Peacocks and pants...

Well actually peacock pants is a more apt title, but... *shrugs* I took these pictures on Tuesday and had planned to blog about them yesterday, but wouldn't you know the card reader in my laptop decided to go on strike!!!  I couldn't get the pics off my memory card. :-(  I thought I was going to have to buy an external card reader just to be able to get the pictures, but late last night the card reader decided to go ahead and let me have my pictures!  (Although I think I might go ahead and pick up an external reader any ways.  This is the 2nd time this has happened in the last few months.)

I bought this fabric about 2 years ago, when I decided to decorate our living room with a peacock theme.  But I honestly had no CLUE what to make with it.  Thankfully though Lena realized it would be perfect for a pair of lounge pants for her!  And well, I couldn't agree more! Instead of an elastic waistband like I did on the Christmas pair, I added navy blue eyelets and a bright green sparkly drawstring.
While I love the look of the drawstring, there is something to be said about the ease of elastic.  I am thinking I might combine the 2 in the next pair I make.

The weather has started getting colder here in NY, and the trees are all bursting into a riot of glorious colors.  Lena decided it would be nice to enjoy her morning hot chocolate at the window by the back patio.

(That reminds me I SO need to take care of my garden pots and get them ready for Winter...which will be here before we know it!)

I just love this shot of Lena...she just looks so pensive.  I am so glad I finally got a BJD, she just makes me happy every time I see her! (Thanks for the nudge, Ban! ;-) )

Here's Lena hanging out by the patio window, drinking her hot chocolate.

After I took all the pictures above I realized that the sun coming in through the window didn't really showcase the bright colors of her lounge pants, so we moved over to this little corner... MUCH BETTER.

Lena loves her comfy pants and so do I!  (Heck I'd love a pair of these for myself!)

Next on the To Do List...

CHRISTMAS!!!!

Hmm Can you tell that Christmas is a holiday I really enjoy?  Well just in case it wasn't obvious, I LOVE Christmas!  Decorating for the season is one of my favorite things to do, and most years I start decorating the day after Thanksgiving.  I figure this year will be no different.  

What is different though, is that this year I actually seem to be ahead of the game for things to put into my shop for Christmas.  Part of the reason is due to a couple of awesome purchases made a few weekends ago while we (the family) were out yard-saleing.   I found these 3 containers of fabric and craft supplies for a total of just FIFTEEN dollars!!!!

   The 2 bags on the left are packed full of mostly Christmas fabrics!  When the girl selling them asked what I was going to do with them and I said 'make doll clothes', she got a big smile and said that the lady that they originally belonged to also made doll clothes!!!  :-)


The tote to the right is full of all kinds of different fabric, trims, yard, ribbon & notions! 

 I was truly blessed that day! 

 I decided that once I was done with this year's Halloween items I would start with some Christmas Pajama sets.  I found a pattern for a set of menswear style 2 piece pajamas.

 I started with the pants as well, they are the easiest.  Lena here is modelling them for me.  They fit pretty well using the pattern as is, but since it was an Ellowyne Wilde pattern, the waist was pulled pretty snug getting up over Lena's hips. I used elastic at the waist band so they do look good.  I decided to add about a 1/4 inch to the pattern to allow them to slide over the Minifee hips without stressing the fabric. Much better!

This red holly fabric is just one of many pieces, but I think it's the PERFECT scale for dolly PJs!  

Hi it's Lena, modelling is tough work so I headed to the kitchen to grab a snack while Mom grabbed the other parts to the PJs.  There is nothing quite like fresh from the oven chocolate chunk cookies! YUM!

And these PJ pants are SO comfy!  They are nice and roomy too, very easy to move around in.  Hopping up on the counter was a breeze! ;-)

Here is the matching button down top.  (although it's missing it's buttons. LOL)

I want to use either red or green buttons but only had black and white.  So I ordered an assortment of small buttons, but they'll take a while to arrive.  So for the moment I just used a safety pin to keep it closed.

I'm not entirely happy with the top,  I think it looks a bit too boxy. Everyone that saw it on Facebook said it looked fine!  But I went ahead and trimmed a smidge off the sides of the pattern, so the next set will be a little more form fitting.

