Season's Greetings, All!

Well, here's my cheery bunch after dinner but before gifts were opened. They are patient for a little while, but it seems Grandma is always pushing the limits! At least little Jamison is still smiley!

Seriously, we had a great time- all the kids were here for the weekend and it was sure fun! Love seeing the little ones with their packages- but truthfully, the big kids seem to have just as much fun!

I'll be back in a day or two- and will try to be more forthcoming with posts here in the new year. 2008. Can you believe it's the new year already! WOW.....

Deb

Meet Andi...

Meet Andi! Isn't she a soft vision of femininity....

She waited many weeks for me to come back to her as she stood patiently on my desk. I think she was worth waiting for! I am including a couple photos of her before she was dressed. I fully sculpt my work even if they are going to be costumed. It just seems right to do it that way...

Hope you're staying warm!! We're being buried under several feet of snow here- brrrrrrrr!

Deb

With the Holidays fast approaching...

...and in true form for myself, I am trying to see just how much I can jam into one month! Typical, I guess! Everyone seems to be extra busy this time of year.

We got snow early- and it's been cold enough to keep it on the ground too so this is even more incentive for me to stay home and stay focused. Happily so!

This week I have two listings on ebay, Caleigh, a fairy that sits on the edge of a glass star....



And Sister Mary Martha, AKA Sister Mary Motorin' who has managed to secure a motorcycle for the Convent! What fun, huh? Gosh, I love my "job"! Have a good week- I will be back soon...
Deb

I seem to be meeting myself, coming and going...

But I am doing my best. Just headed out again for a day or so- but before I leave I wanted to share Tiffy with you! She comes each year about this time- she comes to gather the last of the flower seeds for spring planting! I think she is just adorable. I hope you will too!

I will be back soon to post more photos and to tell about the fun stuff going on here in the studio. Until then, have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone! Hugs, Deb

Just home from the ADSG Meet and Greet in Indy!

Just got home last night from our get together in Indianapolis- the first ever Meet and Greet for artists and collectors from the Art Dolls Sculpture Group through ebay. We had a blast! There were 16 of us altogether. I was asked to teach mini classes at this event- so it was busy and lots of sharing took place. Several of the gals didn't want their photos taken- so one of our organizers came up with the perfect solution. Below you will see our official 'Group Photo'. Too funny~

And here is a photo of Helen and me- Helen is an avid fairy collector and has about 30 of my fairies in her collection. I tease her and tell her I think she 'stopped counting' at 30. She has over 400 one of a kind sculptures from several different artists- a very avid collector indeed! Such fun and so nice of her to come and join us It was great to put faces and voices to the typed words we have been sharing for a few years now...Thanks everyone!

Photos are so darn tough to do, ya know???

Here we are again...struggling to get the best photos we can. Of course light and wind and weather plays such a vital part. This is Sebastia, and she is a Sentry Fairy, guiding the young fae of the forest safely along their way. She raises her lantern high- lighting the path for a safe journey.

I hope tomorrow affords me a better opportunity to take pictures. I did get a new camera- and I am still figuring that out as well. Someday~~~~~

She was quietly playing her flute...

...and I startled her! She stopped briefly to study me- was I friend, or foe? This is Nizah and she is on ebay this week.

Have a wonderful fall weekend!

Deb

Ever so gently, the breeze moves the branches..

This week I am happy to bring Thaddea to ebay for a three day listing- I love her pose and the overall feel of peace with this sculpture. She gazes at an abstract Swarovski crystal. Really pretty cut on this pendant. Also, her tresses are two colors of that mohair I dyed- boy, is that stuff fine. Now I realize just how soft and luxurious it is! Love it- find it hard to go back and use the other stuff I have bought. Oh well--have a safe weekend everyone!

Who could resist this little face?

Meet Pippi- the Painter fairy!
Did you ever wonder how the trees got their beautiful fall color?
Well, I found out! This morning while on my walk through the woods, I was enjoying the splendor of the rich and vibrant fall colors. I wondered how such a phenomenon could take place- nature is always such a mystery. Then..... suddenly right there on the forest floor, I saw her! This tiny sprite with her cheeks all rosy from the crisp morning air- busily attending to her task! A wee bit sloppy she was, but she was certainly getting her duties doneI She told me she is called Pippi... I thought it fitting for this tiny little painter...

The Fairytale continues...

