It has been almost 10 days now since Artistic Figures in Cloth and Clay has ended, and I still haven't had a chance to download pictures or unpack the sewing machine. I always have such a fun time at AFICC and since it is only once every two years, getting to spend time with old friends and making new ones is a highlight of the year. Cyndy Sieving does such a wonderful job making everyone comfortable and having loads of fun.
This year I got to spend two days with one of my favorite teachers and friends Ute Vasnia. Two years ago while taking a class with her up in Akron with Time for Dolls, she showed us Stanley her naughty troll, and we all begged her to come up with a class. She did. I jumped for joy. I signed up for the class. I got to make my own Stanley. I got to spend two fabulous days laughing and creating.
I should warn you though that Stanely should not be pinned to Pinterest. They have a policy about nudity even if it is an art doll. So Please don't pin any of these pictures as I really don't want to get you into trouble.
Stanley really has some attitude. I used glass eyes which give him this really ghoulish look.
Ute colors Stanley while Christine watches
Ute suggested that wouldn't it be funny is Stanley was scratching his behind, and I agreed.
Conga line of Stanleys
After two days of extreme fun, we all got to take our own Stanleys home with us
Here are more pictures from AFIC's exhibit. Cyndy always has doll clubs from around the globe send in pieces for display at AFIC. These are from an online doll makers group called Doll Street Dreamers. I've been a member for about three years now and enjoy the sense of community there. This year, Judy Skeel announced the challenge would be steampunk inspired dolls. As you can see, there were all kinds of different ideas popping out of people's head. Please excuse some of the pictures as the lightening where our display sat was limited. So sit back and enjoy a few photos from Steampunk Challenge.
If you'd like to see more pictures from the AFIC conference of the first night called "Hats and Heels Banquet" then please check out Leslie Molen's wonderful blog. I got to sit at Leslie's table where she was our "CEO". We had a challenge to make a doll out of a Bendi that would eventually be given to Children's Services here in Columbus. We had a Buyer (Pam), a Runner (Linda), Seamstresses , and I was the Speaker (but I sure did do a whole lot of hand sewing on that doll). We made a bear named Bernard who originally was a Steiff bear purchased at FAO Schwartz in NYC....he had seen better days & met two friends at a thrift store...okay enough with the story. We had a blast & see more about it on Leslie's blog which I warn you is charming and full of so much talent.
It is cold & snowy in Ohio. I saw someone over on Facebook say they wish people would stop complaining about being cold in the Winter. Blah! I can complain about anything I wish...and I WILL! I think the older I get the worse the weather affects me. Use to be that it was a small ache here or there, but now my poor feet that were broken multiple times when I was young feel the change & "complain" to me especially when I'm at work. Also, since I had the sinus surgery last year, my sinuses really "complain" when the weather is bad outside. Last night at work, my nose ached so bad that I thought I was going to pass out. Oh the joys of getting old! I use to laugh at my Dad & his sisters sitting around the dinner table shooting the fat talking about aches & pains. Cheryl & I said we would never do it....HAH! Now that she has had a broken ankle, I find much of our conversations deal with aching feet!
Chris & I are addicted to Netflix. We get one movie at a time, but are we ever enjoying going out to the mailbox once or twice a week to find a new movie or an old "jewel" out there. Remember if you haven't seen a movie...it is NEW! So this week, Chris got Woodstock. I was a freshman in high school at the time living in Portsmouth whose radio station had banned the Rolling Stones and other provocative music. I missed hearing great music from when we lived in LA. So I knew it was there. At night, I would lay in my bed with my 9 volt transistor radio under my pillow listening to a station coming out of Chicago. But back to Woodstock and creating. I had made this beaded bear with beads sent to me by Artbeads.com in their beading for bloggers program. I used their Toho Bead Mix called Neon Frost. As before, I had to add beads to the 5 bags because they were not enough to complete the project. I liked the challenge of trying to get all these different sizes incorporated into a pleasing pattern on a stuffed animal, but it was tough. So I do not recommend that someone without experience use these for a beaded doll project as there were lots of size 15s & if you are using a stuffed animal with some sort of textured "fur" those 15s get lost. I did use them as an over embellishment. Chris was looking at all those wild colors & told me it looked like something a person would see from an LSD trip. I wouldn't know! But after watching bits of Woodstock with Chris, I decided to call this bear after that movie.
