OWOH Event Winners!

Congrats! to numbers 27 -  Vintiquities Workshop and 191 - E Makes Art.

Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by my blog and left a message.  And what a nice surprise from A Whimsical Bohemian!  I hope to see you again at next year's new event!

Art Doll ~ Susan

I didn't plan on it working out this way but this doll's face ended up reminding me of a dear friend whom I've lost touch with a couple of years ago.  Even her outfit looks like something she would wear.  Here is Susan.

Susan stands 11 1/2" high in a dark orange and burgundy print dress with a soft "knit" short sleeve sweater.  She also has a pretty gold necklace and two gold bracelets.  She comes to you with a classic jester jack in the box.  

Art Doll ~ Kathleen

One of my favorite movies inspired this doll.  I named her Kathleen after the character played by Meg Ryan in "You've Got Mail".  Her outfit is based on the best scene in the movie.  It is in the ending when NY152 reveals himself to be Joe Fox (Tom Hanks); the very person she once hated but eventually came to fall in love with.

Kathleen stands 11 3/4" high in a caribbean blue pinch pleated dress and a summery shear sweater.   She comes to you with her laptop ready to send her next AOL email and a small bunch of daisies wrapped in a red bow.

Art Doll ~ Lesia

So many things inspire my art work; films, paintings, books, clothing and lately even children's cartoons (probably because that's all I get a chance to watch nowadays).  But my mind goes crazy with ideas when I walk into the clothing and home accessory store, Anthropologie.  Their website description is right on point with how I feel when I visit their stores, "Anthropologie offers a one-of-a-kind and compelling shopping experience that makes women feel beautiful, hopeful and connected."  Getting their catalog mailed to my home is a nice "quick fixe" for when I can't make it to the mall.  One photo in the catalog struck my attention in particular.  Here is the photo and the doll it inspired me to make.  I named her, "Lesia".

Lesia stands 12 1/4" high in a long teal dress with lime accents, a pair of summery espadrilles, and a colorful scarf decorates her beautiful dark brown hair twists.  She comes to you with a cherry wood box in which she holds her five gold bracelets.  

New from M Ann M - Art Dolls

~ 2011 marks my 10th year in business.  Through those years I have experimented with so many art mediums and I have probably purchased items from every isle in the craft store.  For the past several years I have fallen in love with and stuck to paper arts.  I started with greeting cards, then paper mache jack in the boxes, then paper mache hot air balloons and now I am introducing my one of a kind art dolls.  Since time is still hard to come by, I can only make one or two dolls a month; but for this week I will offer four dolls.  Below is the first doll whom I named "Paris".  ~

Paris stands about 12" high with striped shirt, pleated skirt and red neck scarf.  She sports thigh high fish nets and tall black boots with silver buckle accents.  Hair long brown hair can be worn with or without her accompanying baret.  She also comes with a camera that she carries on her shoulder or around her neck.

Tomorrow night (Wednesday, February 16) I will post another doll and then another on Thursday and Friday.  On Friday night they will all be available for purchase on Etsy for up to $175

Here are some details about the dolls...
The dolls are made using paper mache with a paper clay overlay.  They have a wire armature running throughout their bodies including their hands and feet.  The arms, legs and head are movable as they are connected to the body with nut/screw joints.  They are painted with professional quality acrylic paints and sealed with a matte sealer.  Their clothes, hair, accessories and accompanying "gifts" are made entirely of paper (ie; paper mache, paper clay, cardboard, mulberry paper, paper tape, etc.) (unless otherwise noted) or they are painted on.  The clothing is not removable.  Dolls are signed and dated on their bottoms which may be hidden by their clothes.  Each doll is about 12" tall and comes with her own coordinating cardboard stand.   

Care and use of dolls...

