Felt Commissions

 My Louise & Kuchi Kopi doll caused quite a stir, so I decided to take custom orders (as well as make a few for fun.) I got a great response and have been enjoying fulfilling orders for these guys.
Two more customs to go but they all have a home.  :) More pictures to come, and some I can't release until after they are gifted ;)

Work in Progress: The Lady

Here are some sneak peeks at the finished portions of my latest doll, The Lady.

Once her gloves, shoes and dress hem are complete, she will be up for sale in my Etsy shop. I'm expecting that to be in abboouuttt a week. :)

The Birds That Were Reserved

Spent the earlier part of the week (or the later part of the weekend) getting orders together. Besides the birds I've featured and distributed to Etsy, here are pictures of the rest of the flock minus two.
These have all been reserved, either from in-progress shot inquiries or for consignment.

Possibly my most classically pretty bird, she's on the big side. Makes me think I should range size more often.

The dupioni silk really made a difference with this one, so shiny, quite different.

Coincidentally, I started this one around St. Patrick's day.

A little less slick than my crowned swan but I think the ostentatious air lends itself to the extra stitches, folds & leaves

Of all of them, this one gets the title of "Miss Congeniality"

Right now there are just two birds left from my sewing spree, one that will make it's debut by the end of the week (the little one with pearls) and one I'll be releasing around my birthday (the 29th). That one is a mystery bird I haven't shown any photos of, the theme is "gilded". It was kind of an afterthought, a last minute add on but it definitely stands out and makes a good finishing piece for this flock.

I'm curious to know if there were any stand-outs or favorites from the past month of birds cause I definitely feel I went in a few different directions and developed my sewing too.

Oh, p.s. no, I'm not done with birds for the rest of my life but I could definitely use a break to work on my other projects :X

Jackie Doe

Another felt project with a "punny" name, this one a slice of Americana:



Is it unlady-like to not wear pants? (or a skirt)




Perhaps she thought she was so lady-like she could get away with it.





Etsy: "Jackie Doe"

"Catryoshka"

I made these "catryoshka" as a mini project.



Felt projects are super fun to squeeze in between fanciful silk dolls because they finish so quickly (comparatively).



Next on the blogging block, my just finished "Jackie Doe" and the finished product of "Plague doll" turned "shocked doll"...

This Post Is For The Birds

I've barely had any time these days- but why exactly, I don't know. In part it might the the research/organizing I've been trying to do but we'll have to see how that pays off.
It's put a big dent in my making but I've been trying to take smaller projects along with me when I can. That means no frills and thrills but a few little cotton birds.

"Je t'aime" Word Bird:
I think she came out very pretty. There are very few dolls I will say that about easily. Made from a vintage handkerchief and embroidered.


I've never claimed to be very good at embroidery but I think I'm getting better and I'm trying to incorporate it more into my work.


I'm still a little torn between my typical bead eyes and my more recent embroidered eyes. But I like the control (of bulge) it provides for the smaller pieces.
Etsy Listing



The "Fuck It" Naughty Word Bird:
I got the idea to do a few "naughty" words along with other word birds. This one was a prototype because I made the wings differently and an expressive face (with eyebrows). It looks so angry (and is red in the face) but for it's strong words, it's pretty comical.

Etsy Listing





The Bad Ass Bird (no words, just badassery):
Complete with sutures, eye patch and "blood". It's also made from a vintage handkerchief but is some sort of pirate-spy-zombie apocalypse survivor. A little gorier than my other recent work but my "Etsy career" started out with this Gory Girl Doll and my first commission was another so this is actually very tame.


Etsy Listing





AND a little one in progress, "Alphabet" or "Initial" birds. Not only could this be cute singular but I could imagine a flock of these spelling out things, or even an entire alphabet for a nursery.


"E", I randomly chose "e" to start with, don't ask why- there isn't a reason.
E exhibits my improved embroidery skills (hehe).
It actually started with the "Fuck It" bird, then the "Je t'aime" and now this so you can actually see the improvement.




And also, my Mario & Princess Peach plush/topper was featured in an Etsy Treasury:
"For The Love of The Game" by ten23designs


Ok, time to get sick off of the oatmeal cookies I just baked.
And yes, they are delicious- I almost didn't make it to the cookie stage because the raw dough was like some kind of delicious crack. It took a lot of willpower to not stand there and eat the whole thing raw. The cookies themselves measure up as pretty great but I usually like to see where I can improve upon recipes once I try them so we'll see.

Two Wildly Different Listings

Etsy Listing for Customized Wedding Topper -decided I needed to make adjustments to the bottom of this one.




Mario & Princess Peach Etsy Listing

Work In Progress- Great Gatsby Cake Topper

So, just to update on the topper, it's pretty close to done. There is beading work on the base (not shown) and the birds are mostly outfitted.



Still left is the inside base detailing, a bit of the dress and the wings of the boy and their legs... oh wait- there's a lot left! X_X;



I've had so many ideas on other things to make and bake, hopefully I can make some strides.
One thing I definitely want (and is taking away my attention) is this:


Message-in-a-cookie cutters from Williams-Sonoma
Individual alphabet lettering to create customizable msgs.
I read the reviews and they seem generally good to somewhat mixed but I still can't wait to get these and try them for myself.
A lot of people seemed to be displeased with the large size of the cookie but I'm pretty sure that won't dissuade any of my friends. ;)

Pride & Prejudice Topper

Listed and ready to find the perfect home as a cake topper, curio cabinet ornament, faux-terrarium display or pillbox hat (?):




Detail indoors by me
Outdoor shots courtesy of Will Star

For details on the make of this piece, please visit the Etsy listing

VISIT MY ETSY STORE
PURCHASE THIS PIECE VIA ETSY