A Change.

Over the last few months I have been rather intensively concentrating on making sculpture (with the odd doll thrown in, because sometimes I just NEED to make one). And then last week I got what is a rather large order for some finished "Zozie" dolls. After getting back from setting up my Hobart exhibition, I got stuck right in, because I want to get them done and sent off before Christmas. Work is well underway and I should have the order ready to go out at the weekend.  Although these are quicker to make than most of the dolls I make, this is still fairly labour intensive. But I don't really mind that. And I like to make each one a little different, even though their little faces come out of the same mould and their bodies are made to the same pattern.

Just For Fun..........

Boghopper!

Back In The Saddle!

After a summer of many visitors (with all the extra cooking and washing that seems to entail), a bout of ill health, including a hospital stay, an interstate class and the annual string music camp, things are finally starting to settle into a more normal routine.......whew!

Here is a special order Zozie doll I finally got completed and sent off:

And here are the unfinished projects I'll be working on over the next little while (in between visits to the GP and cardiologist and the odd test or three!)

Zozie Class

I have just returned from almost a week away in Victoria at a pleasant seaside town not far out of Melbourne called Tooradin. I was invited by the owner of Bear Essence, the very lovely Kim Garratt to teach my Zozie class over two days. Having it over two days instead of trying to squeeze a lot of work into one day made it quite a relaxed class - and I don't think anybody felt too stressed out (mostly me!)
Here are some pictures of the wildly different results from the class.

Looks like I'll be heading back there in January 2012 to teach a couple more classes, so if you live in Melbourne or Victoria and you are interested, get in touch with Kim at Bear Essence for more details. (Use the link above)

It's Here! It's Here!

After a week of flooding rains, sodden ground and grey, drippy days, the sun has come out and it is actually WARM! The swallows are back (about two weeks earlier than usual) to check out their real estate under the studio eaves and to begin the necessary renovations and sweet things are popping up everywhere in the garden. After a fairly traditionally cold, wet winter, it is lovely to finally feel a bit of Spring in the air.

Do you remember me posting about our glasshouse that got completely destroyed by violent winds a few months ago? Well, here is the magnificent replacement that Bob (with a little help from Y.T.) has built to replace it. It's about four times bigger, so we'll be able to grow heaps more in it, and being a poly-tunnel, it should be flexible enough to withstand big winds.

"I built this!"

The "Sukeshi" dolls are in my Etsy store now and I'm working on a little "Zozie" doll like this one, which Tanya chose as her prize in my recent giveaway.

New Stuff

Having recovered from my emarrassing mathematical faux pas (and having come clean about it!) here's what I've been doing. The little doll got her unders and a white pinafore before I sent her off to a new home across the seas. And I've been making more Zozies to put in my Etsy store a a couple of days........here's one. Keep your eyes peeled for the giveaway.....coming soon!

Xanthe Comes Home and Other Stuff

When you are a doll maker, you get to play with other doll makers quite a bit.........one thing we like to do is a kind of doll round robin, where you form into groups, each person starts a doll off and send it to the next person on the list who adds something and sends it on and so forth. Quite often, these dolls have accompanying journals, so not only to they acquire clothes, accessories and a personality, they have stories written about them as they go. I have just participated in the Art Dolls Only Travelling Doll Project in a small group that was within Australia.  My doll has just returned home from a farm in Western Australia where Kailee (Sophia La La) gave her gorgeous silk clothes. Before that she had been in Hobart with Grace at Little Arty Crafty Crow where she got her underwear, a handknitted cardigan and beret and some cool artist's supplies, including a sketchbook which is filled with drawings!

I still had Grace's doll, Netty, here when mine arrived back home, so they had a bit of time to "hang out" together before Netty went home to Hobart. Here they are together, chewing the fat.

Netty arrived with no face and a sad story of abandonment, all beautifully told and illustrated in her journal. I gave the story a happy ending, Netty a new face, hair and shoes and some warm things to wear over the silk clothes that Kailee had made. (It's colder here than in WA!)

Grace managed to give Netty a wonderful "found-in-the-attic" look by using a crackled paint finish and staining.

I loved working in Netty's wee journal - I tried to replicate some of the character that Grace had given it.

And one more thing: my grand-daughter has befriended a German exchange student over the past few months. The exchange student is returning home soon, so she is hosting a special farewell dinner on Saturday night. Ten girls all dressed in formal dresses and high heels! I think this will be the first time my almost fifteen year old grand-daughter has got so dressed up! (*thinks*: have to get a photo of that!) Anyway, we made a special little "Zozie" doll for The German girl to take home from Tasmania - the little heart-shaped pocket on the front has a rolled scroll with a hand-written message from my grand-daughter.