I think I need to try and find a pattern for making fuzzy slippers next! ;-)


Lena informed me that these jammies are perfect for curling up with a good book and a mug of hot cocoa in front of the fireplace.  I, of course had to remind her that they don't HAVE a fireplace.... needless to say, it's been strongly suggested that I GET or MAKE them one before the winter sets in! LOL

I originally thought to make the Christmas PJs a 4 piece set: top and bottom, matching ruffled panties and a coordinating solid tank top.

While I think I will still offer a few full sets, I will most likely offer mainly the bottoms and a solid tank top!  Those I can knock out pretty quickly, which will allow me to offer them at a lower price too! 

BUT I must admit I LOVE this look I created for Lena here!  It's cute and sexy all at the same time!  The panties came from an undergarment pattern I bought, that includes a bra too!  I had to alter the panty pattern quite a bit to get a pair with full coverage in the bum area.  The original pattern was nearly a thong!!! o_O  Lena and I both agreed that was a No-Go! 


Well that's about all for tonight.  I've got a few more things to share with y'all tomorrow though! 
Hugs,
Deborah

And another month has just flown by!

Is it just me or is it crazy to think that we are more than half way through October already!!!  I've been so very busy with creating things for my shop as well as working on custom orders that I haven't had much time for anything else. earlier this month Wilde Imagination (the company that makes Ellowyne Wilde and friends) released their upcoming dolls email.  They are putting out another resin Ellowyne next month!  

I LOVE my Abbey... she has a great face, but well compared to how well Lena (My Fairyland BJD) poses, I tend to play with Lena more and Abbey gets left on the shelf. :-( (Much to her annoyance!)  So when I saw that the resin version has her wonderful looks albeit a bit paler, but all of the joints and posing ability of Lena I just knew I had to have her!  So I went nuts getting stuff made and listed in my shop.  The resin version is not cheap (http://www.wildeimagination.com/ellowyne-wilde/shop/weeping-violets-resin ) So I knew it was going to take a lot to get me there.  But I found someone who wanted her outfit only and we were going to split the order.  I was well on my way to having the cost when my husband got a speeding ticket... in a construction zone!  UGH.  I know he didn't do it intentionally, but well it kind of blew my plans.  However, I know that the resin girls often show up on ebay so I'm not going to stress over it.  Thankfully the guy that wanted the dress had also had a change of heart.  So  it all worked out.
But in the meantime I'm still creating lots of goodies for the shop! 

 I started out making Halloween goodies!  I found the perfect sized pails at Michael's in both pumpkins and cauldrons.  Then I created 2 different types of cupcakes. I made a vanilla cupcake in an orange liner frosted with rich chocolate icing and topped with a candy pumpkin!  The 2nd cupcake is an orange cake, in a striped liner with mounds of vanilla buttercream and decorated with a candy corn.
I also made Autumn Apples!  Bright green Granny Smith apples dunked in luscious caramel, and crisp Red Delicious apples coated in a layer of cinnamon candy!

 The Pumpkin pails can be found here, and the Cauldrons here. Both sets include a choice of apple and cupcake as well as 15 pieces of assorted fun sized candies (that I created by scanning REAL candy boxes and wrappers!), an orange lollipop, an orange cream sandwich cookie and a bag each of candy corn and gummi bears!

It's quite a Trick or Treat haul! =D

Here is Lena with some of the treats from the basket.

I enjoy creating thing for Halloween, but am ready to move on to Christmas.  I still have a few ideas for Halloween, but they most likely won't make it to the shop until next year... or in Monster High form.

I have started on my Christmas projects, but will save those to post tomorrow!

Have a great day! :-)

I'm so excited...

...and I just can't hide it!!!

Heeheehee... I'm sorry I just can't help it.  Do you ever have phrases that just cause songs to pop up in your head?

Ok but back to my actual news!  I have finally; yes finally after geesh, months now; gotten some of the 1:4 scale foods and drinks listed in my Etsy shop!

Right now I have  Sodas, Chips and Cheese Curls, Coffee and 3different drinks in stemmed glasses: HERE, HERE and HERE ! 

Today I did up mugs of hot chocolate topped with either marshmallows or whipped cream. The resin is currently curing but I hope to be able to list them tomorrow.