A few weeks ago I showed you Genevieve and her little frog. She was making a wish for a dream come true. This week the story continues when Sir Arion appears like magic, right before her eyes!

If you click on the small photo to the left, you can read their story on the second page of the listing. I don't do many male sculpts but really enjoyed creating Sir Arion. He has leather-like riding pants and real kid leather boots.

Gosh, this is fun! Thanks for your time--
Hugs, Deb

And for this week, Semone...

I love women who show power and sensuality all at the same time. I think Semone possesses both traits. She can be seen by clicking on the thumbnail to the left. Let me know what you think!

Hugs, Deb

Busy busy--still busy as a bee! Commission Chat!

Spent the whole week finishing up commission number 2. I will now be starting #3 and happily so. A little explanation....

Last year I had a good number of commissions on my waiting list. In the dead of the previous winter we decided early spring would be the time to tear into the kitchen and remodel. My house is laid out in such a way that doing that involved the whole first floor of our home--which includes my studio, just off the kitchen area. WHAT A MESS......
This went on for several months....

Then in the fall, my dear daughter in law called in distress, she was told she needed to be on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy; three months. Well, they have a two year old, Ella (now three!). We all know how THAT goes.

Gramma to the rescue.

Actually, I enjoyed it immensely, but getting ready to go and stay for a week at the time was a challenge. Needless to say, that commission list didn't get any attention AT ALL.

All ended well, even though the baby was born a month early. I was lucky enough to be invited to be there for his birth. Such a gift! Jamison Allen Wood was born at the end of November. That led right into the holiday season!

And so it goes...
Also, once I got this blog up and running-- I started the list over with #1. I don't want you to think that after all this time I am only on number 3, actually, it's more like 10, but who's counting, right?

Anyway, I am happily making progress this year, and so far no one is pregnant and we have no more remodeling plans. YEAH. Finally getting finished up with that-that HAS been a 10 year process here. A story for another day...

Sometimes we just gotta have some fun!

And this week, that's just what I did. Meet Flitter! She is a dragonfly fairy, floating above her cedar display. Here is a photo of her.

She is sporting some of the mohair I showed you last week- it's short, very shiny and very soft. Perfect for the short hairstyles. I really liked how her wings turned out too-all those holes were burned into the film with a soldering gun. Took hours. Good thing I LOVE MY JOB!

Have a safe holiday weekend! We are going away and I will be back Sunday evening very late. A cousin is getting married on a sunset cruise. Should be fun!

Deb

Processing mohair-all part of the job!

This is Taja, the end of the story! Her beautiful tresses are the result of this lengthy process. I couldn't be more pleased! She actually has two colors blended together- for a very natural look.

So this is where it all started....

Tonight I want to share some photos with you of the process of dyeing mohair. It is such a job- but the rewards are tremendous. I did a bit of it a few years ago- then bought some from other sources already colored. That has it's disadvantages though- because you never seem to have just the right color.

I had tibetan lamb (around 60.00) as well as angora mohair that I got from my friend Terry in Australia. I had heard they had the nicest mohair there- and it is true- this fiber she sent me is just the softest and finest I have ever seen. Not cheap though- we now have about 70.00 invested in white ponytails. Anyway, here are some photos showing this very messy (and expensive!!) process!

First, the mohair is brushed, washed and dried and then bundled. I got 70 bundles and this process took me about three days.

Then I laid out plastic, and donned the rubber gloves. I had been buying up several- actually dozens of boxes of haircolor. (approx 150.00) Then I decided that maybe I should have professional haircolor instead- so I enlisted the help of another friend, Debbie. She was a hairdresser before she went into her artwork full time. She sent me a box of several colors- ring up about 80.00 more... MESSY....

Turns out I used all the boxed haircolor- all the professional color AND went back to the store for about 6 MORE boxes of color. Add 50.00.

After the color process was finished, we rinsed. And rinsed, and rinsed... AND RINSED. They are spread out on the washer and dryer...

Then off to the clothesline to dry. Thank goodness it was hot and windy those days. (My hubby was a bit worried what the neighbors would think. :) )

The beautiful results. The top photo is the Australian mohair and the lower photo is the lamb.

This is a closeup of a tighter curled mohair, also from Terry. Thank you again, Terry! As I said, expensive and time consuming. But, I would say I have nearly a lifetime supply of hair for my sculptures. Except that I did tell Terry I was willing to take more if she gets some! :)

And now I know why they charge about 20.00 an ounce for dyed mohair! I thought about selling some as I was getting started with this- but heck NO. Too much work!!

