Spring is officially here, if you haven't noticed. Here in Vermont, spring doesn't usually show it's face until some time in late April, but this year, either nature is playing quite a trick on us, or spring is a bit early. We have really no snow to speak of and we saw the first robin in our yard this week, signaling spring's unofficial arrival. The yard has just started to show a tiny bit of green, which I just noticed today. Nothing to get too excited about if you aren't from the north, but if you are, it is plenty to get excited about, believe me.
Whether spring is really here or not, I can't say for sure, but I am feeling the need for spring colors. Pale green is really my favorite spring color, along with pale blue and English rose. I made Blanche, my Hujoo, a few spring hats in those colors and I think she wears them well. She also has a new blonde wig, which she is wearing here for a couple of the photos. I think I have started talking to my dolls, which is a little scary. They haven't really started talking back yet, but you never know. I've been indoors far too long! It must be time to get outside and get some fresh air and sunshine! Yay spring! I hear it is going to hit the 70s this week, which seems like a miracle to me. 70 degrees in April in Vermont! Unheard of! Can't wait.
Hope everyone is enjoying the first weeks of official or unofficial spring. If you are further south, you probably have had flowers for awhile. It's going to be some time for us way up here, but keeping my fingers crossed they come a little early as well this year. In the meantime, silk flowers on hats will have to do me.
I've got Blanche's hats up for sale on Etsy. Still feeling my way around there. I've been working on pictures, and that takes seemingly forever. Nothing is ever quite the way I want it, but it is definitely moving in the positive directon at least. I'm also thinking I will try to stick with fewer styles of hats and fewer sizes and see where that leads me. Pricing, well, that's a whole other ballgame. Working on it. While I get it all figured out, I'm enjoying dressing my crazy Hujoo, Blanche, in as many hats as I can make. 
I promised I would put pictures up of my little plastic ball-joint-doll, Blanche. She came to me from a store called Junky Spot in San Francisco at the prompting of my friend Yve, over at Freaky Little Things. I found her on Ebay relatively cheap and bought her, not having a clue what one does with one of these little goofy dolls. Here's how she looked when I got her:
Looks a bit like a cartoon alien, right? Nothing too impressive in any case. My friend Deena over at Fabby Dolls said it was an "awful doll" and basically implied that I was out of my gourd to pay anything much less $30 for this doll. That comment kept me laughing for a week, because Deena is not one to pull any punches, and well, when I got the doll, I thought the same thing really. But, I thought I'd give myself a try at this face-up business (painting a face or makeup on an otherwise blank doll).
I got out the spray (I used an archival flat spray, not the correct one probably, but it worked out okay) and went to work with paint, pencils and pastels. First try: Horrible. I was nearly in tears, quite frankly. Long story short, my Hujoo, now named Blanche, has been through lots of trials and tribulations. She has had 3 faces wiped off with mineral spirits, several different wigs, pictures taken until the cows come home, trying to get the right light, the right backgrounds and so on. If she was real, she would truly not be amused.
I want to use her as a model for my hats (my whole Etsy store has pretty much become a shrine just to poor Blanche). I have waited over a month for eyeballs from Hong Kong, only to like a different pair better, and on it goes. Anyway, I think she is finally in her last reincarnation and she is up for view on my site (and here). She is a funny little thing. Only about 12" tall. I guess they call that 1/6 dollfie (is that right Yve?!) and her body is a lot like Blythe's and Pullips and a few other dolls in terms of size and proportions (if you don't know either of those dolls, do a search on Etsy).
I made up a few fancy dresses for her in about an hour and I am beginning to think she is quite the thing. The big eye, big head thing starts to grow on you, believe it or not, and you come to rather like it. I have hats galore for her, all for sale in my Etsy store. Of course now that I have done one Hujoo, I'll probably have to get another. Sheesh!