Earlier in the week I had fun setting up a small shelf along the back wall of the girl's kitchen.  I used a bamboo silverware drawer divider turned on it's side.   I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

I also decided to work with the pink of the appliances and made this cute little cafe style curtain for the kitchen window.  The shelf is the perfect height for the kitties to perch upon and look out the window to watch the birds!

I've filled many of the shelves with knick-knacks and fun things I've collected from all over.  I've also added some books in there for the girls, including a copy of each of the new Cookbooks I created!  (Clicking the word Cookbooks above will take you to the listing for them in my shop for a better picture!)  The girls love their kitchen and can't wait for me to get some barstools made for them!

Welcome to September

Fall is almost here and here in New York the mornings are already getting brisk.  I've really been trying to get up at 6:30 with my husband each morning and stay up, some days it works and well...some days it doesn't. *shrugs*

I'm working on several orders right now, some are carry-overs from August... ok actually most of them are carry overs, but there are some new ones as well.  It seems I was very ambitious in my To-Do List I posted back on the 13th of August . As well I didn't complete anything off my list. :-(

So my list will carry over into September... with a few adjustments.
These are the last of my commissions:

• Small scale Harry Potter inspired Bookends and books These will be finished tomorrow and shipped on Monday
• Monster High sized copies of the Harry Potter series, Hunger Games trilogy, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and The Hobbit  All but the HP series has been printed, there is still more steps until they are done, but they ARE in the works
• 3 custom Monster High dresses, Red, White and Aqua My customer has decided that the only one of these that is a MUST is the Aqua dress as it will be  the tree topper for her Doll-Themed Christmas tree! (I cannot wait to see pictures of that!)
• large Barbie scale Christmas tree decorated in Burgundy, Purple and Gold
• 2 Barbie coffee mugs DONE
• 2 custom Queen's Jubilee Picnic baskets

And my goals for my shop:

• Sew 6 1:4 scale t-shirts
• List 8 new items in the store While I didn't get 8 new items listed, I did get 5 new pair of MH shoes listed, so almost there.
• Make 4 sets of atleast 6 cupcakes each for Monster High, Barbie, & 1:4 scale This is partially done... I created 3 sets of cupcakes for 1:4 scale, but that's it. Will continue to make more with these focusing on Halloween themed design
• Finish sewing and LIST the 3 reversible 1:4 scale skirts I made last month
• List at least 5 Monster High items (shoes or clothes)  I did get 5 pair of MH shoes finished and listed in my shop
• Sew 3 of the Barbie dresses that have been cut out since oh... 2011!

And my final goal is for the Monster High Weekly Photography group I started in January.  I started the group to challenge myself to do more dioramas and take more pictures of my MH gang. Sadly I have fallen WAY behind in even that! :-(
So my goal for that is to:

• Take pictures for the current weeks theme and 1 past weeks theme. So by the end of the month I'll have taken at least 4 sets of pictures! Well I managed to get one of the current weeks challenges done, but I just haven't been able to get anything much beyond shop photography done.

Hmmmm looking at all the purple, I guess I actually DID get a good bit of stuff done, but I am my own worst critic and tend to be very hard on myself.  But I think I should actually be pretty proud of everything I managed to finish in just 2 weeks.  

Snack time!

Some of my favorite things to sculpt are snack foods...a few posts ago I showed you the chocolate chips cookies I made.  Yesterday's post was starting to get kind of long so I decided to hold off on the other snacks I made until today.

For a while now I've been making potato chips in 1:6th scale for Barbie and Monster High dolls, but I wanted to make them in 1:4 scale as well.  I sat done one day and made a bowl full.  AND I finally found a good use for the huge amount of supposedly Barbie sized bowls I have.  They make perfect snack sized bowls for the 16" crowd!

Lena and the rest of the girls are thrilled to have some salty crispy snacks to munch on.  Hmmm I seem to be hearing a lot of clamoring for a TV... Demanding little things these dolls are! LOL

Potato chips are one of those polymer clay projects where fingerprints are actually a GOOD thing!  I use a blend of translucent clay and white and punch small circles, which I then flatten into VERY thin chips.  I then toss them in a small jar with several colors of chalk to get their color.  I carefully remove them with my tweezers and gently shape them. Some I leave flat but more often than not they get some kind of a curl in them. I think they look MUCH more realistic that way.  After they are baked I brush off the extra chalk.