Busy week - even managed to fit in a bit of olive-picking in a friend's grove on Wednesday, started back with violin lessons and I'm cooking for a visiting Japanese businessman tonight. Bob is showing him around the state and has set up meetings etc. for him. Whew!

More Eating Fresh!

Here's what I harvested and cooked for myself last night, continuing my mini-challenge to only eat what is in the garden...........well, OK, I cheated a little with the dessert - I didn't grow the watermelon, but it was already in the 'frig, so it seemed wasteful to let it spoil and have to throw it out. BTW, the blackberries and raspberries with the watermelon drizzled with lemon juice and a sprinkling of sugar were divine!  The main course consisted of oven roasted potatoes (pink firs), beetroot and parsnips - they were roasted in fabulous olive oil from a local grower (Lentara Olives) along with carrots with parsley and creamed spinach with garlic. It was very tasty!

For those of you who live locally, I will be teaching a one-day "Making Zozie" workshop on March 26th at Calico Crossroads here in Exeter a couple of weeks before I leave for an overseas teaching trip. (More about that in a future post.) Contact Pauline for details - I think there is room for a couple more. This workshop is great fun and you will end up with a unique little doll to keep or give away as a gift to someone special.

Moonglow and Starshine

Here are two cute little stinkers I just finished...........(*thinks* I am constantly amazed that I can finish making something and within minutes somebody on the other side of the world can be looking at it.........aah! the wonders of modern technology!)
Anyway, Moonglow (in stripes) and Starshine (in brown) are little owlie Zozies. I will be listing them in my Etsy store soon, so if you fancy one of them, better fly over there quick - they don't usually last long when I list them!

Mary's Prize

Here's what is on the way to Mary as her prize in my recent giveaway. This is Starchild #4 and he keeps his heart in his little pocket when he's not playing with it. Hope you like it Mary!

      Notice anything new about my blog? I thought it was about time for a change, because   I've had it looking the same way since I started it. I had fun changing it around today and giving it a facelift!                                                                                                                                         

A Giveaway!

A few weeks ago, I promised to host a giveaway to celebrate
20 000 blog views. That milestone happened a while back - so to thank you, dear readers and followers, here is the promised giveaway announcement.
All you have to do to be in it is leave a comment at the end of this post. The prize winner will be randomly drawn from all the responses on January 14th and announced on that day. To make it fair I will use Greenwich mean time to do the draw, because Australia is a day ahead of the USA and Europe.
The prize will be one of these:

You can enter more than once if you want to.

Do You Tweet?

I don't. At least not in the way that modern usage means...........these photos are the closest I come to "tweeting"! This is a new Zoziedoll design.

Liesl Completed

Here is Liesl, the new doll I have been working on - all but finished. She needs a petticoat and maybe some stockings and shoes, although I kind of like her bare feet. And a couple of recently completed Zozie dolls in little red jackets. Don't forget to add a comment to the previous posting if you want to be in the draw to win a little something made by me. I'll be conducting the draw on May 1st.

Cooler weather has arrived - I've just lit the fire in my studio for the first time - rather late this year. The fruits are pomegranates.

Debb's Prize

Here is what I made for Debb as winner of my recent celebratory (100 posts) giveaway. This little doll is called "Brightstar" - for obvious reasons. She is a scaled down version of my Zoziedolls - just 6.5 inches tall (8" to top of star). So Debb this little doll is on its way to you! I love giving stuff away.........see another opportunity looming with a '200 Followers' milestone approaching!

I have quite a number of commissions to get finished in the next month, so I'm going to be busy. I may not get much of a chance to keep this blog up to date, but I will try.

Littlebright Zoziedoll

This might be just about my last posting before I set off across the Pacific for two months in the USA. I will try to at least leave the odd entry while I am away, but it might be a bit sporadic. Meanwhile, here is another Zoziedoll - "Littlebright" - working with the bright colour was lots of fun.

Heart-on-a-string Zoziedoll

Here is my latest little Zoziedoll. She keeps her heart on a string and has a little pocket on her front to keep it safe.

Yet Another...........

Here is another little critter........this one is slightly impish, but also blinded by the flash!

...And Another One!

These little dolls are reproducing fast around here. Here's the latest one, and there are more to come......watch this space! These three are all sold.