I also completed my piece from AFIC last May. Her head had been sitting on my work station for that long starring at me wanting to get finished. So finally, I got out the body, the legs, the arms, the tail & put the body together. Then to cloth this adorable troll. In Ute's class we used clothing from a thrift store. I had about 4 different outfits that I bought from the baby section at our thrift store & decided this dress was cute. I had to really cut it up to make it fit this troll, but I did it! The shoes are ones that Cynthia gave me & yes, those are my own socks cut up & sewn to fit the troll. The hat was one that I probably spent the most time making. I used a piece of wool felt and rubber band it onto a light bulb. Then I Modge Podged it all over & let it dry 42 hours. After that, I cut out small silk flowers & sewed them all over the trolls hat & then on her shoes. She wasn't complete until I found this small pail I bought at the Dollar Store. I think it originally had been some wind chimes. So she was finished & once again was starring at me. I had to give her a name. Finally out of the blue, whispered to me that she was Doris. So world...met Doris!
Disclosure...As a reviewer of products at Artbeads.com, I receive the Toho Bead Mix above free of charge. I have been asked to review these products and give my honest opinion of the products...positive or negative. I am not being compensated by Artbeads.com for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.
Right now I don't know wether to be mad or relieved. Chris wanted to hang my spider ryder "getting motivated" from the AFIC challenge on the wall. He used these plastic hangers. I told him to not use them as they were not strong enough. I've had them give away with other dolls, but lucky nothing was broke or damage. If the dolls are light weight, I've epoxied the hangers on the wall & they work. Well...yes, he didn't listen to me. When I woke up this afternoon, he told me hung the spider ryder on the wall & it fell & broke. He wanted to fix it...I told him no! I've waited 6 hours before I went down to see what the damage was.
It is bad, but I think I might be able to fix it better. One of the spider legs is broke, the arm is out of joint, the hat is pulled away, and the base is broken to bits. I took the felt off the base & all those records underneath just broke away into little tiny pieces. Luckily the beading part wasn't damaged. I'm just going to let it sit down there for a couple of days until I have enough energy to repair it. I'm not going to let him do anything with it as I'm so ticked. He wanted to fix it, but I told him NO! I'll do it. I think instead of those fragile records, I'll use some foam board cut into a circle. They might be strong enough as a backing without breaking if dropped. As for the leg, I'll just have to put more beads on it to get it more stabilize. The other damage can be fixed with a little thread & needle. Oh well...I think I can make it better. I'm going to put more embellishment on the spider web itself. I think I'll sew some metallic threads around it. I'm also going to repair the fly. He got squished. Oh well........
I have a couple months to repair this before it goes off to the Ugly Bug Ball in Maine. I'm mad that he didn't listen to me, but I'm relieved that it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
YES!!!! Imagine my surprise when I found out that my piece for the 2009 AFIC Challenge was picked first place original design. When I entered this piece & saw some of the other entries, I knew I hadn't a chance. The exhibit hall was opened Friday night at 8 pm for the conference attendees. Cynthia & I were late getting into the hall because we were "visiting" (or yakking away with everyone). I was only about 20 steps in the exhibit admiring all the teacher's dolls, when Cyndy's sister Patti comes up to me & asked if I'd seen my doll yet. I told her "no", and then she told me I had to "go see". I looked at her with a question & she just pointed me to the back where the last of the challenge dolls were hung up. Cynthia told me she'd go look first. I stood & watched as she went to check out what Patti had steered me to. Then I saw Cynthia pointing & holding her hand over her mouth. I walked back & there on the wall was a first place ribbon next to my doll. I jumped for joy! I never thought my spider rider would get chosen as first place. Everyone came up to me then & congratulated me. When I saw Rosie who was one of the judges & thanked her, she told me I deserved it. You can't imagine how proud I was at that moment. Four years ago back in 2005, I attended my first AFIC conference in awe of the talent. Now, my piece got chosen best. What a distance I've come in those years.
This is part of my recycle theme. The whole piece is mounted on a 78 record which has been covered with black wool from an old skirt. The vest and wings of the doll are from a piece of lace I got from a fabric salvage shop in Barberton Ohio.
The spider is the first doll I made. He is called Winston. At first, I just was going to have only a spider on a web, then I sewed up a doll trying my hand at using limbs. I loved this wee guy & just to see if the size was right for a beaded doll, I placed him on Winston's back. Winston looked surprised, but welcomed Holsume. So they became partners. Winston was leery about leaving his web, so Holsume found a fly to entice him to move. Therefore, "Finding Motivation".
Winston & Holsume will be traveling later this summer. They are going to the Ugly Bug Ball in Maine.
