Doll Collector Magazine Sept 2011 Steam Punk!

Steam Punk Amanda was put into the the Doll Collector magazine issue September 2011. This is my first try at submitting a doll in the theme section. Thank you Doll Collector! It is so exciting to see a doll I made in print. Whats even better you have a dead line. I haven't had a deadline to meet in a long time. Its something I quit doing about two years ago with my miniature paintings on gemstones. They were making me crazy but I was working full time too. The pressure just got to be to much and I just couldn't do it anymore. I do hope to start again someday but I will definitely have better guidelines for myself and the collectors. I literally painted and sold those paintings for over 30 years! Well, back to doll making. So, if you are a doll maker you have to give this a try. The next theme is Fairytale Figures and the deadline is September 1. I don't think I will be able to make a doll for this one. I'm still finishing up some details on the studio and I have a couple of new head sculpts that need bodies etc. Check out your magazines and look for some interesting deadlines you might like to meet.

Summer Garden

Gardening, so much work! Nothing is ready to eat yet. I take that back. We have eaten onions, radishes, collard greens and swiss chard. Zucchini and crookneck are my favorites but they are just getting started. In Modoc with our late spring again, a cooler summer, fall is soon approaching. The pumpkins and winter squash are not going to make it unless we have a nice warm long fall. That doesn't happen to often. My blackberry vines are loaded. Yum! Blackberry juice, jelly, cobblers, syrup, and pie-oh my! So much for my diet. What diet? I love watching things grow. Next year I want to plant more flowers. Its so nice to have fresh cut flowers in the house. They are a natural happy high. I guess most of the work is in the spring and minor weed pulling thru the season. I need the exercise and fresh air. It also helps me stay motivated and refreshed when I go back in to work on my dolls.

Me and Pink?

Well so much for my faithful blogging but I have so many good excuses. The best one is we remodeled my studio. I have worked in an old trailer for years so it really needed some work. My sweet husband put in two large windows and a small one and new flooring. The mega job was actually finding a place to put all my life time storage (pack rat stuff) somewhere so the job could get done. Part of my job was to decide on a color and paint. I never thought I would see the day when I would choose "PINK" but I couldn't get it out of my head. I like it. There is still work to do like moulding and more paint touch ups but my stuff is moved back in and now I can get back to work. Organization is an on going job so I try to work on it as I work on my dolls or the dolls never happen. Back to the Studio- there is two rooms; one small and one medium with a door between. The smaller for sculpting and painting the other for the more dirty work like armatures, sewing, drilling, sawing etc. I love the windows! Major depression breakers. I feel so much better sitting in front of them even if I can't see out. So guess that means I have to trim that creeping virginia or virginia creeper, what ever its called. The remodeling will continue to need adjustments etc but the major work is done. Yeah!!!! As for the pink it is a soothing relaxing color and pink goes with dolls, don't you think!