Green Lena

I'm usually not much for holiday decorations and don't do many holiday dolls but my sister gave me some wonderful vintage green velvet fabric and I couldn't help but think St. Patricks Day. So please meet Lena the Leprechaun, shes feeling lucky today.

Be it the hint of spring, the flowers starting to bloom and the birds singing..something inspired me to give Lena a smile. I read somewhere, or perhaps saw it in a movie that the art that surrounds us is revealing. I look around at all these gloomy faces and think huh?

So Lena is here (for only a short while I hope:) to impart a bit of cheeriness amongst all these dismal gals. The other dollies just keep looking at her like shes up to something:)

Elizabeth

Alright so I went a bit crazy with my new fabric I told you about in this post

I just couldn't help myself, once I got to cutting and playing with the fabrics I just couldn't stop. Elizabeth got a party dress like none other. I think the vintage toole will be my favorite in the bunch. I foresee some dollie tutus:)

Elizabeth is headed off to her new home and with future dolls I will probably use the vintage fabrics with a bit more restraint...probably:)

Obsessions

I'd like to tell you a story of a very obsessed girl.

It's late at night, everyone is asleep in the house but the girl. She is an artist, she makes little dollies and she is working on one this quiet evening. The doll needs a blue dress...hmmm, first the girl looks in her fabric stash, no blue. Next she tip toes into her daughters closet. Her daughter is a growing gal and often has clothing that no longer fits her. Hmmm, still no blue fabric. Now the girl wanders into her own closet tiptoeing as to not wake her husband and there it is the perfect blue fabric. She considers the shirt that is made of the very fabric she has in dire need of. It's a nice shirt, she wears it sometimes but not too frequently. It's a perfectly good shirt, no reason it should be destroyed....no matter....snip snip snip...the shirt is now a perfect dolly dress.

Okay I must confess the girl is me. I have little self control when it comes to needing fabric and quite frankly when the time comes no shirt, dress or piece of clothing in the house is safe:)

Fabric Bliss

If your anything like me you are always on the hunt for that fine vintage fabric and lace
I use almost all recycled and fabrics on my dolls as I feel they just don't make the stuff like the used to. The cottons were softer, the silk was silkier and the lace was more scumptous, the organza crisper and so on.

So when my sister Corky brought me this 1940's wedding dress from Michigan I nearly did a back flip in sheer delight. I cannot begin to describe the yards and yards of ivory silk fabric this dress is made from, the French net cotton lace or the crisp cotton toole. Oh my, I will be using these fabrics for years to come there is so much of it. Another bonus to vintage fabrics is they are all made from organic fibers so they all take dye wonderfully.

Oh and I must add that this dress is a wreck..stains, holes a bit of dry rot on some of the lace. I would never, ever cut up a vintage dress that is still wearable..so y'all can exhale:)

So I must say a special thanks to my very dear sister Corky. Please check out her vintage shop on Etsy CorkSpork, she always has seriously yummy stuff!! Thanks again sis, love you!!

Alright off to dress this dolly with my new stash.

Alice

I have been dying to make an Alice. I guess with all the buzz around the new movie the age old story is on most of our minds. I have to be honest in saying I'm a bit nervous about the new movie, I'm old school and don't really like people messing with the classics. Of course anything with Johnny Depp in it is good for eye candy if nothing else:)

So here's a pictoral of Alice in progress

Funny how they change so. It's hard to believe that they will not look like aliens when they are done.

For Alice's images I had the perfect little rustic box I stuck her in. I love how it makes her appear to be the giant Alice.

Pretty sure I have a few more Alices and perhaps other Alice in Wonderland characters up my sleeve.

WIPS

A trio of gals I'm working on.

OHOW Winner

Pumpkinhaus

I'm delighted to annouce that Dani over at Pumpkinhaus is the winner of the Zombie Love Couple

I closed my eyes and waved my magic mouse and pointer up and down and all over all of the wonderful comments I recieved and it landed on the Darling Dani's post! Congratulations Dani! Be sure to check out her fabulous blog, she is an amazing textile artist, doll artist and seriously groovy person to boot!!

Thanks to everyone for stopping by, I so enjoyed all your comments!!

Mardi Gras Mayhem

Well it's that time of year again. The glitter is deep, feathers are flying, sequins and all that is shiny has come out of the bins to create yet another Mardi Gras costume.

It's also the time of year I essentially disappear from the web for a week, perhaps two. I have my brother John and his wild family coming from Michigan for the celebration. My sister Corky her daughter Chloe and their two dogs also from Michigan will be staying with my sister Sissy that lives around the corner. We'll be going to the parades the parties and once again celebrating life and each other in the form of Mardi Gras.

So if you notice an absence of LoopyBoopy be sure I will return once the beads have been caught, the costumes have been donned, the alcohol has been drunk and the booties have been shook. I look forward to returning with renewed inspiration and zest for life as Mardi Gras always is great for both.

Delta Dawn has Traveled to the Bayou

The dolls have begun to travel. I recieved Cindy Sowers doll one day last week. Can I just say meeting Cindy through this project has been a hoot. She is a seriously on the ball kinda gal and is definetly going to be keeping me on my toes during this project. Thanks Cindy, from a self proclaimed rather sluggish procrastinator:)

Cindy is a cloth dollmaker while I work in clay. When I recieved Cindy's doll I was thrilled at the sweet dainty, girly dolly I had just recieved. All sewn up perfectly even sporting nylon stockings....but headless!! Well, I just could not have this gal running around without a head for one more day, so my job became giving Dawn a head.

So I made my first attempt at attaching a clay head to a cloth body. I first sculpted the head using paperclay. Then I added clay to Dawn's muslin neck, once it was all dry I glued the head to the neck and added more clay to shape the neck. I then added apoxy sculpt for strength...and gosh dang if Dawn now has a head that I believe will never come off. I gave her some paint, hair and a scarf, the poor girl was freezing her tata's off walking around in her knickers.

This is my favorite part of this project. This is a technique I never would have attempted were I not forced to. So I learned something new:)

Dawn got herself a little vintage Ginny suitcase while in New Orleans. I need to work on her journal a bit and the girl will be off to her next destination, Tasmania Australia.

You can see the progress of all the dolls for this project over at the Traveling Doll Blog.