Since these are art dolls, they are not made for children.  Especially due to the fragile nature of paper, they are to be handled very carefully.  Imperfections in construction and execution may be visible and should be expected since they are handmade.  They should not be placed in direct sunlight or in humid environments.  They should not be held by the arms or legs but by the waist or the behind.  The dolls can sit and be posed with careful and delicate attention to their clothing and hair.  They should not be forced to sit or move if there is resistance as this could cause a crack in the paper clay or a tear in the paper.  Keep clean with a dry cloth, paint brush, duster or dust it off with a cool hair dryer every now and then.   Please note that the more they are played with, the less resilient they become.   (Excuse me if I sound overly cautious; the dolls are sturdily made so with proper care they should last over a lifetime.)

2011 One World One Heart Event

~

The 2011 One World One Heart Event hosted by A Whimsical Bohemian is finally here!

OWOH was created by Lisa Swifka as a 'giveaway event to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It closes the gap of the blog community and enables us to interact, discover new and wonderful people, and in the process possibly win a prize or many prizes along the way'. Click here for more information on the event and for a list of other participants.


Thank you all for the first 100 kind comments!  I love reading them and I'm having so much fun visiting your blogs in return.  To celebrate the first 100 comments, I am adding a second giveaway option.  If I reach 200 comments, I will add another!

Giveaway #1 ~


The first giveaway prize I am offering for this event is an Expressive Paper Doll Kit using a color of your choice. 

The kit includes an instruction sheet, template and basic supplies that will help you make a charming paper doll using different collage techniques and items you may already have at home. You will end up with your own unique version based on my pattern for a poseable 8 1/2" paper doll.

Giveaway #2 ~

The second giveaway prize I am offering are two vintage publications.  'The Country of Aunis and Saintonge' was printed in 1926 in French and is full of black and white prints on uncut paper.  'Coronet' printed in 1938 is one of only 18 issues and is full of black and white photography and color prints.  This will be great to use in your mixed media art or to actually read for a bit of historical reference.

To win one of these giveaways, all you need to do is leave a comment (on this post only) by February 17th. Sadly, this is Lisa's last year hosting the event. I, like many other veteran participants will surely miss this annual event. Any comment left on this blog will qualify as an entry but, with this in mind, please feel free to share your knowledge of similar blog events, challenges or "parties" that I and other readers may be interested in.

The winners will be chosen (using an online random number generator ) and announced on my blog on February 18th. 

Little Lamb Jack in the Box * Plus* UP HAB and Website Header

Little Lamb Jack in the Box

Baby had a little lamb

It's fleece was white as snow

It hid within a little box

and jumped out to and fro

The one of a kind Little Lamb JITB is made using paper mache, paper clay, acrylic paints, ribbons, buttons, a coating of natural beeswax and a print of my "Little Lamb" painting on the front of the box. This JITB also plays the tune "Schuberts Lullaby". Box measures about 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" closed. The original one of a kind painting measures 8x10". This is not a toy for children. Now available on Etsy.

UP Hot Air Balloon

This Hot Air Balloon was inspired by the movie "Up" by Pixar. It is one of my favorite cartoons with a wonderful story about an elderly man who goes on an adventure in his helium balloon floating house. I had originally created this balloon last year with small plastic balloons. I decided to stick to my forte and replace the plastic balloons with hundreds of little paper ones. I should have done this in the first place as I like it much better the way it is now. The little house is made of cardboard, paper mache and paper clay with colorful acrylic paints and a gel medium coat. It is attached to the balloon through the chimney with cotton strings. Also included is a removable banner that reads "Go On An Adventure". The balloon is a paper mache base covered with almost 600 1 inch paper balloons. The entire piece measures about 8"w x 17"h. This is a one of a kind piece of art. Due to its handmade nature it is to be handled with care and it is not intended as a toy for children. Now available on Etsy.

Website Header

I have been dreaming of an animated header for my website for the longest but I've had no time whatsoever to create it myself and my neck hurts like crazy after sitting at a computer for long (thanks to a previous injury). So I commissioned kooldesignmaker.com to create the header for me. I worked with Mike who went above and beyond what I expected. The price was reasonable, communication was great and turnaround was quick. Go to my webpage to see it in action at www.mannm.net. My daughter loves waving back to the paper doll.