not see it as almost flawless, then its not good enough to sell or even give away. Those pieces are sometimes trashed, but most often they are kept for parts. Or at least to let me know where not to go next time ;O)

Two and a half..

done and four to go. The ornaments that is. They are going much faster now though, alot easier since I figured out exactly what to do and how to get there. Its such a relief to see it all coming together.

Just got a catalog of the new classes for the bead and button show in Milwaukee in the mail. Looks like there are some wonderful classes being offered, but unfortunatley they have some wonderful prices to go along with them. Seem to be alot of steampunk type jewelry coming around this year too. Shame Im not rich enough to take the ones I would like, but can you justify taking a class for around $500 when you have three children? If so let me know, cause I cant seem to stomach it.

Gasp...could it be..??

Actual free time? Today the youngest two went to a friends house to play, and wont be back until their father picks them up. That leaves just the oldest and I, and she isnt too demanding of my time. So far today Ive finished five sets of hand armatures and completed one angel. Hmmm, seems things go alot faster when you dont have to referee all the time. :o)

Just waiting to find out the schedule agreed upon at the last guild meeting ( I missed it) and I will be sending out those emails. A new year sounds great!

Its Almost Over!!

Not that I want to be "that girl", but I am so GLAD to see this year almost out the door. It has been a year of one rotten thing after another, and frankly I wont be upset at all to have it over!!

Things are almost back to normal here. I have finished "undecorating" from the holiday season and all the family things are done. Just one more week and the girls are back in school. Then life will really be back to normal. I have finally conquered the whole ornament battle, and now just need to get into a small production mode to finish them ( pics to follow soon!)

I am so excited to be able to move on to something different.

Sick of being sick...

I have one of those lingering colds, the kind that dont make you sick enough to go to bed and wake up feeling better, but you dont feel quite right when you are up. It sucks. Things are moving along though, I have gifts that have actually been made, wrapped and been given. I love having things start to move along again. For so long Ive felt like Ive been in a rut. Breaking free will be sweet. Still pushing the ornaments through. Im hoping to work seriously on the rest of them tonight..sigh.

Excitement at the inspiration...

Okay, so I found a definition for the style I would like to try next. Its called steampunk. A mixture of Victorian lace and elegance and steam driven cogs and exposed machinery! Its so nice to have a word to put to the feeling! Ive already begun sketching the doll and designing her companion and have accesories in mind for how it will all work out. And with the kids on Christmas break it will give me some time to start creating. Isnt a wonderful thing to have a name to put to the idea!!

I give up...

Yep, I admit it, those ornaments have gotten the better of me. I just cant get a finish on the edges that is up to the standards I want it to be. ( I feel they look like an elementary school project.) So as soon as I can locate some ladies handkerchiefs they are going to become angels. They should look rather cute as angels, since most of the ones you see this time of year are girls if nothing else they should look different from everything else out there. I am also ( still) having trouble being motivated. Is there anyone else out there with this problem? I feel like this time of year I should be pumping out dolls, idea after idea being realized in clay. I have the ideas, Im just having trouble actually doing anything with them. Okay, back to the house work... thanks for listening to me whine. ;OP

free time...

Can you believe I have finally got some free time? I only have about 5 loads of laundry to do and the girls are actually getting along okay.. so as soon as Im finished here I will be able to work on the ornament hats and possibly get them done today.. YEAH!! Im actually not fond of production work at all, and I have grown to hate these little guys.. sigh. I downloaded a new class a while ago to make a Mary hoonie ( a little spirit with a shell for a bottom, very cute) but I always feel guilty about starting something new when I have things I havent finished. I had to have this class though, the pieces are adorable.. and I love the color pallete of the artist who created them, she works in a muted sepia toned pallete that I just cant seem to get enough of. Pics to follow soon of the finished ornaments and the Wisconsin Maryhoonie.

Zoya

Creative background...

What inspires you to create? Do you see beauty in the forms or colors around you? I love to mix in textures and colors (and who doesnt like a little bling... )but the most inspiring thing to me has always been faces. I see and read faces into everything.. from the inkblots on the page to the pattern in the snow where my girls have walked ( which with the shadows of the setting sun last night and the glow of the porch light created a rather cool face in my back yard.. wouldnt show up on the camera though :( )For the most part if you are actually looking at a persons face when they talk you can tell if they are lying to you or how they really feel about what they are saying. And recreating faces has always been the most interesting part of any sculpt to me. Creating the face and its expression always tells me what the rest of the doll/figure wants to be when its done. It gives the personality and its story. Am I in charge of the face...?? Sometimes, but not very often. Usually the doll calls the shots, I am just there to let that character come to life. No, Im not getting weird ( at least not more then usual) I dont think I have some spirit directing my sculpts.. but I dont feel like I am consciously creating the things I make all the time either. Perhaps the left side of my brain is in control? Or perhaps its just what feels right at the time. I have always been good at reading people, but latley I dont care what lies behind.. Im more interested in the expression, in recreating the emotion.

The count down..

