Getting ready with ATCs

This has been an ongoing project in my head since the last month's meeting at the doll club. I have signed up for the Artist Trading Cards exchange and I will be exchanging ATCs with 19 others. I am so excited. As usual, I started out making more heads than I actually need. Here are some of them. I will post pictures from time to time. Some serious artists make beautiful and elaborate works of art with their ATCs. I only hope people won't be too disappointed with mine.

Pindoll that I made for Karen

The theme was Fairy of the Winter Palace and I tried to make the doll look a bit like a Russian ballerina with the traditional hat shape and the ballerina shoes.

January Pindoll Swap

Karen and I exchanged pindolls this month. The theme was Winter Fairy Princess. Here is the doll Karen made for me. Isn't she just beautiful? So delicate and beautiful with lovely dress and beautifully crocheted cap for her head and beaded shoes and jewelery. Her arms and legs are completely posable.

And here is the pindoll that I made for Karen. Oh...wait a minute. I can't post it now since she has not received it and I do not want to spoil her surprise. Will post the picture as soon as she receives it.

Official Straw Collector

What is the name of the game? Pick Up Sticks? Does it not look like I am playing pick up sticks? I am not playing the game here but am showing off my collection. Only the bright magenta one is a stick from my son's stack and the rest are thin straws which are about half the size of the regular ones. I have collected them very lovingly for the past few months. Where do I get them you ask? Well everywhere. I sort of manifest them! No actually I find them in coffee shops and Trader Joes (where I sample their coffee) and some from my kids' juice boxes. Coffee straw collecting can be a hobby in itself you know.

I started collecting straws for my other hobby- making dolls. What does a straw have to do with cloth dolls? I use them to turn those tiny fingers inside out. I have so many straws that I might not be able to use them all even if I use a separate one for each of the fingers of my dolls.( I keep using only one of them over and over again anyway- the transparent one which came with the juice ) I just can't throw my straws away! Nor can I put them in a garage sale!! I can't stop collecting them either. So here I am ... still collecting. Here is a secret- at any given moment, I carry at least 4 of these thin straws in my purse. Yep! no more diapers or pacifiers and not even my daughter's little toys- only straws.

Christmas Pindoll Swap

Last month my friend Connie and I swapped pindolls. The plan was to buy a card and make a pindoll based on it. I was just amazed to see what Connie made for me. The pindoll is just too beautiful and she did a great job of copying the Santa from the card. The bag is too cute, don't you agree? Both the pindoll and the bag are just like the card down to the last detail.

I had a fun time making my snowman pindoll and the bag to go with it. Here are pictures of the pindolls, the bags and the cards.

Connie's Santa Card, pindoll and bag for me:

Here is card, the pindoll and the bag I made for Connie:

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2007........... Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Secret Pal Doll

Last Tuesday was our Secret Pal Doll Exchange at the doll club. This is the doll my secret pal made for me. Isn't she lovely? Thank you secret pal! Thank you for making such a beautiful doll for me. I made a doll for the exchange but can't post her picture before April. In April I will know who my secret pal is and I reveal myself too. This is the first time I am participating in secret pal exchange and it is so much fun.

Nita's Henna

When mommy gets henna, Nita wants it too. Except she will do what I did my entire childhood, take the henna off after just 10 minutes. My husband took this picture right before she made a mad dash for bathroom.

Indian Doll

Even as a child I remember wanting an Indian doll dressed in a saree (saree is a traditional garment for women in India and is usually 5 yards long and is draped beautifully around the body). I did have some dolls back then but they were "baby" dolls. When I was 6 my friend Sita's grandma taught me to make dolls with palm tree leaves. (one long section of a leaf can be used to make one doll). I guess that I must have made at least 2 of them each week. To dress them in "saree" and the blouse I used pieces of my mother's old sarees. I used black thread for hair and my mom's eyebrow pencil for her eyes. Those dolls were so beautiful- I do remember.

On a subconscious level I think my venture into making dolls the second time around is to actually duplicate that level of happiness and satisfaction with my creations. I am not so sure if I can ever get there- aah such sweet sweet childhood.

My friend Purna's mom visited me a couple of weekends ago and brought me this beautiful doll from India. This doll has a wire armature wrapped up in cotton batting and a layer of pink yarn. The face is cloth over some kind of mask. I love the face painting and the hair is beautiful. Don't you love the ornaments? They are all custom made for her! Nice.......