In this bowl all of the chips are glued down, but when I list them in my shop I will add a couple extra chips loose, that way my customers can use them in various scenes.

Now I love chips, but I KNOW that they aren't exactly the healthiest option for a crunchy snack, so I decided to sculpt up another favorite treat in my house: CARROTS!!!  My children LOVE them and I do too!  I started off by making a cane from polymer clay with a pale-ish orange in the center surrounded by a darker orange.  that way I could use the same cane for making not only whole carrots but sticks and slices too!

I cut and shaped each carrot before dusting them with a little bit of several orange/yellow chalks.  Each carrot is around 1.25 inches long (without the greenery). I then baked them, once that was done I took the back of my craft knife and little scored various places on the carrot in short horizontal stroke to just add a bit more dimension to them.

My next job was coming up with a way to make the green tops as I had someone specifically ask for farm fresh produce.  I did quite a bit of research online and thought about sculpting the leaves from clay, but I was concerned about the fragility of doing that.  I found some tutorials that used string; that just didn't look right to me. I even say some that used dried florals: but those either didn't look right or again I was worried about them being fragile.
Then I stumbled upon a website that talked about glycerin preserving for flowers and leaves.  Curing the floral material in a glycerin solution preserves the color AND the flexibility!!! 

After 3 different shops I finally found a bottle and came home to scout for the perfect foliage.  I found it in the weed you see in the above picture.  Sadly at this point I cannot seem to find any more of it, but I WILL be looking. I ended up with enough to do about 15 carrots.  I am ridiculously happy with the way they turned out!

Goings on from the last few days

I've been working pretty steadily the last few days, and enjoying my quiet days at home once again.  Our boys started school again this past Thursday!  It seems crazy to think that our younger 2 boys are now in 3rd and 7th grades!!!  Where on earth has the time gone?  My babies aren't babies any more, heck it's wild realizing that our oldest has been out of school for over a year now and on his own for several months now. *realizing you are getting old, sucks. :-( *

One of the things I have finished is the set of Harry Potter book ends.  The sculptures themselves are finished, and I'll be finishing the 7 books tomorrow. I had so much fun sculpting these pieces!  They have raised details, sunken lettering, and hand painted details as well!   They definitely challenged me, but I was happy to make them!

While I'm making the books for this set I will also be making a few sets in smaller sizes for 16" 1:4 scale dolls, as well as 9-12" 1:6th scale dolls like Barbie and Monster High too.

I actually managed to get a couple of my Monster High girls outside for an impromptu photo shoot earlier in the week.  I started a group on Flickr back in January to help myself and other MH fans to take more pictures.  There are some amazing photographers in this group. Monster High Weekly Photographs Group Although I am a bit ashamed to say that I've fallen WAY behind in my own group.

But last week's theme was FAMILY... so I gathered my DeNile sisters and took them outside.  On the left is Cleo, the middle sister. In the middle is Layla, the baby of the DeNile family. (This is actually a standard Cleo head that I have transplanted onto a shorter Howleen Wolf body. =D)  And on the right is my personal favorite DeNile sister: Nefera!

 About 2 weeks ago I got an order in my shop for some resin drinks.  I was out of that particular item, so I mixed up another small batch and filled a bunch of various sized glasses including some that I thought would work out well for my 16" 1:4 scale crew.

Turns out I was right!  Lena needed something to drink with her cookies since the milk is still behind the cabinet. LOL  I made several different varieties of wine/juice and tea and I will be listing them in my shop next week. 

I do still have some empty glasses as well, so I can make custom drinks as well!

Here is just another shot from a different angle.  

I was playing around with some of the extra pics I took, and got this great shot of Lena's eyelashes.  That was the last thing she needed to be complete.  I found a box of fake eyelashes I bought several years ago after Halloween...I'm not even sure why I bought them, but I'm glad I did.  It's very hard to see in the pictures but there are actually small clusters of blue and purple lashes too!

I decided to swap her back to her turquoise 'contacts' for a while, because the color is just so vivid!  The only thing I dislike about them is that they have a very high and pointy clear layer over the iris, which can sometimes look odd in pictures.  I would like to try and find her a pair of glass ones that have this same vividness.  Although I am tempted to play around with these and file them smooth and give them a new lightly rounded coat of resin instead.  Because if that works, then I will keep them and not have to spend any more money.