Great news!

First I want to apologize for being so negligent in posting but I have great news!   One of my dreams is finally coming true!  Secretly I have always wanted to be in the Newport News Fall Festival.  Here is a link to last year's show at Newport News Fall Festival 2012 My mom has been in this show for years and I thought if I could just get in I would feel like my art was validated.  I love what I do but it's a little on the "whimsical" side (I haven't posted a picture yet of my cat/pig or my bat/fish).  A few months ago my mom, in passing, said that I should apply to the Newport News Fall Festival.  She planted the seed but might not have known how much it meant to me.  My mom, an artist, was validating me!  Yesterday I found out that I had been accepted into the juried side of the Fall Festival! So if you're in the area please come out and see me this October in Newport News Park.

Next, I bought a dry erase board for my work area because I have so many projects going on that when I sit down to work on one I don't know which one to pick up first!  So here is a look at my list:

 

Here is a look at some of the dolls (and a bat like creature) I'm currently working on:

 



And last but not least I'm still working on my Hoffman Challenge doll.  I LOVE the way her skirt is turning out but I always have trouble painting faces so this is usually done last on my dolls.  Last night I sat down and painted her face.  I'm pleased with the way it turned out:

The green eye shadow isn't as bright in person as it is in the picture; and her gold blush is a lot more translucent too. I haven't attached her hair yet, I just layed her head in the hair so you could get the full effect.  She will probably be wearing earrings too.  I just went back to the only store in the area that carries the Hoffman fabric today so I can get started on her peacock this weekend.

So I think that's about it from My Art Room in Portsmouth, VA.  Thanks for stopping by!

Update on my Hoffman Doll challenge

Well I'm coming right along!  Because I have two young boys I'm not able to devote as much time to working on her as I would like but "where there's a will there's a way!"

As you remember these are the Hoffman Fabrics for the 2013 Challenge (except for the teal one):

Step 1  Body finished
After sewing her body I decided to add lace around the bust line to give her more curves.  Her necklace is made out of seed beads and an old earring.

 

Step 2 Legs and shoes finished
The legs are made out of one of the Hoffman challenge fabrics then I painted the shoes and laced them up with gold ribbon.  The soles and heals are painted brown.  Later I may add more embellishments to the top of her boots.



The most fun I've had with this challenge is creating the skirt. I first thing I did was to create a crazy quilt with the challenge fabrics. I then started embellishing the seams and creating decorative designs within the blocks.

 

 

And just today I finished her arms, hands and shrug around her shoulders. I have taken these photos because I'm so excited about her but her skirt isn't finished and not even attached yet! And of course she needs a head (which is still waiting to be stuffed). But this is a first look at what I've been working on these past few weeks.

 

 

Her left hand is "palm open" because she will be feeding an animal but I'm not going to tell you what it is yet incase it doesn't turn out.

The Hoffman Challenge

Last weekend my mom and I attended The Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival in Hampton, VA.  My mom and I go every year and I love the new and innovative ideas I walk away with.  Not only is there a quilt show but also vendors, lots of vendors, selling everything from fabric turners to dyed silk pods. 

Also there is The Hoffman Challenge.  Every year I am intrigued by this competition.  There are six categories: Pieced Quilts, Appliqued Quilts, Mixed Technique (pieced and appliqued), Doll, Clothing, and Accessories.  There are many rules for this challenge but the main one is to use the Hoffman fabrics they have selected for this year.

I am most interested in the doll challenge. Here are a few pictures from this years competition:

And check out the detail of her toenails!

Here are a few more:

 

 I have dedicated a board on my Pinterest page to the past Hoffman Challenge entries here.

Every year I am inspired by something at the Quilt Festival and this year it was The Hoffman Dolls.  I love a good challenge don't you?  Four days ago I bought the fabric and have quite a few ideas I'm knocking around in my head.  Here are the four fabrics I bought:

The design that is prominent is the main fabric for the challenge.  The only one that is not listed for the challenge is the teal one but I wanted more blue in the palette.  One is allowed to use other fabrics but the top one has to be incorporated into your design.  My picture doesn't really do it justice because each one of them has this gold shimmer to it that I love.  I've also bought gold and teal ribbons and beads to embellish later.

I will try to post pictures as I go along but I am also working on two other dolls that I want to show you too so stay tuned!