A collage of the dolls I've worked on to date.

I signed up to participate in ADO’s Traveling Doll Project. Art Dolls Only is a team that I help start on Etsy–we wanted a place for those of us who make dolls for art rather than toys or children’s dolls. The team has grown by leaps and bounds…so much, in fact, that we finally had to limit our membership because it was becoming more than we could really cope with. We wanted a team that’s close-knit where most of us know each other and we feel comfortable working together. And, even more important, we wanted a team that we could promote and advertise for easily. People with a likeminded goal of promoting our dolls, our Etsy shops, and our team.

So far, I’ve participated in a couple of challenges/projects on the team but the Traveling Doll Project is a long-term one, making it a lot more consistant on my to-do list than anything else I’ve been working on (or not working on, as the case may be). Hmm, now that I think about, I never completel my doll for the first project (the Shakespeare Challenge). I have a half-finished Hamlet (who may turn into Romeo) sitting on one of my work tables. Destined to be another blog post in the future….

All the dolls shown in the collage above are the ones that I’ve worked on so far (or are currently at home with me). Pierre, the little guy in the bottom right corner, is presently sitting on my desk waiting for me to make him some accessories for his travels. I did a blog post today on the dolls I’ve worked on over on the Traveling Doll Project Blog so you can read through that for more details: Traveling Doll Project: Dolls to Date.

What else am I not working on that I should be? Well, I’ve got a commission for Michelle of Studio at Crowhaven Farm that I need to actually get into. Michelle is on a team called the Dark Arts Guild that focuses on art of a darker nature and she wants a large art journal for herself with a skull on the cover. This will definitely be a challenge to carve the skull design well, but I’m really looking forward to getting into it. The current design idea:

This is the current design idea. The journal will have two straps with buckles.

I also need to make three miniature books. One for Pierre Heart, of course (a journal–he may have to do a bit of sketching and writing in it before he heads off to his next destination). One for a friend who traded me a bunch of eyes in exchange for a journal for her 24″ wizard. This one will be a spell book of some sort with all kinds of esoteric designs on the cover. The final book is for another friend who collects ball-jointed dolls. She made one of my bjds a lovely elvish, woodland type outfit and I told her I’d make her something in exchange. Well, her doll is musical so I’ll be making him a large music portfolio for holding sheet music. With a Celtic design on the cover. All of them leather and I better cracking on them soon.

Aerwyn wearing the outfit made for her by Nikki

UFO’s–I have entirely too many of them at this point. More than three journals that I started and haven’t finished, and around 10 (yes, that’s right, I said TEN) dolls that I’ve started and haven’t finished. I’m really going to have to prioritize and start figuring out what to get finished.

And finally…

So, if you wandered by my blog last week (any of the five of you who might actually do so) and noticed that it was unavailable, it’s back up. And will hopefully stay that way permanently now. Perhaps someday I’ll be able to speak about the situation but, for now, I’m just happy to have my site (including my blog) back up and available.