One of My Mermaids has been Adopted!!

I got s call earlier today from the curator at the City Gallery in Charleston. She wanted to tell me that Malika, one of my mermaid dolls has been adopted by someone  who was visiting the gallery. I was so honored just to be a part of this exhibit and now to find out that someone wants to take a piece of my work home is amazing to me.

I just assumed that both dolls and my quilt would be coming home in a couple of weeks. I'm so happy that she will be going to a good home. It's always a little bittersweet for me because I miss my dolls when they are adopted but so happy when someone else loves them too.

TGIT: Thank God It's Tuesday

It's Tuesday again which is my Saturday. I am so happy to be able to have the next few days to finish some of my dolls. I am so grateful to be working again although it's only part time. I was out of work for over two years. I used the down time to go back to school to learn some new skills but even with with new skills and training, jobs are still scarce in my part of the world. Sacramento, California has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. While I was out of work I also used the time to be more creative and really enjoyed the freedom to work on a variety of art projects. So now, my days off are like gold.

My goal is to finish four of my dolls that are almost done. Miley has hair, makeup and costume now and I'm down to the small stuff. She needs fingers and a few details on her thigh boots.

Maixiu is done and just needs shoes, jewelry and hands and a little tweaking for her hair. I really love how she has turned out. She is my first doll in Asian costume and I have plans for a second Asian doll.

Ga Ga is giving me some creative problems. Her face and hair are done but I want something special for her costume and can't decide how to put it together.

My fourth doll is a challenge doll from one of the doll groups I belong to, "Cloth Doll Artistry." We were challenged to create an alter ego doll. I had a hard time getting started because I thought it was supposed to be an art doll. An art doll to me is something abstract and unusual. I'm not very good with abstract art so I couldn't seem to get started. The doll is due on the 20th, so time has been getting away from me. I decided to just create a doll that is a tribute to an entertainer who has made me smile since I was a teenager over the past almost 50 years, (wow I'm getting old). I won't be able to reveal her here until after the reveal on the group website after the 20th. We also had an angel doll challenge. I finished that challenge so quickly I had time to make both of the designs I came up with. I will post those pictures after the 20th as well.

I work at a place called The Market Place in Ranch Cordova. I am around creative and artistic people all of the time. We have art and books by local artists and authors, antiques and collectibles, jewelry by gifted designers and crafts people and crafts by a variety of other designers. We had a book launch for new author Margie Yee Webb this past Saturday. She has written a book called Cat Mulan's Mindful Musings. Her adorable cat inspired her to take photographs and write inspirational words to go with them and it became this wonderful little book. She has a website called catmulan.com and will have a newsletter coming soon. If you are a cat lover and even if you are not Cat Mulan will make you smile. Margie's words are words to live by.

I'm signing off now. My next post will happily be pictures of my newest completed 'Girls'. I am so excited!!

Maixiu--Beautiful Grace

This will be my first 'Elegant Asian Lady'. Her name is Meixiu (My-zoo) which means beautiful grace in Chinese. Her colors will be shades of gold, teal and royal blue. These are the fabrics, ribbons and trims that will become her beautiful gown inspired by ancient Chinese royalty. I'm so excited, I can't wait to work on her but my Rocker Girls come first.

Hurray It's Tuesday!!!!

Hurray!!! It's Tuesday, my day off. Because I work Friday through Monday, this is my Saturday. I am looking forward to spending the next three days designing and finishing some of my doll projects.

Last week I was so sick, my creative spirit just wasn't there and I got very little accomplished. My all girl rock band is still in progress. Miley is almost done I'm just down to the details of her costume. GaGa's hair and face are done and I'm making decisions about how her costume should look. The last two members of the band, Vyxsen and Ming are still in my sketchbook but will become part of the band soon.

In the mean time two nice ladies visited my booth and asked why I didn't have any dolls in Asian costume and of course the wheels in my head started turning. They kind of jump started my creative energies. Beautiful, elegant Asian gowns would be a wonderful challenge. Just as my head started working on designs for Asian dolls, I was watching a movie on TV this weekend called the "Forbidden Kingdom" and I think it also said something about the 'Legend of The Monkey King'. This movie was just what I needed to see. The actors wore beautiful costumes from ancient China. I was very inspired.

So in addition to my rock band I've also start two beautiful Asian ladies who will be part of my 'Gloria's Girls' family. That's what I find about doll making, there is no shortage of ideas just a shortage of time to create them. Being sick, I didn't want to do anything but now that I've picked them up again this week I remember how much I absolutely love making dolls.

Family Photo

This is our most recent 'family photo'. My dolls are on display and also available for 'adoption' at my booth space in The Market Place in Rancho Cordova, California. When I finish a doll I have a hard time letting her go but I love sharing them with my visitors. One of my dolls, Deanna, was adopted as a birthday gift for someone and I had such mixed feelings of happiness because someone loved her enough to take home and sadness because she was no longer part of my doll family. It made me really glad that I take pictures of each of them so I will always remember them.

Cloth Doll Construction: Miley Continued

Well, here are my beautiful dolls in various stages of being finished. You can tell that they are a little annoyed with me and they're complaining and talking amongst themselves. I apologize to my "Girls" but I've been fighting a cold for a couple of weeks and the cold is winning. It's been so cold here in sunny Sacramento California, all I wanted to do was sleep and veg out. We've had rain, temperatures in the mid to upper 20's and low 30's, hail, snow in some areas and even a rare tornado.

Anyway, my creativity has been in hibernation. I did get a chance to work on Miley a little between the coughing and the sniffles. She now has a new strawberry blond hair do with pink streaks.
I combined 3 different yarn colors to get the effect I wanted.

Cloth Doll Construction: Miley

My current project is an all girl singing group called the 'Urban Tinkerbells'. The group will have four very edgy, ladies wearing the latest in rocker girl fashions. Their signature colors are pink and black.

Their names are Miley, Ga Ga, Vixon and Ming.

Here, I will share the journey of their creation and completion. They will become the next four additions to my 'Gloria's Girls' doll collection currently on display at The Market Place in Rancho Cordova, California.

These are photographs of the elements and beginnings of the first member of the group. Her name is Miley. She will have strawberry blond hair with pink streaks, black leather
knee boots and a hot outfit that she can rock out in with the other girls. Watch her grow and become an 'Urban Tinkerbell'.

Katy

This is Katy. She's all dressed for Valentine's Day.

Drew

Drew used to be a child actress. She's all grown up now and loves to wear the color red.

Olivia

This is Olivia, she is an old fashioned southern girl from the 60's. She wears a pretty flower in her natural hair and she is smiling because she is going to be one of the freedom marchers with Dr. Martin Luther King.

Lily

This is Lilliana, Lily for short. She is visiting here from Italy. She loves watching American movies and television and is going to college to become a movie director.

Ginger

This is Ginger, she is one of my latest cloth doll creations. She has curly, "ginger" colored, strawberry blond hair and her colorful costume was inspired by the wonderful Cirque du Soleil performers.

Deanna

This is one of four new additions to my cloth doll family. Her name is Deanna and she wants to be a movie star when she grows up' She is already very much a diva with an attitude.