Mei Li, Calliope and Sarafina

i finally finished the custum Chinese Waldorf style doll i have been working on for the past few weeks. i am quite pleased with how she turned out, and decided she really needed a little panda toy to go with her. This is only the second Waldorf style doll i have attempted. i was able to over come a few of the challenges i faced with my first doll, but then a couple of unexpected challenges pop up as well. All in all, i am very happy with her.

Although it's not very visable in the picture, i used a little pink mica powder on her cheeks. Her hair and slippers are made from wool yarn, and the panda is made using cotton and wool.

i am also in the process of finishing these three rag dolls that i have been working on.

This is Sarafina. She has on a basic pink/purple strip dress with spring butterflies. She will entually have bloomer and perhaps a bandana or tote bag.

This is Calliope. Her hair is a mixture of rainbow wool blend, and a deep midnight blue underneath. She is wearing a plain purple tunic, and a tie-dyed wrap skirt. She is still waiting on accessories, jewelry and more.
The last doll is still without a name, although she will get one as i finish the details of her and her personality becomes more obvious. i truly love adding all the little details that give these dolls their personalities. The rag dolls will be for sale soon on my website and/or Etsy.

New Beads on Etsy!

Kenan has been busy in the glass shop! Here are a few of his latest beads! He'll be adding new pendants and marbles this week!

Etsy Buy Handmade tiemeyerglass

More dolls.

This week my focus has been on dolls. A local friend had seen the Waldorf Style doll i made Sage for Yule, and asked if i would be interested in creating a custom doll. She was looking for a Chinese looking doll, for a friend who had recently adopted a baby girl from China. Even though i'm still a bit intimidated by this style of doll making, i felt like i was up for the challenge.



She is still incomplete, but came together well. Her face will be simple hand embroidered, with slightly elongated eyes, to give her an Asian look. i'm am still working on her hair, which is added strand by strand, and is the most time consuming part of making these dolls. She will have crocheted Mary Jane style slippers, and probably fingers and toes that are stitched

i'm pretty happy with how she came together, and am looking forward to finishing her up and beginning a new one. i will post pictures again when she is completed.

i took a break on the Waldorf Style doll to make a new Rag doll. After making the Whimsey dolls last week, i knew i had to create some rags again. i forget how much i love to make these. You can expect to see a few more in the next couple of weeks.

This is not the original outfit i made for this doll, and am not sure that she will keep it. She is still a work in progress, one of my favorite part of making these dolls is adding all the fun details. i also tried a new approach to adding the hair on her, and need to work on it a bit too. i am thinking she will probably have bangs and will get a bit of a haircut.

These projects have kept me pretty busy this week, and i am hoping to have them finished up this weekend or early next week. Of course having unfinished projects never stops me from starting something new when inspiration hits!

Slave to the Flame.

Here is some of Kenan's latest work.
There are so many times that his glass work is made one day and sent out the next. He tries to photograph as much of it as possible for his archive but occasionally some if it gets away unrecorded. He works with a number of dealers and wholesalers so the vast majority of his work is not seen by the general public and shows up in a few select niche markets. Even though he is trying to retail as much of his own work as is possible it the wonderful wholesalers that really keep the glass moving. Many thanks to all the great glass aficionados out there.



This is the newest batch of pendants being sent out to Japan. These pictures have a terrible glare, and really don't do them justice. If you ever end up in Osaka Japan, go check out Fool the Hermit. You will find the largest collection in the world of Kenan's glass work.



Kenan has recently begun to add etched dichro designs behind his classic the honeycombs, and finish of the backs of the pendants with swirly color designs. This really adds to the design adding visual layers, and creating a miniature work of art.

He has been working extra hours every evening trying to save up some stock for the Glass Craft Expo in Las Vegas - April 3-5. He will be spending much of the coming week creating new pendants, beads, and marbles for this show. This will be his first time in Las Vegas.

He has also been working on creating some new variations in his marbles. Specifically, this new style of fumed vortex has been evolving nicely. This is his biggest marble to date, measuring a whopping 3 1/4". It can be found on ebay this week:

http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/tiemeyerglass



Hopefully after the upcoming Las Vegas show Kenan will be able to update his web site with new available marbles and pendants. Until then - he truely is a slave to the flame.

Just for fun.

i recently stumbled upon the Bit of Whimsy Dolls website. i really love the originality, and simplicity in these dolls. i knew i had to make something similar for Sage. It has been so long since i've sewn, that i wanted to start with something basic so i decided to make an owl inspired by the ones i had seen at the Bit of Whimsy etsy shop.



Sage immediately claimed it. She carries it everywhere with her and just adores it. As soon as Sequoia saw it he asked for one in blue. :)



i decided to tweak the pattern a bit for this one. Although the wings on the first one are just appliqued on, i wanted real wings on this one. i thought they would look better, and i really hate to applique' and find just sewing the wings to be much easier. The feet are made with a thick felt, and i am really happy with how they turned out. Sequoia is really thrilled with his owl too.



i enjoyed making the owls so much that i decided to try making a doll or two. i can never just make one of anything. The faces on these are felt, the eyes are buttons and the mouth is embroidered, although it's hard to see in the pictures. They turned out okay, although not nearly as cute as the ones on the Bit of Whimsy site. hee hee. Sage adores them anyway.

She has claimed them all.

Stitching these up has really inspired me to start making rag dolls again. i started one yesterday and have the doll itself finished, i need to give her a face and sew up some clothing. i'm really excited to sew dolls again, it's one of those things i have always enjoyed. i just need a bit of inspiration to get back into it.