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!

Deutschland, here we come!!

Some of you may already know my husband hails from Germany. I visited once with Ben (sans kids) back in 2006 and it was amazing...although I'm not a fan of air travel. We won an all-expense paid trip...no, kidding, I'm not that lucky. Actually, Ben's father bought us all tickets to come and visit.

He met Zoe once during her first Easter (she was just a baby) and has yet to meet Jaida. I would rather him fly to the States but he also wants his mom to meet her great-grand kids as well as the rest of his family. I can't complain. We desperately need a vacation and not only is the destination awesome but it's free which is perfect because, well, we're broke! Ft. Meyers, Florida straight through to Düsseldorf, Germany...still freaking out about the long plane ride.

My last shipping day in the shop will be June 25th so be on the lookout for new stuff as I scramble to make a little extra spending cash for our trip! I love Germany...it is a breathtaking country and we were this close (holds tip of thumb and pointer finger 2cm apart) to moving there.

This time we're going when the weather will be nice and warm....last time I brought sandals like an idiot and had to go shopping for clothes that I never wore again...well, some of them. Here are some pics of our last trip there:

All of our poses are the same...we need to be more creative this time. See that castle? It was so amazing and what a workout to make it down there (they drove us back though, whew)! We got another workout sprinting up the (500?) dizzying, spiraling steps to the top of the Cathedral ( Kölner Dom )...I could stare at that architectural work of art for hours studying the beautiful details of it. Speaking of spiraling, look how that tree grew in spiral-formation (Ben's pretending to twist it).

The cute baby in striped stockings is Emma, Ben's niece and the cute baby in blue is Anskar (love his name), his cousin Nicole's baby boy. Can't wait to see how they've grown and meet the new kids! Oh, and yes, nothing special about Walmart but that one sold beer in an outside tent...so funny! We also got to take a quick 24 hour visit to Paris. When the bus dropped us off for an hour to do whatever we wanted I was actually afraid for my life.....long story. Anyway, that's it! So excited!! Just need a tranquilizer for the plane ride there and back and I'll be set!

Monochromatikinder and her Mom

Just listed this little duo in the shop. I've been wanting to remake my original Monochromatikinder Doll series for a long time...I just haven't found the time. But last night I couldn't sleep...and so these were born.

I started the Monochromatikinder Dolls awhile back one day when I was trying to explain to my daughter what the word Monochromatic meant. These dolls have slightly different shades of blue and brown with a contrast of black and white.

Art is healthy, I want to teach kids while they're young and support them as they grow...into the next little da Vincis!
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Oh, and I'm so excited that heart-o-matic is back and better than ever thanks to Julian (the originator) and Karena (of Magic Jelly)! Together they made an awesome site I will be on most likely every day. Etsy wrote a great article on it on their blog...read all about it (click) ! Yay, CraftCult!!