You Gotta Start Somewhere

I have been resisting the idea of starting up a blog for as long as there have been blogs. But, my tech-savvy better half (http://haasamps.blogspot.com) challenged me by putting up his blog last night in what seemed like 15 minutes, so today is the day, and here I am. I don't know yet if I'll have anything interesting to say, but I really wanted to put up images of some of the dolls I have been working on in the last couple months, update people on what my dollmaking is all about of late, and just get the word out that I've got dolls up for sale FINALLY on my Etsy site (http://www.cindysowers.etsy.com) thanks to a huge nudge from a friend (thanks, Ivy). I think I'm going to pretty much work from there and here, rather than trying to update my website, which I haven't done in what seems like a year or more.

So, anyway. Here I am. I hope you'll stop by and leave me a note to say hi, and hopefully I'll have some photos of more dolls up in the next week or so. For right now, I really want to put up a doll I really love. I don't have it anymore. It went in a package with a friend's lovely Commissioned Custom Costume Creation (http://edera-faerie.blogspot.com) to a rocker chick you probably know. I don't know her, but I know about her, and decided a doll of her would be really fun to do (it was), and off I spun into dollmaking craziness. I was really happy with the way the doll turned out, especially since I needle sculpted the face (which I have gotten away from of late, preferring to hand-paint the faces I do now), which is often very hit and miss with me. Dolls are never exactly "pretty" with my particular needle sculpting abilities, but they are usually interesting. In any case, pretty or not, I think I captured her essence, which was what I was after anyway. I had heard rumor that she was into the Marie Antoinette look, and I had coincidentally opened a book before I started the doll that had inspired me to make a sort of modern-day rocker chick Marie Antoinette costume. Let me know what you think. And by the way, the rocker chick in question, is, of course, Ms. Courtney Love :) (http://www.myspace.com/courtneylove)



By the way, the doll photos were taken by Vermont's own Ivy Long, whom you can visit at the Edera Jewelry link above. She makes unbelievably gorgeous jewelry in a style you might never have seen before, but should definitely see more of. Well, for instance, one of my favorites:

She also takes much better photos than I do, has the artful eye gift, and just generally pulls things together more impeccably than me.

John made the little amplifier to go with, which I dearly love, and he painstakingly applied velvet dyed-to match fabric for the front cover. Inside is a little Radio Shack component that plays a prerecorded bit of a song, which he played, recorded and put in there. It turned out really well. Anyway, I am well pleased. I have no idea if the recipient liked the doll. I hope she did. I hope you do, too. :)