Olivia

I'm not a great blogger. I'm a sucky texter-backer (hi Haley!) and a sucky blogger...this I know. So I am back to playing catch-up as always :) I'll keep it short and sweet for all of you that know I have a rambling problem. My name is Alex...and I have a rambling problem.

Okay, carrying on...

When I began to finally paint again I found myself spending a lot of time with one doll in particular. Her shape was not functional but she wasn't meant to be. I had always loved the Kokeshi from the San Diego Subtext show back in 2007. They selected over 75 artists from 13 countries and it was awesome to see the end result from some of my favorites working out of their 2 dimensional element.

This is my first doll with no ulterior motives to "do something"; no string to hold or purpose but to just sit there quietly on a shelf. Tedious, but I cannot tell you how great it was to make her! (I named this, doll # 1, Olivia after the daughter of a new friend).
* Olivia is now with a wonderful kiwi in New Zealand. :)

I also decided to take on a wedding cake topper order! I have had many requests over the years and turn them down 95% of the time (plenty of Etsy sellers making wedding cake toppers), but I figure as long as I take on one couple at a time, my perfectionistic problems won't get in my way. Translating human faces onto a round 3-D surface is challenging abut also fun-times! I had forgotten how much fun it was to create this family awhile back. Aside from Olivia, custom painting is sooo rewarding!

 

A Quiet Comeback

Wow, a year has gone by...here's a quick update! It's a house full of students over here. The girls are attending an awesome Charter Academy and I will be pursuing Sonography (possibly Nursing) at our local state college....thank God a lot of the pre and co-requisites are the same because there are a TON of them I have to knock out before I can apply for a spot in either of the programs.

 

I'm so excited to have this reopening on the 12th! I'm restocking some old classics and introducing some new things including my 1st WK Collectors Doll, Olivia (sneak peak above). I hope to do one a month...each doll will be an original, one of a kind creation.  She has been so much fun to make...after batches of remakes...such a welcome, relaxing break from the regulars. Also bringing back the pig-tailed Kokeshi Spool Doll and some other surprises!

I hope everyone is having an amazing year so far! I've missed all of my crafty friends, etsians, and supporters and hope good things are happening globally for all of you!

New cute things

If you have kids, I'm sure you recognize these three from Nickelodeons Ni Hoa Kai-Lan. It was a tedious but wonderful break and challenge from the Kokeshi Spool Dolls I normally make. Even better, they were commissioned by a fellow wood doll artisan, Beccijo of the Enchanted Cupboard ...which made 'my heart feel super happy' <--kai- class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" span="">Lan always says that. :)

A WAY overdue product will be arriving in the shop this week! I hope everyone out there is having a wonderful start to their week!

Update Tomorrow!

Finally, an update! Little Yuki in the center is a reserve I had promised forever ago to a wonderful etselebrity (that's what I call Etsy featured sellers) , Agnes Blum from Knockknocking (which reminds me I need to blog about her amazing work that I WILL own one day). I took this pic this morning and they are still unvarnished and not complete (one is missing half a face!), but I think you get the idea. I may have one or two additions if I can get them completed in time. Maybe. Hopefully.

Also in the update, a batch of sweet little, "falling" acorns amongst some other surprises!

* wishes *

We had a Jaidy birthday party today..definitely party on a budget but every little touch she asked for I tried with all of my soul to make happen. I can't believe my baby is five!

The Christmas Post

Christmas was small this year but absolutely wonderful! I found a foster-kitty who needed a loving home as much as I wanted to give him one! He stayed with my sis for a few weeks before Christmas so the girls had no idea!  

Christmas Eve, after the "feeding of the reindeer" and the setting of Santa's cookies and milk, the kids finally fell asleep. And my dad brought our kitty, Franky, home.

We've already given him "pet names": Frankford, Frankenbaby, Franklin, Frankfurter. I'm weird about names but the woman that fostered Franky and his brother Sammy LOVED them. She had bottle-fed the siblings back to health and they were her "kids" so I kept his name for her...ya, not a big "Franky" fan but the care she gave this kitty made him a sweet, loving, purring, hugging, sit on your shoulder-ing, people-loving cat and we adore him! I was waiting for him to freak after I put the Christmas collar on him but he didn't even flinch! He has no idea he is a cat. He also likes to play in water. We love the little weirdo!