Do YOU believe in Fairytales?

This week I had a lot of fun creating a fairytale scene- The fairy Princess Genevieve is about to grant a wish to her little Froggy friend. She's hoping he is her Prince Charming!

Seated on toadstools, this cute twosome are hoping for the best! Enjoy!

Seems like forever...

...since I have been back here to post. Please forgive my absence. We were gone for a while- visiting the kids again and since we returned, I have been working with some mohair that I had bought several months ago. Beautiful mohair from Australia. I also had some Tibetan lamb to work with. Been dyeing it for days now- some great successes, some not so great! I will post some photos when it's all finished- the last batch is drying now.

Back into the studio today- finally back at it! I miss it when I am away....

Checking in--checking right back out again!

Just a quick update here- we will be gone most of this week, returning on Sunday evening. Then things will settle down here soon after and I can get back to the commissions I am working on at this time.

I did list Renata this week- here is a picture of this feminine blond beauty! I love the coloring in this piece...

Have a great week and I will get back soon!

Deb

Such FUN! Sweet little Elke....

Had to get a new server this week- for my website as well as my ebay listings. A pain to get it all switched over, but this new system is a dream!

Anyway, it took me the better part of the week to get it all up and running again, so I was late getting my fairy listed. I wouldn't have been able to get her listed anyway until I had the new service activated! But, we did it- all is well, and Elke has arrived!

Commission #2

This is the base for Commission #2. A combination of real and faux coral, shells, starfish and ocean sand collected from our last vacation to Florida!

Coming this Sunday evening on ebay....

A little sneak peek! Actually it was a perfect day to take pictures today...I love the challenge of good photos. This is Shea.

Hint: it's all in the lighting....

My latest on eBay- Mariella!

I started out with an entirely different plan- and ended up with Mariella. She pleased me- I loved her expression. Sad, yet hopeful. I hope you'll like her too!

About the photography here. I think the effects are cool. I took these outdoors in open shade which means light filtering through the branches. I held a matte gray board up at an angle behind the sculpture, allowing the reflections and shadows to dance across the board. It caused the streaking effect and also bounced light off the sculpture.

I think I am going to rig up some stands to hold that board next time, so I don't have to! It was hard to hold the board- and steady the camera all at the same time. Oh, and make sure the breeze didn't blow her off the stand. Fairy wings will catch the wind, you know...

A bit of time away...

I'm back. Sorry for the time gone, it's been filled with visits from the grandkids! Summertime brings all sorts of fun distractions. I even caught one sitting in my birdbath. It wasn't a bird, either!

I know, I know... well, I guess it was hot that day-and he's a little character!

Back at it- but not what you'd think!

Home again- I was gone a few days, doing the promised yardwork and planting for my parents. Glad I still have parents to do yardwork for! Dad will be 80 in 2008. Mom isn't too far behind..

So today I am pulling weeds in my own gardens! Here's a picture of one- And here's my helper. She's not too good at pulling weeds- she'd rather chase the squirrels! Seems her work is never done!
I need to get as much done today- and possibly tomorrow- then it's back to the studio. I'll check in with you again soon!
Deb

Busy busy busy....

Boy, where do the days go....

We had our little grandbabies here for a few days. I'll tell you what. They are a lot of work! It's as I always say, there's a reason God dries up our ovaries! WHEW! They are darling, though- gramma is just getting old.

Anyway- once they all cleared out- I got a chance to finish a piece I had started a while ago- this is Zeki- a young male Changling. What fun! I love trying something different- and I really am happy with the way this piece evolved- right down to the mushroom cap as a perch. Worked out great- because I sculpted him first- and baked him- so the mushroom had to be sculpted to fit him. It is build with a wood and expanded wire mesh armature- screwed and epoxy glued together. Very sturdy!

A magical Fairy Godmother for sure!

In literature, Gwendolyn was the wife of Merlin the Magician. I thought it fitting then that my sweet Fairy Godmother would bear that name. Gwendolyn stands ever ready to grant our heart's desire.

Gwendolyn will be listed on ebay this coming Sunday evening. Drop me a note if you would like to be added to my contact list!

I certainly had fun with this ol' gal...

Hugs, Deb

...the most intriguing characters!

Please allow me to introduce you to Gwendolyn!

...become...

And the most simplistic beginnings....