So there's only like, what, 14 days until Christmas.. and most of my shopping is still undone! I have basics in mind for the girls, but havent picked up a whole lot of anything. Partly I suppose because I hate driving in the snow, and according to the weather this morning we have had over 17 inches of snow so far this year. YUCK. I had such good intentions this year too, I really didnt want to be doing this last minute... sigh. I suppose its going to be another one of those lets get it all done in one day jobs... rush to buy it, rush to wrap it. I hate this part of Christmas. :(

Arts and crafts and kids...

So we got our reindeer horns ( felt ones on a head band) decorated tonight. The girls seemed to enjoy adding pompons and little crystals to jazz them up. It gave them something to do since school was called off and you can only play in the snow for so long before you freeze your fingers and toes. And I ( without a moments guilt) finaly covered the trunk thats been sitting in my kitchen un-done for the past nine months! It looks pretty cool too.. check out the pic .. hard to believe its just a napkin and glue job! And here is a pic of the ornaments I have been working on. They need hats and cuffs for the hands, but I think they will be pretty cute! Not sure why the pic is up there, but at least you can see it!

Obviously they are still a work in progress, but I hope to have them done before to much longer. It sure is nice to have all this time to do things without a "real job" messing all the timing up. And the joy of not having to clean off my car to get to work, or go out into the cold if I dont want to .. well I dont think I have to tell you how nice that is.

The deep freeze

woke up this morning to a balmy 5 degrees out side. Cold enough to freeze the brass bra off a witch...hehehe. Anyway it actually makes it easier to create. Instead of moving around doing "house stuff" I am sitting in my comfy chair with my electric blanket and my clay stuff. Dont know how long the inspiration will last so Im making this short and getting right back to the clay!! Boy I wish I lived someplace warmer :)

Zoya

Schedule overload

Its getting more and more hectic... this kid needs costume parts for this and that one need s a gift for that and they all need money. I have to be at school on this day to help with the wrapping and then I have to factor in my sitting job and, of course, the hubby has his night school to teach right now, so he wont even be around to help. ARGGG!! Deep breath, I can do it all.

So the ornaments are almost done now, as is Mother Nature. Just some finishing touches and I can post pics for you to see! Its exciting to think they will be done soon and I can go back to making things to satisfy my creative urges again. I tend to get bored with production type work and these ornaments are killing me!!

Ah well back to the clay.

The end of the turkey..

Finally I will have some time to think again. Now that the husband and kids are gone in the morning I should have some free time to do what I want and need to get done.. except the snow storm last night shut down the schools for the day. Over 70 schools listed as closed this morning ( no, I didnt count, the news lady said so..) and there were more with delays too. Ah well, it gives me more time to bond with the girls...lol. I did some work on the ornaments yesterday, but I think utimatley the edges will need some sort of ribbon trim to be completed. That and some hands and feet and minor assembley with hair and a hat... actually it seems I do have quite a bit left to do. sigh. I guess I should get back to work!

Zoya

Furstration...

So I got the info on line. You put a piece of fruit ( banana ) in a jar, cover with plastic wrap secured with a rubber band, and poke holes in the top. Instant fruit fly trap... and it works too. Only one problem... I can t figure out where the things came from in the first place, so I could just be creating a retirement home for the old flies while the next generation parties on. Makes it all pretty frustrating anyway.

Right now I should be finishing the ornaments for the guild swap.. but I looked at them yesterday and found cracks along the edges. Hopefully Ill be able to fix them, just havent figured out how. And what I really want to do is make a ghost doll, or work on some more newborns. But I always feel like I shouldnt start a new project before the old one is done.

And then there is the lack of sleep too, I lay on the couch until 3 this morning, trying to be tired before I was finally sleepy enough to go to bed. ... what the heck was that all about??? Just generally not a good week to deal with anything. At least the little boy I watch wasnt here today so I could catch a little nap.

Back to the war of the flies now, maybe Ill try sucking them out of the air with the vaccuum.. if nothing else it might be fun to try....

Invasion..

And so it continues. Got the girls on the bus and thought, surely now I have time to create... Yeah, right. Instead of doing anything creative I sit typing this while waiting for info about fruit flies to pop up. End of Nov. and snow on the ground, but apparently the fruit flies lost their map and calendar. They are in the kitchen now buzzing around, just waiting for me to come back. Seriously, there is no fruit out and no food sitting around, cant they just go away??!!?? Hopefully Ill find some magic cure all on the web. Or else when the five year old gets home Ill just let her in the kitchen with a fly swatter... if nothing else it will tire her out.

Wish me luck!

Today is the first day of the rest of my life..

deep huh? Okay pretty cheesy actually. But I guess what it comes down to is this. If you want some free time to be creative ( Im a sculptor/ doll maker) how do you find it when you have kids? Yes eventually they all go to bed, but seriously,by then, who has the energy left to create? Ah well, tomorow should be a better day. In the AM all are at school, and the little one wont be here either. Tune in tomorow, maybe I'll have pics of my latest piece to show.