 

Zoe made our tree topper this year..and we got new ornaments to commemorate the beginning of our new life. The ones above in the first pic, Jaida picked out the hedgie (that's my girl!), and the faux gingerbread cookie ornaments are from my mom (we got six on a cute tiny cookie sheet). Below are some of my other favorites from this Christmas season. I picked the snowman to mark and remember the year 2009: a really difficult year but an important one nonetheless.

The plastic tree with my baby's kindergarten picture was Zoe's creation. She was beaming when she gave it to me so I will forever picture that expression every year I see this ornament. :)  The little beaded ones are from a collection that a very good friend from New Zealand (or Sea land as my girls call it). She also sent yummy homemade chocolate confections which were gone in under 3 minutes! Living so long in a city without friends or family, I'm so thankful for the few really good friends I've made through Etsy and Flickr. Cupcake (Kaysie), you are another one! You've been such a great friend to me over the past couple of years that I've known you....why must you two have to live so far away?! Thank-you so much for "being there" for me and my girls. You have the most beautiful hearts, and I heart you for it!

♥ Shop Update 1/16/10!♥

The Perpetual Game of Catch-Up

I thought about it the other day, just how jipped my girls have been. There's just not much fun to be had with a couch-potato father and an agoraphobic mother, lol! Lately I feel like I've been transported back where I left off before I started having panic attacks. I feel motivated again, my ambitions are back. It was a leap of faith to move on with my life and I'm so grateful I had the courage to not only leap, but to not take somebody back (pats self on the back). I wouldn't have even cared to make things better had it not been for my two little girls...I thought it was impossible to have more reasons to love them so much!

 

I really want to get the kids into dance, martial arts, cheer leading...something to nurture their self-esteems. I tend to feel particuarly overprotective in this area because it's a fear of mine that these two will be like mommy. Of course, I'm not a a horrible person, but fear and insecurities really hindered opportunities in my life while I was young...like a ball and chain. I can't help but think of how things would have been had my young life not been ruled by those two suffocating traits. 

My sister's youngest turned 3, and I've talked about "Martha Sister" before and so of course his birthday was a giant fun-fest for kids even for my little sick Zoe! Here's some more pics from that day!There's nothing more entertaining than watching the maniacal playing of hot potato...or in this case hot monster truck...kids go crazy! I wish I had video of my nephew hitting that pinata. It was like 'tap,tap,tap' and he bent both knees with every tap. Adorable and hilarious! One bonus to the party was the arrival of Santa...aka, the PC Beach Fire Department...the boys got candy filled candy canes, the girls Disney Princess ornaments filled with candy and we all got chocolate!

Belation: A Continuance

I know, I know, it's Christmas time but I'm sticking with my unintentional late posts until time allows me to be a tad more current with these things. I wanted to share some pictures from Thanksgiving which also happened to fall on my birthday this year! Perfect timing as there is so much to be thankful for this year!


What's not to love about Thanksgiving? Yummy food. Family...speaking of, my sister did her usual "Hostess with the Mostest" thing and concocted lots of festive edibles! Those acorns on the end: donut holes with their tops dipped in chocolate, then rolled in toffee pieces and a pretzel stick for the stem....so good!

Speaking of acorns, some sweet little ones made their first appearance in my shop....and speaking of my shop, I'd like to thank everyone who stopped by to shop the update...means so much right now, so a big THANK YOU!

I'm about to lay on the couch and try to watch Funny People without falling asleep. Wait....no reflection on the movie (I haven't seen it yet)! I'm just so sleepy right now. First some more pictures from our Thanksgiving!

Jaida wished for a unicorn and Zoe just said "I love mommy". It must be true because little Jaidy didn't win this wishbone tug-of-war. :) Good thing because she would have been really disappointed to know that Unicorns don't really exist.

Oh...and my cake. My mom brought it over and the girls sang me happy birthday and gave me cards they made (I almost cried). This birthday was way less detrimental than turning 30 last year. I feel like I wasted my 20's wallowing in mental hell. I know this decade is going to be awesome! Still, it was a strange birthday; bittersweet. Hard to explain. Although, the cake took away the "bitter" pretty fast! I love Carvel ice cream cakes!

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving and if I don't post before Christmas, Merry Christmas! xoxo