Creating more art dolls for the NN Fall Festival

I think about Halloween year round which is good because the Newport News Fall Festival is the first weekend in October and there will be lots of Halloween themed booths (by the way I received my official acceptance letter a few days ago).  So my latest creation will fit in with my Halloween themed art dolls.  Let me first show you the "before" photo:

 

From the photo you can't tell that the moon (and on the other side the sun) are both raised.  So I first needed to sand them down a bit.

After I sanded it it was still raised a bit so I covered it in a texture medium then painted it orange

I then painted a spider web on it, drilled four holes then reattached it with fun yarn.  Next was to create the rug for the cat.  For the rug I used the same technique as my fabric bowls then I added a decorative trim around the perimeter.

 

 

The fabric I used is black with candy corn on it but because the sun is shining on it it makes it look grayish.

 

And another "before" and "almost after" photo of one of my other art dolls:

 





 

(More on her later)

52,000 Buttons

The number 52,000 is an inside joke between my mom and me.  When I was a little girl I used the number 52,000 to describe something very large.  It didn't matter what it was, 52,000 years, 52,000 steps, 52,000 feet (you see where I'm going with this) so this is what I decided to call my new shop on Etsy.  52,000 buttons because that is about how many of these little jewels I have. 

I started buying buttons about five years ago for my arts and crafts and what I realized was that they were too pretty to use, I just wanted to put them on display.  I love all buttons!  From celluloid to glass, from bakelite to fabric covered I love them all.  The older the better.  What I have found is that there are other button lovers as obsessed as me!  So I have decided to sell them on Etsy.   

I will have a number of categories such as vintage yellow, vintage metal, celluloid and my favorite category will be my hand painted buttons.  Here is a picture of some of my hand painted lovelies:

These things are virtually indestructible because of the special topcoat I use.  I have run them through the washer and dryer to see if they could withstand a good beating and they all survived!

 

 



I will be closing up shop for a few weeks because I'll be on vacation (buying more buttons up North) but please bookmark it and stop back by!
The address is: http://www.etsy.com/shop/52000Buttons

Auctions and Estate Sales

Last August my next door neighbor died.  He was a very nice elderly man who lived by himself.  I didn't get to know him too well because I only moved here two years ago but we spoke on occasion.  This past weekend his family had an estate sale at his house.  I had mixed feelings about going over there because I knew Mr. Marshall.  I have thought about him a lot since his passing because when I work at my art table my window faces his house.  But I decided to go.   Super nice family.  I talked with his niece for quite a while and I'm sorry I didn't get her name, her name tag read "Doll Lady".  As soon as I read that I knew we would connect.

I have been working on a mixed media art doll made out of nuts and bolts and screws with a clay head for a few weeks now.  But, as with all of my dolls, I get to a certain point and then I need to let them sit for a while.  At Mr. Marshall's estate sale I had a ball in his garage!  He was very organized and kept everything separated and labeled.  This is what I ended up getting:

I LOVE all of the different size springs!  I went to the hardware store two weeks ago looking for springs but couldn't find the size I needed and now JACKPOT!

Hopefully I'll be able to post pictures at the end of the week of Metal Girl.